Empanadas in LP/Lakeview

-Grubbing in Chicago
Where the empanadas are.

Its seems as though the Northside neighborhoods of Lincoln Park and Lakeview are Chicago's hot spot for tasty empanadas. We already featured the fresh baked Argentinian empanadas from El Mercado food mart in Lakeview last March. Well since then two more spots focusing on the popular Latin American street snack have opened. Its nice to see that even in neighborhoods where everything is commercial, we can still support the Ma and Pa type family owned spots. So lets take a look at two of my favorite places to munch on snacks of any kind.

Macondo

The more recent to open up of the two shops is Macondo. Its on the 2900 block of Lincoln located near the corner of Lincoln, Southport and Wellington in Lakeview. The people behind this new Colombian coffee and empanada shop are the owners of Las Tablas Colombian steakhouse which is located right down the block. The menu is fairly simple along with fair trade Colombian coffee and different baked goods from the region they offer empanadas. Its a nice place inside to go have a sip of coffee and a quick bite to eat and a good spot to meet up with someone. Its a comfortable feeling when you enter and the service is great.


Newly Opened on Lincoln ave in Lakeview

The Good's (Menu)


Coffee Menu (click pic to enlarge)


Empanada Menu (click pic to enlarge)


Other food offerings (click pic to enlarge)


Colombian bakery treats (click pic to enlarge)

I'm not a coffee drinker but Macondo is the first establishment in Chicago to be serving Jaun Valdez caféREALE brand. Said to be Colombia's most internationally celebrated coffee it is owned by a farmer co-op and funds small coffee making communities throughout Colombia. I stopped by on a early Saturday afternoon and it was quite quiet but they were just celebrating their grand opening. As you can see from the menu the empanadas are cocktail sized and come two to an order. The empanada is one of those foods that has so many different preparations from so many countries and since its dough filled with ingredients and then usually fried or baked, the possibilities are endless. Macondo's empanadas are prepared the Tolimense style which comes from the Tolima province in Colombia. So the empanadas are made with a corn flour shell and deep fried. I went with an order of Tradicional, carne molida and then decided last second I couldn't pass on the pollo. Gotta try them all and I wanted to try the dessert ones and will soon.


The empanadas come labeled in a bag that picks up some grease


Each order comes with a housemade Colombian aji hot sauce

I like the fact that these come two to an order making it easier to try them all should you be with anyone. The aji hot sauce had some good flavor and enhanced the overall taste and could be eaten solo, in my opinion anyways. So how were they? excellent if I may say. They come out freshly fried so they're nice and hot and still were by the time I got home ten minutes later. I thought each of the three flavors were really good and would order them all again. My favorite was for sure the Tradicional with the shredded beef and potato which is always a winning combo.


Tradicional (shredded beef with potato)


Carne Molida (picadillo-seasoned ground beef)


Pollo (marinated chix breast with red & green peppers)

I would say price wise they might seem a little expensive at $2.50 per order considering they are cocktail sized and can be finished in two bites. But considering the quality and goodness of them it can also be looked at as a bargain. They offer them in half dozen and dozen orders at a cheaper price for catering and parties and what not. It is no doubt a welcome addition to the neighborhood and the city in general. If your ever in the area or live by Macondo and are a coffee drinker or enjoy empanadas as much as I do then get over there and check them out. While your at it you can do a compare and contrast with Lito's in Lincoln Park. Another first class empanada place.

Lito's Empanadas

Time sure does fly and Lito's is a fine example of that saying. I thought it opened maybe a year ago but I guess Lito's has been in its small storefront on Clark Just south of Wrightwood since late 2007. I wasn't sure when I first ate at Lito's that it would make it in LP. You know as sad as it is, I thought the empanada might of been to foreign of a food item to the big ten, yuppie crowd. Lito's is also owned by a Colombian and they only do empanadas. Its always a good sign and good clue to good food when a place can focus on one thing making it easier to do it right.


Lito's on Clark in LP is a small store putting out big taste

The Good's (Menu)


Lito's offers only Empanadas and that's all you need

Since its in the neighborhood and is an excellent choice for a quick snack I have been over to Lito's a few times since they opened. The empanadas are a little more than $2 bucks each and although the hot sauce is a quarter extra its a must get. The dough is hand rolled and they use a machine in the back to stuff and then seal each one. I read on LTH that these are wheat based empanadas and as you can see that aside from just size the dough is different than Macondo's ones above. The dough seemed to be a different variety for the Hawaiian flavored ones and I enjoy both types. Each empa' is fried fresh upon ordering and ready to go after about a five minute wait.


Lito's Empanadas


Lito's aji hot sauce is filled with flavor...great stuff

I have tried a few of the flavors at Lito's and have to say that the beef, their trademark, is my favorite. I also think the Hawaiian ones filled with ham, cheese and pineapple are a real treat and will sometimes get one and one of those with the beef. I really want to try the other flavors and soon will get too but for now I cant pass up on the beef. The flavor combo of the ground beef, olives, raisins, potato's, peppers and onions along with the housemade hot sauce is one of the best snacks in the city. Its taking time but Lincoln Park is slowly getting more and more good eating spots to go along with the classics that have survived time and the neighborhoods change. I'm hoping Lito's is around in a long time and I dont see it being taken over by a Jamba Juice anytime. It seems to always have passerby's stopping in for what is an excellent snack in between or make it a full meal by ordering a few.


The beef empanada from Lito's is superb


Chicken (L) Hawaiian (top) Beef (R)

Macondo

2965 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657

(773) 698-6847‎

Website (music plays)

Lito's Empanadas
2566 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 857-0794
Website

Lunch & Groceries from El Mercado

-Lunch under $6 so you don't gotta eat at Subway

Oh my God! guess what? The Subway $5 for any footlong promotion is back...and so are the annoying commercials that come with it. Don't waste your time and be sucked in and settle for debris when you can get way better for the same price with a little bit of knowing where to go. At the corner of Southport and Grace is El Mercado food Mart, a little corner grocery store specializing in South American goods. Its great that the little corner shop has withstood the redevelopment of the Lakeview neighborhood and the 4 or 5 Subways that are scattered about it.


Lakeviews best kept secret

I imagine that this is what alot of local grocery stores are like in neighborhoods around towns and cities in Argentina. They have a fully stocked meat case tended by a real butcher with great cuts of beef and homemade sausage. If you need any type South American ingredients you will likely find them here. One of the most popular items is the homemade chimichurri sauce available at the butcher counter for a ridiculously low price. Here's a little secret, its the same sauce that the popular Argentine steakhouse Tango Sur next door uses. They offer fresh baked empanadas and other South American bakery treats. The pop selection alone is enough to make you think of all the pop, soda, cola whatever you wanna call it out there in the world that you haven't tried. Even better is the fact that there is a Jewel right down the street and although they don't carry as much as Jewel, seeing as it's much smaller, what they do carry is better than Jewel's selection in both quality and price by a longshot. I am told that they carry the largest selection of Yerba mate in the city if that's your thing. I bet whatever mass produced chimichurri marinade Jewel sells is triple the price of the homemade authentic jars at El Mercado. Seriously if your making lunch at home get a jar of this stuff at $2-$3 and make some pasta or grill a piece of beef or chicken and a side and it will still be cheaper than going to Subway.


The empanada case upon entering


Peruvian Chix empanada (L) Argentinian Beef (R)

I have been a frequent visitor to El Mercado grocery and meat market in Wrigleyville for a few years now. Its a great little neighborhood corner grocery that has withstood the local development of every franchise out there and its one of a kind in the area and these are the places I love. When you first walk in the smell of the fresh baked empanada's that sit on the counter hit you in the face in a oh so good way. These little guys are a steal at a little over a dollar each. I'm partial to the Argentinian beef one's that come with ground beef mixed with onions, raisins, green olives and a slice of hard boiled egg, try finding anything this good on the McDollar menu. When you walk out the door you got three empanadas of choice and a can of pop for under six dollars. El Mercado has the largest selection of bottled pop's and drinks from all sorts of Latin American country's that I have ever seen. One of my favorites is a canned pop simply called "watermelon" I have no idea about it because the label tells you nothing. Great snack to bring in with you to a Cub's game if they still allow food from outside, I cant remember. This is one of my frequent stops during summertime for grilling material and a quick cheap bite that tastes good.


Two of my three 'nadas and Watermelon pop that were under $5 on a visit


Chicken (L) Beef (R)

El Mercado Grocery
3767 N Southport
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 477-5020