Empanada Mama Hell’s Kitchen — Restaurant in New York

I did not think my experience here could have been redeemed after the drunken group next to me pushed the entire contents of my table into my lap—drinks and empanadas included—but our waiter for the night, Edwin Mateo, made that miracle happen.

Let me start from the beginning… It was around 11:00 PM, and I was at my girlfriend’s apartment. Just as I was about to leave, my Google Maps notified me that there was a problem with the subway. Someone had driven a car into the third rail and knocked out all power across the city for the subways. I watched in horror as the prices for Ubers climbed from $70 to $110in a matter of seconds. I put my phone away and declared, “The night is fcuked! Let’s go to that empanada place you always talk about.”

The vibes were popping for a Wednesday night. Edwin introduced himself and was a star from the outset, asking if we needed help and making epic, encouraging comments about the things we ordered. Our margaritas came first, followed by our empanadas. We ordered: 2x El Jefe 1x Reggaeton 1x Portobello 1x Shredded Beef But it was all for naught because, before I even took my first bite of the El Jefe, everything was in my lap. Not just spilled—deep up in my groin. A bag had swiped the entire contents of the table into me. It was a bad look.

The group next to us was initially very timid in their response to the situation as my margarita and water began to soak my nether regions. But they quickly realized the severity of the situation and called over Edwin out of my peripheral vision. The group apologized to us and told Edwin to bring us drinks on them, which turned out to be two fantastic shots of tequila. Edwin brought out more empanadas on the house, and then we became friends with the people next to us, who were coming off a Christmas work party—hence why they were all smashed.

The night, which started off with no subways, costly Ubers, and a very soaked groin (not in a cute way), completely shifted to one of the best nights I’d had in a while. Edwin Mateo was a key player in making this happen. His grace and understanding, even when I was fairly frustrated with the situation, turned what should have been a nightmarish evening into one I look back on fondly. Also, they gave us a margarita on the house, which was very sweet.

One of the craziest stories in a while, but one that has been turned into a core memory thanks to Edwin. I will be...

The food has always been excellent. I’ve been eating here for over three years, and it’s a place that reminds me of Colombia. However, today, since I now live in Hell’s Kitchen, I decided to stop by for an empanada.

At the time of paying, the cashier told me it would take 5 to 10 minutes. Then she went inside, and someone else came out. After waiting 20 minutes, I asked what was going on with my order. She told me it would take an additional 20 minutes. I said it was unreasonable for a single empanada to take 30 minutes. Her attitude from the start was rude and disrespectful. She replied that it was “common sense” to know an empanada would take 30 minutes—even though I had my car parked right outside and had been waiting quite a while.

At that point, I couldn’t wait any longer, and I asked for a refund. Her response was: “It’s just an empanada. I’ll give you your money back. We’re used to people like you, broke people who come in to buy just one empanada.”

I recorded her saying this. When I asked for her name, she said it was Cindy. She refused to return my money at first, then called security. I had to wait outside until she finally gave me the refund.

It’s not about the six dollars the empanada cost. It’s about the sadness and frustration caused by someone who, despite being upset or overwhelmed, chooses to treat customers this way—and in doing so, disrespects a business that I know the owners have worked hard to build.

I spoke with the security guard, who told me this wasn’t the first time she’s behaved like this—she often uses security to remove customers when she gives them bad service.

As someone who values respectful communication, I waited patiently outside. After more than 15 additional minutes, she gave me the refund. But again, the issue isn’t the money. It’s the poor customer service, the insult, and the way I was treated. Calling someone “broke” is a strong and offensive comment.

I simply wanted to enjoy an empanada like I’ve done many times before at Empanada Mama, a place I’ve supported for years. It’s close to home. But because of this experience, I must give it a zero. Situations like this should...

New review; 5/9/24

06/9/24 @ 5PM

Had to eat here again after such a delicious first visit. Got to Pernil’s again and they were just as good as the first time. Our service was absolutely TERRIBLE though.

We had Fabrício as our server and he was awful. He didn’t greet us when we sat down and ignored me when I said hi. It took awhile for our order to be taken after we sat down- two tables were sat beside us AFTER we sat down and Fabrício took their order first. He nearly forgot to take our order; had to turn around after walking away.

After our food was served by someone else, I had to flag someone down to get a drink order from my mom since Fabrício never returned to check on us. He even walked right by us and didn’t even stop to ask How things were or if we needed anything! Fabrício provided some of the worst service I have had in a long time. Absolutely horrendous. We finally had to ask the hostess for our server so we could get the check. Another woman came up and said she was our server now. This was so odd- I’ve been at restaurants during a shift change and normally the prior server says something to us about them ending their shift soon. That didn’t happen at all. What’s even more odd is that I still see him serving tables as I type this. So weird.

When I come back here, I’ll definitely be requesting anyone but Fabrício.

WOW!

Best empeñadas I’ve EVER had! As a Puerto Rican, that’s a huge feat!

The hostess wasn’t very friendly; wasn’t greeted when we entered. Stood there for about 5 minutes. She said hi to multiple of her personal friends because acknowledging us. Our server was fantastic.

I ordered El Jefe, Pernil, and the Viagra. The Pernil was so good I had to order it again. Viagra was second, El Jefe was last. But all were DELISH! Every single one was packed to the brim. The dough was made perfectly, no air pockets. Wasn’t too thick. It was fantastic. A...