You’ve typed “best empanada de jamon y queso near me” into your phone, probably because you’re craving that golden, flaky pastry shell cracked open to reveal melted cheese and salty ham inside. You’re not alone. The ham and cheese empanada is one of the most ordered empanada varieties in the world, and the search for a great one near you can be surprisingly tricky depending on where you live.
This guide covers what makes a proper empanada de jamon y queso worth eating, how to track one down in your area, which UK shops and delivery services actually deliver the goods, and what to look for so you don’t end up with a soggy, microwaved disappointment.
What Is an Empanada de Jamon y Queso?
An empanada de jamon y queso is a savoury pastry turnover filled with ham (jamón) and cheese (queso). The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. According to food historians and Google Arts & Culture’s documentation of Argentine culinary heritage, empanadas trace their roots to the Iberian Peninsula, where Moorish settlers introduced stuffed pastries during the eighth century. Spanish colonisers later carried the concept across the Atlantic, and each Latin American country developed its own version.
In Argentina, the empanada de jamon y queso became one of the most popular everyday varieties, sitting alongside beef (carne), chicken (pollo), and corn (humita) as a mainstay on menus from Buenos Aires to Salta. According to Argentine food writer and Buenos Aires culinary guide BuenosTours, the jamon y queso filling is so common that vegetarians ordering a plain cheese empanada are warned to check it hasn’t been sneakily loaded with ham.
The filling is straightforward: diced or sliced cooked ham combined with melting cheese, sealed inside a thin wheat flour dough, then baked or fried until golden. What varies is the cheese. Traditional Argentine recipes often call for mozzarella as the primary melting cheese, sometimes blended with port salut, cremoso (a soft, creamy Argentine cheese), or gruyere for extra depth. Some cooks fold in a sliced hard boiled egg or a few green olives. A light dusting of oregano is common. The dough itself, made with fine 0000 flour and sometimes lard or beef fat, is lighter and thinner than a Cornish pasty.
Best Empanada de Jamon y Queso Near Me: How to Actually Find One
Searching for “best empanada de jamon y queso near me” will pull up Google Maps results, review sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp, and delivery platforms. The trick is knowing where to look and what to filter for.
Google Maps remains the most direct route. Type “empanadas near me” or “empanada de jamon y queso near me” and check the results for Argentine, Latin American, or South American restaurants. Pay attention to reviews that mention specific fillings. A restaurant listing “empanadas” on its menu might only serve beef or chicken. You want confirmation that ham and cheese is available.
Delivery apps like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat are useful for checking real time availability. In London, for example, Chango Empanadas operates across multiple boroughs and lists its ham and cheese empanada (described as honey roasted ham with mozzarella and cheddar) on Uber Eats, with a Food Hygiene Rating of 5 as of June 2026. You can filter by cuisine type and read recent customer reviews before ordering.
TripAdvisor and Yelp allow you to search for empanadas by city. Tripadvisor’s “Best Empanadas in London” page, updated June 2026, ranks restaurants by review quality and includes specific mentions of ham and cheese options at venues like Gaucho, Porteña, and Buenos Aires Café.
Farmers’ markets and food stalls are often overlooked but can be gold mines. Gustavo at La Criolla Empanadas sets up a stall at Maltby Street Market in London every weekend, offering ham and cheese alongside classics like beef and spicy chicken. According to the Thatsup London food guide (updated April 2026), several market stall vendors across London now specialise in Argentine empanadas with rotating fillings.
Where to Find the Best Empanada de Jamon y Queso in the UK
If you’re based in the UK, your options have expanded rapidly over the past few years. Here are some of the most established names.
Chango Empanadas
Chango runs dedicated empanaderias across London, with locations in Wimbledon, Richmond, Highgate, Fulham, Wandsworth, Clapham, Kensington, and Hampstead, according to their website and the Thatsup London guide. Their ham and cheese empanada uses honey roasted ham with a mozzarella and cheddar blend. They also offer nationwide frozen delivery, with empanadas arriving precooked and frozen, ready to reheat at 230°C for 8 to 12 minutes. Tripadvisor reviews, with a 4.4 out of 5 rating across 90 reviews, frequently praise the ham and cheese as a standout filling.
De Nadas Empanadas
De Nadas operates shops in Notting Hill (Golborne Road), Shoreditch, Stoke Newington, Bethnal Green, and Kew Gardens. According to their website, they bake rather than fry all empanadas and offer 15 different fillings, including ham and cheese. All empanadas are shaped by hand using traditional Argentine fine flour dough. They also deliver within London in under an hour and offer UK wide shipping for pre booked bundles.
Porteña at Borough Market
This Borough Market stall has become a destination for empanada fans visiting London. According to the official Borough Market trader page (updated April 2026), Porteña sells traditional Argentine street food including ham and cheese empanadas alongside beef, spinach and ricotta, and mozzarella and tomato fillings. Yelp reviewers specifically highlight the ham and cheese option. Prices have historically sat around £3 to £4 per empanada, or roughly £9 for three.
Casa Argentina
Casa Argentina offers frozen Argentine empanadas for UK wide delivery, and was shortlisted for the Consumer Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2026, according to their website. Their ham and cheese empanadas, sold in packs of six frozen units, use mozzarella (35%), cheddar (35%), and cooked cured ham. They arrive in chilled thermal packaging with next day delivery available for orders placed before 2:30pm on weekdays.
Empanada Express and Caminito Empanadas
Empanada Express delivers frozen empanadas across the UK, including a ham and cheese variety packed with smoked ham and melting cheese. Caminito Empanadas, another UK based supplier, ships handcrafted empanadas (weighing 90 to 110g each) in insulated packaging. Their ham and cheese filling includes mozzarella, cheddar, béchamel sauce, and cream cheese, offering a richer texture than a standard recipe.
Beyond London: Finding Empanadas in Other UK Cities
London has the widest selection, but options are growing elsewhere. Mpanadas & Salsas, a UK based producer of Venezuelan style corn empanadas, operates at local markets in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh, Brighton, and Glasgow, according to their website. Their range includes gluten free, halal, and vegan options with UK wide frozen delivery. Tripadvisor lists empanada options in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, though dedicated empanaderias are rarer outside London. Argentine steakhouses such as Gaucho (with locations in several UK cities) often serve empanadas as starters. They also Offers Best Ensalada de Garbanzos Near Me.
For cities without a dedicated empanada shop, frozen delivery from Chango, De Nadas, Casa Argentina, or Empanada Express can fill the gap. Ordering ahead and reheating in a conventional oven or air fryer at 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes is the recommended method. Microwaving is widely discouraged because it softens the pastry instead of crisping it.
How to Spot a Good Empanada de Jamon y Queso
Not all empanadas are created equal, and a few quick checks can help you tell a good one from a forgettable one.
The pastry matters most. A proper Argentine empanada should have a thin, light, flaky shell. According to De Nadas, authentic Argentine empanada dough uses fine 0000 flour, which produces a delicate crust quite different from the heavier shortcrust of a British pasty. If the pastry is thick, stodgy, or doughy, that’s a red flag.
The cheese should melt, not sit. Mozzarella is the classic choice because it pulls and stretches when warm. Some recipes blend in cheddar for sharpness, port salut for creaminess, or gruyere for nuttiness. The cheese inside a freshly baked empanada de jamon y queso should be molten and slightly oozing, not a dry block sitting in a hollow.
The ham should be identifiable. Quality versions use proper cooked ham, either diced or in thin slices, not a processed paste. Honey roasted ham (as Chango uses) or traditional jamón cocido (cooked ham) are signs of a thoughtful filling.
The seal should hold. A well made empanada is crimped tightly. The traditional Argentine repulgue (a rope like crimp along the curved edge) isn’t just decorative. It prevents the melted cheese from leaking out during baking. A burst or gaping empanada usually means the seal was rushed or the empanada was overstuffed.
Ask if they’re baked or fried. Both methods are legitimate, but they produce very different results. Baked empanadas are lighter with a tender crust. Fried empanadas are crunchier and richer. In Argentina, baked is more common for jamon y queso. In the UK, most specialist empanaderias bake rather than fry.
Nutritional Profile: What’s in an Empanada de Jamon y Queso?
Calorie counts vary by size and recipe. According to data from Fitia and SnapCalorie, a standard baked ham and cheese empanada (roughly 80 to 100g) typically contains between 220 and 300 calories, with approximately 10 to 15g of fat, 9 to 15g of protein, and 16 to 25g of carbohydrates. Fried versions run higher. Larger formats, like the Chilean style empanadas that can weigh 180g or more, can reach 470+ calories per serving.
Sodium content can be elevated due to the cured or cooked ham and cheese, so it’s worth keeping this in mind if you’re watching your salt intake. Most specialist empanaderias in the UK provide allergen information on request. Common allergens include gluten (from the wheat flour dough) and dairy (from the cheese). Some suppliers, such as De Nadas, note that while their kitchen is nut free, ingredient suppliers may handle nuts elsewhere.
Making Your Own: A Quick Overview
If there’s no empanada shop near you, you can make them at home. Pre made empanada discs are available from Latin American grocers and increasingly from online retailers like Amazon and specialist importers. A basic ham and cheese filling needs only diced cooked ham, cubed mozzarella (and optionally a second cheese like cheddar or port salut), a beaten egg to bind, and seasoning with salt, pepper, and a pinch of oregano. Fill each disc, fold into a half moon shape, seal with a fork or by crimping, brush with egg wash, and bake at 180 to 200°C for 15 to 25 minutes until golden.
According to the recipe published by Saveur, inspired by Margarita Verón of Maxi Mir Rotisería in Buenos Aires’s Palermo neighbourhood, a traditional approach uses a dough made with flour, lard, water, and salt, baked at 200°C (400°F) for roughly 40 minutes.
FAQ’S About Best Empanada de Jamon y Queso Near Me
1. What does “empanada de jamon y queso” mean in English?
It translates directly as “ham and cheese empanada.” Jamón means ham and queso means cheese in Spanish.
2. Are empanadas de jamon y queso gluten free?
Traditional empanadas use wheat flour dough, so they are not gluten free. Some UK suppliers like Mpanadas & Salsas offer corn based empanadas that are gluten free, though their fillings may differ.
3. Can I freeze empanadas de jamon y queso?
Yes. Most specialist UK suppliers sell them frozen and recommend storing them in the freezer for up to three months. Cook from frozen in a preheated oven at 180 to 200°C for best results.
4. What’s the difference between an empanada and a pasty?
Both are filled pastries, but empanadas typically use a thinner, lighter dough than the shortcrust pastry of a Cornish pasty. According to Poncho Tours, a travel operator specialising in Argentine food and wine trips, an Argentine empanada could fit in the palm of your hand, making it smaller and lighter than a standard pasty.
5. How many empanadas should I order for a meal?
Most empanaderias suggest two to three empanadas as a light meal or four as a full main course. At Chango, their Uber Eats listings offer bundles of six, eight, or twelve for sharing.