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Empanadas are a hand pie found across Spain, Latin America and the Philippines: a pastry folded around a filling, then baked or fried. Palo Alto does not have a dedicated empanada shop, but three restaurants downtown and on California Avenue make good ones as starters or shared plates. A Cuban restaurant has served pork picadillo empanadas since 1997. An upscale Mexican restaurant fills its turnovers with sautéed shrimp. A downtown wine bar serves beef empanadas until midnight. A Peruvian group with restaurants in Mountain View and Redwood City makes the widest choice nearby, with four flavors including two vegetarian ones.
Our Mexican and Latin American food guide covers these restaurants more broadly. This page is about the empanada. Every place named was confirmed in late October or early November 2026 through its own website or a verified page in our business directory. Restaurants outside Palo Alto are within about 12 miles.
At a glance
| Place | Where | Empanadas on the menu | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Bodeguita del Medio | 463 S. California Ave. | Pork Empanadas | Moderate |
| Reposado | 236 Hamilton Ave. | Empanadas de Camarón | Moderate to higher |
| The Wine Room | 520 Ramona St. | Handmade beef empanadas | Moderate |
| Limón | 800 California St., Mountain View | Beef, Chicken, Cheese, Veggie, Sampler | Moderate |
| Limón | 885 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City | Same menu, slight variations | Moderate |
Empanada styles
The word comes from the Spanish empanar, to wrap in bread. Each country has its own dough, filling and cooking method:
- Argentine. Usually baked, with a pleated edge. The classic filling is beef with onion, olives and hard-boiled egg. Each filling has its own fold so the cook can tell them apart.
- Peruvian. Baked, often with beef, egg, olives and raisins, sometimes dusted with sugar. Limón's beef empanada follows this pattern.
- Chilean. Large baked empanadas de pino, filled with beef, onion, egg, olive and raisin.
- Colombian and Venezuelan. Made with corn dough and fried until crisp, often filled with potato and meat.
- Cuban and Caribbean. Fried wheat pastry around picadillo, a ground meat hash with tomato and olives.
- Mexican. Wheat or corn masa, fried or baked. Shrimp empanadas are a coastal favorite. Oaxacan cooks make large corn empanadas on a griddle.
- Spanish. The empanada gallega of Galicia is a large pie cut into slices, often filled with tuna and peppers.
Empanadas in Palo Alto
La Bodeguita del Medio, 463 South California Avenue
La Bodeguita del Medio is a Cuban-inspired restaurant and rum bar that has been on California Avenue since 1997. Its food menu opens with Pork Empanadas, which it calls its signature. They are house-made pork picadillo turnovers filled with chiles and cheese, served with black bean salsa, cabbage slaw and a coconut and jalapeño sauce. The menu listed them at $17.40. Pair them with plátanos maduros, sweet ripe plantains, or a cup of Cuban black bean soup. Its happy hour, called Cuban Social Hours, runs from noon to 5 p.m. The restaurant also has private rooms for groups. Our Caribbean food guide covers the rest of the menu.
Reposado, 236 Hamilton Avenue
Reposado is an upscale Mexican restaurant downtown with a long tequila and mezcal list. Its menu lists Empanadas de Camarón, homemade turnovers with sautéed shrimp, tomato, onions, asadero cheese and cascabel chile sauce, at $20. They appear on more than one of its menus. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. A bar happy hour runs Monday to Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. Shrimp empanadas with a margarita at the bar make a good early evening snack.
The Wine Room, 520 Ramona Street
The Wine Room is a downtown wine lounge open from 4 p.m. to midnight every day. Its shared plates include handmade beef empanadas alongside cheese, charcuterie, a Spanish plate with manchego and prosciutto and hummus with flatbread. It is the latest empanada in town and a good stop after a show. Our late-night bars guide covers other places open past 11 p.m.
Empanadas nearby
Limón, Mountain View and Redwood City
Limón is a family-owned Peruvian group that started in San Francisco. Its Mountain View restaurant is at 800 California Street, about 6 miles south. Its Redwood City restaurant is at 885 Middlefield Road, about 5 miles north. The menu has its own empanada section. Each order brings two handmade empanadas, listed at $14:
- Beef. Ají panca chile, eggs, kalamata olives and golden raisins.
- Chicken. Mixed vegetables and a creamy ají amarillo sauce.
- Cheese. Oaxaca and Monterey Jack.
- Veggie. Truffle-infused mushrooms and Oaxaca cheese.
The Sampler, one of each, was listed at $24. During happy hour, Monday to Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., the sampler is $3 off. Limón notes that each location's menu varies slightly. Our Peruvian food guide covers the ceviche and rotisserie chicken that make up the rest of the meal.
Markets and trucks
Empanadas also turn up at markets and on trucks. The Los Altos farmers market listed an empanada vendor on its 2026 evening lineup. Oaxacan Kitchen Mobile, a food truck that cooks the food of Oaxaca, lists empanadas and molotes and posts a weekly schedule on its website. Vendors and stops change, so check before you go. Our food trucks guide explains where trucks park around Stanford and Palo Alto.
How to eat and order empanadas
- Eat them warm. Fried empanadas lose their crunch in 10 minutes. Baked ones hold up longer.
- Use the sauce. Chimichurri, ají or a salsa cuts the richness of the pastry.
- Eat with your hands. Hold the empanada by the crimped edge and bite from a corner.
- Order a mix for a group. Two or three per person is a light meal. A sampler lets everyone try each flavor.
- Reheat in the oven. Takeout empanadas crisp up again in a hot oven or air fryer. A microwave makes them soggy.
Dietary notes
- Vegetarian. Limón's cheese and veggie empanadas are meatless. The Palo Alto empanadas on this list contain pork, shrimp or beef.
- Gluten. Most empanada dough is wheat. Corn masa versions can be gluten-free, but ask about shared fryers.
- Shellfish. Reposado's empanadas are filled with shrimp.
- Dairy. Several fillings include cheese. La Bodeguita's pork empanadas and Reposado's shrimp empanadas both contain cheese.
Empanadas for parties and picnics
Empanadas are one of the easiest foods to bring to a party. They need no plates, they hold their shape in a box and one or two make a snack. Baked empanadas travel better than fried ones, so ask which style a restaurant makes before ordering a big batch. For a crowd, call the restaurant a day ahead rather than ordering online. Plan on two to three empanadas a person for a party with other food, or four for a light meal. Bring a sauce on the side and a few napkins. For a park lunch, Rinconada Park and Mitchell Park both have picnic tables. Our picnic spots guide lists more places to eat outside.
Good to know
- The Wine Room serves until midnight daily and is a wine bar, not a family restaurant.
- California Avenue's Sunday farmers market fills the street near La Bodeguita.
- Limón runs happy hour Monday to Friday from 3 to 6 p.m.
- Menus and prices change. Check each restaurant's own page before you go.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get empanadas in Palo Alto?
La Bodeguita del Medio on California Avenue serves its signature pork empanadas, Reposado on Hamilton Avenue lists shrimp empanadas and The Wine Room on Ramona Street serves handmade beef empanadas until late. Limón in Mountain View and Redwood City has four Peruvian flavors.
Are there vegetarian empanadas near Palo Alto?
Yes. Limón in Mountain View and Redwood City lists a cheese empanada with Oaxaca and Monterey Jack and a veggie empanada with truffle-infused mushrooms and Oaxaca cheese. The Palo Alto empanadas on this list are filled with pork, shrimp or beef.
Where can I get empanadas late at night in Palo Alto?
The Wine Room at 520 Ramona Street is open from 4 p.m. to midnight every day and lists handmade beef empanadas among its shared plates. It is a wine bar, so it suits adults.
How much do empanadas cost in Palo Alto?
Expect about $14 to $20 an order on the posted menus we checked. Limón sells two empanadas for $14 and a sampler of four for $24. La Bodeguita's pork empanadas and Reposado's shrimp empanadas cost a little more as sit-down starters.
Are empanadas gluten-free?
Most are not, since the dough is usually wheat flour. Corn masa empanadas from Mexico and Colombia can be gluten-free, but fryers are often shared. Ask the restaurant.