Savory Crust Gourmet Empanadas — Restaurant in Niles Township

I discovered Savory Crust one afternoon while contemplating a visit to Saprino's Pizzeria, which sits a few stores down. On a different date I made my initial visit to Savory Crust. During my initial discovery my mouth drooled after seeing Yelp pictures of their Chicken Pot Pie - Empanada, but during my actual visit, I ordered the Beef Kaldereta. Ha! Go figure! With that it just gave me another reason to return on a different date to order the Chicken Pot Pie - Empanada. On my second return, I finally got what my mouth drooled for, which was the Chicken Pop Pie - Empanada, and boy did it not disappoint. In fact, it tasted better than my taste buds imagined. In the meantime, I would love to return to try their Adobo Chicken, which I have grown to love while living in Hawaii for 3 years.

As for the menu at Savory Crust, it consisted of a variety of Empanada & Rice Bowl selections. Both the Empanada & Rice Bowl prices seem a little steep considering the fact that you do not get a drink or some sort of side order with them. You get just that! I would not mind purchasing an Empanada that costs nearly $5, if it came with a soda or chips versus it being a single item. Or that Rice Bowl that nearly costs $10, if it were combined with a soda. Get my gist? I took note of that during my second visit after purchasing a Empanada w/ a canned soda, which costed $7.

Eating at Savory Crust twice a week would be detrimental to my bank account, so I could not visit this place regularly because I would end up having foodie anxiety if ya know what I mean. It is that feeling of buyers remorse with my belly happy, yet my bank account not happy. With that being said, can we get a combo selection or something Savory Crust. Good Lord!...

Still really great empanadas, but Morton Grove lovation has changed a lot. We first visited there shortly after the store opened. The owner was there and serving and talking with customers. We really loved the empanadas and would often make the long drive to get some. When they opened the Carol Stream location we would stop there and sit at the picnic table to eat. We were really glad when we saw that Morton Grove planned to expand and have more dining area. Not sure what happened, but when we stopped in the Morton Grove lovation, not only were the few tables gone which has been that way for awhile, but sign are up that you cannot use the dining counter. We were told we could not touch the freezer to get frozen empanadas to take home. There are signs up all over telling you Do Not Touch and Employees Only. They have closed off the aisle and it is all cluttered with their supplies. We just did not feel welcome at all even though we had come to spend our money. We probably would have gotten more but we just did not feel welcome at all. What a sad difference from when this place...

We were visiting from out of town, and this place caught my eye as we drove past. We stopped by the next day for lunch and weren't disappointed. The empanadas were delicious! It was hard to choose just two because they all looked so good. The pictures of each dish really helped us decide. The picadillo empanada was just as good the ones my Puerto Rican grandmother used to make. The dipping sauces were a nice touch, and the staff's recommendations paired well with the variety of empanadas we ordered. The veggie dumplings were also very good, as were the fried plantains. The staff was very friendly, helpful, and patient with us as we ordered. Unfortunately, there is no indoor dining, so we had to eat in the car. This did not detract from the wonderful taste of the food, however. If I were a local, I would patronize this establishment frequently. The prices were very reasonable and the food was some of the best I've ever had. Every city should have a...