Patagonia Empanadas

This is by far the best argentine restaurant around, the empanadas are exquisite! The friendly and welcoming atmosphere is something you will never find around. Each time I take a bite out of an empanadas I feel like Anton Ego from Ratatoullie, being transported through time to when I was a kid in Argentina. AMAZING.

Just got back from eating here for my lunch. The empanadas were delicious. The reason for my 5 star rating is for how great the owner is. He is so delightful and has the best service ever. He is so easy to talk with and seems like a really friendly guy. Thank you so much for the fun experience!

Five stars really? I don’t think even close. Nice people but more like a snack than a meal. Tried the spinach, spicy pork, ham and cheese and shrimp. Tastes ok nothing special.

ARGENTINA! Yum! Love the flavor in the empanadas. We tried spicy beef, Arab beef, chicken and sun-​dried tomato, all excellent choices. The chimichurri was delicious! Looking forward to trying the delectable desserts as well as the Milanessa sandwiches. Gotta try this out!!!

I’m in love with this place and I’ve only been once. I tried two different empanadas and my friend tried four others and we devoured them all.
The breading to the empanadas is perfect amount of softness, doughiness, crunch & flavor and the portions inside are big.
Definitely coming back since I work around the corner.

My go to place for empanadas has been Puerto Madero in Santa Ana for years. Discovered this place today.
Ordered the Buenos Aires lomito sandwich and a spicy chicken empanada. I have to say the empanada was very tasty and the meat to dough ratio was good too. Definitely a lot more options to choose from as far as empanada variety. I was pretty disappointed with the sandwich, though. The quality of the beef was not good. Too fatty and really lacking flavor. The bread is also really thick… Too doughy.
The americano was good. The service sucked-​guessing the cashier doesn’t like mornings cause she was in a baaad mood and want afraid to show it.
I heard they have cannoli for sale but I guess not today as they were all out.
Price-​wise we paid $ 34 for 2 lomito sandwiches, 3 empanadas, 2 americanos, and 1 cortado… You be the judge.

Jorge the owner was super sweet! Ordered a variety of Empanadas and some pastries, wow delicious! Customer service was excellent definitely going back!

Great Empanadas! Super great taste. Wish they had a nice salad to go with. But the empanadas and chimi churri make up for it.

Patagonia Empanadas is in a random strip center with other random places. I think there’s a crêpe place and a chicken teriyaki place or something. Definitely pay attention as you drive by. It’s one of those blink and you’ll miss it deals. But you won’t want to miss it because it’s delicious.
Me and some coworkers went for lunch and I loved it. First off, they don’t have their empanadas in some case and just warm them when you order them. I say this because if you’re in a rush this is not the place for you. Everything is hand made just like it should be.
Anyway. I ordered one of the chicken ones and one with cheese and they were everything I hoped and dreamed. They came out piping hot which was good because that assured me they were fresh but I was like, «Man, I need to go off on this.» I took that first bite and let that empanada goodness hit my soul. The crust was perfect. Not too thick but didn’t fall apart as soon as you crack into it. The meat was perfectly seasoned. YUMS! I also tried the spicy chicken and it wasn’t so spicy that it was unbearable but there was a bit of heat at the end. You’ll probably only need a couple but they’re so good you’ll want to try everything.
The other cool part is that they can par-​bake them for you so you can finish them off in the oven at home. How cool is that?!

I was craving empanadas, and thought I was looking up the place in Costa Mesa. This place caught my eye, and it was much closer to me.
This tiny Argentine café is located across from the Orange mall, two doors to the left of TikiYaki, off Tustin Avenue. The young man who helped me said they just opened back in April, so not quite two months. Before that it used to be a crêpe place.
The place is tiny, with about 6 or 8 tables inside, and a few patio tables outside. The food is made to order, and we were told about 15 minutes for our empanadas to arrive.
Karen and I split 5 empanadas, as we were told 2 empanadas were quite filing.
#1 Beef: Ground beef, onions, peppers, hard boiled egg, green olives, and Argentine spices
#2 Chicken: Ground chicken, onions, peppers, and Argentine spices
#4 Ham and cheese: Ham, cheese, hard boiled egg
#9 Arab /​Fatayer: Ground beef, onions, red bell peppers, plum tomatoes, and simmer in lemon overnight
#16 Sun-​dried tomatoes; Tomoto, cheese, sundried tomatoe, basil, black olives
The empanadas came out on a plate, with a serving of chimichurri sauce. a must have sauce made of parsley, garlic, olive oil and spices. Most of the empanadas were stamped with the number for easy identification. The ham and cheese, and the Arab were not stamped.
They were generous sized empanadas, and were baked, not fried. They were not greasy, and it wasn’t completely doughy.
Karen and I really like the chicken. I also like the beef and the Arab.
I was not too fond of the sun-​dried tomatoes, probably because they use black olives. (I’m not a fan of black olives), and would have also preferred if they had used more basil. By the time I got to the ham and cheese, we were both too full to really appreciate the last empanada.
I did end up taking 2 empanadas home (The chicken and the Arab) so Stephen could try. So seven empanadas and two drinks came to $ 24 before tip. I’d gladly come back to try the spicy empanadas, or even the steak. Sonia was eating the steak with onions, and it looked SO good!
Thumbs up to this mom n pop place. Call ahead if you’re in a hurry. I think that you can place your order on line.

I love empanadas. However, I’m a bit picky when it comes to the dough to filling ratio and Patagonia Empanadas takes the cake. Each golden-​brown, flaky, handcrafted pocket is stuffed with steaming mounds of juicy, zesty mixtures. Nothing is bland. The winner in my book though, is the pesto infused olive oil packed in little plastic cups = foodgasm.
Also, these are not your little grocery store frozen food size empanadas. These are Big Foot sized empanadas. Unless you have minions to help you, one or two will fill your belly up and put you on your way to food coma-​land.
Anyhoo, I ordered (just a few) to test the waters:
MEAT
Beef: Hearty, not too spicy — reminiscent of al pastor with ground beef instead of pork and simmered instead of barbecued.
Chicken: I like how you can actually get cubed pieces of tender, marinated chicken in each bite. No frills. I’ll try the chipotle one next time.
Shrimp: The reason why you have expectation management. I went for this one, with the memory of the cheesy shrimp pupusas I adore. Two different cuisines. Bad Liz. This one wasn’t terrible though. It tasted like the Spanish fish dish — Veracruz with tomato and spices.
VEGETARIAN
Spinach — Creamy textures and you had me at spinach.
Corn — Think sweet corn tamales. And then replace the masa vessel with a flaky crust. Delish.
Sun-​dried Tomato — I don’t think there were actual sun-​dried tomatoes in this one. But the flavor was definitely there even though it was slightly more watery because of the fresh tomato chunks.
Onion/​Cheese — Surprisingly, this one was my favorite. Simple and straightforward with caramelized onions suspended in a ooey-​gooey cheesy web of EHHRMAGAAD.

Finally! With the power of Unilocal I found this Gem. Will definitely be my Go-​To for Empanadas. They’re light, airy and full of flavor. It’s a must try. Had a chance to try the beef, sweet beef, chicken, spicy chicken, and corn. I had to share this time but next time I might not.

Wonderful empanadas! I am an ‘empanada expert’ and thought that theirs were excellent! I especially enjoyed the spinach ones.
Also tried the ‘media Lunas’ (croissants) with dulce de leche. Yum!
Will go back soon to try some more things.

I love Patagonia Empanadas! I discovered this gem when they had their Tustin location inside a liquor store. So sad when they closed and so happy when I found out they moved to a new and bigger location! Their empanadas are so yummy! Full of stuffing and great flavor. I always get to spicy beef, spicy chicken spicy shrimp empanadas. They’ve got a great spicy kick to them. Not to mention their chimichurri sauce is to die for! Their Patagonia Lomita sandwich is great too. Can’t go wrong here.

I enjoyed this place. I’ve been 2x. 1^st time was great the 2^nd time my empanadas didn’t taste very good. The arabe felt a bit undercooked and less of that wonderful lemon juice flavor. I understand they are still organizing everything as it’s a new business so I think I’ll wait till things get better and also when they start selling pizza that is listed on the front door banner.

I discovered this gem of a place a couple of years back, when it was still in Tustin/​Santa Ana, in the back of a liquor store. I’ve tried quite a few of their empanadas and all the flavors have been great. I have never been to Argentina so I cannot attest to the authenticity of the food; however, I am a chef so I know flavor. I am partial to their #9, the Arab, because I love lemon, and their #6, Spinach, because of the cheese. I have not tried many of their sandwiches but I absolutely love the Choripan — the sausage is made in-​house and grilled to order.
I would recommend this place because the food is good and the prices are reasonable.

So good! I’ve been to Argentina before and spent over a week in Cordoba. Their beef empanadas are just as amazing. I haven’t found a place who puts raisins in their empanadas the way they did in Córdoba and was so happy with this place. I am always in support of small business and this place is doing it right!

Jorge es una persona muy amable y es un ambiente familiar muy buena atencion y la comida muy rica.

I stolled in here the other day to try a comple empanadas and fell in love with this place.
The owner was is friendly and the food is delicious.
I had a Café Americano and Spicy Chicken and Spinach empanadas. I can’t wait to come back and explore the rest of their menu.
This is the type of place you are proud to have in your neighborhood.

In the past I would drive to Costa Mesa for empanadas, so i’m very happy this place is so close now!
We stopped in for dinner 2 minutes before they closed on a weeknight. I didn’t realize they closed at 8, I hate being that jerk that keeps a place open when they just want to go home! The owner was super friendly and welcoming though, so I didn’t feel bad after all. A few more people came in after us and he never once mentioned they were closed.
We ordered six empanadas, two pastries, and one drink and it was only $ 22! Cheap dinner. We got our food to go and while we were waiting the owner came over and gave us some croissants on the house, and also chatted with us about the pizzas and pastas they will soon be featuring. Can’t wait!
The empanadas were much bigger than what we were expecting and all of them were great! We each had a beef (awesome seasoning!), he had a ham & cheese and a spinach. He said the spinach was his least favorite, sort of lacking flavor. I had spicy shrimp and spicy chicken, both of which were fantastic. I didn’t think the shrimp were overly spicy, as it had a lot of melted cheese in it, so I think that toned down the spiciness.
The pastries were also great, especially the free croissants he gave us, they had a lemon glaze on them. We are both looking forward to coming here again, especially once they expand their menu!

I guess today was their second day in this new location and they were already very busy. The parking lot looks somewhat small but apparently there’s more parking on the side. This looks like a family owned business. I’m assuming it was a couple with their parents and kids working there. They were really cute. The wife (I’m assuming) brought us a cookie while we waited for the food and the little girl was bringing the food out and taking the dishes away. The owner was very friendly. They only have the empanadas baked (and not fried) which is A-​ok by me. It takes 8 minutes for the empanadas to come out. The empanadas are pressed and not hand folded which means you get the same size (giant) empanadas every time. I thought it was really clever that they press a number into the dough of the empanadas before they bake it and they give you a cheat sheet so you know which is which on a mixed plate.
I thought the amount of filling was pretty generous compared to another place I go to regularly (empanadas to go in chino) and I really liked the flavor of the empanadas I tried (beef, chicken, sweet beef, spinach). At the other place they were somewhat salty but the filling was perfect and delicious. I thought the meat may even be less greasy. I do have to say that I like the «crust» on the empanadas from the other place… I can’t put my finger on it completely but I think it’s more crunchy. Also we love the chimichuri sauce and it would be nice if they could give you more if you order more empanadas. They did however give us some to go with our left overs upon asking.
There are no prices on the menu but I calculated and it comes out to about 2.60 per empanada. I was full after two of them.
FYI they ran out of some varieties by the afternoon already. The owner said since they’re new to this location they weren’t expecting this many customers. So only time will tell if this will change.
I will definitely come back and am really happy this opened up close-​by to satisfy the empanada cravings.

Unilocal Challenge 2016. ⁷⁶⁄₁₁₆
I swear I stalked this place for weeks and weeks. Constantly calling George asking «are you open yet» I would visit the place next door and peak in his window and watched him work long hours late into the night getting everything perfect. He finally took down my number and promised to call me when he opens. Well I got that message and I told him I’ll be there. But I was a minute late, I was his second customer. The good news is, Tony the first customer was very generous and shared with me.
This cool little gem took over the crêpe place in a little shopping center located off Tustin across from the Village of Orange, a few doors down from the Teriyaki place. It is not new, If you remember the empanada place inside a liqour store in Tustin, this is the same place same owner. It is a great addition to the area. The resturant is small offering a few tables on the inside and a few outdoor tables. Which means I can bring my 4 legged pal.
His menu is full of about 18 empanadas, pizza, pasta sandwiches, desserts coffee, ect. A little something for everyone. Even vegetarian options. I wish I could of ordered everything. Buuuuuuut I started of real slow.
To start I had
beef
chicken
beef chipoltle
chicken chipotle
Pork chipotle rojas
Everything was freshly made. Super delicious. Flakey crusts jammed packed with fresh ingredients.
Can’t forget coffee. Coffee is the most important meal of the day. They serve Lavazza, Expresso, Americanos, Lattes, Macchiatos, ect. A little something for everyones coffee taste. The owner made me a delicious latte on the house. Super strong the way I like it. If you prefer soda, they serve Coca Cola products, bottled coke, bottled fanta and water.
Service is fantastic. Front counter girl is super sweet. Kitchen staff super nice.
For Sure I’ll be a regular. Go see them and tell them I sent ya.
#876

Delicious argentinean flavors! Although they haven’t had their grand opening, I had the chance to meet the owners whom are very very nice people!
This place has a bright future! Enjoy!

Can’t wait for the 26^th!!! Jorge is opening his new place and it is really a fantastic opportunity to enjoy Argentinean deli food… my pick? Lomito Patagonia Macho (con huevos!!) and café con leche!!! Una delicia!
Suerte…

I went to to old address and it was closed. The owner of the deli, not very polite, said he didn´t know where Patagonia had gone. Fortunately, through a friend I found out the future new address and I will be there as soon as they open.

This place it is a little gem. I enjoyed every time I went and every meal I got. My wife got addicted to their empanadas and the chimichurri. You can also watch your favorite soccer game in a calm environment.
I know they are closed right now since they are moving to a new location. I can’t wait to go back there and enjoy their delicious food.
Highly recommended!

Orange County is starting to be a foodies paradise… But when it comes to finding a good empanada, we are seriously lacking. Enter Patagonia’s empanadas. I never knew so much flavor could be packed into one hand-​held meat pocket.
Although this restaurant offers more than just empanadas, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t order some to try now (and some to have for later). Also, be sure to ask for the chimichurri; its to top the empanadas. It is delicious! So garlicky, so herby, so good! Trust me.
For the size of the empanada, what you pay is a total deal.
With a variety of empanadas being offered: chicken, spicy chicken, beef, spicy beef, ham and cheese, shrimp and more… There is bound to be something to tickle everyone’s fancy. Also, one thing that I personally really enjoy is the empanadas are baked not fried. I could eat these all day.everyday. More spicy chicken please!
The owner is super cool, he usually strikes up a conversation if your hangin around. He told me he likes to stay true to the flavors from Argentina. It totally shows.
If you haven’t guessed it. Check this place out… Run there now! Go!