Mr Empanada

I went in a while back to order some empanadas for my daughter’s party. The man behind the counter was really nice. He explained the pricing, and types of empanadas they had.
As I was sitting there, two people who worked there came in and greeted me. One went in the back somewhere and one came straight into the kitchen. Still being nice and friendly, but went right into the refrigerator without washing his hands.
I got up and made an excuse to leave immediately.
When it comes to cleanliness at a place where I will eat or order food from, I cannot compromise.

Delicious empanadas. We tried the beef and cheese, buffalo chicken and spinach artichoke empanadas. All were extremely good. We also tried the Cuban sandwich which was pretty good. The empanadas are definitely their specialty. Our experience was made even better by the lovely and friendly staff. First stop in Tampa and we’re PLEASED! Thank you.

They get 5 stars because they have a vegetarian option, AND it was delicious! Can’t speak for any other choices besides the spinach and cheese! Ahhh thank you Mr. Empanada. You make my transition to vegetarianism that much easier!

I like the empanadas, favorite is the sausage & cheese. Tables are small. Fountain soda was needing some syrup. Small things to work on, otherwise, they make a good lunch stop. Steak fries are yummy too.

Empanadas are amazing! The crab ones are top notch! I can’t go down there without stopping at Mr. empanada

Let me preface by saying I love Mr. Empanada… I first experienced them when I lived in Brandon, FL (I think this location is now closed down) and I have frequented the location on Kennedy in Tampa since I work in the downtown area. I have visited this spot (which is near my home) 3 times and I am officially done. The restaurant is ok, limited menu but that is what I expect from a place called «Mr. Empanada!»
My issue is the service at the Lutz location. The first time I went it was meh… the cashier acted like I was disturbing him or something. The second time kind of the same thing. This past time, I went into the store expecting to spend about $ 50 on two party platters and they didn’t even acknowledge me – AFTER 5 minutes! Two employees visible that looked directly at me and not one acknowledgement. The cashier had an order mixed up which I can totally understand – however, you say hello and thank me for my patience as you resolve the issue. Even as I turned and walked out he didn’t say anything – in fact, he ran past me to a customer getting into her car in the parking lot.
My easy solution was to take my money elsewhere. This particular day it was in the form of a $ 60 nugget tray from Chick-​fil-​a for my office party.

Food was very good, however the portions were small. Restaurant was unclean and tables were messy. In addition it is a small restaurant, with few tables. There menu is very limited and they don’t serve any of the traditional Latin American dishes that we were expecting. However once ordered, the food comes out quickly and seems fresh.
To sum it up, love the food, hate the unclean restaurant.

Had a Cuban sandwich with my mom and an empanada. Always fresh! Love the lutz location!

I tried this restaurant while visiting Tampa. I loved it. The food was reasonable and taste great. I had to eat it twice in one trip :)

There beef and cheese Empanada is the bomb diggity! My fiancé had the italian sausage Empanda and loved it. We also had the Cuban sandwich which was delicious as well. We were very satisfied with this newly discovered guilty pleasure, which conveniently for us is across the street!

This was awesome! The best empanadas I have had since eating them at Empanada’s Place in Los Angeles (Culver City), and that’s saying something. I bought four so my wife could try one, and I was going to eat the rest and give my kids the usual kid fast food.
A few minutes later, I was buying a new sack. This location was very good, the folks were friendly, and it gets quite a bit of traffic. It deserves the stars.