The Empanada Spot Opens Farmingdale Location: 'It's Been A Blessing Here'

FARMINGDALE, NY — The Empanada Spot has opened in Farmingdale. The Colombian restaurant is at 850b Main St., Farmingdale — next to Ralph's Ices.

"We have felt very welcomed," owner Danny Castro told Patch. "It’s been a very warm welcome. We live two blocks away."

While the Castro family lives close, their other location is in Bayside, Queens.

"We’re basically new to the neighborhood," Castro said. "It’s been a blessing here. The community has been very nice to us. Everyone has welcomed us with open arms. So, it’s been good."

The eatery offers more than 40 different types of empanadas, so there is an option for everyone, Castro said.

"It’s good, because we don’t want anyone feeling excluded," Castro said. "So, anyone who comes here, even if they’re vegetarian, vegan, they don’t feel, 'Oh, I can’t eat there because I’m vegan.' You want to include everybody. That’s the reason we have so many flavors."

Corn flour empanadas, which feature a harder outer shell, are traditional to Colombia, Castro explained. Options include beef and potato; chicken; vegetable; rice and beans; broccoli and cheese; chili and beef; and more.

Many countries use wheat shells for their empanadas, and The Empanada Spot has several options there, as well. In addition to the basics, like beef or chicken, more experimental options include cheeseburger; cheesesteak; Greek; chicken parm; pork; Italian sausage; chicharron; bacon mac and cheese; Cuban; bacon egg and cheese; and plenty more.

Dessert empanadas come in guava and cheese; banana and Nutella; sweet plantain cheese; chocolate and peanut butter; caramel and cheese; and apples and cinnamon.

The Empanada Spot offers dishes outside from empanadas, as well: all-day breakfast like Colombian eggs or tamal; grilled steak or chicken breast; and sides like pinto beans, white rice or salad.

Castro said the Colombian cuisine offered at his eatery is "something different for the neighborhood."

"We don’t really have anything like this," he said. "When I’m here, it’s always the same kind of food everywhere you go. Pizzerias. [This is] something different. Something that not everybody out here has had a moment to experience, especially if you don’t go out to Queens; you don’t really eat Colombian food. It’s something new for the neighborhood."

When moving their family to Farmingdale, the Castros were looking for good schools and a good community.

"Once we lived here, we were like, 'This is also where we want to do business,'" Castro said. "We love our neighbors. The neighborhood, everything. We figured it would be the perfect location, and it was the right time to do it."

The family previously had two restaurants in Jackson Heights and one in Brooklyn before downsizing to Farmingdale and Bayside.

Castro wanted to thank the neighborhood once more.

"It’s been a very warm welcome. We all love it. We’re hoping to stay here for many years."