A strip mall in Minnetonka is making all of our empanada dreams come true. Wedged between a barbershop and a dry cleaner, DelSur Empanadas opened about a year ago — the same month that Boludo Empanadas landed in South Minneapolis. (Lucky us, we live dangerously close!)
Minnetonka is more of a schlep, but Nico Nikolov and Diego Montero’s tricked-out turnovers are worth it. The Argentina-born buddies started baking empanadas for friends and family in 2014, setting the stage for successful pop-ups at Insight Brewing and a food truck that still works top-notch taprooms like Back Channel Brewing Co., and BlackStack Brewing.
DelSur offers nine staple empanadas, plus rotating specials. Try a dough pocket stuffed with a traditional blend of ground beef, raisins, onions, eggs, and green olives; go for a crowdpleaser like barbecue chicken; or experiment with veg-friendly options such as wild mushroom or a caprese salad combo with mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, and basil. A mix-and-match platter with three empanadas of your choice and a house salad will set you back $10.
DelSur’s lomito sandwich, pictured above, is also a thing of beauty: filet mignon, lettuce, tomatoes, ham, cheese, and chimichurri mayo piled on a crusty roll and topped with a fried egg. The elation we feel when we chomp into that sandwich and the yolk squishes out is just… 😘.
For a sweet ending, get a couple of alfajor de maicena cookies, stuffed with delightful dulce de leche. Or head a few doors down and order a Belgian ale or kettle sour; Unmapped Brewing is located in this same ✨magical✨strip mall.
DelSur Empanadas
14725 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka, MN; 952-303-6081.
