Empanada Spanish Grill

“My favorite empanadas are the philly cheesesteak and the cheeseburger, but they are all pretty good.”

“Many of the food option near the gym is take your time and eat except for Moe's. I inhaled the chicken stew with rice and pinto beans.”

“Love their variety of empanadas, and their daily specials for entrees.”

Empanada Spanish Grill

Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Caters: Yes

Price range.

$ Price range Under $10

8 reviews

  1. Have gone two times, first time a friendly gentleman who took my order, great empanadas, etc.

    The second time a young kid who won't even say hi or thank you. Gave me a mini portion of meat.  Disappointed. I guess I'll only get empanadas from now on.

  2. Been coming to Empanadas since it opened, my go to spot for lunch in the area when I feel like having Spanish food. Ample portions at a pretty low cost for the area make it a prime spot during the work week.

    Not a huge location, a couple of tables setup for those that wish to dine in. Street parking only, but typically spots are open and difficult to find (today I had to park the farthest I ever had and it was a quick 2 minute walk to Empanadas). Friendly and courteous staff, happy to help you out and explain any of the dishes they have.

    For food platters, you can check the website for what they have available to pick from that day. And you can pick multiple from what they have available. The worst complaint I ever with the selections is when they run out of what I was wanting).

    What I like the most here is their namesake, the empanadas they offer. Many choices to pick from and they are baked not fried!

  3. Empanadas are left much to be desired. Crust was very flat. Most of the ones I saw on display were burnt. Inside was very dry. At least they had a lot of meat – mine being venison.

    The daily special, however, is a very different story. I opted for yellow rice, pinto beans and bbq pork. The bbq pork was probably the moistest pork I've ever had without being too stringy like pulled pork, yet there was still bark with crunch on the outside. The sauce wasn't too sweet or salty. Not to mention there was a generous portion of both pork and rice & beans.

    The chicken and steak offerings also looked good. I might have to stop by here more often.

  4. Cheap, Authentic, home cooked puerto rican food is exactly what you'll find here. A Huge serving of rice & beans for $3 is deff sure to hit the spot. Theres a huge selection of empanadas that are made daily BUT if you show up late like i did, you might not get first choice. I was pleasantly pleased to try the eggplant one—never knew puerto ricans enjoyed eggplant or even used it in their diet but they were good. Deff stuffed to the rim–a great choice for  vegetarians. As a dessert empanada, i got the Pinepple & cheese one. Pineapples are like crack ive noticed for a lot of puerto ricans (ive been there twice, pinas are everywhere). the "cheese" is so sweet and thick, the chunks of pineapple make a great pair for it. Its not the fanciest restaurant or anything like a 5 star dining course, but its right to the point and will fill you up and keep your pockets full. Next time i will call ahead to see what empanadas they have because i dont eat meat and their shelves were shocked with pizza, chicken, beef, pork and cheeseburger ones. (my friend loved the cheeseburger one).

  5. We have tried this place a couple times and every time I hope it gets better but it does not. They are known for their baked empanadas but I have definitely had better and cheaper. Maybe I'm just partial to fried empanadas. The Latin dishes are just ok. The beans taste like they are missing something. Chicken is decent, cooked right and falling off the bone. Pernil was dry but had good flavor.  Portion size is decent for the price. Cute inside decor. Employee who helped us last time we were there was very unhelpful when we had questions about some of the dishes.  Maybe we will have to give it another try. 3 strikes and out right?

  6. Being only 5 minutes away from the office, Empanada Spanish Grill quickly became my go-to spot when I was craving some latin food. Despite having several other offices and law firms around, this place never seemed too crowded during weekday lunch hours (12pm-2pm). I have stopped by several times and would be in and out within a matter of 5 minutes.

    Like any other establishment, there are very good days and not good yummy ones since I know they can be spot on. The chicken is always spot on in terms of flavor and same with their pernil. There were times, however, when I would end up with some dry pieces. I've always gone for the yellow rice and pinto beans. Despite having ordered food from here several times, I have yet to try their white rice and black beans. Their oxtail is great and beef stew even better. Can't go wrong with any of the choices they have to offer at Empanada Grill.

    I'm not a huge fan of empanadas in the first place but I do enjoy their baked empanadas. I do like the fact that the empanadas are baked, as they are healthier.

    The portions are great for the price. There have been times where I would ask for half/half (i.e. a thigh of chicken and some pernil). They never charge me extra for my little special request and understand that how difficult it is to just choose one! The only disappointment you will leave this place with is that you couldn't try a little bit of everything that they have to offer.

  7. I recently tried this place after a co-worker recommended it, but forgot where it was. I have been down Market Street several times and must have missed this place, but I'm glad I finally found it. I went in on a Tuesday evening and they had certain empanadas they were serving that day. I tried the beef, the cheeseburger, the wife and the picadillo. I even had the nutella cheesecake dessert empanada! They were all delicious and are baked, not fried, so they are not greasy. I thought the price per empanada was reasonable since they are pretty big. While I was in there, I struck up a conversation with the woman behind the counter and the cook. They are both very friendly and even asked me to try some of the pork they were serving that day. It was good, but I was more eager to try the empanadas, so I didn't get any of the pork to take home. Parking is easy because there is street parking and also a lot around the side of the place, so I parked there. There are also places to sit if you are dining there.  I'll be back here for more empanadas on a different day so I can try more of the ones they make.

  8. I came here for lunch because I had a snow day from work. I wanted a quick bite before going to the gym. Many of the food option near the gym is take your time and eat except for Moe's. I inhaled the chicken stew with rice and pinto beans. I also ordered a spicy beef empanada. Both items were under $10 and it filled my belly with comfort type food. There's a lot of hot sauce bottle for you to experiment if you're adventurous as well.

    The decor is pretty cool. There a lot of Caribbean nic naks stuff. The bathroom is clean.

    There's no real wait service. Just walk up and point to the 2-3 entree dishes and several variety for empanadas. This place is a hit with the lunch crowd.

    I paid in cash. Not sure about cc.  

    I'd come here for sure.

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Market Street 8
Clifton 07012 NJ US
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Monday, 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Tuesday, 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Wednesday, 11:00 am - 6:30 pm
Thursday, 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Friday, 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday, 11:00 am - 8:00 pm