Portena Shop

Got the 3 pack of empanadas for about 10 pounds: chicken, beef, and chorizo. Crust was flaky and very good for all of them. The chicken was seasoned well with some peppers inside giving the combo some good flavor. The chorizo was good but didn't have any heat and the beef was soft cooked and not the favorite out of the three. Lots of grease so be weary of your pants (well trousers in the UK) and eat them there vs trying to eat them later. In the Borough Market and good place to eat.

Absolutely delicious empanadas – crispy on the outside, perfectly seasoned and juicy on the inside! Each bite was full of flavor, and you can tell they’re made with love and quality ingredients. A must-try for anyone who loves authentic taste. I’ll definitely be coming back for more!

Lived in London for a couple of years and being from Uruguay, this was one of my go to places when I felt homesick for Rio de la Plata’s food. Empanadas are definitely their best dish, but also tried the chivito (though in Argentina is called lomito) and they also serve one hell of a Choripan. Whatever you go for, you can’t go wrong. There’s also some Argentinian beer brands like Quilmes to go for the full experience. As the name goes, the place is also a shop where you can get the survival kit for Uruguayans and Argentinians: Yerba, Dulce de leche and alfajores, among others. They have several brands but they also make their own Dulce de leche which is quite good. Fully recommended.

The empanada was really good, flavorful and well-prepared. The choripán, however, had a strange bitterness that seemed to come from the chimichurri.

Argentina at the Borough Market The steak sandwich is terrific - it was cooked to order and the steak was suprisingly tender!! This is a great option for lunch at the Borough Market!!

I discovered this delightful small shop that offers some of the best steak sandwiches I've ever tasted! This was my first time trying out Argentinian food, and it's safe to say it left me with high expectations. I got a steak sandwich and an empanada; both were good, with the empanada being ok. Although the seating area of this shop was spacious in relation to its footprint, finding a seat was still a challenge. As one might anticipate from a borough market establishment, the atmosphere surrounding the stand is dirty. I would recommend this restaurant for their steak sandwiches.

Steep for street food, but the taste is worth it. The place is busy because it does have good food, less so value for money. Steak sandwich + 1 empanada was £15. But in the end the quality warrants the price. The empanada was delicious, with a dash too much cumin for my taste, but the onion and beef chunks worked really well, the crust and pastry was awesome. The steak sandwich, in my opinion is the best option here. Freshly cooked steak, with cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. But what made the whole sandwich was the chimichurri, fresh tasty, sharp and perfect with the warm steak. Delicious!! 9/10 would recommend

Spinach and ricotta empanada was out of this world. Steak sandwich was very good but I could only eat half of it as it was my second lunch 🥲. Very friendly staff. Seating stall in Borough Market is a huge plus too.

Argentina at the Borough Market The steak sandwich is terrific - it was cooked to order and the steak was suprisingly tender!! This is a great option for lunch at the Borough Market!!

I will not stop raving about Borough market and in particular this place. As someone who has had true Argentine food this is literally perfect. Staff was so pleasant and I thought it was all great prices!! We got the 3 empanadas (2 chicken and one spinach and ricotta) and I got the steak sandwich. First of all those empanada taste as authentic as they can get the bistec in that sandwich??? Literally can't be beat. Still dreaming about this meal

Stopped here on a food tour (another shout out to Chubby Fellow tours!) and have the cheesiest, most delicious empanada I've ever had. I'm a huge provolone fan from back in my cheesesteak-making days when I worked at a deli in high school, but you don't hear much about it or see it around too much. Do people think it's a lesser cheese? Something inferior to gruyere or mozzarella? That's not for me to say but what I can say is this empanada stuffed with provolone that I had at Portena was excellent. Not only was the cheese off the charts but the pastry was exceptional as well. You're gonna love anything you get at Portena.

This establishment absolutely does not care about their customers, or potential customers. The employee and the owner were incredibly RUDE to my partner, started calling them names, misgendering them, in front of their parents. My partner's father bought food from Porteña, and my partner had purchased food elsewhere, and brought it in to eat with their father. Then the employee began telling my partner to leave, even though their father bought food from Porteña. Then the owner came out and started calling my partner names, disrespecting them, and yelling to make them leave. I can't believe they expect to have customers ever want to return while being complete a**holes to them, in front of everyone at the restaurant. The employee and the Owner need to grow up and treat people with basic respect if they expect to be able to run a business.

Woo babyyy!!! These empanadas are BOMBSY! I totes wished that I could have gone back to get more of them while I was in London, but I'm grateful that I discovered this place in general. Portena is a cute little Argentinean food shop serving up delicious baked goods, sandwiches, and empanadas. I found this spot while roaming through Borough Market. The smell was what got me. Freshly baked empanadas?! Count me IN! Those suckas were smellin' hella good! I had already grabbed a few things from a couple other shops in the market, so I limited myself to just one empanada so that my tummy wouldn't explode on me. They had so many different delicious flavors to choose from! It made it so hard for me to choose just one. But in the end, I went with the chorizo. Daaayuum! It was so friggin' GOOD y'all! I definitely should have gotten another one, but I had already left and a line had formed. These empanadas are pretty large, and a great size for the price. The chorizo was nice and tender with a little kick of spice. The crust was crispy on the outside but very soft on the inside and kind of melted away as I devoured it all. That empanada was so moist. Woooo LAWD. I feel like I'm having withdrawals. Regrets. I could have happily scarfed down about another 4 of those if I hadn't already been eating. The owner was so sweet! She was the one who suggested that I try the chorizo and it was a major hit. They have some great meal deals that include wine and beer combinations specials, and they have a cute covered are where you can sit and enjoy your meal. Unlike many of the other businesses in the market, Portena is open every day until 11pm at night (they're closed on Sundays). This was definitely a winner in my book. Borough Market has some great little gems and Portena is one of them. If you're wandering around in the market or are craving for empanadas, Portena is a must stop! They're empanadas are dynamite.

I love Borough Market! There are so many different types of food stalls to choose from! My family and I are especially drawn to Porteña for their Argentinian street food and have gone here each time we have visited London over the years. The empanadas are authentic and delicious! They offer several flavors - beef, chicken, ham and cheese, spinach & ricotta, provolone cheese & caramelized onions, and margherita! On our most recent visit, we ended up getting a dozen for €26 and decided to get 1/2 vegetarian (my daughter and I do not eat meat) and 1/2 with meat. The dough is stamped so we easily identified the filling of each empanada. My favorite was probably to provolone cheese & caramelized onion! During our last visit, we brought along one of my daughter's friends who lives in London but had not been to the market before. She became an instant fan of Porteña. No doubt, she will be back soon and I hope we can come back someday.

Really enjoyed the served hot empanadas at Portena. With so many options across the market this booth jumped out. Had beef and chorizo empanadas and both are delicious. A little heat in both. If searching for a bite hit Porteña with confidence.

Best. Empanadas. Ever. I was blown away by the superb flavours and high quality of the empanadas at Portena in Borough Market. Do not pass by this stall without trying at least one, you won't regret it!

I'm such a big fan of their empanadas. I got the beef and caprese and both were delicious. I loved how the beef was just the tiniest bit sweet and all of the fillings paired so well together. Honestly the best empanadas I've ever had (but I've not had many, so do with that what you will).

Cool place for very good Empanadas! I had one Empanada with Provolone cheese and one with Beef and they were both good. For £8.50 you can get two Empanadas and a beer which is a good deal considering the location. Service is friendly.

Delicious! The perfect soft ciabatta bread, yummy grilled steak! Would come back to Borough Market just to eat the steak sandwich! Perfectly simple sandwich.

Who would have thought that some of my favorite Empanadas would come from a tiny place in a London market. Better than a lot of the ones I get from home in Los Angeles! Loved the Ham and Cheese and Beef ones in particular!

Stopped by at 9pm on a Saturday. Packed! But it cycles through quickly as it's take and go except for a couple menu items, like a steak sandwich. I tried the cheese and beef empanadas. Both were excellent. I think the beef could have contained more meat, but it was tasty nonetheless. The cheese empanadas, was fresh from the oven. Lots of cheese and full of flavor. The shells for both were flakey, but firm and the edges had that nice crunch. Very well executed empanadas.

I love coming across the perfect place to grab a snack and this is one of those places. As I strolled through Borough Market I noticed a couple enjoying what looked like some lovely Empanada's. So I took an immediate right hand into the shop to satisfy my taste buds. I choose 3 different pies and a nice beer and sat outside as they brought out my food. All three were great but the Spicy Chicken was by far the best. I could have eaten a half dozen and then some and been happy to waddle around for the rest of the day. After that I enjoyed a Caramel Cookie and a Coconut Cookie. Both were so yummy I grabbed some more 2 days later as I was passing by. I would have gotten some to bring home, but to be honest I would have blown my diet and they wouldn't have made it through the evening. It your there in the market, I'd eat here first.

A good space to break, drink a beer, and eat a (sound) beef empanada or two; but with so many eating options here, I can't say this is a must-stop. 3.4 rounded down.

So so soooo good. I was walking by the market and smelled the empanadas so i stopped by. I was greeted by an a very welcoming older gentlemen. I asked him a few questions and he made a recommendation. It was so good i left and had to come back for some more. It was perfect comfort food for a cold rainy day in London. I will definitely be back.

The only thing worse than the empanada was the service. We were bothered incessantly for being in a relatively empty seating area because my husband had oysters and I had an empanada. Completely out of line and unnecessary.

Foodwas ok but so rude here. My husband ordered a sandwich and beer. I got some oysters from the stall next door. Portena staff would not let us sit together on the patio. They insisted I eat my oysters elsewhere. They weren't even busy - plenty of tables. We had to pick up everything and move. So very sorry we spent our money at a place that would treat us like that. Absolutely put a cloud over my visit to the Market.

It was lightly raining, but under the heated canopy I warmed through nicely having yet again not dressed warmly enough to see me through a spring evening date. It's a cozy spot outside at 10pm, nothing like the circus that Borough Market is during the day. On a Saturday night, it's perfect for a pit-stop, everything you want out of a street food stall, gently bustling with a few couples feeding each other steak sandwiches. The pastry was light and ungreasy enough to not need to reapply my lippy after eating, but I can't guarantee how the evening may go. It won't be the empanadas fault if my lippy doesn't last but Maybe(line) it will. Good girls have a sit down empanadas with a glass of wine in Borough Market. Bad girls have it's less sophisticated equivalent; a Cornish Pasty at London Bridge after too much wine and missing the train. Very bad girls have wine, epanadas, light frothy cold beers on a date that may not turn out to be a waste of make up, miss the train and still seek out the beacon of the pasty stand. I started out as girl number one at this warm lit open place but as the saying goes: Any Porteña in a Storm!

In our new place, we are lucky enough to live just a short stroll from Borough Market. Last week, we decided to check out some of the late stalls for a nice dinner outside in the lovely weather. Portena offered a taste of Argentina, but despite their efforts, I was slightly let down. The empanadas were avergage, with the spinach and cheese being the best, but I found the pastry was just too thick and made them feel a bit stodgy and dry. My steak sandwich had a great piece of juicy steak, but the bread just didn't seem right, a bit too flaky and became soggy and made the whole thing pretty difficult to eat. Three stars, mostly due to the wine (which was delicious) and the ambiance of the market!

A four star really but since they are one of the only stalls open past 5pm during the week, they get a full extra star. Directly across from the Market Porter, a super busy pub every night of the week, you can get your post-work pints AND a decent dinner you can eat on the way to your train. My experience with empanadas is entirely Mexican based, and these are basically the same: are hot little pockets of deliciousness you can eat on the go. The steak and spicy chicken are excellent quality for the traditional versions but they have non-traditional (and vegetarian!) options such as - my favorite - carmelised onion with cheese and spinach and ricoota. They have beer and wine for sale too so you can get drinks and eat your empanandas at their terrace seating (which is covered and has heat lamps in the winter).

Ok empanada. Dough a bit of a let down and meat mixture salty and tasted of "seasoning." That said, ate the whole thing and enjoyed it - not an all star empanada but entirely worth trying. Cool that London has south American food though.

Delicious street food! Perfectly warm empanadas to hold in your hand on a cold night. I had the chicken empanada, beef empanada, and spinach empanada. My husband had a chorizo empanada and beef empanada. The beef one was the most exciting because it was a little spicy (we like spicy). The spinach wasn't as exciting but it was simple and made for good comfort food. We also ordered one canoncito de dulce de leche for dessert, which was also delicious. Sweet but not too sweet. I've never eaten Argentinian food, but my husband and I eat a lot of Mexican food including empanadas. So, I can't say how authentic it was in terms of Argentinian fare, but it totally made this Mexican family happy. It's also in a lively area of the Borough Market. It's extraordinarily crowded in the market during the day, but at night, it's lovely to stroll along in the street with the lamps alight and an empanada in your hand.

Born in Buenos Aires but Baked in Borough Market- this is Portenas tag line and they seem to be moving up in the world. Formerly a stall under the train station in the market, Portena have recently moved to a larger retail unit opposite the Posh Banger bros and Monmouth Coffee co. Try the Beef Empanadas, small but superb!

My family and I were in London in late December, close to Christmas, and stopped by Porteña while visiting the famous Burough Market and we're so glad we did! The empanadas were freshly made and simply delicious! The service was excellent too! And reasonably priced!!!

Extremely tasty filled pastries (empanadas), the environment is cozy and the ladies are very receptive. If I were Argentinian I would definitely feel at home. Just one thing that caught my attention, with the hand they give you the food, they use also to handle cash, not the ideal way of handling cash and food. Overall, it's definitely a place that deserves a visit.

Favourite stand in the borough market. The empanadas are great, especially the beef and jamon y queso The steak sandwich with chimmichurri (sp?) takes me back to the parillas of Buenos Aires.

This is the worst experience for me in London ever, having spent six months here. The steak sandwich is awful, has bland flavor and taste like dry wood. The waiter is absolutely rude. We purchased a sandwich in takeaway wrap. The waitor literally threw us out of the restaurant because we said 'take away', although the price is the same for eating in and takeaway, and all the seats were empty. The worst is that the waiter kept touching my sandwich with his dirty hands while shooing me away. I felt very badly treated, both in terms of the food and in terms of the service.

Tried the steak sandwich. I would say all the ingredients were good quality, but I found the chimichurri sauce to be bland and just not pleasant. I would go back again to try the empanadas, which looked quite good.

If you want to eat overpriced pasties and be treated in the worst possible way, this is the ideal place for you. I visited with my brother on his birthday, to buy him lunch. I queued for a couple of minutes behind a couple of senior tourists, who were being rushed by the guy behind the food show case. At that time there was no one else queuing. I was amazed by the manner in which he was talking to tourists and I assumed that there must have been an argument before my arrival. The couple paid and left and it was my turn to get a taste of his rudeness. Without even acknowledging my presence he just shouted "next", I was trying to decide (taking into consideration my allergies) what I could eat. The guy shouted for the two more times "next" looking at me in a very intense way. I asked for a sandwich and before completing my order he gave me the price. I said that I was not finished and I continue ordering. Every time I paused to make up my mind he would say "was that all" showing that he was annoyed that I was being not fast. When I finished (I was asked to pay £30 for 6 small pasties and a sandwich) he almost threw at me the card reader, my card is not contactless (apologies) and he showed how annoyed that by eye rolling, I tried to enter my password and he grabbed the card reader saying to me "do you mind??" (meaning that he had to put another password before I would put mine). That was the point that I reached my limits with his customer service, I told him that he was being rude that this was unacceptable customer service and that I did not want to buy anything from their shop. Not only he did not apologise, but in the most arrogant way he responded: "it's up to you..." I immediately left the shop, but unfortunately I had to return because at I had forgot my bank card. When I ask him to give it to my bank card, he pretended as if I was not there. I had to ask for the shop's manager (who was not there) and only after five times that I asked him to return me my bank card (!!!!!), he gave it to me. This is the worst experience I had in Borough Market. And of course it completely ruined my special day with my brother. I would highly advise people to stay away from this place.

Argentinian Steak sandwich. Good chimichurri sauce with it. Will come again for sure.

Really good empanadas! Multiple types to choose from. You can easily come hungry, get 3 different ones for £6.50, and leave pleasantly full. Plus good dessert options for a little sweet at the end!

One of the best place where to eat empanadas in London in pure argentinian style. And the beer too, of course.