empa mundo empanadas

this place is awesome. it's quite small, but the food is worth it. i tried the ham and cheese and the cheesesteak empanada and both were delicious. i would highly recommend it!

different, excellent and friendly family owned place!. i was told by some of my friends at work about this place and how good it was, so on my birthday, i decided that i wanted to go try it out! my husband, brother and i went and we really enjoyed everything. it is in a rather small place and the way you order, is to grab a menu and a pen and you just check off what you want and how many you want. there is a picture of each empanada with a description of what it is filled with. i had the spinach & cheese, the humita with corn, onions, cheese and white sauce, the guava & cheese and the criolla, with beef, onions, olives, raisins and eggs. my brother and husband each had about 4 as well. they really enjoyed the cheesesteak ones the best! we couldn't eat everything that we had ordered, so we wound up taking most of them to go. we also wound up ordering some to go for some friends of ours who had watched our son the night before, as we were going to be picking him up afterwards. it was so nice to have something so different, yet so good for a change! this is just something that you don't see everyday. what is even better, all of this goodness for a mere $2.50 each!!

now, on to the best part about this place...one of the owners, miming!! she was the most friendly, helpful, sweet, funny ladies that i have ever met! she is very cute and charming and is originally from indonesia! we had such a great time talking to her and getting to know her! i loved her laugh! her husband, raul, the other owner, was not in on that day, but she told us all about him and he is from argentina. we could have sat there all day and chatted with her!! we had a very enjoyable time! we will without a doubt be returning to empa mundo again! how can you go wrong with such great service and with such a wonderful, different and great tasting food! oh and she gave me the sweetest compliment, she told me that i was a very beautiful lady! wow!! this place had me at "welcome!" lol!

1. fantastic, freshly made empanadas.
2. try the brisket and chorizo ones, for sure.
3. friendly owners...what's not to like?

what a pleasant surprise. my wife and i were looking for a place with free wifi where we could have breakfast and find a peaceful place to work on a book we are writing. we found empa mundo on the internet and decided to take a chance. i acquired a taste for empanadas for breakfast when i worked in panama many years ago. so, here we are, as i write. in short, the empanadas are wonderful. the pastry is light and sweet when it should be. the taste selections are varied and the ones we have tried are great. the pastries are heavenly and my wife says the guava and cheese is the best thing she's eaten. i tried it and agree that it's good, but the apple was still melting in my mouth so i'll have to try the guava when i'm not so distracted. we will return. wait! i'm still here! time to try all of the pastries?

absolutely delicious: pockets of overstuffed pastries and many choices of meats, veggies, and dessert. the pastry is light, thin, flaky, and not oily.

dove straight in and just devoured everything in sight: criolla (beef, onions,olives,raisins, eggs), tuna (with onions, tomatoes, peppers, olives), spinach (with ricotta, parmesan and eggs) and the brisket (with poptatoes and onions) are amazing.

for dessert, i tried the guava&cheese and the sweet potatoes. all delicious.

this is a small mom-and-pop type place: beverage choices are canned sodas from a cooler, and the ordering method at the counter is unique: by the time the owner explains it, then double-checks it for you, he might as well have just taken the order from you at the table.

this place has remained "best in irving" (via yelp) for 4 years straight with good quality of empanadas (both sweet & savory), reasonable price ($2.50 each!), & good service. with her broken english, the owner manages to call everyone her friend and explain the menu. favorites : criolla, cheesesteak, brisket and guava & cheese!!

get the chicken and spinach & ricotta empanadas. i had my first empanda experience here, and i loved it.  they were hot, fresh, and absolutely delicious.  there are so many flavors/stuffings for the empanadas to choose from.

spinach and cheese empanada. it has just the perfect amount of cheese and the spinach is cooked just perfect together with the spices in the flour of the empanada make it the perfect blend of flavor


-----28 apr, 2015-----

flavorful. i love this place super friendly and awesome food so tasty and fresh!! i literally wanted to try every single different empanada!!!

like a dessert


-----31 mar, 2015-----

reminds me of mama's meat and potatoes


-----31 mar, 2015-----

perfectly spicy

empa mundo is best kept secret in irving. their empanadas have a delicious flaky crust and the quality of the fillings are perfect. the price is just right and the atmosphere is casual. service is quick and friendly, the owners remember you and help you order if it's your first time. absolutely love them.

phenomenal - instant favorite. i absolutely love this place. it's a dive of the best kind that belongs on diners, dive & drive-ins. the wonderful husband and wife team that run this place hand-make every empanadas. the minute you enter, you are instantly greeted with a smile. you are asked if you have been there before. if not, you get a quick run down of the erasable menu process. she pulls out a sheet of uncooked empanadas to let you see the size. they are smaller than a taco, but fatter. each one costs $2.50

i tried two and was blown away. the outside crust was flaky but not floury or over powering. the stuffing inside has generous portions and tasted awesome. i loved both of them so much that i ordered 10 more of all kinds to take home. my wife tried three different flavors and fell in love too. these are the best empanadas i have ever had. add the wonderful lady that makes them and you have a home run. as i was leaving, she asked if i would be back. when i explained where i lived, she handed me a business card for hirsch's meat in plano. they sell four of her empandadas - score for me!!!!

empanada fever. i wanted to try this place for i don't know how long. really glad i did. i like different foods and have had all types of empanadas--mexican, somosas, jamaican patties and others from around the caribbean. i was hoping from reading the reviews that the reviewers would be spot on with the reviews. well, they were right!

without using too many superlatives, let's just say the chorizo and the chilipan zinga were two of the most remarkable empanadas i have had. very flaky, they are prepared the moment that you order them, usually taking about five minutes from order to serving. they are even better with the sweet and sour chimichurri sauce that accompanies them. co-owned with her husband raul, miming gave me the whole history of the world of empanadas. simply delightful. she is quite a sparkling personality, and i enjoyed talking with her the twenty minutes or so that i was there. she had my name down pat and i wouldn't be surprised that she will remember my name the next time i return.

i took a few dessert items home with me--the apple and pineapple cookies. these were both flaky and had a nice shortbread taste and texture to them with a perfect fruit aspect. one cookie was enough for an after meal splurge, although they come in packs of two for $1.50, which i consider a bargain.

there are only eight tables, but many of the patrons just came in off the street, ordered and waited for them for take-out. this place is definitely unique and is something to consider if you are short on time and have a hankering for the unusual. miming is a blast too! you'll love her as much as the food!

best empanadas in the world. i have gone to argentina where these originate and let me tell you these are the best i have ever had. raul is supper sweet and the customer service is amazing; greeted with a happy face. even if english is not their first language they are always helpful and respectful. i love this place. i'm vegeterian and i love their humita and spinach empanadas! ! sus empanadas son tan ricas que las vas a probar una ves y seguir viniendo por mas!:)

love this place for lunch f.... love this place for lunch
fast and clean, just pick your favorite empanada from the laminated menu, add the amount hand it over and you get your meal usually within five minutes. i'm from argentina myself and have been looking everywhere for a place like this.
very small but clean and friendly employees.

empa wunderful!. this little out of the way place can only be described as fantastic. it's not easy to find, but well worth the hunt. while you're eating one of these tasty little pockets of goodness you'll be thinking about the next time you have another. they are just that addictive! the owner and staff are not only helpful, but extremely friendly and make you feel special. not something you see much anymore. all you "high falutin" types can go else were. this is a place for the true foodie, there is nothing stuck up or pretentious about this place.