Prime Empanada & Catering — Restaurant in Satellite Beach

Prime Empanada & Catering, 588 Coral Sea Way (Hwy A1A), Satellite Beach, Florida - 3.5-Stars

Like a herald of the gourmand gods with caduceus in hand, hear ye, hear ye, I hereby pronounce the following:

To know the Empanada King is to LOVE the Empanada King!

The gregarious outgoing owner of Prime Empanada & Catering wearing a king's crown is the epitome of all things foodery. Big on personality and flavor, he makes his own gluten free dough from scratch, lovingly cooks the filler ingredients, and does it well. He also makes the dipping sauces and soups. I don't think the Empanada Queen finds the King quite as wonderful and amusing as I do, but hey--They've been married a long time.

Before you start telling me that these empanadas are nothing like the ones you ate while in Xanadu or down at Kokomo, please understand that there are many styles of empanada. Even within the same country empanada recipes vary by region and household. The ones made from scratch at this Satellite Beach location are encased in fried white corn dough like those found in Colombia or Venezuela, not yellow corn dough like those found in much of Mexico, nor wheat dough that is usually (but not always) baked like you might find in Argentina, nor wheat dough that is usually (but not always) fried like you might find in Puerto Rico or Cuba. I will tell you this: The dough used for these empanadas is delightful and I've never tasted anything like it.

Prime's empanadas have fun and interesting fillings, all bursting with luscious enjoyable flavors. I selected three of the seventeen available varieties: Smoked Mojo Pork, American Cheese Burger, and Smoked Fish. Each of these savories were delicious. I did not try any of the sweet ones, but I imagine they would not disappoint.

The menu is spartan, the service is non-existent, but this is about the EMPANADA BABEEE!

The Big Boy says, "Whether you are looking for a quick breakfast, snack, lunch, or dinner, come see the King for an empanada or...

Felt bad for the lady answering the phone. They are from a country that knows how to make empenadas, and they understand English, but here is me over the phone with a different accent than they are used to hearing. Knowing that my accent made it harder for her to know what I was saying, I felt bad again because i was just sitting there quietly wishing I could be more socialable. Either way, she made them fresh to order, I took them back to the condo, and the family loved them. If you have never had one and don't know what they are, imagine grandma's fried apple pies, except the crust is maybe a little more corn-dog like in texture, and the filling is latin spiced meats, with some cream cheese and onion, deep fried and served with a unique yellow or green salsa. The yellow was hotter than the green sauce to my tongue, but both were good. If they wouldn't have gone bad on the trip home, I wouldn't have minded going back and getting some of the frozen ones they sell...

Like most reviews, I want to start with a shout out to the owner, George. He is your first experience at this place. George takes pride in his business, is excited to talk to you about his food, and provides excellent customer service. Once George has pointed you in the right direction and you’ve ordered, the next wonderful experience is the food. Delicious, crispy, well-seasoned with a great balance of filling and pastry. And, yes, this is street food, but don’t expect a gut bomb or a greasy mess. My husband had the chicken and pork, I had a veggie one, and we split the one with something like a jam in the middle. We loved them all and the sauces and will be back, probably with friends. I could see swinging here on the way to a potluck. Bring these instead of a sad container of store bought potato salad or a pizza; people will be...