Boludo — Restaurant in Minneapolis

I ordered takeout online from Boludo on a Friday night around 5pm a week or so ago. We ordered 2 pizzas, 4 empanadas, and an order of churro donuts.

Online it said that our food would be ready in 65 minutes (6:20pm), so I got to the restaurant a couple minutes early. This was my first time there so I was surprised to see a line halfway around the block, but hey, that’s awesome they’re getting good business! I asked people in line if they were there for pickup and I was told that you stand in line to check in and then wait outside a bit more for your food.

I stood in line for about 30 min before checking in with the restaurant (due to the pandemic and the size of the place, they can only allow one customer in at a time). While in the restaurant, I waited another 5 min or so while they were organizing some order tickets. The interior of the restaurant is really nicely decorated with Argentina/Buenos Aires/soccer/football memorabilia. I checked in and was told that my food would be ready in a few minutes and that I should wait outside. I could be wrong but I got the vibe that they started making your food once you checked in. I waited outside for another 15-20 minutes before my name was called and I got my food. This was around 6:50-7pm (30-40min after the website said my food would be ready).

When we got home and started eating, it was obvious why the line was so long: the food was OUTSTANDING. Seriously, the pizza was amazing, the empanadas were the best I’ve ever had, and churro donuts with the dulce de leche were insanely tasty!

Long story short, the online process/check-in on busy weekends NEEDS an upgrade. I don’t mind standing in the cold for a few minutes on a busy night, I really don’t; but showing up an hour after we ordered online and then waiting for another 30-45minutes wasn’t fun. Maybe do an online check-in system or have people call-in to check in? 1/5 for that, but the food was awesome 5/5 there. I’ll definitely go back, but maybe not on a...

We were only in Minneapolis for one weekend and had a whole list of new restaurants to try, including Boludo. We ended up going to Boludo twice, happily sacrificing other restaurants on our list, because we were so impressed during our first visit! The atmosphere (think modern South American pub – soccer, Bad Bunny, and Latin rock), the food, and the service were unmatched. We started with the de la casa salad which was fresh, bright, and a beautiful blend of ingredients (not to mention a heaping plateful of greens!). The Boludo dressing is something you will be craving after you leave and trying to recreate at home. Next, we ordered the empanadas. Being from South America and having taste-tested our fair share of empanadas, we had high standards for the empanadas; Boludo more than exceeded those standards. Their empanadas are generously filled with prime ingredients, and the baked empanada dough is a fresh and healthier take on the typical fried empanada. The flavor offerings are a mix of traditional and unique (highly recommend the humita), and all served with a delicious chimichurri. We easily could have made a meal out of the empanadas paired with the salad, but pizza was a must. As pizza connoisseurs ourselves, we were extremely impressed with all aspects of the pizza: the crust was perfectly cooked and an amazing finale to each slice, the sauce was a great balance of hearty and sweet, the ingredients were high quality and plentiful, and the shaved parmesan on top was just the chef’s kiss. We ordered the Pepperoni and the Sarandara. We finished the meal with the flan. If you have never been a fan of flan, Boludo’s may change your mind. It’s almost a mixture of flan and crème brûlée, topped with dulce de leche and candied pecans. The chef/manager was very welcoming as a fellow South American and you can tell he genuinely cares for his customers and wants them to enjoy their time in his restaurant. We can’t wait to return to Minneapolis and visit...

Boludo specializes in pizza, but with an Argentinian twist. In January 2025, Dave Portnoy visited Boludo's Miami location (now closed), and rated the pizza a 7.8/10. The rating seemed low, so I had to try it for myself. My wife and I went to the original location in the Kingfield neighborhood of Minneapolis. We got 3 empanadas, a pizza, flan, and churro donuts.

The menu features 7 empanadas. Of those, we tried the carne, jamón y queso, and the Messi. The carne was my favorite, but all 3 were worth getting. So much so, I'd come here for the empanadas alone. As for the pizza, we kept it simple and got the pepperoni. Boludo's pizza is like none other I've ever seen before. It's somewhat oval shaped, but with 4 corners, and has cheese heavily sprinkled over the crust. Aside from being a bit greasy, the pizza was solid, and better than the 7.8 Dave Portnoy gave it.

Similar to the pizza, the flan had a unique presentation, as well. Rather than a slice or its typical round appearance, Boludo's flan is served in a jar and topped with candied pecans. It was rich, but that didn't stop me from gobbling it all down. Lastly, we had the churro donuts. These were reminiscent of cider mill donuts, but better. The donuts didn't need a dip, but the dulce de leche it came with was enjoyable.

Boludo didn't miss on any of the items we ordered. Not only did I find the overall experience to be unique, I was genuinely impressed, as well. As strange as it sounds, make sure to check out the bathroom...