La Cocina Del Sur

Empanadas in Riverwest? Yes, sir!And they are delish!( The tamales are to die for, too!)We had to wait a bit to get seated without a rez, but we're were served quickly and kindly. Great vibe, fun place! We'll be back!

About two Saturday's ago I stopped in for the first time to give the place a try but also the bartender is a friend of mine and said to stop down whenever I had the chance. I heard good things about the margaritas she makes but I at least wanted to try an empanada to see how good they were. The reason why I went with one because I was still a little full from dinner but had enough room to snack on one.I do want to give a heads up that this restaurant name may be in Spanish, but there food is South American inspired dishes so if you are looking for tacos this is something that is not offered. I was told at one point they did but as of now they currently don't have them on the menu. I went with the traditional margarita and it was quite tasty. It was well balanced and wasn't too sour and overly sweet. So I took a look at the menu and saw the snack I wanted to go with.I ordered the Cubano empanada which was pretty tasty. The crust was very flaky and came chimichurri sauce. The sauce was okay but the empanada was good on it's on. Overall the food, drink and atmosphere was well worth the trip from my side of town.

Went back recently, and the food is still excellent and unique! My friend and I shared the app special of Shrimp and Calamari salad served in fried plantain cups, resting on fresh guacamole, and it was great! The salad tasted fresh and the plantain cups were crisp! We also shared the Soy Chorizo and sweet potato empanada and a chicken empanada. She also ordered a Palak Paneer empanada and an Arepa de Choclo with chicken as her entree, and I ordered a Braised Beef Cheeks empanada and Seco de Chivo (Ecuadorian style leg of lamb stew) as my entree. The flavors were delicious, and I always have fun eating food that I don't see anywhere else in town!Still a great place to add to your dining list!

This is probably the 5th time that we have dined at this restaurant, as we like both its food and its price. It was a busy day for the restaurant, so it took a long time for our food to arrive, presumably because a lot of customers showed up right around the time we arrived. For drinks, we ordered Juice of the Day (a ginger and pineapple drink), Watermelon Mule, and Dama Blanca, which all tasted very good. The Carrot Salad that we shared used fresh ingredients and had a balanced taste profile. Two of us ordered arepas (one pork and one beef), and both were again excellent. The Pescado Frito (breaded and fried red snapper fillet) that I ordered had a strong fish smell even though red snapper is supposed to have a mild taste - perhaps the fish had been stored a bit longer than optimal. In the end, we also shared a Churro for desert but were a little disappointed because the Churro seemed to have been precooked and reheated, making a bit hard rather than crispy. Over the five times we have visited this restaurant, the best dish has always been arepas. I'm deducting 1 star for the quality of the fish and the quality of the churro on our most recent visit, but I hope that the restaurant will strive to maintain the highest quality of ingredients and cooking procedures in the future and get 5 stars from us on our next visit.

Ambience was homey and friendly. you could feel that it's turning into a neighborhood staple. The service was knowledgeable and friendly. Food was extremely flavorful. Best empanada taste in the area!! They really know what they're doing. We enjoyed so much, we ordered cooked and frozen to GO! Thank you I hope you stay for a very long time.

Wow! If you haven't checked out this place, YOUAREMISSINGOUTThe food, the vibe, the cocktails are next level. La Cocina del Sur MKE, knocks it out. Great lighting and decor rounds out an amazing dining experience. Known for empanadas, we tried four different varieties, and all were amazing. We had a hard time picking so we just tried a bunch of items:-guacamole with plantain chips-fried goat cheese fritters w caramelized onions, jalapeño infused honey and crostini-arepas de choclo (Columbian sweet corn cakes w pulled pork, slaw, pickled onions, cilantro and chipotle aioli)-llapingachos con chorizo (Ecuadorian cheese potato cakes w seared chorizo link, avocado, tomato onion salad, aji, corn nuts, peanut sauce and a fried egg)-goat cheese stuffed guava fruit with caramel sauceGreat bar to sit at and ample dining space with clean and well equipped bathrooms. Second time here, and can't wait to get back. There is not one item we tried that wasn't 10/10!!Oh, they also have prosecco on tap, and pour a very full flute!

Without a doubt, La Cocina is my favorite place for Latin food. There is a variety of small plates and entrees to choose from. I've been here maybe four times and I have always gotten the same quality of food and service, if not better! Their menu is always growing and keep an eye out for their delicious specials!!!!

Very good food and both plates were 30$ before tip. Overall satisfied could have ate a bit more but overall good with quick service! I would come back for the good vibes and better drinks!

Oh wow! We stopped here on a local recommendation. So glad I got to stop here. Such great service and the food is so good.. the ambiance is nice and quaintRecommend for sure

I visited again with my cousin, her husband and my BF. Service was excellent. Drinks were tasty. The food is phenomenal. Make a reservation because it's very petite and on a Saturday night it was packed by 6:30. The yuca appetizer was our favorite. It was light and crispy with a fresh tasty sauce and toppings and a slight sweetness. Amazing!