Empanadas in the Mission: Venga!

Italians have their calzones. The Polish have their pierogi. Argentinians have their empanadas and now you can get them in San Francisco. Check out Venga Empanadas in the Mission. Venga has a simple menu consisting of these hot pocket-like empanadas (plenty of both meat-filled and vegetarian options), salads and desserts like Spanish flan.

I tried the Argentine beef (made with ground beef, onions, red bell pepper and hard-boiled egg) and the Mushroom empanadas (made with button mushrooms, cheese and onions). Both came out of the oven piping hot. The outer crust on the empanadas were blistered and thick and chewy. They didn’t skimp on the filling but for me, the flavors were a bit flat. The beef was good but the mushroom wasn’t as tasty as I’ve had in other restaurants. The flavors may have been better had there been some sort of dipping sauce. Regardless, still worth trying. If you’re looking for a bite that you can take with you as you explore the Mission, this is the perfect food for someone on-the-go.

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443 Valencia St
(between 15th and 16th)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-552-5895
www.vengaempanadas.com

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inthemission/detail?entry_id=92458