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Welcome to The Empanada Maker!

The Empanada Maker is a fresh and unique restaurant concept for Southern California, featuring gourmet empanadas, homemade dipping sauces, fresh salads and delicious side dishes.  We opened our first restaurant location in Mission Viejo in November of 2013, and we are now celebrating the opening of our newest stores in Irvine and Costa Mesa! 

You can also find us roaming the streets of Southern California searching for hungry peeps in our brand new food truck!

Please take a moment to check out our website and learn more about our amazing empanadas.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

What's an Empanada?

em·pa·na·da

[em-puh–nah-duh; Spanish em-pah-nah–thah]

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in Southern Europe, Latin America, and parts of Southeast Asia. 

The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning “to wrap or coat in bread.”

At The Empanada Maker, we take empanadas to the next level.  Not only do we offer our South American inspired originals, but we have  a wonderful selection of “specialty” empanadas, which pay tribute to different popular flavors from around the globe.

Check out our menu!

Our Story

While spending a few years living in South America as a teenager, I fell in love with the ever-famous empanada. I was fascinated with these delicious hand-held pastries, baked in a light & flaky crust that you can fill with just about anything!  I couldn’t wait to come back home and share my newly-found favorite food with all of my friends and family!

After returning to the States, I had a lot of fun experimenting with my own empanada recipes. I decided to pursue my dreams of opening my own restaurant and created The Empanada Maker with the hopes of sharing my passion and love for empanadas with everyone!  Since 2013, we've served over ONE MILLION empanadas...and we're just getting started!

It’s time to enjoy something unique and delicious – something different than the usual burger, pizza or taco.  Empanadas are great for parties and can be eaten as an appetizer or as an entree.  Paired with our awesome homemade dipping sauces and unique side dishes, our empanadas are sure to be a hit!

The Empanada Maker is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert...and we would love to cater your next party or special event!

We look forward to seeing you at one of our stores (or food truck) very soon!

Sincerely,

Cameron Davis

Founder/Empanada Enthusiast

Award-Winning Taste!

Find out why OC Weekly named The Empanada Maker one of the "Best Restaurants of OC!"

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