Great atmosphere great veggie options. The mushroom empanada is 100x better than the spinach one. 3 empanadas will run you $22. You will be full.
As soon as you walk into the Ferry Building you immediately smell the aroma coming from El Porteno that draws you in!
Wow! I like empanadas, but after eating just one from El Porteno, I LOVE them! Flaky, light crust, tasty Carne Empanada which includes onions, green olives, raisins and cage free eggs. 💯 % recommend, & I also recommend that they have a store in Sacramento ☺️😇
Absolutely delicious savory and sweet empanadas, made fresh and kept warm!
There are so many fillings to choose from, make sure you try a sweet one while you’re at it. Affordable enough you can try more than one! They have cheese ones, mushroom ones, prosciutto ones, banana, cherry, literally so many to choose from.
They may not look it, but they can fill you up quickly. If you’re heading to the Ferry building, it’s a must try!
No seating though, you’ll have to find seating elsewhere in the ferry building.
Pros: Touristy, quick, fun
Cons: Not cheap, very salty
Even though there might be a line, it moves quick. Everything is already made and just gotta bag and pay. If you're hungry 3 empanadas can fill you up so don't try to get all the different flavors.
Carne and Pollo: Skip? Very hearty and salty and the bread was kind of flaccid. Hardly flakey, crispy, or fluffy. The carne wasn't bad but I felt like I needed to chug water in between bites, just savory overload.
Champinones: Get! I love mushrooms and this one was nicely creamy and cheesy. It wasn't overly salty like the other two I got and was such a pleasant break from the sodium. Of course, if you don't like the flavor or texture of mushrooms....
Overall, it's a fun little pit stop and I do recommend just coming here and picking out a flavor or two. It's part of the Embarcadero experience lol
Food: 5/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Value: 5/10
absolutely delicious empanadas with a perfectly flaky crust 😩 i got one with sweet corn and one with cheese/tomato/basil. it's a lovely place to wander around and find a nice spot by the water to enjoy your meal.
unfortunately, no vegan options that i saw. it would be amazing to add some to your menu! multiple vegetarian options available though.
Some of the most diverse flavored empanadas freshly made available! We got the carne, camarones, mushroom and banana y Dulce de leche for dessert. All were delectable with such a flavor and buttery crust. My favorite has to be the camarones!
Finding myself at El Porteño in the Ferry Building was a delightful twist to my day. The quick service was a plus, but the stars of my lunch were undoubtedly the Pollo and Jamon y Queso empanadas.
The Pollo was a tender, savory offering, with a hint of sweetness from raisin-marinated, oven-roasted chicken breast. Coupled with roasted onions and green olives, it was a well-rounded bite. On the other side, the Jamon y Queso was a hearty twist on a traditional ham and cheese sandwich, with salty prosciutto and sweet Fontina cheese nestled within a flaky crust.
Both empanadas boasted a beautifully flaky crust that encased the ample, flavorful fillings, making for a satisfying and quick lunch option. The simplicity and taste are what make El Porteño a great choice for a swift yet delicious lunch.
There was a very long line to get our empanadas, it was tasty but not sure will wait again.
The fugazetta (cheese) empanada was absolutely delicious. The apple raisin empanada was also great.
Just inside the Main entrance of the SF Ferry Building, you'll immediately see the line forming and then the aroma will hit ya. Get yourself in line and begin the difficult process of deciding which ones to walk away with. And that's just the empanadas, now on to dessert! Good luck with that. Banana, chocolate, caramel? Oh my. Highly recommend this place, no matter how long the line, as it does go fast, the service here is incredibly productive. Have your card ready, or they'll be waiting... on you! And how embarrassing that would be, right?!
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