Jennifer’s Cafe

Jennifer Café is just across of where I live and I often pass by to grab an Empenada for Breakfast. Each Empenada ranges but I usually grab the cheese filling to fix my fried dough cravings.
Each Empenada is diff in pricing but the one I get is 2 $… Yes 2 $ so cheap and great quick eats. Its not the best Empenada but I give it 4 stars because of price, convenience and also the workers are on top of it. Super quick and ready to serve customers.

Stopped by here last night on a drunken whim. My friends and I were looking for cheese empanadas AND we found them! I had always passed this place, but had never stopped by because it always seemed to be closed, but i guess I found the secret – go late at night! I think we stopped by around 11:00pm?
The cheese empanadas were decent. Not the best I’ve ever had, but again, it was late and they probably weren’t fresh and from the day. Still, they get perks for being open that late! I would definitely want to stop by again to try some of their other foods, as I live in the area, but until then… just remember, it’s cash only!

Tasty and filling hot and cheap empanadas served up quickly for a not greasy snack!

Yummilicious empanadas!
They have weird hours that a lot of times it’s not open when I happen to be there!

This is, by far, the best breakfast place in the lower east side and quite possibly lower manhattan. The empanadas are out of this world and the coffee is to die for.
Just beware of the lady that works here because when she serves the coffee with milk she doesn’t use the strainer, and so I get the lumpy milk that forms on top of the coffee. Other than that, AMAZING.

I was craving empanadas and after reading the reviews on Unilocal I decided to try out Jennifer’s café. I went at 7:30 am (yes, I am a fiend) so I got mine fresh out of the deep fryer. I wanted to be able to write a rave review because she’s a charming woman, but these were merely ok.
The empanadas are on the bigger side and the amount of filling is just right. I got the chicken and it was dry, not that much flavor. I drank half a bottle of water just to get the whole thing down. I like my empanadas a little greasy and my dough to be a little on the tough side (not flaky) and it was very much like this. So if you are looking for some flaky, grease-​less experience, this is not the stand for you.
Coffee was good though. She uses café bustelo which is one of my favorites.
Overall, I wouldn’t go back for more, but if I was reall-​y craving an empanada, I’d stop by.

I’ve had a craving for pastelitos/​empanadas ever since I found some at Gena’s Grill. I’ve tried to find locations that balance quality, size, and price well, but have been unsuccessful.
I found myself in the area picking up some tickets, so I decided to stop by around 1pm on a Saturday. The stand itself is hard to miss, although nothing really pops out at you.
There is a list of empanada varieties on the bottom, which include shrimp, chicken, beef, cheese, chicken & cheese, and beef & cheese. There may be more, but those are the ones I remember. I opted for the standard beef, as the ones I had at my friend’s house were typically beef, and I feel the texture adds to the flavor.
I knew they weren’t going to be fresh, as there were hardly any people, and the lady behind the counter had several already made in the display case. She handed it to me in a paper napkin, and I was surprised that it hadn’t disintegrated from grease. In fact, there was hardly any grease, but you knew it was fried.
The filling was fantastic, not too thick, and definitely more than you would expect for $ 1.75. The beef was flavorful, and not greasy like most pastelitos I’ve tried, but that also meant it was less moist, although I didn’t find that to be a problem.
I quickly devoured it on my way back into Chinatown, thinking of the next time I feel like venturing up there… which should be soon. I kicked myself for not buying a few to take with me, but hopefully I get them fresh out of the fryer next time, and maybe then I will.

I thought I try Jennifer’s Café based on the reviews from Unilocal.Usually the reviews here are helpful but something went wrong some place. I took a nice little side trip over here from uptown on saturday during lunch time hours. I wanted to try the empanadas that everyone was raving about. Bad idea. Like everyone says they run out of empanadas fast. I order the beef with cheese and the chicken empanada. The ones I got all smelled of old grease and tasted like that way also. It seemed like they never ever changed the oil from when the place first opened up. It was terrible. How can this place get good reviews on their empanadas when they taste horrible. The old smell of grease and the taste of it too is not what I call delicious. I would never go back nor would I recommend this place.

Cheap and there is a lot of cheese. 1.75 for cheese empanada. Hours are 630 to 6ish weekdays. Sounds like hours are guidelines but dependent on weather.

I’ve been wanting to try this place out forever. I’ve walked by a million times but they’ve either been closed or out of Empanadas. I could always tell just by looking at their little red stand that the Empanadas they make must be good. I’ve dreamed about these Empanadas. Today I finally made that dream come true. I woke up early and got out the door early so I had time to go out of my way before heading into work.
These are the closest Empanadas to the ones I had while traveling in Santiago, Chile, where sweet, older Chilean Mujeres would stand on the street with a little table or cart setup with a small deep fryer, fresh cheese, meats and dough and make an Empanada of your choice while you wait. The key attribute here is the crust — it must not be too thick, crunchy or bready. There must be balance between it and the filling. The Empanadas at Jennifer Café have got it right. The cheese Empanada was my favorite, soft, flaky, buttery crust on the outside and cheesy goodnesson the inside. It was not too oily and the cheese was the right consistency — half way between melted and solid a.k.a. ‘just right.’ They’re not made to order, but they were dropping a fresh batch in the fryer while I was there and the ones I had were obviously just made.
For $ 1.50 a pop you can’t go wrong — I will definitely be back. Would love to try their hot lunches but I’m never in the area during the day…
They don’t appear to be open on Sundays or evenings. They did have a pair of chairs set up in front where two gentlemen were enjoying their morning coffee and having a chat.

This is a walk-​up stand. It took a while to find empanadas in the area, and these are decent. They’re fast, nice and the coffee is pretty good.

Went back a few times since my last review and was so pleased to find 1) they aren’t greasy anymore!!! WoW!!! and 2) they’re open late now too, and they make fresh batches throughout the day to satisfy the masses!!!

Good, cheap, quick food. Good people.
Always get the empanadas here (beef/​cheese and chicken/​cheese). $ 1.50, really tasty, ready on the go.
Recently tried the chicken tacos, which are a fairly new addition. $ 7 for 3 tacos. Really good actually.
Respect for these guys.

Wow. The $ 1.50 empanadas are awesome. The short rib lunch combo was great, as well, served with beans and rice and a slice of avocado for $ 6!

I often run by this spot, so I was happy to come back across this stand while wandering the streets of the village with my dog searching for food. It was dinner time on a weekday, maybe 7ish, and all they had left was empanadas. I asked the guy behind the counter what his favorites were, his response: «cheese, chicken and cheese, beef and cheese… but I like cheese» with a big smile in this awesome accent.
What can I say, I was sold, give me a chicken and cheese and shrimp. They were yummy and at the right price point, I think $ 1.50 each? Anyway, I thought the fillings could’ve been a little more, but I really liked the outside, not too oily, not too doughy. They have a few other dishes, but I’m guessing they’re usually gone by dinner time. I’ll definitely stop by again to see if I can maybe nab any extras.

Good Value, food is pretty decent and convenient.
As far as i can tell the only thing inconsistent is when they are open.

This little corner stand joint serves up delicious and very low priced empanadas.
I’m not sure what the deal with their hours are, but they are usually open in the morning and through lunch. They have a bunch of empanada choices and every one I’ve ever tried has been warm, crispy, and delicious. Chicken, Beef, Shrimp, it’s random and you just have to try your luck to see what they still have for the day.
They use a softer cheese in them, which I think might be queso blanco, but whatever it is, it compliments the nice fried shell of the empanada well and it is soft, chewy and tasty. Additionally, their iced coffee is pretty rocking.
This place gets 5 stars, it’s fast, convenient and where else can you get an empanada and iced coffee for only $ 3.50 at anyways?

This is my favorite little local spot! I live a few doors down and can’t help but stop for an empanada whenever I walk my dog (so bad, i know!). Their meat and cheese empanadas is my favorite, but I even love their Cuban sandwich even more. Coming from a picky Cuban girl, thats a big compliment. But make sure you call in advance, because they dont always have it readily avaliable.

Great little cheapie pit stop for a chicken and cheese boricua empanadilla for a buck fifty. It was a tasty treat — eons better than Julia’s empanada.