Empanada Mama East Village, 14th St

No bathroom but they have seating and a good breakfast & lunch combo. I got the jerk & cheese (jerk chicken and Swiss cheese) & their new El Efe (slow cooked birria beef, sweet roasted corn and peppers, Oaxaca cheese and cilantro and lime rice) with beans and rice (choice between pinto & black beans and yellow or white rice)

The cheese empanada was downright delicious. No wonder- it was fried! The cheese inside was soft and pulled like mozarella. It was quite filling but as I was still hungry I had a second one with spinach and cheese. This one was less tasty as the spinach only lent color and no flavor. Here oniy one tiny sauce is given as the second one costs money. Service was friendly. Mama Empanada has been here for over two years. I knew the hot dog place which was here.l earlier. Each empanada cost under $5. This place is popular with young people. This is a place I could stop into whenever I was an affordable and tasty bite.

Empanadas were excellent. A good size and very tasty. Service was solid as well. My only minor gripe is for the El Jefe, which is pictured in the store being served with consumee (which is traditional for birria), but instead came with a generic hot sauce. Definitely not what's on the poster at the store.

Empanada Mama has become my unofficial late-night pit stop, the kind of place you stumble into on autopilot after a long evening. This time, I went for the plantain nachos—an inventive twist I couldn’t resist. The plantains leaned a little soggy, but the sweetness paired with the pulled pork actually worked in their favor, adding a depth you don’t get from ordinary nacho chips. The pork itself was tender, the queso melted into everything beautifully, and together it made for a plate worth lingering over. The restaurant itself is wonderfully laid-back, the kind of chill sit-down space where you can catch your breath before heading home. Nothing fancy, nothing forced—just comfort food with a little personality. Late-night cravings don’t stand a chance here.

I came all the way here from uptown to get food but the guy waved me off saying it’s closed. This place is advertised to open at 9 am….. it is 9:35 am now, what do you want me to understand??? Was it because I was a minority I was waved off as if I couldnt buy anything? I dont know, the guy inside didnt have enough courtesy to come outside to tell whats going on. Last time I come here.