Mia Huynh

This 24/7 spot is an amazing spot for a bite at any time of day. This location in the LES, has lots of seating to dine-in but also kiosks for you to order at for take-out. Service is kind and fairly quick. They have a huge menu of lots of different empanadas as well as other Mexican dishes and sandwiches. I got their oxtail one, spicy chicken, greek spinach and feta, and their viagra (seafood stew with tiger shrimp and crab). Favorites were definitely their viagra and oxtail as both were so flavorful and filled with protein. I can definitely see this spot being a favorite late-night go to.

MOE Y

My absolute favorite late night spot in the whole city! The food is consistently delicious, making it worth every visit. It might be better to order for pickup on weekends as it is quite busy. But the wait time is not horrible and is definitely worth it for the taste.

Saie Sheridan

There’s 2 gentlemen named Evan and Tucker I’ve met somewhat around 3-4 months ago… I appreciate their professionalism, warm welcome and overall hospitality… I’ve been here atleast 10 times in the past 2 months and it’s because the energy they bring makes it feel like a home rather than just somewhere to eat out !… whoever the owner is should be very proud and keep up the not good but great work thank you EMPANADA MAMA FAMILY !!!!!!!!

Julia Gabler

Empanada Mama LES is a fantastic spot that brings bold, authentic Latin flavors to every bite. The empanadas are perfectly crispy on the outside and filled with delicious, freshly made ingredients inside. The staff is friendly, efficient, and always makes you feel welcome. It’s a lively, cozy place perfect for late-night bites or casual dining.

+3

Anthony Savage

As always, Empanada Mama is a city favorite! I love their Plantain chips and guac! The best around.

Iriana Cruz

Wow! Delicious and great prices! Empanadas are super good! We did not like the drink but food 100% good!

Jazmine Odrey

Still Love Empanada Mama, But… I absolutely love Empanada Mama—especially for their gluten-free empanadas (huge win!) and perfectly cooked maduros. As always, everything was hot, fresh, and delicious. The staff member who brought out our food was so kind and pleasant—it made the experience even better. The only downside this time was the maduros portion. The container wasn’t as full as usual, which was a bit disappointing, especially considering the price and how much I love them. Still, I’ll definitely be back—just hoping for a fuller serving next time

Don Manuel Presents

So when LoKeyStudios and myself find ourselves on the LES of NYC we have to make a stop at Empanada Mama's it has become a ritual for us. Coming from central NY where we lack Empanada mama's its a wonderful city treat my go to is the Viagra which is a seafood filled Empanada, the reggaeton Empanada always hits as well as the El Toro, I won't lie I don't think you can pick a wrong one but dont forgotto add the green sauce it will change your life. Don't forget to grab the mango juice to pair with it and you will be thanking us later.

Kristina Kelley

Empanada Mama is great every time and open 24 hours a day. It’s easy to order ahead online, use the kiosks in-store, the take-out counter, or have a seat for table service, including a bar. I’ve never had a bad experience, at any location, since I started going regularly over 5 years ago. Everything is full-flavor from food to sauces. The Buffalo Chicken Empanada is the best way to eat buffalo chicken. It is one of their fried wheat varieties. The outside is crispy, thin and light and the inside is packed, as full as possible, with shredded buffalo chicken. The empanada breading gives way to a pleasing crunch. The chicken is soft with a sweet, savory, and spicy flavor. It is already so delicious that you don’t need a sauce, but it comes with one that balances everything with a creamy tanginess that ups the flavor. The Banana Nutella Empanada is one of my favorites - one of their baked wheat varieties. It is topped with cinnamon and sugar that gives a caramelized and crispy outside. The center is filled with warm Nutella and a banana. It’s very fun to eat. They have over 40 varieties of empanadas. They serve baked wheat and fried wheat and corn empanadas. They are a first-floor, store-front with no stairs to enter or dine. The decor and atmosphere are bright and exciting. It can get loud during busy hours.

+4

Global Bilal

To start, this place surprised me very much. I was a little ehhhd by the price tag of a $4.80 empanada especially because I’ve been to Colombia where you get empanadas for $1 or less. BUT, this was actually magnificent. The flavor was wow, it was fresh, crispy, not dry on the inside & full of flavor. I got the beef & the viagra (shrimp) idk why they call the damn thing viagra 😂 but definitely worth a try, was great !!!

Got a bunch of these empanadas to go, various flavors including a delicious buffalo chicken. The empanadas are pretty beefy. Two are more than enough to fill you up. Shout out to the platinos chips and guacamole. The Crew ate at a nearby bar on pool league night. Like a mid week, impromptu Friendsgiving.

Tatiyanna Pinckney

I got the cubana Arepa and the flavor on it was incredible. That pork was so tender and delicious, it made it a great experience. I did have to pull off half of the cheese on it bc it was way too much, but that’s just personal preference. Our server was very kind and informative when it came to ordering. I have celiac so I asked if the wheat and corn empanadas shared a fryer and sadly they do, so no empanada for me. I noticed after the fact that the arepa was also fried, so I’m not sure if those share a fryer as well. I took gluten-ease and an allergy pill preemptively, so I’ll update if there’s any noticeable adverse effects for my fellow celiacs. They have plenty of non-fried options too just fyi! Edit: I did feel a little weird after the arepa, so best to just avoid the dried food if you have a strong sensitivity/cealiac.

Dina Wonn

Visiting the city, my son was craving empanadas and this is his favorite place. I could only eat one of the empanadas (shredded chicken) but it was a FLAVOR-BOMB!! The pastry was so incredibly flaky and perfectly cooked!! So freaking delicious!!! Post-script: you MUST have the green sauce...(swoon...)!

Joey Cosco

I love Empanada Mama and have been many times. This week, when I went with my wife and a friend, we ordered at the counter and then decided we'd eat in. We waited for our food by the door, but it was quite drafty, and New York'a freezing cold temps made that uncomfortable after 10 minutes. Once we got our food (all delicious by the way, I truly adore Empanada Mama's food!) we took it over to the sit-down side and the server on that side told us in order to sit there we'd need to pay a service fee as a percentage of our meal cost. We paid it and received no service after that point. It felt like a complete shakedown. I probably won't ever come back.

For the service, zero stars should be merited. Half the restaurant was empty and when we tried walking over to the other side a security guard aggressively told us "did you place an order?" and when saying yes and showed confirmation he would only say "you cannot sit here" I said okay, can you at least tell us why, I proceeded to have a different employee tell us "he cannot communicate in his dialect why you cannot enter this side of the restaurant" yet he could perfectly have a conversation with us and mocked us saying "you're not allowed to sit on this side" while laughing. I continously said "I understand, I'd like just to know why we can't sit here". It's straight up racial profiling. The irony? I was born in Latin America and grew up eating empanada, and I can guarantee you these empanadas are not authentic, they're appropriated by racists. Do not support this business.

We had a serious issue ordering ubereats from empanada mama. It was during the January 23 snowstorm, so the order was to be delivered by a restaurant employee. No problem at first - the order was delivered and the food was delicious. However, a couple hours after delivery we received a call “from Uber” requesting the delivery PIN so they could close out the order. It was a bit sketchy, but they knew exactly what we had ordered. So we gave it to them…big mistake. It turns out this was the 2 factor authentication code. We quickly realized this, and went to lock our uber account. But someone had already gotten in, and was trying to order 18 breakfast sandwiches from a Denny’s in Florida. Fortunately we were able to shut it down before we got charged but I am highly concerned that an employee at this restaurant is partnering with hackers / scammers.

Allen Jay

The chef in lower east side location on 10/23 night shift was cooking and touching everything BAREHANDED! The owner should watch the cameras more often, very surprised this is allowed in such a busy area. I’m absolutely disgusted! Management didn’t notice either! Boycott this location and go to better restaurants who actually care about food safety.

C Waite

I paid $30 for this on seamless and it looks like a lunch special . The steak was rushed . I will not be ordering from here again. So disappointed !