Sara L.
Yelp
Nuchas Empanadas is a tiny, inconspicuous food truck stationed smack dab in the center of the Times Square chaos. If you're looking for a snack, it's something to consider. Otherwise, it's hard to regard 2-3 empanadas as a full meal if one has a ferocious appetite. Convenient for those passing through or who work in this area, I ultimately decided to check it out one day after a long time of resistance just because of its proximity to my office. Almost too convenient, rather inexpensive, it makes one a little wary. However, upon being able to sample some Nuchas empanadas at a Yelp event not too long ago, I was pleasantly surprised by how good their empanadas were. I unfortunately cannot say the same for the empanadas here. A poor match and false representation of their empanadas left me slightly disappointed as expectations were far from met.
I advise ordering 3 empanadas, which cost only $8. Otherwise, each empanada is about $3-4, depending on the flavor. They have a good selection, ranging between meat, vegetarian, and sweet empanadas. I decided to go with a series of savory empanadas -- the Argentine (ground beef, onions, peppers, scallion, potatoes, and olives), the Spicy Chicken (chipotle, tomato, onions, peppers, and basil), and the Spicy Cheese (assorted cheeses and caramelized onion). Primary issues I had, they were too oily and the dough was overcooked. They were hardly fresh, baked empanadas. They were most likely laid out for some time only to be reheated upon your time of ordering. The skin of the dough was overly greasy, chewy, and drips of oil would flow out the bottom with each bite. The crust was too hard. The ground beef was the biggest disappointment as the beef is Pat Lafrieda beef; this empanada did no justice for Pat Lafrieda. Spicy Cheese left much to be desired and was just very greasy. I can say that the Spicy Chicken was the best out of the three, but even that one, the filling was quite mushy. All in all, their empanadas did not have the taste of fresh, baked goodness I was hoping to expect. Their staff is also less than joyous or welcoming. If you want to experience some great empanadas and actual service, check out Mama's Empanadas on 9th Ave.
To note a positive, Nuchas is open till late, so if you are hungry and just need an affordable snack, it's good enough. Just don't prepare yourself to be impressed. There is more than one Nuchas in the NYC area though, so perhaps one will have better luck at another location.