Masa Empanadas — Restaurant in Portland

I really like this place so far, but I still need to dial in my order to get it to a full 5/5. I'm definitely coming back to find my favorite. I suspect it will be the Argentinian beef empanada.

My favorite empanada topped out at about a 4 to 4.5 / 5, which is why I gave that rating. The chimichurri was definitely the standout and carried the empanadas for me.

I love the crispiness of the empanada shells, but a few of them could use a bit more seasoning. That said, they did taste lighter and healthier than most, which I appreciated greatly. I respect that making this vegan must have taken a lot of effort and experimentation.

Update: for some reason, waiting a day and air frying them vastly improved the taste. Which is wild because I hate leftovers. I wonder if the chemical taste I was tasting was like a microwave or a certain type of oven? Or if there was a wash or coating on the outside that crisped off in the air fryer? No idea what happened but bumped to a 5/5.

Oyster Mushroom ⭐⭐✨ Crispy shell with a nice bite that contrasted with the soft mushroom Filling felt lighter and healthier, which I appreciated Could use just a touch more seasoning, but the chimichurri really made it pop. because of this, I wouldn't order it again my boyfriend said it might have been the worst one which blows my mind because he adores mushrooms noted that they may have forgotten to put seasoning, that it was bland

Curry Potato ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Warm, comforting flavor with a nice curry aroma. Could have had a bit more punch in the spice level, but still enjoyable this needs the mango chutney for sure!

Chorizo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Savory and satisfying with a good balance of meat and spices Slightly milder than expected for chorizo, but the texture was great. loved the cheese inside think I would order this again! This is such a perfect breakfast empanada.

Fugazetta ⭐✨ A nice cheesy option, but way too salty for me had slightly chemical aftertaste that distracted from the overall flavor might have been because it is vegan cheese but I never tasted it before, even though I've had a lot of vegan cheeses, it might just be something I have to get used to, or maybe it's just a salt overload? this one is my boyfriends favorite of the batch we tried, he rated it a 4.5

Spinach ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ Fresh and earthy, with a lighter profile Could benefit from a bit more seasoning to stand on its own without sauce my favorite one I think, I really appreciate how much spinach...

3 1/2 stars rounded down. Service was super friendly but the food just wasn’t quite there. One of the empanadas wasn’t cooked all the way through (while part was burnt)

Also the taste of the chorizo was just not good. Not sure how they made it but it was just chemically tasting and weird.

Another thing was in the curried potato one — the potatoes weren’t fully cooked, sadly. They could have used another few minutes cooking since they still had that harder starchy taste that not-done potatoes have. The curry one was super tasty but it was distracting to bite into a half cooked potato with every bite.

I think my fave was the corn and cheese one, with the “beef” one being a close second. They were good, not great though. I also felt like they were super small given the price. They’re disappointingly small for $5/each. I think $3/each would be a much more attractive price point with 3/$9 being perfect.

I know this place is new and still trying to find its footing with products/pricing/etc so I hope they can figure it out. Some real promise and could totally become a 5* place with some tweaks.

Edit to owner review: it’s not the customers responsibility to tell you to cook your food all the way through. That’s literally...

This review comes second-hand, as it was my wife who ordered from this cute little cart, but after she got over how small her single empanada order was, and ordered a second to make a full meal out of it, she was a pretty happy camper.

For the price (~$5/each), you get a piping-hot little pocket (NOT a Hot Pocket) of whatever goodies you want from the available choices: she ended up with a chorizo and potato, and a mushroom and goat cheese, the latter of the two being her favorite (I could have guessed: goat cheese anything is always a win).

It's hard to beat the price, even if you're going to need 2-3 to fill you up; at least then you can try a whole selection of savory snacks, and really experience the variety of wonderful flavors here. If only more food carts had the option to sample multiple entrées in an almost a la carte fashion, like you can here at Masa, because I know that, many times, choosing just one option seems like you're missing out. If variety is the spice of life, then Masa is the spicy little seniorita making it all...