Best Empanadas in Houston: Argentine, Colombian, Venezuelan and More
Date Published
Houston has five Argentine empanada shops, two Colombian fryers, a Venezuelan street-food counter that stays open past midnight, and a craft baker near the Galleria who folds every dough edge by hand. This guide covers 9 open spots sorted by style — Argentine, Colombian, Venezuelan, and fusion — with notes on what makes each fold and filling different.
What makes empanada styles different?
The short answer is dough and cooking method. Argentine empanadas use a wheat-flour dough, baked or fried, and are sealed with a repulgue — the hand-braided crimp that in Buenos Aires tradition serves as a code: different fold patterns identify different fillings. Colombian empanadas use corn-masa dough, almost always fried, with a thicker, crunchier shell and fillings centered on beef and potato. Venezuelan empanadas use masarepa (pre-cooked corn flour, the same base used in arepas), are fried, and have a softer, smoother crust. Tex-Mex empanadas borrow the half-moon form and fill it with breakfast staples: egg, sausage, and cheese.
Argentine empanadas in Houston
The Original Marini's Empanada House
[Westchase](/areas/westchase), 10001 Westheimer Rd, Suite 2570 · Mon–Sat, check site for hours
The oldest empanada-focused restaurant in this guide by a significant margin — Marini's has been baking on the Westchase corridor since 1969. Over 30 savory flavors fill the menu alongside dessert empanadas, including the signature Beef Gaucho (ground beef, hard-boiled egg, olives, onions) and Chicken Diablo. Everything is baked and hand-folded Argentine style. The word "Original" in the name is not marketing; it distinguishes the restaurant from imitators who appeared after it became a Houston institution.
What to order: Beef Gaucho for the classic, Chicken Diablo for heat, a dulce de leche dessert empanada to finish.
Little Patagonia Empanadas and Cafe
[Galleria/Uptown](/areas/galleria-uptown), 5393 Westheimer Rd, Suite B · open daily
Every empanada here is baked fresh to order and sealed with a traditional repulgue — the hand-braided crimp that in Argentine tradition is a code: different fold counts and patterns identify different fillings, so a skilled baker can read the edge the way a sommelier reads a label. Little Patagonia is the only spot on this list that emphasizes the technique explicitly. The Texas Brisket empanada, made with locally sourced brisket inside an Argentine wheat dough, is the house's most Houston-specific creation.
What to order: Texas Brisket for the Houston original, traditional spicy beef for the Argentine classic, Nutella-banana for dessert.
For more in Galleria/Uptown, see our Galleria restaurant guide.
Argentina Cafe Empanada Factory
[Upper Kirby](/areas/upper-kirby) / Greenway Plaza, 3833 Southwest Freeway · open daily
Twenty-three savory and a dozen sweet empanadas, baked or fried, at roughly $3 each. The cheese varieties — onion and cheese, four-cheese, mushroom — consistently outsell the beef here, which sets it apart from most Argentine spots. A direct descendant of the original Argentina Cafe that operated near the Galleria before closing, this Southwest Freeway spot is the surviving heir to that tradition.
What to order: Four-cheese or onion-and-cheese for something different; dulce de leche with walnuts for dessert.
For more in the area, see our Upper Kirby restaurant guide.
Manena's Argentinean Style Pastry Shop and Deli
[Westchase](/areas/westchase), 11018 Westheimer Rd · Mon–Sat, closed Sunday
Manena is not a brand name — it is the owner's actual Argentine nickname, and she is still there daily. The shop, tucked behind a Walgreens on Westheimer, has the feel of a 1920s Buenos Aires cafe: empanadas, alfajores, milanesa sandwiches, and Argentine pastries baked in-house. Locals treat finding the address as a small triumph. Family-owned for more than 20 years.
What to order: Empanadas plus a milanesa sandwich; pick up alfajores to take home.
Pampa Grill and Market
[Spring Branch](/areas/spring-branch), 10111 Hammerly Blvd · Tue–Sun, check site for hours
Brick-oven baked empanadas in a family-run restaurant attached to an Argentine market selling empanada dough, dulce de leche, and yerba mate. One of the few spots in Houston where you can buy empanadas and Argentine pantry staples in the same stop. Check hours on their OpenTable listing before you go.
What to order: Carne, Cuatro Quesos, or Espinaca y Queso.
For more in Spring Branch, see our Spring Branch restaurant guide.
Colombian empanadas in Houston
Colombian empanadas differ from Argentine in two ways: the dough is corn masa (not wheat flour) and they are almost always fried. The result is crunchier, denser, and thicker-shelled. The classic filling is beef and potato — not beef and egg. Ají, a spiced dipping sauce, comes alongside by default.
Marines Empanadas Delicias Colombianas
Hillcroft / Westside, 3227 Hillcroft St · Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 9am–6pm
Over 36 years on the Hillcroft corridor, the densest stretch of Colombian and Latin American restaurants in Houston. More than 40 empanada varieties come out of this kitchen alongside pandebono (Colombian cheese bread), tropical fruit smoothies, and bandeja paisa. The price point is a neighborhood one — this is everyday Colombian food, not a destination restaurant, which is why regulars keep coming back for decades.
What to order: Empanadas de carne (beef and potato, the Colombian classic), pandebono, a fresh fruit smoothie.
Gran Colombia Restaurante
Far West Houston / Bear Creek, 5700 Hwy 6 N, Suite 100 · Mon–Thu 7am–8:30pm, Fri 7am–10pm
A dollar per empanada — not a promotion, the regular price, same as street-food vendors in Bogotá or Cali. Gran Colombia also serves Colombian breakfast all day, which is rare among Houston's Colombian restaurants, and has an in-house bakery with authentic pastries and imported drinks. The value is hard to argue with: $5 feeds you empanadas and a drink with change left over. For more finds like this, see our cheap eats guide.
What to order: Empanadas de carne ($1 each), Hawaiian empanada ($1.25), any Colombian breakfast plate.
Venezuelan empanadas in Houston
Venezuelan empanadas use masarepa — the same pre-cooked corn flour used in arepas — rather than masa de maiz. Fried until golden, they have a soft, smooth exterior rather than the thick crunch of Colombian corn-masa, and the texture sits closer to a savory corn patty than a pastry shell.
Sabor Venezolano
Briargrove / Westheimer corridor, 9296 Westheimer Rd, Suite 132 · open daily until midnight–1am
Operating since 2003 — before Houston's large Venezuelan community arrived in force following the economic crises of the 2010s. This kitchen was serving Venezuelan street food to a small community of early expats and oil-industry workers when almost nowhere else in Texas was. The lineup includes cachapas, arepas, tequeños (fried cheese-filled dough sticks), and Venezuelan empanadas at roughly $5 each. Open until 1am on weekends.
What to order: Venezuelan empanadas and tequeños; add a cachapa for the full street-food set.
Tex-Mex and fusion empanadas
Andes Cafe at POST Houston
[Downtown](/areas/downtown), 401 Franklin St · open daily, POST Market food hall
Chef-founder David Guerrero is from Quito, Ecuador, trained at Maido in Lima (one of the world's highest-ranked restaurants), and serves Colombian-style corn-meal empanadas at a counter inside POST Houston's food hall. Three empanadas for $13 with spicy creole sauce. The combination of Ecuadorian heritage, Peruvian training, and Colombian preparation inside Houston's most eclectic food hall makes this the hardest empanada in the city to categorize — and among the most interesting.
What to order: Beef empanadas (3 pcs) with spicy creole sauce; ceviche alongside.
For more nearby, see our Downtown Houston restaurant guide.
How we chose
Every spot on this list was confirmed open via its own official website or active online presence as of October 2026. We checked for current menus, hours, or active online ordering. Spots without a current online presence were excluded. We organized by style because dough and cooking method are the real distinctions between empanada traditions. No verified Chilean empanada specialist was found in Houston; if you know one, let us know through our Houston food guide.
Save this: your Houston empanada route
- Mid-morning: Little Patagonia (Galleria) — watch the repulgue folded to order
- Lunch: Marines Empanadas (Hillcroft) — Colombian corn-masa fried empanadas with ají
- Afternoon: Manena's or Marini's (Westchase) — dessert empanadas and alfajores
- Evening: Pampa Grill (Spring Branch) — brick-oven empanadas and an Argentine market in one stop
- Late night: Sabor Venezolano (Westheimer) — masarepa empanadas, open until 1am
Before you go
- Check each restaurant's official site or OpenTable listing for hours the day of — smaller spots shift without notice.
- Gran Colombia is one of the best cheap eats in Houston at $1 per empanada.
- For the bigger picture on Houston's international food districts, the Hillcroft corridor anchors the Colombian and Latin American stretch on the southwest side.
Last verified: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best empanada restaurant in Houston?
The Original Marini's Empanada House on Westheimer has been baking Argentine-style empanadas since 1969, making it Houston's most established empanada destination. Little Patagonia in the Galleria area is known for hand-folded dough with a traditional repulgue. For Colombian-style corn-masa empanadas, Marines Empanadas on Hillcroft has served the Westside for over 36 years.
What is the difference between Argentine and Colombian empanadas?
Argentine empanadas use wheat-flour dough, are typically baked, and are sealed with a repulgue (hand-braided crimped edge). Colombian empanadas use corn-masa dough, are almost always fried, and have a thicker, crunchier shell. The classic Colombian filling is beef and potato; the classic Argentine filling is spiced ground beef with hard-boiled egg and olives.
Are there Venezuelan empanadas in Houston?
Yes. Sabor Venezolano at 9296 Westheimer Rd, Suite 132, has served Venezuelan-style empanadas since 2003. Venezuelan empanadas are made with masarepa (pre-cooked corn flour) and are fried, giving them a softer, smoother crust than Colombian corn-masa empanadas. The restaurant is open until midnight on weekdays and 1am on weekends.
Where can I find cheap empanadas in Houston?
Gran Colombia Restaurante on Highway 6 North charges $1 per empanada — street-food pricing from Bogotá or Cali. Marines Empanadas on Hillcroft offers affordable empanadas at neighborhood prices. Argentina Cafe Empanada Factory near Upper Kirby charges roughly $3 each for baked or fried varieties.
What is a repulgue on an empanada?
The repulgue is the hand-braided or crimped edge that seals an Argentine empanada. In traditional Argentine baking, different repulgue patterns identify different fillings — a different fold count for spinach versus beef. Little Patagonia in Houston's Galleria area folds each empanada to order with a distinct crimp pattern for each filling.