El Porteno Empanadas

Fantastic fresh empanadas. Great for a simple snack or buy a few and have a meal. Not inexpensive, but well worth the price. Service is fast and friendly. Don't be put off by a long line. The ambiance is that of a crowded ferry building marketplace. There is nowhere to sit and eat unless you go outside and find a spot on the curb.

We went over to the Ferry Building marketplace with some out of town friends and we were looking for some quick ready to eat food for lunch. We headed for El Porteno Empanadas. Ambience: With the hustle and bustle of the marketplace buzz, the long lines move rapidly as folks know what they want when they order their empanadas. Food: FUGAZZETA with aged cheddar cheese, shaved onions, and oregano - it was tasty with the creamy texture of the melted cheese.. CHAMPINONES with the Far West fungi, local mushrooms, shallots, parmesan cheese, and Crème fraiche - it was delicious with the umami flavor of the cooked mushrooms. The other empanadas filled with meat like CARNE (grass-fed beef), POLLO (Mary’s natural chicken), JAMON Y QUESO (prosciutto), CAMARONES (shrimp), CORDERO (lamb), and PANCETA (bacon). Service: The staff knows how to keep the lines moving as they fill my order with the “pre-stamped name” bag with the correct empanada. Next time I will try the other 3 varieties of vegetarian empanadas: MARADONA (mozzarella, tomatoes, & basil), ACELGA (fresh chard, Gruyère cheese, & pine nuts), & HUMITA (sweet white corn & roasted red peppers). Sounds yummy!! All my empanadas were TASTY & DELICIOUS … at El Porteno Empanadas at the San Francisco’s Ferry Building.

Very good (I guess empanadas?!) here. The lamb, apple, and banana ones are just amazing!! I highly recommend this place for a quick bite.

Very delicious empanadas many favrs n menu. We highly recommend to stop by and try this tasty empanadas!

The empanada with the lamb marinated in wine is my favorite! I can hardly wait to go back and try more. It was the perfect size to carry me over from breakfast to lunch as we were walking the Pier from Ferry Building to Pier 39. Quick and friendly service.

Delicious!! They are hot and so tasty! Went back a second time. I tried the lamb, pollo and shrimp. All staff were super friendly and had a line both times!

We walked from our cruise ship down to the Ferry Building to check it out with the intention of trying El Porteno's empanadas. We picked up a Fugazetta empanada. The flaky and buttery crust was stuffed with layers of white cheddar, white onion and oregano. Sounds simple but it was incredible. The second empanada was Champinones, and again the flaky crust was filled to the edges with mushrooms, parmesan and creme fraiche. We took our bag of treasures outside to the patio and enjoyed a beautiful day in San Francisco on the water with views and empanadas made with love. It doesn't get much better.

I visit El Porteno several times a month to grab a quick empanada and hit the road. The Banana Empanada is a work of art.

We rode the ferry from the East Bay for a little different excursion and had lunch at El Porteno. We were sad to see how man of the Ferry Building shops and eateries were closed, but glad to find El Porteno open. I had a shrimp empanada which had a creamy filling with plenty of tender Bay shrimp, and my wife had a very flavorful beef empanada, also generously filled. We enjoyed sweet banana empanadas for dessert. There is no seating at El Porteno, so we sat outside and ate looking at SF Bay, entertained by seagulls and starlings that kept a polite distance while waiting for handouts. A little pricey, about $9 per empanada, but they are good and it is the Ferry Building.

Great flaky empanadas. Plenty of butter I. The crust. Loved the filling especially the lamb one. Make sure to grab extra napkins.

Really good empanadas. Good amount of filling for the price. Definitely want napkins, as the crust is very flaky and will make a mess.

Do not understand where these positive reviews are coming from. We tried several Empanadas and they were very ordinary and way overpriced. Not coming back!

We picked up lunch here and were so impressed with these empanadas. My husband had the jamon y queso (the prosciutto with fontina cheese) and I had the champinones (local seasonal mushrooms sauteed with shallots, aged parmesan, and creme fraiche). We also picked up a bananas y dulce de leche for dessert. The mushroom flavor was divine with big slices of the mushrooms. My husband's prosciutto was perfect. And the dulce de leche, well....You shouldn't leave without one. They have oodles of flavors from which to choose and I would bet they are all amazing. We went out back and sat on a bench and watched the water. It was a terrific lunch

Made an unplanned stop here for breakfast and I'm glad I did! They offer a solid range of flavors, including some sweet. All empanadas were great! I tried the mushroom, cherry, banana, and sausage/beef. They were a perfect size for a breakfast bite. The sweet ones were especially tasty. Definitely recommend.

Exquisite! We had the beef, chicken, corn and lamb. Fantastic, st $6.5 each. The price is as expected in San Francisco. Service was efficient and friendly.