Empanadas Made Every Which Way: Colombian Restaurant Offers More Than 50 Unique Flavors
By Mia Penner and Carla Oprean
The Empanada Spot, a restaurant run by a family of immigrants, gives American flavors a Colombian flare.
JACKSON HEIGHTS — Just like the neighborhood it calls home, the Empanada Spot on the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 77th Street is an epicenter of diversity. It offers more than 50 types of empanadas, many of which are a fusion of Colombian and American flavors.
“Queens is very culturally diverse, but everybody loves empanadas,” said Danny Castro, 25, a member of the family that owns the restaurant.
Since 2010, the family-owned restaurant has been satisfying its customers’ empanada cravings and bringing traditional Colombian cuisine to Jackson Heights.
Some of the Empanada Spot’s best-selling empanadas include pizza, beef, chicken, broccoli and cheese, cheesesteak, and shrimp and crab. The restaurant also serves a range of other Colombian dishes, including arepas and Colombian style sausage.
While the Empanada Spot is known for its authentic fried pastries, its most striking feature may be its rich history.
The restaurant was founded by the Castro family, who immigrated to Jackson Heights from Colombia in 2001. Mr. Castro runs the flagship location on Roosevelt Avenue. “Working for my parents gives me more motivation to work hard,” he said.
The Castro family’s muse was Doña Alba, a Colombian immigrant who began selling empanadas out of her Jackson Heights apartment in the 1990s. Her special recipe attracted many customers, who often bought her authentic treats in bulk.
When Mr. Castro’s mother, Marlene, settled in the neighborhood in the early 2000s, she began working with Doña Alba. “She was the one who taught my mom everything about making empanadas and running a business,” Mr. Castro said.
In 2010, with the help of Doña Alba, the Castro family opened their first brick-and-mortar location on Roosevelt Avenue. Doña Alba, now 84, still plays an active role in the business and even has an empanada named after her.
Since opening its doors, the Empanada Spot has expanded greatly. It now has three locations in Queens — two in Jackson Heights and one in Oakland Gardens — and more than 30 employees.
While the Empanada Spot exists in the heart of “Little Colombia,” it doesn’t face too much competition from neighboring empanada vendors. “Some places nearby have empanadas ready-to-go, but they don’t taste as good as ours because ours are freshly made,” Mr. Castro said. “Other places usually leave the empanadas sitting around for a while, so they get hard and cold.”
Despite their restaurant’s success, the Castro family’s journey hasn’t always been easy. Mr. Castro cited constant oversight by the health department and struggles with business insurance as roadblocks on his path to success. “The government has a lot of regulations,” he said. “There are a lot of things that go on behind-the-scenes that make running a business more complicated.”
In the future, the Castro family hopes to continue expanding the Empanada Spot. Mr. Castro hopes to franchise the business and distribute his products in grocery stores. “I don’t want to deal with customers everyday anymore,” he said. “I want to sell my store to someone else and give them my products to sell.”
