Pampeana Empanadas

One fine Saturday morning, I was craving an apple empanada. If only there were a website I could use to help me find what a crave...Yelp to the rescue! What luck that Pampeana Empanadas was going to be in the U-District! I picked up a beef (ground beef, onions, sweet peppers, raisins, hard-boiled egg, and garlic) and apple and dulce de leche (apples, cinnamon, clove mix, and Argentine dulce de leche). These adorable little pockets were browned nicely and well seasoned. I enjoyed the flavor of the beef mixture and still haven't figured out if I like the raisins (but it's not bad). I love hard-boiled eggs in my empanadas and it's something that I look forward to. The apple had a nice texture. It was not as sweet as I was expecting so it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I want to go back every week until I try all of them!

First time samples at Pike Place for the Arcade Lights Event.At the event, Pampeana offered you two options, a spinach and cheese and/or a carne. Sadly, the spinach and cheese were sold out by the time we got there but made it just in time to snag a carne! Glad we did because it was delicious and the service, "lovely and sweet!" ;) Pampeana, Thank you for creating these little bites of goodness! You will be seeing us again...soon! ;)

I finally made it out to a Saturday Farmers Market and had my first taste of Pampeana Empanadas! What a treat! It's hard to find a good baked empanada on the west coast since most places just deep fry them and that creates a much different empanada. I was so excited to find this place on Yelp and bookmarked it for the next time I was to be in the U-district. I was disappointed to learn they are only here on Saturdays at the Farmers Market! That being said, I will have to brave the crazy Farmers Market parking on Saturdays in the future to have this rare delicacy. This time I ordered the mac 'n cheese empanada and one other savory vegetarian option. The guy working the booth was making them fresh on the spot and let me know they'd be ready in a few minutes. I walked around to the other booths and then came back and picked up my lunch bites. Prices are a little steep at $4 each, but it's the only place I've found in Seattle that makes them how I like them! I will be back to try the other options for sure!

I love these empanadas! They are small and not really meant for sharing and so good you won't want to share. I've actually gone to met mkt several days in a row looking for these. I've also had them on a super cold day at the farmer's mkt and since the weather was so cold, the empanadas weren't as hot as usual but they were still fantastic. I often times look at their website and think about ordering a dozen just so I have them in my freezer at all times.I've been to Argentina but didn't try an empanada. So I have no idea if these are authentic and I don't care. They are delicious. There is a lot of bad food out there and I think Seattle lacks quick street food/snacks that cost less than $5. Our food trucks tend to serve "meals" that cost upwards of $7. I wish other businesses would serve these as snacks. This should be Seattle's go-to snack/street food....a quick bite at the airport or while shopping at pacific place...not super expensive...not too large that it ruins dinner.

I was sad to miss the Yelp event but I can proudly say that I was one of their early followers and have sampled several of their varieties. Before they offered pick-up in Lake City, I met the daughter a couple of times at the downtown Costco with a cheque in hand to receive my yummy treats!My absolute favourite is their beef empanada - a savoury mix of minced beef with onions, sweet peppers, raisins, hard-boiled egg + spices. A couple of those appetizer-sized baked in the oven paired with some fresh fruit or a salad and you have the perfect meal!The other varieties I've had were also quite solid, namely the chicken with peppers, onions, mushrooms + Swiss, and their spinach with mushrooms, onions, boiled egg and Swiss! What can I say... I'm a sucker for Swiss cheese. I'd like to try their sweet varieties especially the apple with dulce de leche. It sounds heavenly and I imagine having it warm from the oven with a little scoop of frozen yoghurt.What else can I tell you about them? Pricing might be high at first glance but they are homemade and definitely made with love. The ingredients are also high quality and I was never disappointed from my first one to the last of the batch. They arrive frozen and will keep nicely for future use. I liked having the savoury ones on hand for those nights when I didn't feel like cooking an entire meal.Oh yeah! You can mix and match the varieties within a dozen so if you wanted to try half savouries with half sweet, they will accommodate you. All of the email communication that I ever had with them has been speedy and friendly. I cannot recommend them enough and if I could give another star, I would!

I've had some of the best empanadas and their variations. Coming from Indonesia and having grown up on panadas and pastel, I'm also very familiar of how this type of pastry should taste. I thought this would be another US-influenced, mediocre empanadas but HOLEY CRAP was I totally wrong. I think it's their light, fluffy, flaky dough that crumbles in your mouth that makes all the difference. This week they had football-shaped dough balls in honor of the Seahawks at the Super Bowl!My favorite was the pumpkin & dulce de leche (seasonal), but carne, chicken, and spinash were very close runner ups. They didn't have caramelized onion and mushroom this week; apparently they can only bring a limited variety to farmers markets. I'll have to come back next week to try more. And can't wait til summer to try their strawberry-raspberry-blueberry mix!Don't forget to grab a jar of chimichurri or aji sauce either!Not cheap, but everything is worth the price!

Tried these at the Yelp event and they were delish. Tried both kinds that they had to sample and really enjoyed them. However, my hubby LOVED them (I think he snuck thru the line 3 times.......).

This is a true gem. Flavor,.love and care are the first three things that come to my mind here. Such wonderful sipce! This is my second order here and everything has been top notch. I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the menu!

Stumbled upon this great booth at the University District Farmers Market. I had their Spinach and Cheese empanada, and it was delicious! They bake them right in front of you, so they're fresh, piping hot and crispy. That crisp is just amazing, the flaky and delicate buttery flavor. Almost tastes more like a French pastry than an empanada, but I'm not complaining.... I was hooked!!I liked it so much that after I finished the spinach and cheese empanada, I walked right back to the booth and ordered a guava and ricotta empananda; which was also amazing. Piping hot, melty ricotta and melty guava in a buttery flaky shell. They have a menu that includes a list of savory empanadas and sweet empanadas. They also offer empty pre-baked empanada shells if you want to stuff them with your favorite fillings. You can order any number of flavors ahead of time and pick them up at the Farmers Market booth. Perks: They accept both cash and card.Online pre-ordering and farmers market pick up available. Kid-friendly foodcomfort foodI'll definitely be coming back! ^_^

Mmmm these empanadas are little pockets of goodness.Mine had a piping hot roasted corn filling, wrapped in a flaky crisp dough. Costed me $3.50, but I'd say it's worth it for the quality of the ingredients and handmade nature of these tasty handheld goodies. Now I'm curious to try their other fillings...The woman staffing the booth was also very kind and answered all my questions, and handed me my empanada with a smile.