Maria Empanada

Best empanadas I have ever had. The dog was tender and flavorful. The fillings were moist and delicious. We ended up taking home a six pack back to Washington state to share. Unfortunately they were gone before we could share. Thank you this will be our first stop next visit to the area.

I have heard a lot about Maria Empanada, like everyone else in Denver. The restaurant is lauded as a small-business success just as much as it’s celebrated for delicious cooking. It turned out to be a vibrant and happy place, interesting and pleasing to look at, with a very friendly and helpful staff.

On my visit I had two lunchtime empanadas, one with mushroom and the other with spinach. I was a bit disappointed that so many of the other choices - perhaps all of them! - include red peppers, which I don’t like.

I also had two small dessert empanadas, or perhaps they are called tarts. One contained bananas with Nutella and the other had pears and sauce. Both were wonderful.

Of the hot sauces, I most liked the tanginess of the sweet chili mayo. The adobe grill/smoky chipotle sauce was not that flavorful or hot.

All these empanadas were just as advertised, whether in newspapers, on television, or by word of mouth - delicious, flaky, scrumptious. And beautiful to gaze upon, too.

There are lots of articles, reviews, and narratives to check online if you’d like to find more information. Basically, all you have to do is pick your chosen media outlet - Westword, the Denver Post, 5280 magazine, 303 magazine, most any local tv station, the Food network... and search for “Maria Empanada.” You’re bound to find something glowing and positive!

This place was bomb! We stopped by on our way to the airport after a great visit to Colorado. We watched videos of her on YouTube while we munched (cause we’re weird like that) and thought that her story was really interesting. You should expand to Texas, I know it would do well here!

The Empanadas were excellent! Cooked perfectly and tons of flavors! The place itself was adorable and loved the set up!