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Home > Restaurants > Empanada Mama

Empanada Mama

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

763 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10019
nr. 51st St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-698-9008 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$$$
  • Reader Rating:

    8.3 out of 10

    3 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Latin American, South American
Photo by Shanna Ravindra

Hours

Daily, 11am-midnight

Nearby Subway Stops

1 at 50th St.; C, E at 50th St.; N, R, W at 49th St.

Prices

$2-$10.95

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Breakfast
  • Delivery
  • Lunch
  • Take-Out
  • Theater District

Alcohol

  • Beer and Wine Only

Reservations

Not Accepted

Delivery Area

42nd St. to 62nd St., Fifth Ave. to Twelfth Ave.

Profile

Socrates Nanas, who founded this restaurant with the owner of the Mama’s Empanadas chain in Queens, has a foolproof plan to feed the masses: big flavors in small packages. The menu of more than forty empanadas—stuffed and sealed wheat- or corn-based shells—is designed to hit a nostalgic nerve. Whatever flavors you like, you can expect them here, wrapped in a warm, yielding pocket: Greek (spinach pie), Cuban (ham, pork, and cheese), Polish (kielbasa and sauerkraut), Hawaiian (ham, cheese, and pineapple), Italian (sausage, peppers, and onions), American (cheeseburger). Though the three different doughs—fried wheat flour, fried corn flour, and baked wheat flour—taste equally neutral, the corn flour patty has a great crunch. Other small offerings include arepas, tamales, and veal and rice balls with Greek avgolemono, fork-tender meatballs in a lemon-based gravy. Dessert empanadas are worthy of a fancier establishment; the fig, caramel, and cheese patty mingles salty cheese with sweet figs and gooey caramel. The bright, industrial interior is as quirky and varied as the menu, with bold green walls, red accents, neon stools and banquettes, and brushed-steel tables. Empanadas aside, the something-for-everyone philosophy makes this Latin patty palace a distinctly American joint.

Extra

Let’s not forget the bebidas. Mama’s Empanadas sells imported South American beers, sodas, and juices. They also offer nine types of fruit shakes, including guava, passionfruit, and the peachlike sour sap, made fresh with milk or water (milk is tastier).

Recommended Dishes

Veal and rice balls, $4.95; chili and beef corn flour patty, $2; figs, caramel, and cheese wheat flour dessert patty, $2.50

8.3 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10
Write Your Own Review

Awesome Eat-in or Delivery

bailesb from 10019 | Posted on 6/29/08

Overall Reader Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 8
Service: 7
Décor: 7
Value: 9

I take my out-of-town friends here when they visit for the delicious empanadas and bounteous sangria; its also my favorite place to order-in from. Try the hawaiian (pineapple/ham/cheese), the viagra (seafood), the regular (meat) for the...Read More

Gots to love them empanadas!

west_villager from 10014 | Posted on 12/4/07

Overall Reader Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 9
Service: 8
Décor: 7
Value: 7

I just moved to HK last week and have already ordered twice from Empanada Mama! My first go-round, I ordered some takeout just so I could checkout the place (my second order was delivery...Im lazy). If I wasnt dressed...Read More

Read All 3 Reviews >>

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