Empanada Street Kitchen

[Danisa Southmayd]

20 General Admission Includes the show and Drag Queen Meet & Greet. Seating is limited so reserve early. ($25 at the door). Bottomless mismosas/ Blood Marys and Special Brunch menu available for additional charge. Drink specials and speciality shots.

In the Carribean, empanadas are often a staple in family holiday meals. Inez Melendez was born and raised in Chicago. Her parents were Puerto Rican. Her mother Rosita is the inspiration for Chicago Empanada Mama. Rosita's cooking was always the talk of the town. Many of the recipes were inspired by the beautiful times Inez spent in the kitchen with her mom learning how to bring people together through cuisine. Empanadas have always been and remain that special item on the table that means family will be gathering. Empanadas are rich, savory hand-made pies made filled with delicious savory ingredients, folded into light, flaky crust that is deep fried or airfried to perfection. This woman-owned and operated business is answering the call for craft coffee, hand-made empanadas and craft cocktails. To compliment the empanadas, try our salads, arroz con gandules (also known as Puerto Rican rice and beans), ceviche and more! Chicago Empanada Mama is your West Town neighborhood hang-out!

Cozy feeling restaurant with friendly staff. The food was delicious and the staff was amazing. Definitely recommend stopping by and enjoying the food. We tried 3 different empanadas, and they didn't disappoint us.

I stopped by here recently and was greeted warmly by staff and management alike. Ordered the La Flaka (basil chicken) empanada. It was a generous in size and very tasty too! The vibe was pleasant and I realized it was during happy hour so I decided to order a cocktail. I don't recall the name but it was something similar to an espresso martini with rum. Also very tasty!

Unbelievably friendly staff. It feels like getting home and you were greeted by your families. Awesome empanadas and they are huge! Couldn't pick the favorite one honestly. Plus we were surprised with whiskey flight on the house!!

Exceptional and by far the best food ever! The empanadas are rich in flavor and exquisite. The dough is different than any other I've ever had. Also, not greasy. However, it's not dry because it's loaded just right. We had the Ceviche too and the fried plantain chips is another excellent choice. Service is on point and hands down to the owner. She ensures red carpet treatment to everyone and Coconut Mojitos.... Yummy

We were so happy to stumble upon this restaurant!!! The food and cocktails were delicious. I recommend the ceviche, mini empanadas, and house special guava margaritas. The waitress was attentive, and the service is excellent. Highly recommend if you're in the area. It's a total vibe!

The new space, formerly home to a Blackjack Pizza location, has allowed My Empanadas to move all its operations in-house, said Morgan Chable, who opened the business with her husband, Azael, after the couple moved from San Francisco back to Morgan's hometown of Fort Collins just more than two years ago. Azael is originally from Yucatan, Mexico.

As a chef in San Francisco for nearly 15 years, Azael worked in various eateries, from sushi restaurants and sandwich shops to taquerias, Morgan said. He especially loved making empanadas and decided to experiment with them by combining the traditionally Spanish popovers with his mom's Mayan and Yucatan recipes, Morgan added.

After moving to Fort Collins, the couple started making their empanadas out of a shared space in the Doughnut Club's Riverside Avenue kitchen. They traveled around town, selling their empanadas as a roving food vendor before securing their first storefront at 221 W. Prospect Road, Suite 100 last fall.

The shop's current sweet empanada flavors included almond, chocolate espresso cream, beignet and pistachio. My Empanadas will also serve seasonal sweet flavors, like December's eggnog and chocolate peppermint options.

Erin Udell reports on news, culture, history and more for the Coloradoan. Contact her at Erin...@coloradoan.com. The only way she can keep doing what she does is with your support. If you subscribe, thank you. If not, sign up for a digital subscription to the Coloradoan today.

Street food in Brazil has the festive personality of sambas and the erudite composure of operas; in other words, it is quintessentially Brazilian. The famous trio: Empadinhas, Coxinhas and Pasteis are congenial democrats mingling in every street-fair, and also scholars reveling in lavish soires.

As mothers added candles on our birthday cakes, they added hot spices into our empadinhas, coxinhas and pasteis. When eventually I moved to the adult table, I got to meet the exotic combination of the trio, which included the empadinhas filled with hearts of palm, olives and peppered cheese.

The street food witnessed my first beer and most all of the others that followed. They supported me at every rite of passage, at every celebration. Carnival and neighborhood gatherings never happened without them.

In my kitchen I make a smaller and lighter version of coxinhas and empadinhas, but the pastel is full fledged street smart: not only does their size matter, but also their unabashedly thick crust and their robust filling of meat and potatoes. The leftover cold and deflated pastel is the ultimate morning-after food.

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