10 empanadas (and not just pine) that I like for this eighteenth

Far from rankings and other inventions, I take this opportunity to once again present a selection with the empanadas that I have liked the most recently, a mix of new flavors with other classics.

The order in which they are presented does not mean anything, because putting one preparation above the other, as a competition, the truth is that it does not suit me.

Incidentally, this list is also a tribute to La Tinita del Mercado de Providencia, which after seventy years of service has left many of us without empanadas for this month of September.

Judging by its appearance, you would think it is a rather rural empanada and possibly baked in a clay oven. With its rounded shapes and its soft light brown color, it evokes country preparations that, in certain cities or countryside, were tasted in the past.

However, empanadas Dona Peta Bakery ($1,800) have been made at their traditional premises on Calle Diez de Julio 101 A – almost around the corner from Portugal – since the late 1940s. To the tough dough is added a pinch of rather spicy ground beef, if worked well that it looks like real dough. Ideal for eating as a couple and lying under a vine until you recover. Reservations and orders at +56 9 6666 9521.

Born in the pandemic, BeChef is a company that offers various ready-to-use preparations: they can be picked up in their sales sauce (Vitacura 7163) or, for even more convenience, delivered to your home.

At this time of year they are not left out and are once again offering their set of six frozen pine empanadas, to be enjoyed without haste throughout this long weekend. With a thin but resistant dough, they have a very tasty and rather moist minced meat filling. Totally recommended.

They say the only way to make a pine empanada better is to fry it instead of baking it. I agree with the above, although I deeply regret that it is so difficult to obtain them in town. Luckily, to get out of the embarrassment, there are La Querencia Empanadas ($2,000), which have some really good ones, even with delivery in some parts of town. With a medium-thick batter that stands up to its juicy and savory contents, these fried empanadas pair really well. They are also powerful, almost for professionals.

I say it and I’ll say it again: so many people can’t go wrong choosing an empanada. Of course, because it doesn’t matter what day of the week or month of the year you pass the Emporio Zunino store outside the central market: there will always be a long line of people buying empanadas. And while there are several options, the most in-demand are still the pine ($1,760) ones, which are plump and stuffy, with a spongy, supple dough, an extremely carnivorous filling that begs a little liquid for the finish. They can easily be a lunch on the go. 801 Foot Bridge, Santiago.

Going out on Sunday with a packet of empanadas de pino ($1,790) and a bottle of red wine from the Ambassador is something every gentleman, if possible, should do with some regularity. With a fine and slightly brittle paste, they must be treated delicately so that their moderately pasty, well-seasoned and very tasty content does not stand out. Still, despite the care, this has got to be one of the best empanadas in Santiago. Moreover, a true classic. Tobalaba 975, Providence. Orders at +56 2 2231 8145.

Here we are in front of an empanada which, in my opinion, can only be fully enjoyed at the Alameda 737 Inn, around the corner from Tenderini. That’s where he is Give to Dino (although they also have a spot at Apoquindo 4228 and another at Escuela Militar Metro Sub-Centro), a place where, in addition to enjoying this pine empanada ($2,400), generously stuffed with ground meat — which leaves it notoriously swollen but whose dough never breaks without warning—you can also watch the street and the vicissitudes that usually occur in the center of Santiago.

If you’re lucky, you can meet football theorists at the bar, like Professor Eduardo Santa Cruz or my personal friend Roberto Amaro. If we add a heron to all that, we could say that we have a complete box. Orders at +56 2 2638 1833.

Paula A’s Pine Empanadas ($2,490) have been making waves for a long time, appearing in the various selections made each September. Alternatively, spend any weekend on the corner of Los Militares with Gerónimo de Alderete to watch large lines of people waiting their turn to grab their empanadas.

A little smaller than normal, with a soft but resistant dough and a rather juicy filling, they do not go to waste. They are ideal for visiting a barbecue and eating them while the meat is cooking. His good name is a well-deserved name. Orders at +56 9 9910 6468.

Since we are so close to the land of tango and Maradona, among other things, why not enjoy their meat empanadas? Smaller than the nationals, with meat cut with a knife and complemented with onion, chives and red pepper as well as paprika and cumin. So are the “meat” ($2,100) of Gregory Kitchen , a bowling alley specializing in silver delicacies. These empanadas are definitely worth it. Father Hurtado North 1376, Vitacura. +56 2 3264 9002.

Continuing in the Argentinian style of empanadas, which are covered with a wide variety of fillings, it is worth highlighting a very famous one on the other side of the mountain range, but which is hardly known here and very difficult to understand. get: humita Empanadas.

Luckily, there’s now Yeka, a take-out site, where their humita empanada ($2,100) is made with a pastry mix of corn, roasted pumpkin, mozzarella and basil; very juicy but very tasty. You just have to get excited and give it a try.

Another type of empanadas that can currently be obtained without too much trouble are salteñas. This variety, from the highlands, in addition to meat, contains potato cubes, peas, hard-boiled eggs and lots of dressing. In the llajuita —specialists in Bolivian cuisine— you can get very good salteñas ($1,500). Juicy and tasty as they should be, they must be eaten with care and under the shelter of a good amount of napkins. It is known: if they do not sink, they are not salteñas. Rio de Janeiro 418, Recoleta. Orders at +56 9 9203 2434.

*Prices and products in this item are current as of September 13, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.