Viva Empanadas

One of J’s jobs this summer has been working at Viva Empanadas at Galleria 7 in Latham. She’s really loved it, and the owners have been super-friendly and kind to her. We finally got around to visiting recently, and it is also extremely delicious. Here’s what we got:

This is the grilled chicken sandwich with a side of fries, one of J’s favorites. This sandwich is very tasty, especially the avocado sauce. And the fries are great! I’ve even eaten these fries when J’s driven them home and they’re not so warm anymore, and I still like them.

J was the eating with us, and I think that this was her first time trying the Viva Arepa with chicken (it also comes with veggies or beef). Tasty, and a nice little salad!

And finally, we couldn’t skip the empanadas. Cute W and I ordered the Colombianita & the chicken sofrito. At which point J saw what we had ordered and shook her head at our misstep, because the Colombianita empanadas are the only ones that are made offsite. The chicken sofrito was better, and J highly recommends it with the avocado cilantro sauce. Her other favorite empanadas are the Cuban beef, the spinach, and the guava and cheese empanada, which is also her favorite dessert on the menu.

I asked for her other top recommendations, and she suggests ropa vieja, which is Cuban style stewed beef with sweet plantains and sides. She also likes the Peruvian rotisserie chicken with chimichurri chimichurri sauce. She says that if you want to try a few different empanadas, there’s usually a special which makes a perfect lunch: 3 empanadas with salad and lemonade. Or is you’re trying empanadas with a friend, there’s a five empanada platter. And finally, she should tell y’all that there are tons of gluten free options, so if you or your loved ones want to avoid gluten while enjoying deliciousness, report to Viva Empanadas! We’re hoping to fit in another visit before she heads to college.