Some restaurants are very traditional with their offerings. They stick to their grandparents’ recipes. They make familiar food the familiar way.
But then there are those that dare to take chances – to take the traditional and turn it on its head.
Casa de Empanadas opened in early 2024 along East Main Street in Kutztown. Before branching out on their own, their empanadas could be found at another Kutztown spot, Hazel’s Cafe.
Walking through the doors, your eye is drawn to the back wall which has been painted to look like a row of brightly colored houses reminiscent of San Juan.
But the empanadas on the menu are likely not going to be found in Puerto Rico. Traditional empanadas are usually filled with beef and cheese or chicken and cheese. And while there is a beef and cheese on the menu, there’s nothing traditional about empanadas fillings like chicken bacon ranch, pizza, or shrimp and crab.
There’s also nothing traditional about an empanada place serving boba tea, but I wasn’t mad at it. The taro boba was deliciously sweet, and the purple color seemed at home among the decor.
My boba came first, and about 10 minutes later I got my empanadas – one spinach and one meatball parm – served on a bed of rice and peas.
The spinach empanada was an absolute home run. Filled with a mixture of garlic sauce, cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, spinach, and cream, it was indulgently creamy. But it was never too much, thanks in part to the deliciously crispy pastry shell.
While still good, the meatball parm came up a little short of the spinach. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the marinara sauce. A little change and I probably would have loved it like my other empanada.
I got the two empanadas as part of a meal so they came served over a bed of rice and peas. This was the most traditional item on the menu, and it was very good. The rice was well seasoned and nicely done. I didn’t really need it on top of the empanadas though. Next time, I would probably just get the empanadas and not do the meal deal.
I look forward to my next visit when I promise to get one of their dessert empanadas – caramel apple or chocolate chip brownie. Both sound amazing.
And the price is right, too. The two-empanada meal was $13 (empanadas are $5 each otherwise). The boba was a splurge that added $7 to the meal. Still, I felt like it was a very reasonable price to pay for everything.
Overall, it was a very good first impression. The food was good – and unique – and I look forward to more empanadas in the near future.
BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: $
Casa de Empanadas
9 E. Main Street
Kutztown PA 19530
