Jumbo Empanadas

I enjoy these empanadas a lot. They are the Chilean version of turnovers with filling. I got the beef this time, but chicken are really tasty too. When you eat an empanada hot, they are complimented perfectly with the fresh cool salsa. The cheese empanadas remind me of the Santiago street food queso empanadas... sooo good.

I want to start with this... that salsa was yummy! I see why they sell it in bigger containers cause if i was from there I'd take some home!

Heard about this place on social media and it was a big hype so we said why not. Plus it's located right in Kensington Market in a quaint restaurant with a cute patio in front. Walked in and you can see the ovens and the already made empanadas on the rolling trays. They have different options - beef, chicken, and veggie. We got beef and shared it. I would say when i thought jumbo i thought bigger lol BUT it was bigger than your average empanadas. Didn't take a pic of inside but it had meat, boiled egg, and some veggies. The flavor was just okay so I highly recommend getting the salsa to pair it with.

The lady that took our order was nice. She popped the empanada in the oven and it took about 10min. Service was quick as we came when it was first opening.

Jumbo is definitely a great way to describe these empanadas - we stopped by to just try these pastries and actually left feeling pretty satisfied. The store itself was pretty small and had a few tables for seating - there was only one group of two at another table so it was pretty quiet as well. ​

The worker taking our order and serving our food wasn't the kindest or friendliest, but we got our food pretty quickly and it was plenty hot. The empanadas themselves were worth trying I think, but I don't know if I would come back again to try the same things. The meat was well seasoned, but I thought the food itself was a little thin and I would prefer it to be more stuffed than just visibly big, if that makes sense. The sauce it came with was nice though, I wish there had been more!

Overall, I'm glad ​I could get to try the empanadas and experience it - it was a good one time visit for sure!

3.75/5
- located in Kensington market on a second floor
- we ordered the beef empanada and ate it warmed in the store. the empanada pastry was flaky and generously filled with a meat mixture. unfortunately, the meat itself had less flavor than I expected. they offer a salsa for some extra flavor, probably because the flavor inside is more mild. it was less punchy than other traditional empanadas I have had. by the time I got to the middle, the pastry began to fall apart since it started to become soggy.
- the service was a bit slow since it took time for them to warm the empanada up.
- there are a few small tables but it is definitely meant for as a grab and go option. the space is too small for a larger group.
- overall, I would go if there was a short line

The empanadas are made earlier in the day so once you heat it up, it's a little bit chewy.

I will say that it is a lot of shredded chicken inside the empanada.

The cheese one was much smaller and a bit bland.

I didn't find it tasty. I wouldn't really recommend it.

It looks good though, and The View from inside in the summertime with the open front looks really cool.

I was pretty disappointed with this place, the good thing I guess the empanadas were huge I got the beef empanadas and it was pretty cheap, I don't u sweat and why they put raisins in my opinion it ruins the whole taste of the empanada, I appreciate that they are making everything from scratch but to be honest the meat tasted bland, it didn't really taste like anything to be honest but I appreciate them making it from scratch it just didn't taste good to me if I'm being honest

After reading about this place in so many "Kensington market must-eats" lists, decided to try their empanadas. Ordered the jumbo empanada with chicken (around $7CAD). I asked the lady to reheat it and still felt at room temperature after few minutes of being reheated. I didn't like the empanada, it was very bland, doughy and the chicken was dry.

I had been researching good food in the Toronto area and this Jumbo Empanada place kept popping up as a place to try. This was a small place in Kensington Market & I ended up going inside to grab a bite! They only allow like 2 people in the shop at a time so I ended up ordering the Chicken Jumbo Empanada. Its about $6.50 a pop and once I ordered they were brought out to me in like 5 minutes. They came piping hot! I also got some salsa on the side which was a nice decision as it gave more flavor. The empanada was okay though in my opinion, it was nice and crispy on the outside, but the filling just wasn't that good. I felt the meat wasn't seasoned that great and the chicken was a bit dry for my liking. Overall, though I am glad I tried it out!

This is my third time coming to this place and I still don't understand the hype of this place - Empanadas are so MEH and the people who work here are not even nice unless you're one of their kind. The girl on the cash wasn't very helpful when I tried asking questions eventhough the place is not busy.

I came back again today to try their mini Empanadas coz my work is having a South American theme Potluck. I tried all 3 - Beef, Chicken and Veggies and I can't even eat them even though they're minis. Empanadas either taste bland and dry (Chicken) or very sweet (Beef). The only thing that's passable is the Veggie Empanada but still not that great.

Jumbo Empanadas - three tries and you're out. Won't be coming back to your store that's for sure!

So this place is great. I love love love love love their empanadas. After a long Covid Hiatus I happened to be in the hood and could not resist a drop in. While there, my overexcited self also bout the corn pie and a corn tamale and now I have 2 more favourites that I have to pick up on each visit. Their corn pie is what I would describe as their delicious empanadas dissected without the pastry and topped with a corn topping. Like hello? That's is so good. If you like corn you must must must have the corn tamales. You're welcome. Love, my full belly.