Max’s Empanadas

OH OH OH SO GOOD!!!
We (a group of 6) ordered delivery from Max’s today. We were originally hesitant but thought we would give it a try. We have been trying to find new places that deliver to our work location around the inner harbor.
SO GLAD WE DID. The empanadas were delicious and the black bean hummus was outstanding. We WILL be ordering again.
THANK YOU!

Are they closed?

The empanadas are really good and it’s fun to try the different types. My husband and I like to visit the restaurant or stop by the booth at the Waverly Farmer’s Market to indulge. My favorites have been the veggie ones (various kinds), though I eat meat. I find these to be the most flavorful.
The restaurant has been a nice, casual date place for the two of us with a few tables (maybe 5?). Since you order at the counter, you can just chill, chat, and be kind of private once you get your food. We are usually alone when eating in. Don’t bug us. :)

Empanadas — I am Argentinian, so I was very excited to know that Max’s Empanadas has an Argentinian owner. However, I was very disappointed by their empanadas. They are definitely not made the way that they are in Argentina. The ingredients are off and the spices are modified to a different culture’s palate. I have gotten every single flavor of empanadas at Max’s during my 5 visits, each time hoping I’d find a traditional Argentinian flavor, but did not do so. Objectively, the empanadas do not taste bad, but they just do not live up to what they’re advertised to be. I would go back when I get a big craving for empanadas since it is the only place around.
Extras — They have a small selection of Argentinian goods (alfajores, titas, rhodesias, mate, etc). I like this mini kiosko section of Max’s. However, on one occasion I realized that the Rhodesias I purchased were expired (I realized after having eaten them as part of my meal for dessert). When I pointed it out to the cashier, he did nothing about it.
Conclusion — If you are not too picky about your empanadas ingredients and flavors, these could work for you. But if you are looking for empanadas porteñas, do not go to Max’s.

(04/​27/​2013) Tried Max’s Empanadas at the Waverly Farmers Market. They had a little stand at the end of the row in a parking lot. We went late, so maybe the last of the offerings were not their best. The chorizo filling was spicy, the beef somewhat on the bland side by comparison. The pastry was tougher and chewier than expected (was hoping for flaky). Def interested in checking out the other fillings, maybe will try to get there earlier next time. Going rate was 2 for $ 7.

Astoundingly good Chicken and Beef Empanadas.
Other offerings acceptable but the empanadas?
Hard to beat anywhere and the general rating of this place is criminal.
If you even vaguely like empanadas or have never had one, get thee to this Max’s pronto.

Amazing empanadas! And Max is super sweet.
Perfect crust: buttery and flaky, with the right thickness (pastry chef here; I know a good crust when I see one.)
Love the Espanola and the spinach.
The price is right too; they’re large and I only had 2 to feel full with a little room for dessert.
Try the coconut sandwich cookie — nice balance of buttery cookie with orange zested sweetness.

My husband and I found Max’s on Grub Hub and ordered delivery. We eat out or get take out food a lot and not usually compelled to make 5 star reviews, but tonight we were blown away. We ordered the 6 piece empanada platter for two and every single was incredible. The sweet potato and chorizo were stupifying.
It’s worth mentioning as well that the care of the take out packaging was also lovely. Opening the black papered package of empanadas was like opening a something gift wrapped, and then each individually crafted empanada was like a present in and of itself! Even the potato salad was beautiful (and delicious).
They’ve pulled off the perfect combination of low price and high quality and attention to detail.
The reviews I’ve read about the food being greasy, dry, or underwhelming are totally off base with our experience. Those reviews also seem a few years old. Everything was amazing tonight (try the Alfajores). You can literally see and taste the love. Highly reccomended– and they deliver!
Would also be a great choice for work lunch or catering.

We hit this place on a recent trip to Baltimore. It wasn’t very inviting walking in, the guys running it weren’t very helpful or friendly, but the empanadas were good. I just like descriptions, suggestions and a little enthusiasm is encouraging too. Oh we’ll. We don’t regret the stop and would try again. By the way happy hour specials were great! I couldn’t believe our bill was so low when we went to pay.

I like this place. It’s in our neighborhood and it’s a great little spot… and they deliver! The empanadas are yummy. maybe not the most amazing ones I’ve had, but I enjoy them! They do seem a bit pricey though. Regardless, they have a large selection and I’ve always been pleased. We’ve never eaten in, but it looks like a fun place to grab a bottle of wine and share some food. I’ll continue to frequent!

I come here a lot because it’s only a block from my house. I like all their veggie options except the Latina. That bums me out because it’s the vegan option, and I like eating vegan most of the time, but it’s SUPER dry. I usually get the combo where you get an empanada and a salad. They used to offer you an option of what kind of salad dressing you wanted, but recently (like the last year) they haven’t been doing that. Maybe you still can get different dressings, I haven’t asked, but they used to offer them. Now it’s just a balsamic dressing.
You can also get empanadas to go not heated up and then cook them at home. I do that sometimes too. They’re open pretty late, so that’s good too.

booo. It looks like a cool spot, for the price you’d expect something halfway decent… and they profess to make their empanadas completely from scratch — but they taste terrible. So in this case, home made just doesn’t cut it.
The dough is dry, chalky, and way too thick. I had to spit it out!!! Good in theory, but in terms of execution — not so much. This place deserves it’s poor rating… I’ll never recommend Max’s to anyone, ever.
rather look up a good empanada recipe on Foodgawker, and learn to make them myself.

Gotta love the idea of Max’s empanadas. Make one thing and make it well. Unfortunately, the empanadas are not so great. I tried 8 of them so far, and not a winner among them. The ones containing meat are all way too salty and greasy. And the vegetarian empanadas are to be skipped all together.
The inside is sort of dingy, and sort of makes you feel like you are in a high school cafeteria, in South America. The staff though are incredibly friendly and are willing to take the time to help you pick out the proper empanada to fit your mood.
I keep going back because I really like the idea of the place, but I never come out happy.

One word — dry.
And if that’s the Argentian sytle for empandas, then I’m just not a fan. Not a single drop of moisture can be found in these baked pastries. The empandas I’ve tasted were oozing with savory juices. Max’s empandas, on the other hand, looked And tasted like dried ground meat. Although priced at $ 3.15 per piece, I’ve have others (e.g. Julia’s Empandasa in DC) that offered bigger pastries at the same price. Judging by the other reviews, it’s possible that Max’s had the misfortuante of serving me during an off night but one experience is enough to now that I won’t be returning. [Originak Visit: November 26, 2010]

Update: After going back a second time, I’m not sure how I feel about the place. I guess if you’ve never been — check it out. Other than that, I’m not sure how I feel. This second time we got chicken, beef and chorizo (sausage) empanadas. All of them were a bit too salty (mainly the beef one). They use green olives in them all, which I don’t think contributes to the flavor in a positive way. It doesn’t help that I’m not a fan of olives either. I’m looking at 4 olives my girlfriend picked out of an empanada right now.
The chicken is flavored good, but it’s REAL chicken and they sometimes leave bones or other inedible parts in, which I don’t care for.
All in all I feel like «been there, done that.» Give it a shot if you haven’t been.

I grew up in Argentina so I try to find restaurants where I can find authentic Argentine food… I found it!
The empanadas and the alfajor (coconut & dulce de leche tart) just brought back some crazy memories on the first bite.
The owners are very friendly, so service is excellent.
Aguante las empanadas de Max!!!

Like a couple of the other reviews. I discovered Max’s Empanadas whilst wandering the streets of Little Italy and attempting to work off the pizza I had just eaten at Isabella’s. It was a very pleasant surprise indeed.
Good space, nice staff and tasty treats are available in Max’s. A delicious smell greets you upon opening the door and the staff is very amiable. Staying in a hotel, I thought I’d eat one empanada and save the other for breakfast the next morning. The chicken was great: soft, moist chicken, savory and sweet, wrapped in a flakey crust. The spinach was perfect for breakfast the next morning and was definitely better than anything served in the hotel. I also tried the coconut, dulce de leche rolled cake for dessert. Don’t judge my gluttonous ways. I saved it for later. It was good but not that memorable. A little on the dry side and the chocolate chips were perplexing. I’m definitely more a fan of Max’s savory empanadas.
Overall, Max’s is an excellent place for empanadas. It’s got to be good if I could eat it after devouring a pizza. The post-​Little Italy food coma was worth it. I will return.

I have not been to the actual restaurant, but have had their empanadas and dessert offerings at the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s «University Farmers’ Market» (On Tuesdays from 11 – 2).
At the market stand, they have piping hot, hand-​folded empanadas kept in what looks to be portable toaster ovens. They are crisp, flaky on the outside, and stuffed with flavorful filling, almost bursting to the seams. I was pretty surprised how hot and crisp the empanadas were, given that we were at a farmers’ market stand. Albeit, the crust was a bit greasier than I had expected, but how else would you get the balance of tender, flaky, crisp crust without a fat component to the dough?
The empanadas at the market are 2 for $ 5, which is a decent deal. I tried the spinach and the beef empanada. The beef was delicious with green olives… but the one that made me wish I had bought more was the spinach empanada. Folded like a large potsticker dumpling, brimming with spinach-​y goodness. MMmmmmm…
They also have desserts with them and I tried the Coconut Dulce de Leche tart. It was a nice way to finish the meal with such smooth dulce de leche that had such a lovely, deep concentrated milk flavor.

My Argentine friend laughed when I told her that I paid over $ 3 for an empanada. However expensive, I do believe these empanadas are authentic and delicious (especially the pastry shell).
I tried the bbq pork empanada, and also had their dulce de leche desert. My friends also had the chicken, ham & cheese, and a lemon desert. One friend said it was the best food he’s had in months, the other was in love with the deserts, but also seemed slightly bothered by the price.
The place is very small, seating maybe 20, and has a small reception/​serving area, however as soon as you bite into an empanada, it seems to not matter. (If you want to avoid crowds, go in the middle of the night, as they are open late and still have plenty of food!) The owner and his wife (?) are right behind the counter and are both very friendly. As was mentioned in another review, there is also a selection of wines, coffees, and drinks.
I would return to Max’s if I were in the area and/​or craving empanadas… but don’t plan on any more trips any time soon.

You know what would happen if I wasn’t going out with my newspaper-​addict boyfriend? I would go on living without hearing about an empanada place that’s a little closer to me than D.C. and that, my friends, is a very sad way to go on living. Especially if they taste as good as these…
How good you ask? Well, my bf and I polished off a beef, chicken, spinach, vegetable, ham & cheese, chorizo, bbq pork, and buffalo chicken. I liked all of them but I especially enjoyed the bbq pork, chorizo, chicken, and beef. What’s particularly special about Max’s empanadas is the outer pastry. Here, they are flaky and more like what you think when you hear pastry – as opposed to the more bready, crusty empanadas elsewhere. For a pastry-​loving gal like me, this is a very good thing.