Maria Luisa Empanadas
Restaurant · Ballard
928 Leary Wy NW Suite #102, Seattle, WA 98107
Highlights
Authentic Argentinian empanadas with diverse meat, cheese, veggie fillings.
Authentic Argentinian empanadas with diverse meat, cheese, veggie fillings.
"We didn’t think empanadas in Seattle could make us feel like the protagonist in a romance novel, until we cracked open the ones at Maria Luisa. These tender little pastries are filled with a wide variety of meats, cheeses, and/or vegetables—prioritize creamy spinach or just-oily-enough chorizo—served with zesty chimichurri we’d like have handy at all times in packet form. Takeout is easy (even if you need to feed a big family) and their garage-like space has high-top tables that should work well for quick dine-in lunches. Make sure to try the chocolate alfajores sandwiching dulce de leche for dessert." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"Honestly, you could just close your eyes and point to any one of the many empanadas at this Ballard joint and land on a great one. But the spinach version in particular would make a certain jacked cartoon sailor smile (like it does us). It’s bursting with creamy bechamel, mozzarella, and a boatload of soft spinach. Give it a heavy pour over of their zesty chimichurri and leave smiling ear to ear." - kayla sager riley, aimee rizzo
"The vegetarian lineup at this Argentinian empanada palace is short. But a cheesy spinach- or corn-packed pastry at Maria Luisa has the power to change the trajectory of your day. Be generous with sides of herby chimichurri and add on a chocolate-dunked alfajores. Those (thankfully) don't contain meat, either." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"The vegetarian lineup at this Argentinian empanada palace is short. But a cheesy spinach- or corn-packed pastry at Maria Luisa has the power to change the trajectory of your day. Be generous with sides of herby chimichurri and add on a chocolate-dunked alfajores. Those (thankfully) don't contain meat, either." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"Put pretty much anything in a sturdy, Argentinian-style baked empanada shell and we’ll eat it. And Maria Luisa will put a lot of different things inside an empanada shell — caramelized onions and mozzarella, dulce de leche with cream cheese and bananas, guava paste and mascarpone, mushroom with egg and cheese... the list goes on. The dulce de leche is a great dessert empanada (what a combination of words!) but the standout might be the simple chorizo empanada, which is filled with spicy, slightly peppery pork." - Harry Cheadle
