Ruben’s Empanadas
“They are nuked to order, so these creations can be a dry without the supplied hot sauce.”
“Alone a little boring, so get it with the rice and beans combo.”
“Their empanadas are filling and affordable to grab for lunch in the financial district.”
Ruben’s Empanadas
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Inexpensive
8 reviews
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Tried empanadas of both the savory and sweet variety at this convenient spot in the seaport area. The spicy chicken was great – warm, thin-crusted, and filled with anplw bites of seasoned and tender chicken. The guava and cheese empanada was made with a much lighter, flakier crust. It was filled with sweet guava jam and cheese (which was harder to detect or overshadowed by the guava). All pastries came warm and were a delightful pre-dinner snack!
SAME REVIEW as my Review for Ruben's Fulton Street Location, but I actually prefer the Fulton Street Location as it's bigger, more seating and less busy.
Empanadas and food quality are Exactly the same at both locations.
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I don't agree with other Yelpers who have given Ruben's a 2.5-Star Average Rating. The reason is due to cost ($4 per empanada), as people are used to paying $1-$2 for cheaper, lower quality, Fried empanadas. Ruben's are Baked, so the people who are used to fried ones aren't used to the "texture" as they call it in their reviews.
But Ruben's Empanada is 4-Stars in my book.
I've been coming to Reuben's since 2003 when I used to work at Deutsche Bank nearby, and Ruben's has been around since 1975 in Brooklyn.
As Argentina is known for…
– Malbec wine
– Steak
– Soccer
– Tango
– Empanadas
– Pizza
– Gelato
– Ushuaia
– Good Looking People lol
…Empanadas are all over the country. I've been throughout Argentina and can vouch that these are probably as close as you get to Authentic Argentine Empanadas. I say close, cause they're not as good as the real ones, but still very good.
For those who don't know, the difference between Argentine and other Latin American empanadas, is that they're Baked vs Fried.
Argentina and Mexico will BAKE their empanadas, whereas the Caribbean Latin countries (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, etc.) will DEEP FRY them.
I prefer Baked empanadas over Fried ones, as I think they taste better, not as greasy, and are not as bad for you as the fried ones.
Ruben's has 22 different flavors of Empanadas, and all of them have a very soft, buttery crust, but my Favorites, IN ORDER, are:
1. Argentine Sausage: ground beef, pork & onions sauteed in a red wine sauce
2. Ham & Cheese: diced ham, mozzarella, ricotta & cheddar cheese
3. Beef: ground beef, sauteed onions, raisins and spices
4. Chicken: chicken breast with onions in a creamy white sauce
5. Turkey: ground turkey, garlic, oregano, onions and cumin
The Dessert Empanadas are Ok, but not great.
I'd get the Alfajores instead, which is the National Cookie of Argentina, and next to impossible to find in NYC. It's a sort of dry chocolate cookie-cake filled with dulce de leche. Very Decadent and Good!
And I agree that they're a little pricey for empanadas, but the quality is really good, they're close to authentic, and you only need two of them to get full as they're really big.
Lastly, I Prefer the Fulton Street location over the Pearl Street location as it's bigger, more seating, and less busy.
Overall, I really like the empanadas from Ruben's and get them every few weeks, so I highly recommend this place!
I found this place while walking around the financial district looking for my hotel. Totally random and delightful surprise of yummy and huge empanadas.
The place is small and has a little menu, they keep it simple. The price of the empanadas are inexpensive and worth it, even to try a couple of different ones.
I had the ham and cheese empanada which had a light and flaky crust, not at all greasy. The inside was warm and gooey. Not that a ham and cheese empanada should be all exciting, but the food was delicious and left me wishing I had tried another one. My friend had two different empanadas which I was able to sample, one was beef and I don't recall what the other was.
After we ordered, the food came out very quickly which was a bonus. It was hot but not so hot that you had to wait for it to cool down. You could simply indulge in the yummy goodness as quickly as it came out. Also on the side was the hot sauce, which was more like mild to moderate sauce.
I would definitely come here again.
The empanadas here are giant! …But they taste just okay, and they're very overpriced.
Like why does 1 empanada cost more than $4? Why am I paying almost $13 for a "lunch special" that comes with 3 empanadas? That's not a special! It would cost me that much for 3 empanadas anyway!
There are definitely better lunch options to be had in the area.
My favorite is the spicy chicken empanada.
Their empanadas are filling and affordable to grab for lunch in the financial district.
They have a nice selection of empanadas,
Cute spot to quickly eat if needed to eat there.
I decided to try this place for a snack since it was right behind my building. I got the spicy chicken empanada, it was bigger than usual empanadas. It was tasty though and I added hot sauce on the side. It was tasty with the first few bites, but it could be better.
Hot pockets
Unlike many empanadas that I've had, these were not greasy. The crust was made of wheat. I got the 2 empanada + desert special.
The spinach was kind of dry.
The shrimp had a great sauce.
The alfajore was a great finishing touch. A delicate cookie sandwich surrounding caramel, the alfajore fell apart upon first bite and coated my tongue with sugary bliss.
The best way to describe them is an interesting hot pocket. Not the healthiest thing to be eating.
Empanadas lunch special is $8 and includes your choice of any empanadas, a ridiculous amount of rice and beans and a drink.
For lower Manhattan, the price is right if you're hungry. The rice and beans portion is so large, it can feed a small family.
Their "house" hot sauce is mediocre, rice and beans is plentiful and filling but not overly flavorful. Spicy chicken empanadas are tasty and satisfying.