You Gotta Eat This: Empanadas(!) at Empa Mundo in Irving

The little fried pies stuffed with meats, cheeses, fruits or vegetables at Empa Mundo go a long way on the Delicious scale. I’m crazy about them–and Empa Mundo. When you go–and you really must go– I think you will be crazy about them, too.

Empanadas, of course, are little pastries stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. Like fried pies, only better. And at Empa Mundo, they’re both good and cheap.

Owner Raul Gordon (L) with a customer

Empa Mundo isn’t much to look at: strip mall, vinyl seats, linoleum floor, fluorescent lights. But tucked in the back, behind a stout counter and across from a vent hood, Raul Gordon and his wife, MayMing, turn out golden, flaky Argentinian pastries that are best-in-class–every bit as good as the ones I fell in love with in Buenos Aires.

I guess that’s not surprising, given that Gordon has a global pastry manufacturing background with Nabisco and General Foods. Gordon, an ex-pat from Buenos Aires, opened Empa Mundo six months ago to supplement his retirement income, choosing empanadas after surveying the market and realizing, he says,  “no one else was making empanadas.”

At Empa Mundo,  you’ll find a dozen fresh, palm-size varieties, ranging from criolla (ground beef, onions, olives, raisins and eggs) and chorizo (with potatoes, pepper and onions) to sweet potato and apple. I suggest you begin with these two: an empanada stuffed with chopped beef brisket spiked with chipotle chiles, and another filled with corn, onions, cheese and a rich bechamel sauce. Gordon or his wife make each empanada by hand in the semi-open kitchen using fresh ingredients and pastry dough.

Prices range from $1.50 and $2.50 per empanada.

Empa Mundo, 3977 North Beltline Road, Irving, 972-746-4516

[googleMap name=”Empa Mundo” width=”300″ height=”200″ directions_to=”false”]3977 N. Beltline Road, Irving, TX[/googleMap]