Empanadas ‘n Buns

I was really excited to try this place out but when I pulled up to the scene with my ceiling missin, I realized that Empanadas ‘n Buns was closed down. :’(

Joe and Nora are the owners of this establishment and they are the nicest people! Every time I’ve come to eat, they shake my hand, greet me by my first name and suggest me something wonderful to eat.
Since everyone was raving about it, I decided to try the beef enpanada and it was amazing! The meat was very tender and had the right amount of heat in every bite. The lumpia was very satisfying and the steamed bun was a perfect compliment for the empanada.
Fortunately I got the chance to try the tamale because they only make a certain amount at a time because it’s very labor intensive. The tamales are amazing and a must try if you come here!
What makes this place special is the amount of time and effort Joe and Nora put into making their food. After speaking with them, Nora said she only makes certain amounts a day because she wants the highest quality for her foods. She puts so much time and effort into her food and it shows. I look forward to coming back trying more delicious food from them.

This place is fantastic! I thought I knew what empanadas tasted like before I came here, but I was so wrong. The 10 different empanada choices will blow your mind. Every single one of them are creative, eclectic & tastefully unique.
There’s a reason why people rank them so high. This place is that good! I can’t wait to come back there again so I can try another one of their 10 different empanada choices. It’s worth making the trip up to Roseville.

Glad we stopped by. The owners here were really sweet and very friendly! We ordered the beef and pork empanadas. I loved the fact that they were baked vs fried. And they were made to order! You can tell that it was freshly made and just came out of the oven. This is a must try place whenever you are in the area! It’s really close to the Galleria Mall and right across the street from Costco.

This place is one of the hidden gems of Rocklin. The food is amazing. I had the chicken and pork empanadas which were cooked to order, fresh, and great. The owners spent time talking to us, and even gave us free lemon sweet tea since it was our first time.
This place is a must-​go, especially if your an empanada fan. Can’t say enough about it.

My parents have lived in the area for 16 years and they’ve only found a couple of decent Filipino places. I thought there has to be a good place somewhere, and after some research, decided to bring my family to Empanadas ‘n Buns while I was in town for the 4^th of July.
Joe and Nora are very friendly. It takes a while for the food to come out because they make it fresh so it’s worth the wait.
I ordered one beef and one pork empanada. They were both the best empanadas I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had homemade Filipino and Mexican empanadas, empanadas from Empanada’s Place in Costa Mesa, empanadas from Porto’s, and pretty much all over Southern California.
If that isn’t enough for you then maybe this will be: My mother hates empanadas. She says they’re greasy and that the dough is too thick. She also does not like siopao (pork buns). Furthermore, she doesn’t eat pork because of her religion. At Empanadas ‘n Buns she ate the pork empanada and ordered more siopao to take home. So you know the food here has to be good if it’s worth going to Hell for!

There really are not enough nice things to say about this place… My Man and I are here from out of town for his daughter’s wedding tomorrow, so we hit up Unilocal for the scoop on local restaurants. Thank you, Unilocalers, for recommending this place!
Even if the food hadn’t been incredible (which it WAS) we would totally come back here. Joe and Nora are such nice people!
We couldn’t decide what to order, so we ordered several different things. A pork and a beef empanada, pork buns, lumpia, pansit, and pork adobo. We’re gonna have lots of leftovers for tomorrow!
The lumpia was crispy, tightly rolled, and the filling was deliciously seasoned. Eddie said it’s the best he’s ever had. I have to agree (sorry, Edna!). The empanadas were to DIE for! The pork one was generously stuffed with pork adobo and sliced fresh jalapeños. The beef one was filled with seasoned ground beef, raisins, and sliced green olives. It was so amazing, I wish I could eat those every day! The pansit and adobo were so good, I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!
If you ever have any reason to go through Rocklin, do yourself a favor and seek this place out.

First of all, Nora says, «Thank you Unilocal!»
Joe and Nora are wonderful people! They’re so friendly and are really passionate about their food. As a new customer here, Nora immediately asked if this was my first time. That must mean she gets a lot of regulars! She asked me how I found out about this place, and I replied Unilocal,which got her really excited!
After read reviews for this place, I walked in pretty excited to try an empanada for the first time. It turned out to be a great experience. I tried the beef one, and now I want to try more! I also tried the lumpia, which was satisfyingly crunchy. I heard about how good the pork buns were, so I had to order some togo. Each bun looks so artistic and perfectly made! Tastes as good as it looks.
With high quality customer service and food, I’m naturally drawn to come back here! I plan on trying the tamale, which the owners speak highly of, and the pork adobo! I look forward to being friends with these owners.

OMG yum!
As part of our try-​new-​places-​for-​lunch initiative, we went to Empanadas ‘n Buns. Pork buns, pork and chicken empanadas, and lumpia were ordered. All were excellent. I loved the salad that came with the combo plates. Fresh cabbagey goodness. A list has already been made of menu items to try next time. We talked to the owner and she mentioned wanting to add some curry empanadas to the menu and I hope that they do. We will definitely be back!
For those that complain about the slowness: (A) it’s fresh!, (B) we did not find it to be slow for a hour lunch break, and © you can call you order in and pick it up if you are pressed for time.

This place is awesome ! I always order pancit, lumpia and adobo and they are gooooood! They’re made to order so it’s hot and fresh! You have to wait though that’s the only thing but if it isn’t too busy (which most of the time not) sometimes the owner will give you free food that they want you to try.
The owners are the friendliest people! They treat you like family so customer service hear is top notch! Also, their drinks are really good. I’ve had their Thai tea, this mushroom coffee and their smoothies. You can tell the owner exactly how you want it and he’ll make sure you like it. I like this place a lot! It’s a really small place but it’s good!

More like Empandas ‘n YUMS!!!
This place is to die for! I’m personally one of the most harshest critics when it comes to Filipino food, so giving 5 stars to this place really says something!
Food: I had a chicken empanada. To my surprise, it was at least double the size that I’m used to! Don’t expect your typical — beef/​chicken, potato, carrot & pea filling. This empanada is PACKED with juicy meat, marinade and sauce, and a few spices to give it a kick. Plus — it’s REAL chicken. Not those cubed kinds that you often get as hidden surprises. Also — the pork buns (siopao) are the best I’ve ever tasted. The bread is soft, the pork plentiful, and it probably reigns as the best siopao i’ve ever had in my life.
Atmosphere: The restaurant itself is VERY clean! It’s quaint, quiet, and rarely busy. Many people wil call their orders in for pick up.
Customer service: The best. Nora and Jo are two of the nicest people I’ve ever met (on a first encounter) as a customer. They really take the time to get to know your name, and make you feel comfortable.
I definitely recommend this place! Try it out! It’s in a dead plaza, so look out for it!

As much as I love my Mom & Pop restos, it pains to give such an unstellar review of Empanadas ‘n Buns.
During a usual weekend tour of duty at TVC, I found E’nB on Unilocal and decided to stop by for a quick morning bite. We were greeted very warmly by a lady, who I’m guessing is Nora. She was describing everything on the menu, which all sounded tempting, unfortunately, that’s where it ended.
When it came time to ordering, they didn’t have their famous Pork Buns ready. Out of all the Empanadas she carefully described, they only had Beef and Spinach. She pressed the combo meals on us but, said the Chicken Adobo wasn’t ready and they still have to cook rice. I’m sorry but any Filipino or Asian resto for that matter will have rice cooked before sunrise, it’s the most important staple in our meals; breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack!
I don’t know if she was getting irritated or embarassed so she excused herself and said that her husband will continue taking their order… whatever lady.
The husband, Joe, I’m assuming, offered us their Tamales and pointed it out to us. There were two in the glass case and since we were there when they just opened, my best guess is that they’ve been sitting overnight.
I end up getting one Beef Empanada, the s/​o gets their Two Empanada Combo but since they didn’t have rice, they had to make extra salad. The s/​o was disappointed because the salad the s/​o ended up getting looked nothing like what was depicted on the wall.
All that and two sodas come out to $ 25 then we wait, and wait, and wait. After 25-​minutes of waiting our food finally comes out. The emapanda was huge, about half the size of the paper plate it came out on. I’m used to real, Filipino emapanads where the dough is light, semi-​fluffy and sweet. Their dough was good, a bit on the salty side and not sweet. My Beef Emapanda was good, a bit on the salty side and not a fan of the olives.
Nothing wrong with a little fusion of that Columbian influence but trust me, if you ever take a bite of a REAL, FILIPINO Empanada, there’s a big, delicious difference.

While I was at the order counter joking with the really nice lady that owns Empanadas ‘n Buns, I kept thinking this place was a little on the expensive side. After all, the empanadas by my house are a buck fifty at the most.
We ordered smoothies and were told they have been phased out. I am thinking «are they too lazy to make a smoothie»? Hmmm! Over priced empanadas and no smoothies «maybe I should have gone someplace and ordered a hamburger»?
The lady disappears into the back of the restaurant and I hear chopping sounds followed by the sound of food cooking. A few minutes later, out comes our order of spectacularly gorgeous, flaky, freshly fried empanadas. The baked empanadas by my house, sitting cold in a display case, may be overpriced in comparison to these culinary masterpieces.
One bite and you know you have something special. I love meat pies but they even pale in comparison to these exquisite pastries filled with meat and veggies. I ordered the pork and my daughter ordered the artichoke and we both absolutely loved them.
Do I really think they need to be messing around with smoothies instead of using the time to pour their heart and soul into the wonderful items on their menu that are so unique to our area?

The other day I dragged the wizard out to Rollins Lake to go jet skiing, yes the wizard jet skis! On the way he had the great idea to check out Empanadas n’ Buns. Located right off 65, the same exit as the Galleria on the opposite side of the freeway, it was only a small detour off I-​80.
We ordered an array of empanadas, a couple of pork buns, and an order of tamales. The smoothies depicted in the tasty looking photographs on their walls, are sadly no longer available. I even tried to convince the owner Nora that her blender was lonely, but she wasn’t buying it. Instead I ordered an ice tea, the tea was light and unsweetened, perfect.
Everything we ordered was made fresh. First out was an artichoke heart empanada served with a lemon sauce, which ended up being my favorite part of the meal. The artichoke hearts had been marinated in all kinds of spices that were perfectly complemented with a little cream cheese.
The buns were just what you would expect from classic pork buns, served with a sweet sauce, but a little on the small side. For dessert I had a peach empanada (some one had already purchased all of their apples!) coated in powered sugar. Like the artichoke heart the peach also had a light spread of cream cheese on the inside crust, keeping the sweetness from being over bearing.

Friendly owners. Small menu that delivers more than you’d expect. Not just Filipino food. I sampled a Columbian style tamale that was delicious. Order of pancit was big enough to feed 4. Morrocan rice was delectable. Empanadas were yummy, too. Low prices. Fresh flavors, low oil. Good!
Generic strip mall location. Small dining area, basic formica furniture in an artless room.

In an effort to find anything Filipino in the Placer County area I found this place on Unilocal doing a search on «Filipino». At the top of the search results I found Empanadas ‘n Buns. I saw the name and thought it was a great name, which sparked my curiosity. It is difficult to find anything Filipino in Placer County so my family thought we would check it out. It’s located in the Willrock Plaza Shopping Center.
Upon entering the establishment we were greeted by the owner Nora, who I have to say is a very kind and great with her customers. She and her husband Joe took our order and took very good care of us. We ordered three empanadas (one of each variety: beef, pork and chicken). The empanadas were great! They were huge and worth the price! Not seeing many Filipino’s in the area we were excited to speak with another Filipino. In speaking with Nora, we found we had so much in common and truly appreciated her and Joe’s hospitality! Aside from their food Nora and Joe also sell their empanada dough mix. We haven’t had the opportunity to buy it yet, but it is one of the items on my list to pick up next visit!
Joe and Nora thank you again for your hospitality and we look forward to more empanadas! ~Alfie, Patricia & Aly

My fiancé and I came in and had the pleasure of meeting Nora and Joe and eating at Empanada’s n’ Buns. Wonderful Pork Adobo and steamed pork buns. my mouth melted with delicious food… each bite was savored… did I say delicious? Yum yum yum!
See you guys soon!
Love Steve and Ursula

Located in a strip mall of nobodies.
It’s an eatery with several little tables, a flat screen mounted to the wall, and what looks like a setup for karaōke.
You order at the counter and they offer more than empanadas ‘n buns. They also serve sweets, filipino food, espresso drinks, and tea. The ladies there were super nice. The professionalism lacked. It was more like you coming into their home and the little discrepancies like not having a lid that fit the coffee cup they sold you can be overlooked.
The food is definitely good. The Rocklin address might put you off but it really isn’t far from the Galleria.
I’m happy to find they cater and you can purchase large orders because from what I’ve had already, I’d be proud to take their food anywhere.

A friend and I had a full on (albeit drunken) debate about the likelihood of a great place like this being successful even though they have a horrible location and are catering to a bit of a niche market. And here’s the thing…
Ok wait, you’re probably asking yourself «What is this guy talking about? Lets talk about something important like empanadas, or lumpias, or maybe even pork buns and tamales!» Don’t you worry, we’ll get to that in just a moment. For now, let’s talk about this location problem they have…
If the first 3 rules of business are «Location, location, location», this place is in trouble. I sincerely hope they push through that, because they are they are pumping out some seriously delicious eats! In fact, the empanadas alone are good enough to ward off the first two strikes of the «Location, location, location» rule! Hopefully, Unilocal is here to help on that third one!
If you decide to trek out to find them (and I suggest you do), print directions first, or use your mobile gps/​maps to guide you! Not only are they are tucked away in a completely out of the way strip mall, but there’s no real street signage to help you find them either. In case you get close, they are behind the Chevron on the same side as AutoZone.
Ok, now back to our regularly scheduled review!
Here’s a little rundown for ya:
Lumpias — Yum! These are made from scratch, not the pre-​frozen stuff you usually end up with.
Pork buns — Yum! I’ve never really had these before, but they are tasty.
Tamales — A bit on the small side, but friggin awesome!
Empanadas — The real gem here! Like everything else, they are also made from scratch and are ooooh sooooo gooood! I’ve had the chicken, the beef, and the adobo (not sure the adobo have made it on the menu yet, but yeah, they are awesome)!
There is a rumor that they are coming out to Old Sac for a Unilocal party! Well, Unilocaler’s… Get ready for some booommmb empanadas!
No, seriously! These things are friiiigggin goooood! You can tell by all the extra vowels I added!
They also have a frequent diner membership you can sign up for, and I think I even saw a coupon you can print online from the Entertainment book!
If you happen to be in Rocklin or out by the Galleria, check them out!

Roseville/​Rocklin needs more mom n pops restaurants like this one… Joe and Nora are really sweet and actually care to get to know their patrons. I love the homey feel of the place and the food.
Speaking of food… the meat lumpias are delicious. They are literally made to order– You place the order and Nora scatters in the kitchen to roll and fry them. 9 pieces for about 5 bucks… they make the best snack– or pair it with rice and you have yourself a meal. I also tried the chicken empanadas… I didn’t find that too enticing… The dough was really soft, however, and it was good overall, just not as great as the lumpias.
There are daily specials… adobo and what not… I can’t wait to try those! Also, Joe informed me that they are just starting to serve boba! He let me sample the taro drink– DELISH, much? (try saying that ten times. haha)
If it’s your first visit, ask about the points/​rewards program. You get a certificate after x amount of dollars spent.
*min $ 10 purchase for Credit Card