Julia’s Empanadas: Hot Pockets on Crack

Don’t be fooled by the slightly ghetto-looking red and yellow sign. Julia means business. In her case, business is delicious and portable pockets of heaven. With locations all around the District, Julia’s Empanadas often go unnoticed; they are small shops consisting of a counter and glass case displaying these pastry delights guaranteed to be “baked by hand and made with love.” There’s not much in terms of seating, as the restaurant’s namesake offerings are all a grab-and-go affair. All of the empanadas follow the same filling convention: meat (chorizo, beef, chicken or turkey), carb (rice and beans or potatoes), and veggies/extras (onions, jalepenos, hard-boiled eggs, raisins). They also have 2 meatless empanadas for the herbivores, spinach and vegetarian. I hear they also have salads, soups and desserts — however, these offer nothing but roughage that threatens to take up the precious real estate in my belly that would be better spent housing Jamaican flavored empanadas (by far the best flavor). A close second would be Chilean Style Beef (although my friend Boyd refers to the Chilean as the ugly stepchild of the Jamaican — harsh, albeit true, but he hates olives and is biased). At $3.50 a pop they make a wonderful cheap snack or light meal whether you’re an olive lover or hater. The empanadas always taste fresh, with a nice flaky crust and boldly flavored fillings. So go pay Julia a visit, and trade in your Blackberry handheld for this much tastier version.

*Also, a sidenote to all the boozehounds, Julia’s is open until 3:30 AM for some quality drunk eats. Expect a long line, and be ready to battle other rabid (read: drunk) fans for Julia’s glorious empanadas.