Kimberly W.
Yelp
This is one of those places that if I wasn't looking for it, I wouldn't have a clue that it was there. Coming from the downtown area, it's on the right side of the street, fairly close to Hodak's.
I ordered ahead for pick up just after 9am on a Sunday. It is a pretty small shop, and they only had a couple of workers. I suspect that is normally fine, but they were recently featured in the RFT, so there was a bit of a line. If you get a delicious empanada, which you should, even if you order ahead, they keep your food in the warmer until you get there, or at least they did for me. Of course that also means you will need to speak to a worker instead of just grab and go, which isn't the case at a lot of places. So keep that in mind.
On my first trip here today, I picked up a brunch empanada and a mocha. Their coffee menu is fairly basic, but I thought the coffee was good. But really, the reason to make the effort to stop here is the empanadas. That is what makes them different from other shops. I'm no expert on empanadas, but mine was quite good.
Overall, I would recommend the place, but the location is not for everyone. If you're reluctant to go downtown because you think it's unsafe, you should probably skip this place. There's a few empty storefronts, it's street parking, and even on a Sunday morning, I encountered someone panhandling on the way to my car. But then I also passed a middle aged couple walking their dog. So I didn't feel unsafe, but if you're wary of urban centers, you likely will.