Love love love the Jarritos sodas. Wish they carried the grapefruit flavor as well. Real sugar makes a difference, just like with the Mexican coke at Gov’t Taco right across the dining space from Empanola. They really need Gov’t Taco to leave for their brick and mortar because the competition might be too much for them. Their empanadas take thirteen minutes to traverse the conveyor oven they bake in and I didn’t see a backup oven anywhere. Conveyors break down on a regular basis, and thirteen minutes is a long cook time for what essentially is a pumped up hot dog stand like the rest of the kiosks at White Star. Being right in the shadow of a good taco place isn’t really a good spot for these guys.
I’ve had five of the empanadas so far and tried the soup. I can see how some people would fall in love with the crust, which is a must for this place since it is the same for all the different fillings. The Chorizo Mexicana and the Crawfish were difficult to tell apart. They were both a bit watery with bits of either chorizo or chopped crawfish tails, but the seasoning profile was very similar. The Peruvian chicken had more meat and a better flavor and texture overall than the other two so next time I got the Argentina Beef (ground) and the Ham and Cheese. Both were pretty good so I’d recommend going meat over sauce stuffed empanadas. But also, while I waited for my order, I got a Texmas Taco from Gov’t Taco. Brisket and grilled serrano peppers with white onion and a cilantro jalapeno crema. Much, much better than the empanadas at Empanola. And they were some just-opened-the-store problems as well. The first visit, I’m pretty sure I could have walked off with my order without paying for it. I had to insist they ring me up. Second day was better, but too much stopping to train new workers at the expense of customers. Add that to waiting for someone else to scan the board and place an order, plus the thirteen minutes to actually cook your order after a worker slowly and lovingly brushes it with drawn butter and yeah, it ain’t quick at all. So make sure you settle down with your phone and a bottle of Jarrito soda, or a Mexican coke and a taco from Gov’t Taco while you wait for your Empanola empanadas.
