Julia’s Empanadas

The Chilean empanadas are the way to go. The other ones I do not like. Order two and it will fill you up! The green sauce is delicious and spicy. Only need one cup for each empanada. I have had saltena too and it is fine but there are better empanadas around. The chilena is one of the best empanadas I have ever had. Great late night place too.

Open late night and inexpensive! I would recommend if you stumble upon it but I wouldn’t make plans to go out of your way for it.

I love the Chilean and Jamaican style empanadas. I have yet to try the Saltenas or Turkey style but I will give them both a whirl the next time I’m in town. This place is nothing fancy; the focus here is delicious, homemade empanadas that are reasonably priced. Oh how I wish they would offer shipping. Bottom line, if you’re in the D.C. area treat yourself one!

So, just to start with, I always worry that I won’t ever order enough to meet the 10 buck minimum they have here but ordering 2 and a bottled drink usually gets me to the minimum and if I am shy of it there’s not too much of a fuss. Handheld foods are the best especially since it can be an on the go lunch or a more leisurely meal outside. I’ve had the Chilean, the Chorizo and the Jamaican all piping hot-​sometimes a little too hot.
Pizza burn aside I’ve had nothing but good experiences there. The empanadas are top notch, the soups are ok, they’re vegetarian doesn’t really jibe with my beliefs. If you’re not like me and you’re ok with just one bring cash.

Literally stumbled into this establishment after a night out at Dirty Bar and wow, did this empanada send me to the gates of sobriety real quick! So yummy, so filling, so worth the $ 4.37!
Two things that I really liked: 1) the flaky crust 2) the fact that they were not STEAMING hot. Warm, but not scorching. Nothing is worst than highly anticipating the first bite and immediately burning your tongue.
Nothing here uncomfortably spicy… and this is coming from someone who thinks Andy Capp’s Hot Fries are spicy!
Savory empanadas menu:
CHILEAN STYLE $ 4.37
Ground and Chopped Beef, Raisins, Hard Boiled Egg, Kalamata Olive, Onions, & Spices.
SALTEñAS $ 4.37
Chicken, Potato, Green Peas, Hard Boiled Egg, Manzanilla Olive, Onions, & Spices
JAMAICAN STYLE $ 4.37
Ground and Chopped Beef, Potato, Onions, Curry, & other spices.
CHORIZO $ 4.37
Spanish Sausage, Black Beans, White Rice, Onions, & Spices.
SPINACH $ 4.37
Spinach, Mozzarella Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, Onions, & Spices.
TURKEY $ 4.37
Turkey, Spring Onions, Cilantro, Jalapeños, Tumeric, & Spices
VEGETARIAN $ 4.37
Always Vegan… Ingredients Changed Weekly.

Excellent Chilean Empanadas!
Same taste and quality that in any place from Arica to Punta Arenas!
The real one, the only one!

Decided to stop here and grab a bite with a friend after partying all night at Midtown (club right next door). I ordered the spinach empanada and a jamaican one. They were both okay; I wasn’t really super impressed with either.
It’s a grab and run location being as there’s nowhere to sit and chill or anything. You kinda just end up standing and eating it in a circle outside the restaurant with your friends.
The guy in the line in front of us was trying to flirt with us and he ended up buying our food for us so… that was cool since they’re about $ 4 a pop. It’s a good spot to hit up right after dancing if it’s in the area and you just want something light but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here. Plus there’s an &Pizza like two doors down so… yeah.

Visiting D.C. we were walking from Adams Morgan to the Smithsonian and came upon this spot. It was great, actually really amazing. My favorite was the Chilean. The area is a cool hot spot in D.C. Can’t wait to come back.

Julia’s never, never disappoints. Back when I was a frequent DC visitor, this used to be the only empanada place in town and now there’s gourmet empanadas everywhere you look. But none compare to the freshness, taste and price of Julia’s. This place will always have a special place in my heart and I never go without mentioning it to people who look for places to eat in DC.

Glad we saw the reviews and stopped by! There’s no place to sit/​stand and eat — so plan on taking food to go! The empanadas were freshly made and tasty! There was no Chicken Curry at this location.
Definitely stop by if you are around!

I don’t really eat empanadas often, but had the opportunity to try this place when I was in DC. Julia’s Empanadas were delicious! They’re reasonably priced and sized at around $ 5 and another plus is that they open until 4am! All the empanadas were hot, fresh and I would recommend this place to anyone! My friends and I tried the Chorizo, Turkey and Spring Onions, and Jamaican. My personal favorite was the Turkey and Spring Onions because it had a slight spicy kick to it and wasn’t on the heavy end. However, all the empanadas were delicious and I wouldn’t mind getting anyone one of them!
*Bring cash as there is a minimum $ 10 charge for credit cards

I am a big fan of dough wrapped food and empanadas are definitely one of them. I’ve been to this location and the one at Adams Morgan. They never disappoint. Chilean Beef is my favourite!

Late night on Adams Morgan, craving snacks after coming down from a pretty fair buzz, I walked past Julia’s. Of course, as a hungry Miamian in DC only for the summer, I had to take a look inside.
It was crowded — all of the pub and bar crawlers made a stop here to try their exquisite and juicy empanadas made fresh with zesty combinations of ingredients! They offered five or six different empanadas, including beef and potatoes, cheese and spinach, and jamaican!
The place itself isn’t necessarily a hang out spot — the space was really small and the line went out the door. The empanadas were more expensive than what I would have liked, costing $ 5-​$ 6 each, and I wasn’t all that satisfied despite the rich latin flavor bursting over my taste buds. However, for a place far from home, I know where I can get a good fix for Souther Cone style empanadas!

I had been walking around the embassies for the European embassy festival and was searching for a bite to eat on DuPont Circle for lunch. By happenstance, we stumbled upon a golden hole-​in-​the-​wall Empanadas joint. An incredibly modest exterior nearly turned us away.
We walked inside to find a tiny room (nonexistent dining area) with a glass showcase of empanadas and a laundry list menu of empanadas and snacks. The owners were ferociously generous in making sure we were treated well in our first visit. They offered us a more premier beverage in place of the fountain soda drink that comes with the combo. The combo consists of your choice empanadas, a fruit dessert, and a drink. I consumed and would instantly recommend the Jamaican empanada to any interested empanada goers.
The dining situation became tricky though. There’s no space for patrons to dine (since most folks take their items to go). We walked outside and saw some tables next door (at Lucky’s) where the waiter was a hawk. We didn’t mind ordering an appetizer or two to grab the seats, but he aggressively insisted we each get an item if we planned on dining there.
Overall, great experience. Hoping they sort out the internal dining space.

Baked fresh.
Delicious.
Inexpensive.
Julia’s Empanadas has been on my «try» list since I started working in the area. This morning, I decided to grab it for breakfast. Yes, breakfast. Why not? Unfortunately, they don’t open as 10am as stated on here, but 11. No matter, I went back 45 mins later and I’m glad I did!
Walking into this small bakery, smelled of toasted, doughy, goodness. Savory and sweet, they’ve got it all! For my first grab, I purchased a Jamaican, Peach + Almond, and strawberry + cream cheese empanadas. The sweet were for my co-​workers who said they were delicious. The Jamaican empanada had curry beef, potatoes and onions. Basically, a homemade «party» as we (Jamaicans) call it.
While it was delish, the thing was the size of my hand. Literally. So I only ate half.
That didn’t stop me from sharing the wealth. I went back to grab the Spinach and Apple empanadas, which were just as expected. The apple, my lord, was stuffed with JUST enough apples. Not to much and not lacking.
Wanna know how good something is, eat it cold! IF you dare. These, are good piping hot to room temperature. I’m in love.
As a cherry on top, the owners are sweethearts.

Definitely a D.C. Staple! This little spot was tucked away right next door to Lucky bar. It had several options for fillings inside the empanadas. Vegetarian options too!
The man helping me was nice and greeted me as I walked in.
Many of the fillings sounded great, but I went with the chorizo one. Yum!
Only warning, the empanadas are extremely hot, so be sure to let it cool down before you take your first bite!

I usually go for the chilean beef. The sizes for all the empanadas are pretty filling for me, though maybe guys would eat more than one. I tried the sweet empanada yesterday, I think it was peach or guava, and I liked it. I were there was a little less of the jam, but I’m eager to try their other sweet empanadas now.
Note that there’s a $ 10 min for credit card charges.

Julia’s Empanadas got lucky with their location, smack right in the center of the bars and clubs in Dupont Circle. Opened til late so it’s a good, cheap option if you’ve got the munchies after a night out drinking and dancing. However, in a sober state, the empanadas are just okay. It’s got a decent amount of filling. Maybe the empanadas would have been better if they were fresh and hot. They were just warm from the heat lamp the previous times I’ve been. Sorry Julia, thought they were just meh.
$ 10 minimum if you use card. It’s about $ 4 per empanada.

Julia’s Empanadas are good for 3 things –
1. A drunk man’s to-​go food.
2. A quick fix for the desperately hungry to curve their appetite until they reach a destination to get a full meal that won’t cost you an arm and a leg in DuPont Circle.
3. A combination of both 1 and 2 with the tag on of a late night fix after going out in DuPont.
With that being said, I just don’t think this place is worth 4 stars. I am glad everyone else enjoys it and sees it being the bee’s knees. For me it was ‘meh’. For $ 4.18 per empanada you get your choice of empanadas whether it be meat filled or vegetarian friendly — they have something to choose from among other little items they sell.
I appreciate the late hours of the place, and the basic need it serves. Other than that, I wouldn’t come out of my way to come here unless it was servicing one of the above 3 purposes.

Really good at what they’re doing. It’s late at night, you’re hungry, Julia’s Empanadas are the place to go. When I came, there was no line but I saw a group of people outside the shop eating the empanadas. My friend and I stepped into the small shop, which was small in size but smelled amazing. The empanadas were on display in the case, and the menu was simple and easy to navigate through on the wall.
I ordered the chorizo empanada, which was crispy, golden brown on the outside and chewy, meaty goodness on the inside: just what I expected. I would give a 3, but the customer service was quick and patient that this little shop deserves a 4. Definitely gonna visit here if I’m in town.

You know, these are really good empanadas. They are big, full of flavor, the price is very decent, and as with most Latin American food, always a vegetarian option (even when they’re not labeled as such).
I usually take my empanada with rice and beans and the beat salad. Their green hot sauce is excellent with this combination.
Can’t go wrong with Julia’s.