Emporio Andino — Restaurant in San Pedro de Atacama

I have never been so disrespected as a paying customer as I was at this place.

The waiter of the back room assumed a hostile and confronting position towards me because aparently, it's a high offense at this place to get your food at the 30min wait line and take a seat.

I had never asked my food to go, I ordered it at the counter and once it was handed to me I thought it will be OK to seat at one of the tables.

The waiter from the back room told me I should clean after myself because if had asked asked my food to go (I didnt) therefore I had no business sitting at the back.

If you, the waiter who stood in my way to block my exit from this dump of an empanada place, or anyone actually responsible for this joint is reading this, please learn that a paying customer is a paying customer regardless of where they ordered their food.

It's not the customers job to undestand where exactly to order the food for the previledge to seat down at a table and be served by that lowlife thug you have as a waiter.

Should you be reading this, I was not about to ruin my vacation over your insignificance and accept your provocations. Be mindful that next time you offend a tourist you might not be so lucky.

This place is a mess.

The counter female (just as rude) never asked me if I wanted my food to go. Talk among yourselves and figure it out.

As for the food, you much better off getting off your empanadas from the ladies on Caracoles than dealing with the inflatated egos of this staff that is head over heels with the reviews from people who never had empanadas before.

News flash: they are anywhere in Latin America, do not buy into the hype...

SUCH a lovely little coffee & pastry shop. Perfect for brunch or lunch or even just a sweet treat. To-go options are also very viable. The waiters are very attentive and quick with their service. I loved the comfort of the chairs and the vibe of the place was very aesthetically pleasing with colorful decor and lovely natural lighting. My mom and I went three separate times and ordered the empanada pino (meat, caramelized onion, egg, and an olive - be careful it still has the pit in it hahaha) and the empanada rústica (goat cheese, tomato, and basil). The pastries that someone else had gotten also looked incredible so we went back another day to get their carrot cake (my favorite) and blueberry poppyseed cake (my mom’s favorite). Unfortunately, we didn’t love how overwhelmingly sweet both of the cakes were and only managed a few bites of each before we took it back to our house… I will say, though, it did taste better the next day? Finally, as a farewell, we ordered two of the empanada pinos to go and ate them on our way to the airport. In our opinion, you just can’t beat this amazing flavor, the size of the empanada (we felt fully satisfied with one each), and the price. 11/10 recommend and will be back if I find myself in San Pedro de...

San Pedro de Atacama is packed with places serving very bad, overpriced food in ridiculously large quantities, plus a few 'fine dining' restaurants where you'll have a good meal but spend more than you want to.

By contrast, Emporio Andino is a hole in the wall that serves fantastic, simple breakfasts perfect for fueling up before a hike (they come with coffee and a freshly squeezed natural fruit juice), plus a wide variety of truly exceptional handmade empanadas (great for lunch or to take with you on the go), produced fresh every single day; I know this because for half an hour or so after they open, the cases are empty and you can smell them baking. All of it is utterly delicious reasonably priced.

Even better than the food is the atmosphere—which sounds trivial but isn't. There are dozens of food hawkers who do nothing but loiter on the streets of San Pedro trying to lure you into their restaurants. Not here. We chatted more than once with Ivan (both in my broken Spanish and his better English), a server who's kind, warm, efficient, and down-to-earth. By the end of four days in San Pedro, he and Emporio Andino felt like neighbors.

Go here, give them your business, eat their great food, chat with the staff. You'll be so...