Mama’s Empanadas

“The green sauce is so good, they give you one little sauce per 2 empanadas (you can purchase more), so make it count.”

“Mama's has a bunch of corn and wheat empanadas that come in a bunch of different fillings including desserts.”

“Have had several different empanadas here, for example, the wheat (baked) bacon, egg, and cheese and the desert plantain with cheese (fried).”

Mama’s Empanadas

Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes

Price range.

$ Price range Inexpensive

8 reviews

  1. Love Mamas Empanadas, great place to get a snack (was right across the street from work). Honestly all versions of the empanadas are delicious. I haven't had one where I wasn't devouring it. The service is a bit slow but to be fair they have a quite a bit of customers each time I went there. Get the green sauce with your food guys.

  2. You can never go wrong with Mama's Empanadas. You just can't. My lady friend and I enjoy this guilty pleasure as they have a large selection of cornmeal empanadas and arepas, which is great for her celiac's. I stick with a combination of the chorizo, beef and chicken though I will probably just get nothing but chorizo next time around as the chicken was reeeeally bland.

    You get one baby cup thing of sauce per every 2 empanadas, which is absurd, but it's very easy to monetize the sauce, so I understand (25cents per cup thing if you want more.)

    The green/verde/hot sauce is obviously the supreme sauce of the land, but I was introduced to their "pink" sauce, which I thought was going to be some exotic and spicy cream sauce, but it's most definitely just ketchup and mayonnaise, which I love, but…yeah. Womp.

    So why the 2 stars? I've been to this particular location twice, and the service is absolute trash. The timeliness of the orders are fine; the attitudes of the cashiers are not. Unprofessional, rude and too busy chatting with each other, or on their phones to properly assist customers.

    If you don't care about that, definitely come for the empanadas. Oh, there aren't any signs, but they DO accept credit cards, with a $10 minimum.

  3. Oh my delicious empanadas, you make my stomach and wallet happy. I never had a great empanada where I said to myself "I want to eat this again". Usually they are greasy or stale or too salty. Im glad I tried this place because we wanted a quick bite before seeing a movie. I did read reviews where people complained that it takes a long time to get their food. Well the empanadas are made to order! It will always be piping hot when it comes out. We ordered 8 empanadas and my favorites are def the Hawaiian, beef, baby portobello, and chili dog. Their green sauce is very good and compliments the veggie empanadas and the red salsa is good for creamier items like the beef. Thank you for changing my mind about empanadas.

  4. Love this place! First and most importantly, the empanadas.  The baked ones are a nice, softer option with a more doughy flavor and the fried have a great crunch.
       My turn savory one is the Hawaiian, with Pineapple, Ham, and Cheese.  It is awesome!  I have yet to have a bad savory empanada there to be honest, but I haven't had any of the crazy ones either.  I guess I am more purist, they are all mostly good and varying levels of awesome.  The dessert empanadas are good also, my favorite is the Fig, Caramel, and Cheese.

    I was not a big fan of the sweet empanada with Nutella, peanut butter, and chocolate.  Looking back, I should've realized it beforehand that it would be very thick and heavy.  I wish I had a huge glass of milk for it, that would've helped.  It needed something to lighten it up in flavor and thin out the consistency.

    Other than empanadas, the soup is amazing and a great cure for a hangover or when you're feeling sick.  The arepas are good too.

    I usually order delivery, but have gone into this location a few times as well.  I've only been to the physical store at this location here in Queens, nice little spot with friendly service.  They tend to get a little busy especially with deliveries so you might wait a bit, but it's worth it.  It seems like they cook the empanadas to order which as a professional cook, this is respectable and produces a better empanada.  Hence, the baked ones take a little longer to make than the fried.

    Great empanada spot, consistent delicious food, and good service.  I highly recommend it, it's not the best empanadas in the world, but certainly better than your average empanadas.  Nothing beats homemade empanadas of course, but these are reminiscent of ones made with love.

  5. I got very excited upon entering this place, as I really love empanadas.   We ordered a few and were kinda underwhelmed.  Maybe we will try this place again, maybe not.

  6. Two words: SO ADDICTING!

    Been here about 3 times already within the past 2 weeks. I was around the Steinway area and bought some empanadas to-go for dinner. I usually order up to three empanadas and I'll be full. For the corn flour empanadas I have tried: the broccoli & cheese (my fav), the chicken, and the rice & beans. For the wheat flour empanadas I have tried both baked and fried types: the pork (another fav) and the spinach & cheese. The empanadas are made to order which is a plus. They will give you 1 sauce per 2 empanadas. I get the green sauce.

    So, I typically wait about 15 minutes from ordering to receiving my order. I came here after 5:30pm before and the line was pretty long! I ended up being here for 30+ minutes. 🙁 Your best bet is get here before 5pm so you can avoid the long lines.

  7. My fave: fried cheeseburger empanada. We tried a dozen different flavors. Hands down, cheeseburger! Very reasonable priced and open late. Great bite to eat after karaoke across the street! Don't forget the sauce!

  8. Mamma, I've never met you but I'd love to give you a kiss and a hug for churning out such delicious empanadas! Mama's Empanadas is a "fast" food place that boasts an incredible menu of empanadas and sides. And, be still my beating heart, there are vegetarian options aside from  "cheese". I joined Amy C. and her bunch post brunch so I was famished. This was a great recommendation by Jean Claire(if memory serves) for a late lunch bite. I had the portabella mushroom wheat pattie, chock full of the mushroom, a vegetable corn pattie, reminding me of a samosa, and the sweet plaintain/cheese pattie, dense and slightly sweet. How can you not love a place smart enough to offer dessert patties?? They are a good size, and stuffed with filling. Three will definitely leave you sated, and they are cheap, with most at $1.75 and the highest at $2.60. All were tasty, with the portabella my fave. The coating is flaky, light and not at all greasy. The spicy green sauce they give is exceptional; don't forget to ask for it. These patties are so good even  Michael M. intuitively knew enough to leave me to eat while I dug in my bag for my patties and left my fellow Yelpers to karaoke away. I'm a Yelping foodie true and true. Eat first, everything else comes later. Mama's is brightly colored, in blue and a sunny orange yellow, with the extensive menu displayed over counter. I love that the menu is in English, with Spanish underneath. I didn't encountered the surly staff other Yelpers complained about, and there was no line when I went late Saturday afternoon.  Yelpers, be kind to Mamma and her staff. The place is probably packed because the food here is cheap and delicious. No one seems to mind waiting hours for an overpriced cronut or a highly caloric milkshake but when a humble place that isn't trendy is slow, complaints crop up. Be patient, know what you want to order, especially if the place is busy and just relish enjoying the empanadas when you get them. I'm already planning my next visit.

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Steinway Street 32-41
11103 NY US
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Monday, 12:00 am - 11:30 pm
Tuesday, 12:00 am - 11:30 pm
Wednesday, 12:00 am - 11:30 pm
Thursday, 12:00 am - 11:30 pm
Friday, 12:00 am - 11:30 pm
Saturday, 12:00 am - 11:30 pm
Sunday, 12:00 am - 11:30 pm