Empanada Mania — Restaurant in Bergenfield

For view the reel I made about this Latin American spot, please visit my Instagram account: @explorationwithjeffthecritic

Empanada Mania 62 S. Washington Ave. Bergenfield NJ 07621

Angus Beef Bacon Cheeseburger Cuban Sweet Thai Chicken Spinach & Feta

Appearance: 10/10 Taste: 10/10

On the Southern part of Washington Avenue is a Latin American spot that specializes in homemade empanadas.

Owner Galo and Manager Felipe introduced me to a variety of the signature product.

Check out the outer layers of these crispy empanadas. If you think they look this good on the outside, wait until you see the inner fillings!

This original version of this folded hot pastry is packed with plenty of angus beef along with sautéed peppers & onions.

This may have a similar appearance to the previous empanada, but do not be deceived. Imagine having a juicy succulent bacon cheeseburger in a crunchy shell in lieu of a hamburger roll.

Here’s a perfect variation of the classic Cuban sandwich. The pork was smoked for several hours and it also includes ham and mozzarella cheese.

It’s time to try some Thai. The sweet thai chili sauce mixed in this Asian style empanada has the perfect blend of heat and spice.

If happen to be a vegetarian or If you just need a break from meat and poultry, the spinach & feta is a must try!

As a bonus, these two secret sauces are fantastic supplements for your meat pies!

Dunk away in the house made red hot sauce or if you are craving thousand island base with some top secret ingredients then go for the pink sauce.

As another bonus, there is a state of the art coffee machine for hot beverages such as expresso, or cappucinno.

All in all, each empanada as paradise. When I next return I’m looking forward to exploring their other empanadas as well as the side dishes.

#empanadamania #empanadas #cuban #angusbeef #baconcheeseburger #SweetThaiChicken #spinachandfeta #LocalBusiness #foodstagram #eats #njfoodie #localspots...

As a chef, I don’t eat out just to fill my stomach.

The place was clean, and the service was polite.
I ordered three different kinds of empanadas and a side of fried potatoes(3 Combo Set) — which seemed to be freshly cut by hand — all for $15.
To add a refreshing touch, I also ordered a 4oz portion of Pico de Gallo for $3.99. About 10 minutes later, I got my order and started heading home, but I opened the box mid-way because I didn’t want the fried items to get soggy.
That’s when I noticed something odd: the pico de gallo portion was very small. I honestly thought they had forgotten to include the extra one I ordered.

I went back and asked about it, showing my receipt to the staff member who had helped me just minutes earlier.
I asked twice. She insisted it was correct, and then a kitchen staff member backed her up.
I nearly asked them to weigh it on a kitchen scale — but held myself back.

Do they think customers are that easy to fool?
Is running a business really that simple? Just compare that portion to any standard 4oz yogurt cup. Despite the fries being impressively good and the empanadas being flavorful, I will never go back. All they had to do was apologize and fix the mistake.
Everyone makes mistakes — that’s forgivable.
But lying to a customer? That’s not. If you lie to your customers, you don’t deserve their money.

Spanish

Como chef, no salgo a comer solo para llenar el estómago.

El lugar estaba limpio y el servicio fue amable.
Pedí tres tipos diferentes de empanadas y una guarnición de papas fritas, que parecían estar cortadas a mano — todo por $15(3 Combo Set).
Para darle un toque fresco, también pedí una porción de 4oz de Pico de Gallo por $3.99.

Unos 10 minutos después, recibí mi pedido y comencé a dirigirme a casa, pero abrí la caja a mitad de camino porque no quería que los fritos se ablandaran.
Fue entonces cuando noté algo extraño: la porción de pico de gallo era muy pequeña. Honestamente pensé que se habían olvidado de incluir la extra que había pedido. Regresé y pregunté sobre eso, mostrando mi recibo al miembro del personal que me había atendido momentos antes. Pregunté dos veces. Ella insistió en que estaba correcto, y luego un miembro de la cocina respaldó su respuesta.
Casi les pido que lo pesaran en una balanza de cocina, pero me contuve.

¿Acaso piensan que los clientes son tan fáciles de engañar?
¿De verdad es tan fácil dirigir un negocio? Solo comparen esa porción con cualquier taza estándar de yogur de 4oz. A pesar de que las papas fritas estaban impresionantemente buenas y las empanadas tenían buen sabor, no volveré nunca más. Todo lo que tenían que hacer era disculparse y corregir el error.
Todos cometemos errores, eso es perdonable.
Pero mentirle a un cliente… eso no tiene perdón. Si mientes a tus clientes, no mereces su dinero.

Korean

매장이 깔끔하고 응대가 좋았다. 다양한 종류의 Empanada 3개에 아마도 직접 감자를 잘라 만든듯한 Fried Potato까지 3Combo Set가 15$ 상큼한 것을 곁들이고 싶어서 멕시칸 소스(샐러드라고 하는게 나을지도)인 Pico de Gallo 4oz($3.99)를 주문했다.

10분 정도 기다려서 음식을 받고 집으로 가져가던 중 튀김이 눅눅해지면 안되겠다 싶어서 박스를 열었다. 그런데... 피코데가요의 양이 너무 작았다. 사진의 것은 그냥 따라나오는 거고 내가 주문한건 누락이 된건가 싶어서 가게로 돌아갔다. 그래서 물어봤더니 이게 4온즈짜리가, Extra로 주문한 $3.99짜리가 맞다고 한다. 방금전 주문 받은 직원에게 영수증을 보여주며 두번을 다시 물었다. 그랬더니 주방직원까지 맞다고 했다. 주방에 있는 저울로 체크해보자고 하려다가 말았다.

고객이 그렇게 우습나? 장사하기가 쉽나 보다. 4온즈짜리 요거트와 비교해서 보라.

먹어보니 감자 튀김이 아주 인상적일 정도고 엠파냐다의 맛이 괜찮았슴에도 다시는 가지 않을 것이다.

미안하다고 하고 잘못을 바로 잡았으면 될 일이다. 실수는 용납이 된다. 그러나, 고객에게 거짓말 하는 곳은 고객의 돈을 가져가면 안된다.

#DoNot #NeverAgain
#Empanada #EmpanadaMania...

If you want the freshest pastelito style empanadas, made to order this is the place to go.

I'm more used to Venezuelan empanadas which are much larger heavier and greasier. In Venezuela the style of empanada served at Empanada Mania would be called a pastelito. The empanadas are very good and fresh and are made to order while you wait. The only downside is the cost. I ordered for 2 adults and 2 children (ages 2 and 7) and we went through about 15 empanadas for dinner and I could have had more! Though delicious it does get expensive for a full meal. In the future we'll probably stop in for a snack but for a full meal we'll go...