Delicious Chilean Empanadas at Chile Lindo

I grew up eating Filipino empanadas as a little girl in the Philippines.  When I heard about the Chilean empanadas at Chile Lindo, I was really excited to try them.  I wanted to compare the two empanadas from two different countries who share the same history of being conquered by Spain.   Two countries apart-- one in Asia and one in Latin America but share similar dishes including paellas and empanadas.

Chile Lindo is a cozy little kitchen on 16th Street and Mission.  You will find the owner and her chef working hard at making pastry disks filled with meat, cheese, eggs and raisins.  (I just described the contents of a Beef Empanada which is my favorite.)

You can purchase the pre-baked empanadas  for you to take home and bake for 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. You can also buy the still "hot off the oven" empanadas that you can eat on the sidewalk.

I have been to Chile Lindo twice so far and found the  Beef Empanadas to be addicting. My friend bought the cheese empanada during our first visit but she was not impressed.  I am happy to just eat the Beef Empanadas.  The pastry was neither thin nor thick except when you get to the "folds" which are understandbly doughy.

So how do they compare?  They are almost the same except Filipino empanadas are filled ground beef instead of Chilean's which were little chunks of beef.  Filipinos empanadas also don't have olives in them and tend to be sweeter because of the raisins. 

At first glance, an empanada from Chile Lindo is not enough to satisfy one's appetite but I found that my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I was full after eating one of those savory snacks. In my case, paired with a nice glass of Shiraz, I had the perfect dinner last night! (In the Philippines, empanadas are eaten as "meriendas" or afternoon snacks.)

$5.50 per empanada.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATINGS: 4.5 Delicious, filling and addicting!

Key:

0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I might still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)