The Tastiest Empanadas in Tampa

Mr Empanada

★★★★☆ 3.6 (63) • $

"Best empanadas around! I especially love this location. The staff is helpful and friendly. Our order is always on point and the food is so tasty! They even have a drive thru which makes picking up a few empanadas super easy. The beef and cheese empanada is my favorite! The buffalo chicken and pizza are also really good. The dough is fresh and fried perfectly. They have steak fries my hubby usually orders as his side. I stick to just ordering empanadas. For dessert, the guava and cheese empanada is a must order item! This might be the best thing on their menu! They are fantastic whether eaten hot or cold. Overall, we've never had a negative experience here."

Mr Empanada

★★★★★ 4.9 (11)

"Service was great! Efficient and very kind. Even gave us an extra beef on the house! Beef was my favorite."

Box Of Cubans

★★★★★ 4.7 (23)

"Stopped by after seeing an advertisement on the Wesley Chapel Local instagram channel. Looked delicious and was a bit concerned that the food would not be the same...boy was a wrong. The food was fresh and authentic. We showed up right when they closed the doors, but saw us and opened back up; I thought that was pretty great. We had the typical Cuban as well as the Cheeseburger Cuban...both were delicious. I have not seen success for businesses in this spot, but hope Box of Cubans changes things. Very nice place, friendly staff, and I strongly recommend if you are looking for an awesome Cuban meal while in New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area."

Empanada World Café

★★★★☆ 4.3 (46) • $$

"Tried this place at the St Petersburg Saturday Morning Market. I couldn't resist trying a sausage, egg, and cheese empanada for $8. They were hot and fresh. Served in a little brown bag. Delicious! I ended up going back and getting another one for the next day. Heated up perfectly fine!"

Wings n Tails Food Truck

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"The food here is absolutely amazing. The flavors are always on point no matter what. I got the oxtail fried rice and it was seasoned to perfection. They have two sauces in it that make it creamy and delicious. And there was very good chunks of meat. I also got oxtail empanadas which I will be thinking about until I get it again. It was so full of meat and they season it to perfection as well. They also have the best fried chicken and fries. They put a crack seasoning on top and they call it Crack fries. Soooo good!"

Super Tequeno

★★★★☆ 4.4 (32)

"Pros:Small but clean cafe.The two ladies were helpful in me deciding what to get.The cafe con leche was very smooth and tasty served in a cute cup with their logo. 4/5The arepa had a lot of meat and had ketchup and some other sauces. It was very flavorful. 4/5Misc: The arepa part is a lot more crispy than I'm used to.Cons:Even though they're open on Sunday, they close at 3 pm.Also, the arepa "patties" are small relative to the meat/lettuce filling. I kind of wished they were bigger. There was more meat than arepa lol.Overall: a great , mom and pop place to get Venezuelan street food!"

Coqui Snacks

★★★★☆ 4.4 (65) • $

"Puertorrican snacks!Ordered the "empanadilla de pizza""Empanadilla de pionono" Crispy flour turnover pastry filled with seasoned ground beef and sweet plantains "Bacalaito " Cod fritter Everything made to order and freeeeeeshhhh!!Recommended"

La Semilla Bakery Sandwich Shop

★★★★★ 4.8 (26)

"First time visit here for the Togo brunch. The place is small and homie. We ordered Cuba sandwich, breakfast sandwich (still available at 3pm!! Awesome!) , and beef empanadas, ... and of course some pastries for later snacks. There is a bit wait since only 1 server and she makes sure we are aware of that. The empanada is crunchy and thin on the outside, the filling is juicy hot beef with potatoes, very yummy for 2.5$/each. The sandwich is huge for the price. My breakfast sandwich has ham, bacon, eggs, and cheese. I can only finish half of it, the other half is my dinner. Overall, this is my new favorite Colombian spot now. Can't wait to come back."

The Wing Wagon

★★★★★ 4.7 (3)

"This food truck is a winner winner chicken dinner! I loved the entire experience of eating it. I highly recommend if you're in the mood for some juicy wings and some good ole loaded fries. Don't walk but run and give these folks a try.The service was good no complaints. The ambiance is a cute wagon looking food truck. I definitely will be back for more."

RicoPan Bakery And Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (34) • $

"We stopped by in the way to the mall here and it was a great choice. We got the Pandebono , Roscón de guava, Pan dulce and a croissant Jamón y queso. Everything was delicious and the service was fast. There was a little line but it went quick. There is a small area to sit and eat if you like. The ladies were nice and answered all the questions I had. Will definitely be back."

Quattro Empanadas

★★★★☆ 4.1 (10)

"Finally got to stop by the food truck and try there amazing food!!!!! Staff looks clean and kitchen looks clean and has a place out side to sit with a cover and we Tryed little of everything and it was all so good and started to rain and he brought the food to out car for us which was nice we Tryed the breakfast empanada then the ham and cheese and it was like have food at grandmas full of great flavors and they also sell dozen boxes frozen to take home and fry them up yourself we will really make it a stop on our day off good stuff!!!!!! Inside the parking lot of shell gas station and where that good New York pizza is too!!! So get gas and get some empanadas and a pizza pie to go and your day it set on meals and gas lol"

Akshadal Jamaican grill

★★★★☆ 4 (3)

"The food was very good. The meat was tender. Everything will season a really nice will recommend if you haven't tried it you should you won't be disappointed"

Mr Express Deli

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"Mr Express is columbian cuisine that located at Florida Avenue. It is just across from Home Depot. The restaurant has limited seating but they do have a bar. We got the daily special with 1 protein, two side and soup. The protein we have is steak. The two side are fried yuca and plantains. The plantain was well prepared. The steak is flavorful. Overall my wife likes the soup Sancocho. Overall is a good value. Love the combo."

Mr. Empanada - South Tampa

★★★★☆ 4.4 (124) • $

"This place is amazing!!!!! My husband ate here for lunch with a colleague and could not wait to bring me here. He was not wrong we enjoyed a variety of options but the beef a cheese was by far our favorite. This particular location is a family owned location, the pride in ownership was so obvious. Their friendly nature and helpfulness was a joy not to mention you could eat off the floors it was so clean EVERYWHERE.... and they spoke to each other with such respect. We will be back again, I wish there were more places like this establishment ! BRAVO!"

Donde Julio Restaurant 2

★★★★★ 4.7 (7)

"We ordered to go since we had our pup with us. We've seen the place everytime we're at Home Depot and we finally just went tonight after leaving HD. That was a good decision! We got the chicharon arepas and a steak something and I asked if they made yucca fries. She said no, but they made some anyways, which I thought was super nice! We'll definitely be back! The food was amazing! The beans was cooked perfect, the chicharon was crunchy and servings were huge! Such a hidden gem!"

Mi Tierra Latina

★★★★★ 4.7 (56)

"Whenever I'm traveling for work and want a good local spot for lunch, I will inevitably go to one reliable source which has seldom given me a bad recommendation: the building security guards. These folks have the important job of ensuring the safety of the employees as well as the facility, and in doing so, they work up a healthy appetite.So when I was in Tampa recently and noontime rolled around, I chatted with the guards and they enthusiastically said to hit up nearby Mi Tierra Latina. Even though the literal translation of the restaurant is "My Latin Land," as my co-workers and I were being seated, one of the servers explained that this place specializes in Colombian food...which is awesome since I've had limited exposure to this type of cuisine. There is a shoebox sized dining room with a few tables/chairs, and a small bar area. Pictures and art work from Colombia adorn the walls, and there were a few TVs - some of which had Spanish language news programs, while other units were playing a soccer match.I went with the server's suggestion with the "safe" but familiar options of beef empanadas and Colombian style tamale. The DC area is lousy with Central American spots which serve up empanadas, but this version was quite different than what I'm used to. The deep fried exterior was not braided and used a deep yellow corn flour for the shell. The filling also had a different texture, in that it was ground meat, as opposed to the shredded I usually eat. It was still very good, and I enjoyed the green aji sauce. I asked for another small "chili" sauce, since it wasn't particularly spicy.As for the Colombian style tamale - I LIKE IT! Having previously lived in Texas and traveling to SoCal often to visit family, I'm very familiar with the more commonly found "Mexican" style tamale in the U.S. The Colombian variety is still steamed in a banana leaf, and the ingredients are still wrapped in a ground corn maseca, but the flavor profile is totally different. Also, again as opposed to shredded pork, at Mi Tierra, the pork were cut into cubes and steamed with potatoes, peas, and carrots. The Goya Sazon flavor also permeated the tamale and enhanced the salt and other spices. Couple this with the rice and fried plantains, and I was ready for a nap when I got back to the office.This is a cool local spot, and I observed people from all walks of life - office drones, construction workers, police officers, etc. - stopping in to either get food to go, or hope to snag a coveted open table. This location is very close to the airport, so if you're staying nearby, or have business in the area, I recommend stopping by to sample some authentic Colombian fare."

Tostones

★★★★☆ 3.7 (127) • $

"Ok... best Tostones I have had to date... they were crispy, soft, salty, and delicious! Yum! The Chicharron de Pollo (Fried Chicken) I had with the tostones... wow! Good flavor, and fun to eat (HOT! Should have let them cool a bit, but I was hungry, and they were yummy!) I will be back! And already thinking of what I want.. so many choices! :)"

Aroma & Sabor

★★★★★ 4.5 (6)

"Diet coke - bottle. Everything was hot fresh and great. They say authentic but I am not colombian."

Teq-A-Bite

★★★★☆ 4.2 (49) • $

"Fantastic! Ordered a beef arepa and the sweet corn pancake (capatcha). Both were amazing and HUGE! I ordered it as I was getting on the highway so I didn't take a pic, but the menu pic below is spot on. Definitely authentic Venezuelan food. Very clean and spacious. I will definitely stop in again!"

Chamo Bites

★★★★☆ 3.8 (31)

"I don't know about authenticity of the food but I loooove chamo bites. Lol. The cachapa and empanadas are soooo good. The cachapa is Made from corn flour and have pieces of corn in it. The plain cheese is my fave. I could eat these every week. They have some seating inside and out. But like all krates it's limited. Unlike other reviews, I had no trouble communicating with the cashier. Not sure if this got better since those reviews. The orders do take some time to come out but their ALWAYS PIPING hot and delicious."

Tostones

★★★★☆ 4.4 (47)

"Delicious, cheap food.One tostones nachos plate will feed you for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm serious, I skipped breakfast, ate here with a friend for lunch and I have half of it saved for dinner. It's been two hours and I still feel stuffed. I think it is a combination of size and the fact that it's heavy food, this isn't diet stuff. The tostones are clearly cooked in oil. It's not super greasy, but I felt like it weighed me down a bit by the end. That's the main reason I took some home. However, they were delicious. Here's the breakdown of the food.BEEF EMPANADA - the outer casing was light and crispy, I loved it. The beef was very good too. It's huge so you can definitely share it between two people, which is what we did.TOSTONES NACHOS - You can choose two toppings, so I went with avocado and shrimp salad. Both have a lot of tomatoes so next time I'd switch one of them for a meat. It's big and is definitely a good choice if you're hungry. The sauces are where it's at. There's a ketchup/mayo dip and a garlic one. Both are amazing and I would just eat the dip and tostones as a great snack.The service is great. Everyone is super friendly.They don't have free water, only water bottles, just as an fyi. They said it's because they don't have a filter for water. This place is fantastic. It was pretty empty on Friday at lunch. If you're in the area, I'd highly suggest it!"

Empamamas

★★★★☆ 4.2 (273) • $$

"Empamamas is my new favorite spot. They have great service. The staff is very efficient and helpful. I ordered the cheeseburger empanada and 2 tacos (bang bang chicken and pork taco) which comes with chips and salsa. My favorite taco was the bang bang chicken. The flavors were out of this world."

Amai Sweet And Salty Solutions

★★★★★ 5 (3)

"One of my buddies was staying in the Kissimmee area so I went down to hang out. When it was time for lunch, he said he missed Venezuelan food. I don't know any restaurants in Kissimmee, and absolutely no Venezuelan ones. So, Yelp to the rescue and after a brief search, we found Amai. Two things about this place, 1) the strength of this place is in selling bulk or catering, and 2) the food is delicious. Entering this shop shows a well decorated space, clean, minimalist, and with lots of whites. A fridge had some frozen foods, and lots of breads and take out items. There are desserts and small pastries on the displays, and a large menu on the wall. I kept looking at the menu because everything was a catering combo, so I was confused. The person helping us explained to us that everything is made to order, and if we wanted to order from the display we wouldn't have to wait. But my friend wanted tequeños, the little cheese sticks wrapped in dough, so we ordered tequeños to be made (5 regular and 5 guava/cheese), and we got chicken pasteles that were ready, and ham/cheese empanadas to be fried. We also picked up some desserts and drinks.Bottomline: everything was delicious. These are some really good tequeños, really good pasteles, and the empanadas are good (not a fan of corn empanadas). The sauces to dip the pastries are also phenomenal. The pavlova was amazing, and the key lime pie was good. Even the drinks were amazing. We got a lot of food for about $40, and what was made to order came out fast, like any other fast food joint. I have been lucky enough to have found really good Venezuelan desserts, when I lived in South Florida where the Venezuelan community is huge, but I haven't ventured into their cuisine much. All I can say is that this stuff was really good. I will surely stop by next time I am in that area, I have a friend in mind whom I can recruit for my next foodie adventure."

Mr Empanada

★★★★☆ 4.2 (35) • $

"May I suggest: Their empanadas may be what they are known for, but they do offer much more. Even better is that you can easily create a very tasty and filling meal. For me personally, when I come I get one empanada, one small Italian salad (ALWAYS tossed) and a small soup (I've had both Spanish bean and black bean, and you can't go wrong with either). I recently tried their deviled crab and it was huge and nicely stuffed with crab. I had the black bean soup (delicious) to go with that and a salad. The food is made relatively quickly, however the quality is NOT fast food. I always get a small café con leche (very good and does NOT need any sweetener). This is a great place to go for a hearty, yet quick meal."

El Cafetal Bakery and Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.4 (151) • $$

"Good service & food! Had a cafe con leche and beef empanadas. Their baked goods in the case looked so fresh as well. Looking forward to trying more food from this bakery/restaurant!"

Panitas Bakery and Bistro

★★★★☆ 3.7 (36)

"Es un lugar tranquilo y limpio la locacion de Hanley RD en town and country , pero caro con respecto a los similares , las empanadas y jugos por encima del precio regular de otros en la zona , recomiendo visitar otras opciones dinde puede disfrutar lo mismo a menor precio , en cualquier lugar una empanada no pasa de 3 dolares en este sitio cuesta mas de 4 , el jugo con poca azucar , los dedos de queso demoraron mas de 15 min en servir"

Mr Empanada

★★★★☆ 4.1 (39) • $

"Some of the best in town. Go for straight beef and the crab versions. Both delicious. I frequent the location on Kennedy. Super nice owners and staff."

Saborealo Bakery

★★★★☆ 4.3 (6)

"Great place to get a homemade pastry and delicious coffee. Since I don't speak Spanish well, the friendly girl behind the counter suggested a pastry. It was just baked and slightly sweet. I think it had some sort of cheese and apple in it. Perfect treat to get my day started."

Empanadas & Arepas Factory

★★★★☆ 4.1 (8)

"Glad I found this place, whenever I need a small breakfast or a quick bite to eat for lunch this place is perfect. The prices are surprisingly good. The pastel de pollo, cafe con leche, and pastel de picadllo con queso, are the items I usually get. They're all fried empanadas with no oily after taste. The only thing I would say is the meat filling needs more flavor. You can taste the dough of the pastel more than the actual filling."

La Pequeña Colombia

★★★★☆ 3.8 (332) • $$

"We came here for Valentines Day and overall such a fun ambience! We had great service and our food was amazing. I got the bistek and they cooked the meat so well that I finished my whole plate. Overall recommend coming here for Columbian food!"