Venga Empanadas

Nice little place at the salesforce transbay terminal. The place seems lovely with its decor and colour. I had enough time to kill before leaving to the east bay so wanted to try this new place. They have plenty of meat and vegetarian empanadas and they heat them up for you as you pick. The empanadas do run a little small compared to local competitor. I had the Argentinian beef and the ham&cheese one and a freshly squeezed strawberry drink. The drink was very fresh and not overly sweet. The empanadas were good but wish they had more flavour. The breading was very thin. Overall tasty and you're given chimichurri and a red/orange sauce. Service was direct and with a smile. If you eat there you get your food brought to you. Montgomery BART station is near. MUNI buses 5 and 38 buses being you to the terminal.

Have been meaning to stop by here for awhile and finally did! So glad because this 5 pepper manchego empanada hit the spot, especially with the tasty orange sauce and chimichurri! I will be back for sure! I took my order to go (a couple mins to heat up) but the inside was cute and the cashier was very nice.

Venga Empanadas is a staple for empanadas in San Francisco. If you are looking for empanadas, you should definitely stop here. They have a wide range of options for the empanadas and I have tried a few of them. I tried the Argentine chorizo this time and really did enjoy the meat. The sauces that I got were also delicious. Heads up, that as with any great empanada, it's a little messy, but that's what makes it great. The locale is a little small so more than likely plan to get in, get the food and head out. Lastly, for an afternoon snack, I was able to get my food quickly and it was done in a matter of minutes. I loved that they communicated time and were ahead of it.

I stumbled upon Venga Empanadas while walking by the Salesforce Transit Center in SF's Financial District. Literally a hole in the wall, the restaurant mainly consists of a large display case with a wide variety of sweet and savory empanadas. While I usually get my empanada fix at the Ferry Building, I decided to give Venga a try to see how it compares.Once I placed my order of a Five Pepper and Manchego empanada, it went straight into the oven to melt the cheese and toast the outside to a nice golden-brown. (Note: Make sure to ask for the sauce on the side - the tangy chipotle sauce cannot be missed.)This was one of the best empanadas I've had in the city. The pastry shell was buttery and flaky (neither soggy nor dry); the filling was loaded with flavor from the peppers; and the tangy chipotle dipping sauce took the empanada to the next level. Even though I was satisfied after eating one empanada, I kind of wish I ordered another, since there were so many flavors to choose from. I'm definitely adding Venga to my rotation for delicious grab-and-go lunch options in FiDi.

Ok the guy behind the counter was right. I shouldn't have shared lol! But I wanted to be good and watch my portions and I knew we were going somewhere for dinner. The gentleman behind the counter was super helpful and had some amazing suggestions. They have some delicious fresh flavors and variety. Grab a few and the cookies to take upstairs to Skypark and enjoy the scenery with this wonderful savory treat!

One of the few businesses open at the Salesforce Transit Terminal. They offer an overwhelming array of empanadas that are heated fresh to order. Though I clearly had some favorites among what I tried, everything was tasty.Argentine Beef: Had a lot of taste surrounding the small granules of ground beef. Thought the red peppers were especially nice. Though after having other empanadas here, I think I prefer the chunky beef ones to this.Salteña Steak: Hearty chunks of steak contrasted with pungent olives. Loved all the texture in this since it felt like quite a meal.Aji Gallina: Not to be confused with Peruvian "aji de gallina". No creamy sauce, instead the star is the generous amount of nicely spiced shredded chicken. Though well spiced, not particularly spicy hot.Ham & Cheese: Comfort food, like a Hot Pocket! Big cubes of salty ham and lots of cheese. Only problem is that the cheese busted through the bottom of this empanada. Which is strange since the other cheese-centric empanadas I tried maintained their structural integrity.Argentine Chorizo: Not sure if I've had Argentine chorizo before. But to me it tasted more like Italian sausage than Mexican chorizo. Which is perfectly fine, since it's very yummy with all those peppers.Spicy Beef: More nice chunky beef cubes, for a hearty chew. The potatoes seemed a bit bland though, might have preferred if they just doubled up on peppers.Caprese: Liked all the cheese and herbs. Did quite taste like a caprese salad since the sun dried tomatoes obviously weren't juicy nor did the basil taste very pungent. But still quite enjoyable.Three Cheese & Walnuts: Really great for vegetarian! The mozzarella and jack gave it an intense creaminess while the bleu cheese gave it a nice intensity. Seemed a little sparse on the walnuts, but that's fine since I was here for the cheese.Alfajor: Just as it should be, dry buttery cookies and rich dulce de leche in the middle. Perfect if you save this to have with a little afternoon coffee.Sweet Empanada: So I ordered a Banana & Caramel, even said it twice. But I'm certain a got the Apple. It wasn't bad for an apple pastry, but disappointing since I wanted a caramel fix.

At Venga Empanadas, I had the pleasure of savoring their Argentine Beef empanada. The natural ground beef, onions, red bell pepper, and hard-boiled egg created a delicious blend of flavors. The chimichurri sauce added a refreshing zing, while the chipotle sauce provided a smoky kick. It was a delightful culinary adventure.

[4.2/5.0]Great place to stop by while visiting the Salesforce park. Speaking of Salesforce Park, tell me it doesn't have Westworld vibes??? Anyways, these empanadas made me feel human again for sure. They claim to be the first empanada shop in SF and I'm not so convinced, but they do serve some scorching hot empanadas and they are very scrumpdillumptious. Spicy beef went stupid and the salsas was the perfect partner for them. Their tango mango drink was great as well, sweet at first and followed up by a nice bitter aftertaste. Go Venga!

Ordered some lattes. They were very watery so we ended up tossing them :/ I'm sure their food is better.

Been here twice now. First time was last month. Solid empanada!! I've only had them a few times before so I have nothing to compare until last week when I tried a place in SSF. Wasn't as big. Price was the same. So went back here this week and picked up a half dozen before closing. The lady that helped me was super nice and patience since I couldn't decide. She put them in a box and labeled the location of where each was placed for reference. Very nice cozy location which I thought would jack up the price but $5.50 seems to be the going rate elsewhere. Will definitely be back at least once a month.