Empanada Mama LES
Latin American restaurant · Lower East Side ·
40+ empanada varieties, Colombian fare, frozen margaritas, 24/7
40+ empanada varieties, Colombian fare, frozen margaritas, 24/7
"Hours: 24/7 If New York City has one restaurant that never sleeps, it’s Empanada Mama. After scaling back its hours during the pandemic, this crowded Hell’s Kitchen restaurant is once again serving its nourishing Colombian fare 24 hours a day. Highlights include a classic South American breakfast of beans and rice with eggs, spicy arepas, chicken soup with cilantro and rice, frozen margaritas, and stellar corn empanadas." - Emma Orlow
"Empanada Mama has five locations, and the original in Hell’s Kitchen is a raucous place. Open 24 hours, it's a go-to spot for after-drink snacks in the neighborhood. Their huge selection of over 40 wheat and corn empanadas includes some unexpected fillings inspired by various NYC cuisines: things like mac and cheese, pizza, and curried chicken. But even the basics are pretty solid, especially when it's late at night. Mix a couple of simpler options—like Brazilian pastel, or Colombian shredded beef in a fried corn shell—with more unique ones like the Viagra, which is filled with shrimp and crab stew." - will hartman, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, monica prestia
"If you’re looking for late-night takeout, Empanada Mama is offering delivery and pick-up until midnight daily." - hannah albertine, nikko duren, bryan kim, arden shore, matt tervooren
"Almost every dish at Empanada Mama consists of combinations of meats and sauces inside pockets of bread. But knowing that is about as informative as knowing Eleven likes waffles. The very long menu at this Hell’s Kitchen diner ranges from a massive breakfast burrito to spicy chicken arepas to 25 different types of empanadas, and it’s all available for takeout or delivery until midnight every day." - matt tervooren
"Tearing apart a mac and cheese empanada ($4.25) was the highlight of my week: the crackly, blistered fried dough split to reveal cheesy noodles as creamy and warm as freshly made mac and cheese, executed so flawlessly I ordered it again the next night to confirm it wasn’t a fluke." - Eater Staff