Pampeana Empanadas

Delicious, although out of the 4 times I’ve tried purchasing empanadas from them, only 2 were successful. Seems like they always run out of empanadas, I mean of course eventually businesses do but these guys run out too early. And it takes for ever to bake them, especially the way they keep opening the little ovens to throw more empanadas in or take some out… anyway, just an observation. The empanadas are good, I’ve only tried the spinach/​cheese and the chicken ones.

Having both traveled to Argentina and being able to extensively sample these one of a kind argentine baked empanadas, I can tell you these are well worth the purchase. I could go on and on but I think it would be best if you tried yourself. The employees are some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

Mmmm these empanadas are little pockets of goodness.
Mine had a piping hot roasted corn filling, wrapped in a flaky crisp dough. Costed me $ 3.50, but I’d say it’s worth it for the quality of the ingredients and handmade nature of these tasty handheld goodies. Now I’m curious to try their other fillings…
The woman staffing the booth was also very kind and answered all my questions, and handed me my empanada with a smile.

I’ve had some of the best empanadas and their variations. Coming from Indonesia and having grown up on panadas and pastel, I’m also very familiar of how this type of pastry should taste. I thought this would be another US-​influenced, mediocre empanadas but HOLEY CRAP was I totally wrong. I think it’s their light, fluffy, flaky dough that crumbles in your mouth that makes all the difference. This week they had football-​shaped dough balls in honor of the Seahawks at the Super Bowl!
My favorite was the pumpkin & dulce de leche (seasonal), but carne, chicken, and spinash were very close runner ups. They didn’t have caramelized onion and mushroom this week; apparently they can only bring a limited variety to farmers markets. I’ll have to come back next week to try more. And can’t wait til summer to try their strawberry-​raspberry-​blueberry mix!
Don’t forget to grab a jar of chimichurri or aji sauce either!
Not cheap, but everything is worth the price!

One fine Saturday morning, I was craving an apple empanada. If only there were a website I could use to help me find what a crave… Unilocal to the rescue! What luck that Pampeana Empanadas was going to be in the U-​District!
I picked up a beef (ground beef, onions, sweet peppers, raisins, hard-​boiled egg, and garlic) and apple and dulce de leche (apples, cinnamon, clove mix, and Argentine dulce de leche).
These adorable little pockets were browned nicely and well seasoned. I enjoyed the flavor of the beef mixture and still haven’t figured out if I like the raisins (but it’s not bad). I love hard-​boiled eggs in my empanadas and it’s something that I look forward to. The apple had a nice texture. It was not as sweet as I was expecting so it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
I want to go back every week until I try all of them!

Their beef empanadas are AMAZING! They are at the University District Farmers Market on Saturdays. Try them out!

I worked next to their stand a few times when I was lucky enough to work the great West Seattle Farmers Market. I never made it more than 20 minutes before the wonderful smell wafting over from their stand had me grabbing a second breakfast. I tried the spinach and cheese, roasted corn and chicken and all were wonderful. The woman that worked the stand was also always extremely kind, which always makes the food taste even better.

First time samples at Pike Place for the Arcade Lights Event.
At the event, Pampeana offered you two options, a spinach and cheese and/​or a carne. Sadly, the spinach and cheese were sold out by the time we got there but made it just in time to snag a carne! Glad we did because it was delicious and the service, «lovely and sweet!» ;)
Pampeana,
Thank you for creating these little bites of goodness!
You will be seeing us again… soon! ;)

Carne, chicken, roasted corn, caramelized onion, apple… yep, I’m a fan. And they’re baked, not fried!

Coming from a country where there are as many kinds of empanadas as there are panaderias, I have come to realize that not all empanadas are born the same. The Pampeana Empanada is a class all its own. It’s a crunchy, crusty empanada that gives in to a generously spiced and seasoned meat filling; one of the best empanadas I’ve tasted ever! The only crime is that they don’t have a more permanent location, but you know, the hunt is all worth it.

We love to eat these empanadas fresh cooked at the farmers market! Even better — maybe — is making them for my kids to snack on when they come from their sports practices when dinner isn’t quite ready yet. My swimmer will down 3 of ‘em — and still eat a full dinner. My kids actually even request the vegi ones! I’ve been know to make them with a salad and a glass of wine for a super easy ‘adult’ dinner too!

Tried these at the Unilocal event and they were delish. Tried both kinds that they had to sample and really enjoyed them. However, my hubby LOVED them (I think he snuck thru the line 3 times…).

If you love Empanadas you’ll love Pampeanas! I’ve had many different ones from various booths at the farmer’s markets and these still are my fave! Good stuff!

I just had a sample at a booth that was set up, but mmm mmm mmm these little guys were tasty. They tasted fresh, not over done and the ingredient combination was yummy. The women running the booth were very nice as well. You could tell they were proud of their product and they should be!

I was sad to miss the Unilocal event but I can proudly say that I was one of their early followers and have sampled several of their varieties. Before they offered pick-​up in Lake City, I met the daughter a couple of times at the downtown Costco with a cheque in hand to receive my yummy treats!
My absolute favourite is their beef empanada — a savoury mix of minced beef with onions, sweet peppers, raisins, hard-​boiled egg + spices. A couple of those appetizer-​sized baked in the oven paired with some fresh fruit or a salad and you have the perfect meal!
The other varieties I’ve had were also quite solid, namely the chicken with peppers, onions, mushrooms + Swiss, and their spinach with mushrooms, onions, boiled egg and Swiss! What can I say… I’m a sucker for Swiss cheese. I’d like to try their sweet varieties especially the apple with dulce de leche. It sounds heavenly and I imagine having it warm from the oven with a little scoop of frozen yoghurt.
What else can I tell you about them? Pricing might be high at first glance but they are homemade and definitely made with love. The ingredients are also high quality and I was never disappointed from my first one to the last of the batch. They arrive frozen and will keep nicely for future use. I liked having the savoury ones on hand for those nights when I didn’t feel like cooking an entire meal.
Oh yeah! You can mix and match the varieties within a dozen so if you wanted to try half savouries with half sweet, they will accommodate you. All of the email communication that I ever had with them has been speedy and friendly. I cannot recommend them enough and if I could give another star, I would!

yummy!

We had the opportunity to try these tasty bites recently at an event in SODO. All we can say is: absolutely delicious! Tender, flaky, just plain yummy! (Just so you know: we are particular foodies and excellent chefs ourselves.) Would highly recommend. Can’t wait to swing by their retail location & pick up some for a weekend lunch, brunch or even dinner!

I had a chance to try these at an event in SODO recently and they were delicious! I can’t wait to try more of them!