Salta's Empanadas

@tripticity_‘s  favorites

It may be a bit pretentious to try to reduce the wide variety of these delicious traditional Salta pies to just five. This is just a list of @tripticity_ 's favorites.

It goes in alphabetical order as it is impossible to make a definite preference, sometimes it depends on the day and the mood of the empanada chosen.

• Buen Gusto 

  Buen Gusto's empanadas are characterized both by their lightness and their perfect filling. The image of a dozen empanadas in a perfect circle is a work of art. They are light, which means that you can reach a dozen almost without noticing it. The atmosphere is also unique, that of a neighborhood dining room. A recommendation: in addition to the house red wine, ask for a grapefruit-flavored Marinaro in a glass bottle, very, very cold. 

  Go early: they run out soon! Also at night the area can be a bit lonely to the tourist's impression.  

• Casa Moderna

  At the back of the traditional delicatessen of the city, in Casa Moderna, some old chairs and wooden tables at the back invite you to enjoy excellent empanadas, the ones from Salta. For predisposed pockets, it can be complemented with Spanish ham, XL olives from Cuyo or Belgian beer.  

• Patio Norte

  Behind the black door without any identification, in Patio Norte Empanadas you can eat tremendous empanadas fresh from the clay oven in a corner of the courtyard. With an informal atmosphere, it is also advisable to go early as it is usually full before 9.30 pm.

• Febrero

  In the secluded Club 20 de febrero, on Paseo Güemes, the bar Febrero offers the unmissable version of fried meat empanadas. Small, tasty and very juicy.

• La Nueva Criollita

  The flaky dough of the cheese empanadas at this downtown bodegón is sublime, although the meat version is also very tasty. Both with a spicy sauce, of course. In price-quality ratio, the Nueva Criollita is a number one for every visitor. 

• La Salteñería

  From the more central La Salteñería, the authentic empanadas are also baked in a clay oven, although unfortunately the oven shuts down too early in the evening.    

• Roque García

  There are many locals who place Roque García's empanadas at the top of the podium. They are of the typical "colita parada" or "piernas abiertas" (open legs), hyper juicy, that force the diner to learn well the technique of how to eat an empanada: spilling a drop of the recado juice on the plate is an offense to the tradition of Salta.  

• Ampi

  As we could not fail to include an option based in Cafayate, our favorite meat empanada in the capital of the Calchaquí Valleys is undoubtedly the one offered by Ampi. Fried, of course. And pair it with some rosé or artisanal malbec that only Ampi.’s wine cellar can boast.  

• ACA Cachi

  And a bonus: the velvety meat empanadas with paprika dough from the Hostería del Automóvil Club. Ideal to crown the journey to the Cuesta del Obispo with any of the red wines of the area, especially those of Bodega Tacuil.