The Original Marini’s Empanada House

I couldn’t have better thing to say about this place and their food! Every single thing I have tried has been delicious. The food comes out freshly made, and everyone is friendly. This is by far one of my favorite places to eat. There are many types of empanadas, still haven’t tried them all! Also their dessert empanadas are amazing as well!

still delicious still fresh still great staff… I appreciate the talent, heart and soul that is obvious in your food, many Thanks, cant wait to return already

This place is good. My wife and I tried the chicken florentine (our favorite), chicken cordon bleu, dolce de leche (DDL), beef, and the bacon burger. The florentine was by far the best one we ate especially with the chimmi churri sauce they gave us, but the other ones were just OK. Nothing too special about the DDL. The filling was delicious and the powered sugar helped it out a lot. This place is different from your typical meals, but I wouldn’t come here very often.

It’s always hard trying to figure out what to bring to a potluck but I’ve never had any complaints about when I bring empanadas over. I ordered 2 dozen of the mini sized empanadas over the phone for pick up 3 days later and went with the 2 popular flavors that was mentioned over the phone, chicken and beef. Everyone loved it including myself. Not sure how long they were sitting there for but it was warm when I picked it up. Both the chicken and beef flavors were great.

Service was super friendly. Order at the counter and food is delivered to you. There is self serve drinks and hot sauce. The chimichurri sauce is served with your empanadas.
The menus is huge. There is a good selection of meat, vegetarian and dessert empanadas. They also have sandwiches… But let’s be real you are at the Empanada House so that’s what we are here for. ;-)
I ordered the Gaucho, English and Spicy Pork and curly fries. Careful the first bite can burn your tongue, I like to open one end to let it cool off. All my selections were very tasty.
If you are in the hood give this place a try.

Consistently great food here. I am a repeat customer and am thoroughly impressed with the quality of the food. The beer selection remains one of the best in the region.
During my most recent visit I had the Buffalo chicken, Texas BBQ and florentine epenadas, all were delicious.
I sometimes go to Marini’s simply because they have such an extensive selection of craft beers, but the food is what really impresses.
This place is casual and has patio seating outside. Go there, take your friends and have a great time.

This is such a great place! Staff are very friendly and the experience is consistently excellent. It’s a good day when I can come to Marini’s, order a few empanadas, a local beer, and sit on the patio or stay inside to watch the game. I come here alone, with family, with coworkers, but the bottom line is that I love to be at Marini’s!

This place is a gem! It’s less than 10 minutes from where I work, so I decided to stop in today, based on Unilocal reviews. My eyes were bigger than my appetite — I ordered 4 empanadas and a side of curly fries. The beef and the chicken florentine were amazing — I just devoured the chicken florentine in my car, on my way home because I had them left from lunch. They were even super delicious cold!
For 4 empanadas, curly fires, and a soda, my bill was about $ 15 + $ 3 tip. Not bad at all for the portions.
I took my order to go, and it was ready in 7 – 9 minutes. Next time, I’ll sit on the cute patio they have.

We were nearby and Unilocaled for somewhere to eat. This was freaking delicious. I mis-​estimated the size of the empanadas and was really hungry, so I ordered four different empanadas, plus a dessert one: the Beef Gaucho, Texas BBQ, Eggplant Parmesan, and the Spicy Pulled Pork. For dessert, I got the Apple with Everything and a mini of the Fig, Mozzarella, and Walnuts.
EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS. I actually felt myself getting full, so I saved the Eggplant Parmesan for later. The chimichurri sauce they gave us went beautifully with the Beef Gaucho, and tasted good with the pulled pork, too, I didn’t think it would work quite so well with the BBQ, so didn’t put it on that, but it was very nice. I’m looking forward to trying out the Eggplant empanada when I get hungry again. Between the two desserts, I think my favorite was the Apple with Everything. The fig was good, too, but it was just a little too sweet for me, even with the mozzarella cutting it (it sounded amazing, though).
My fiancé got the Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chicken Florentine, the Italian Marcillo, and the Texas BBQ. He enjoyed them all, too — I’m not really sure we could have gone wrong here. I’ll definitely want to come back next time I’m in the area.

I visited Marini’s this summer and it reminded me of the older days when I was back in HS. Marini’s is located near the Cinco Ranch area so it was pretty close by to where I usually hungout. Back then lunch time was usually held by those who were Marini’s insiders. We knew what was good and got it a good time. The inside looks very homey and welcoming, and you can order upfront.
Things have changed from then to now, now the place is usually busy anytime I go, that and they sell new merch. The menu hasn’t changed radically but they’ve added new cookies and sweets. I bought some for my mother which she enjoyed quite alot.
I usually enjoy getting the Pizza, Ham and Cheese, and their chocolate empanada. They used to have a Smores one, I’m not sure if they still do. The Empanadas are of very good quality and great taste. There is so much on the menu I look forward to it every time. It’s just hard breakign a habit.
If you haven’t been here and you live near the Katy area, you definately should.

The beef gaucho was a bit salty but delicious, the spicy pork was okay and I wish I had 100 of the s’mores empanada. Just started working in this area and will definitely be back for more. So far the best empanadas I’ve had in Houston!!!

I don’t have a lot of experience with empanadas but these were good. I didn’t like the chicken mole one but the poblano & cheese was great. The Tia Maria is spicy and yummy.

Great variety, freshly made, and you will not have to wait very long. Awesome prices.
Empanadas…Empanadas…Empanadas. Yum. Review done.
Seriously, though, there is a reason this place is continually marked as one of the best restaurants in Katy. Plenty of delicious empanada options to choose from. Good beer. What more do you need?
The place is located in a strip center near Walgreen’s, in fact there is a small crossing from the Walgreen’s parking lot. The location is small, but there are tables inside and out.
We enjoy the Gaucho… tasty beef with a little tang from the green olives. On my last visit, I tried the chicken poblano. Rich, delicious mole sauce makes this another empanada I will have to order again next time. My daughter ordered a Hippie Argentino… I though the salami and raisin combination sounded a bit strange, but she really enjoyed it. She also likes the Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Don’t forget the dessert empanadas. The Dulce de Leche is incredible, My daughter recommended the fig with mozzarella and walnut on my last visit, so I tried and enjoyed it.
I ordered the Texas brisket and avocado to-​go for my wife. She likes guacamole, but didn’t think much of the avocado empanada. I ate the last half of her empanada and have to agree it was very mushy and didn’t have much taste. My wife thought the Texas barbecue was ok, but prefers the Gaucho. Regardless, this is not the norm and most empanadas will have you wanting more.
MEH also offers sandwiches, but I have not tried them yet. It’s on my bucket list.

Definitely one of my favorite Katy restaurants! It’s never super crowded when I go, and the service is always really friendly and quick. There is a large variety of empanadas (good vegetarian options too — they don’t use egg in their dough), and the empanadas are consistently fresh, hot, and crispy.
I’ve tried the Beef Gaucho, Chicken Diablo, Chicken Florentine, Texas Barbeque, and Hawaiian. My favorites are the Texas Barbeque and Hawaiian. The chopped brisket in the Texas Barbeque is really tender, and I love the barbeque sauce — savory with a hint of sweetness! The Hawaiian is also delicious– diced ham and melted cheeses with chunks of pineapple for sweetness — much tastier than any Hawaiian pizza I’ve tried! For desert, I’ve tried the mango and dulce de leche, but I found the desert empanadas to be a little too sweet for my personal taste.
The prices are great (~$ 3 per empanada), and two or three empanadas will usually fill you up!

I’ve heard great things about Marini’s for a looong time since my best friend considers it the best restaurant in Katy and it’s real close to where I live. Sadly, I didn’t check it out until very recently, but was pleasantly surprised.
I ordered 2 empanadas, the Chicken Diablo and the Eggplant Parmigiana, and I definitely did not know what to expect. The empanadas came out real quick, piping hot and I was excited to dig in. The first bite into the Eggplant Parmigiana gave me a mouthful of flavor. There was a perfect ratio of sauce to dough in the filling and that dough was deliciousss. Soft and chewy, it was bliss with every bite and I could eat that handmade dough for days. The Chicken Diablo was also bursting with flavor, but the only thing I wish is that it could be spicier.
Marini’s is definitely a solid choice if you’re looking for a fast, yummy, and inexpensive meal. Their wide variety of empanadas (even sweet ones too!) have a little something for everyone, and I am looking forward to trying them all in the future.

We were referred to this restaurant by a friend & was pretty impressed. We ordered the florentine, gaucho, spicy pulled pork, spinach, & Apple dulce de leche empanadas. They are around $ 2 — 3 & medium sized soo 2 — 3 would be good for a person depending on hunger. I loved the set up of the restaurant & it was considerate of having kids’ toys there to keep kids occupied; but the toys were pretty dirty. Anyway, it made me really happy to hear they’ve been opened for 11 years now, so you know they’re doing something right.

I love me some empanadas! I gotta admit, this place has some of the best empanadas I’ve ever had. They’re made from scratch and you can tell they’re incredibly fresh. What’s more, they have ALL types to choose from — all of which are incredibly creative. Whether you’re looking for something meaty, something with just cheese, or something for vegetarians, this place has it all. Heck, they even have sweet empanadas that will provide the perfect dessert after your meal! Everyone is guaranteed to find something they’ll like — no excuses.
What stood out most to me was the dough these empanadas were made of. The dough had the perfect crispiness and firmness on the exterior, but upon taking a bite, it simply melted in your mouth. Perfection in a bite. There’s no other way to put it. The inside was soft and chewy, and the dough wasn’t too thick in a way that it would overpower the actual filling of the empanada. Honestly, I would just snack on the dough if I could because that stuff is so damn good.
I tried the Beef Gaucho, the Chicken Florentine, and the Spicy Pulled Pork. The Beef Gaucho, one of the most popular choices here, blew me away. It bursted with flavor and spice. Even as the sauce from within dripped down my arm with each bite, I couldn’t have been any happier. The Chicken Florentine was also delicious. Although I do wish they put a little more chicken inside of it, the large amounts of cheese plus spinach were too good to pass up. The Spicy Pulled Pork wasn’t anything too special, yet still a solid choice.
The prices are affordable, and most people seem to get pretty full from just eating 2 or 3 empanadas, so this place certainly won’t hit your wallet too hard. I’m always a huge supporter of local, family-​owned restaurants, so I definitely hope I can come back out here again and eat some more of these delicious empanadas!

Food is up to par, lots of dining space, service is great but atmosphere doesn’t compare to the one on Westhimer.
It’s different because it isn’t like the original location, but the food is still delicious and the service was good. Definitely love that they always label the outside so you know what is what when you take it to go.
Must come and check out and you can definitely get a lot for $ 20 in hand.

So. Freakin’. Good.
Sweet empanadas. Savory empanadas. Gourmet empanadas… whatever you order it will be made fresh. I’ve had a few, and none of the ingredients are cheap or fake, and the wait for yours to be made are because they are being made from scratch just for you.
I can’t recommend the fig and mozzarella empanada more… It will melt your face off.
In, like, a good way.
Prices are reasonable, atmosphere is clean if not a little generic and self-​serve. My wife and I were here for a date night. We’ve also purchased from here to take home. They were just as good!

Whoa!
Visiting family for the holidays, I wanted to see what Unilocalers of Houston were talking about before we all got down to the nitty gritty of Thanksgiving feasting. My sister lives way out in Richmond so I was kind of skeptical of what I would be able to find, but I should have known better. Texas certainly has no shortage of options for delectable places to dine.
I searched for ‘vegetarian’ and this popped up atop the list. I’m always impressed when a business has over a hundred reviews and such an impressive star rating. There’s a reason Unilocal!is one of the most used/​referenced apps for businesses, we know what we’re talking about.
We ordered quite a bit as it was four of us taking part. Mom’s had a hippie which she said she liked a lot and would go for that again. We also ordered the English, spicy pulled pork, chicken poblana, eggplant, and some strawberry-​banana-​cream-​cheese empanadas. When I tell you they were all phenominal?!
The pulled pork was probably my favorite and the eggplant a close second. The pork was very flavorful and juicy, with a bit of a spicy kick to it. It came with this (I’m just describing) spinach vinaigrette and rasin like sauce to garnish the empanadas; super delicious! The eggplant was a close second, also very good and bursting with flavor. It helps I’m also a lover of eggplant. Really enjoyed the dessert empanadas as well, but I will say, if you wish to get the full flavor of the dessert, clean out your pallette first. Especially if you’ve just eaten the pulled pork, there’s so much flavor in it that it will mask the taste if you go straight to dessert.
I can see this being a place I’ll be stopping into when visiting the sis again and again.
Great job, y’all!