My friend Pilar has just opened an empanada shop with her husband Juan on Washington Avenue (right next to Lincoln Road) in Miami’s South Beach called Half Moon Empanadas.

The food is as satisfying as the great typefaces in the logo, and Pilar tells me everything is made in the restaurant:

My favorite is the “americana” empanada—smoked panceta, mozzarella, and plum—and Pilar and Juan’s mother both approve of my choice, as it is a traditional Argentinian combination.

The empanadas can be ordered baked or souffléd; cleverly, each is stamped to distinguish the type.

I think my regular order will be two empanadas (an americana and an onion) and a dulce de leche pastelito. As I’ve discovered, the only way to improve the caramel-like goodness of dulce de leche is to warm it inside a crispy pastry shell.

Many congratulations to Pilar and Juan on their new restaurant and being small business owners.

I now plan to bring all my Miami visitors to Half Moon so I can order dulce de leche pasteles—er, so they too can experience this heavenly empanada shop.

Half Moon Empanadas, 1616 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, 305.532.5277 (delivery in South Beach)

What’s your favorite empanada? Any you’d suggest as new flavors for Half Moon?

1. Stewart:
   August 31st, 2008 at 9:53 pm

   In Mexico, I had an empanada with a fig filling. The fig offsets the sweetness of the empanada. Loves it.

2. Kristen:
   September 1st, 2008 at 6:41 am

   Yum, Stewart, fig. How soon can you visit again? :)

3. Stewart:
   September 4th, 2008 at 6:37 pm

   Miami is calling me soon!

4. Pilar:
   September 16th, 2008 at 5:07 pm

   Kristen,
   I love this!! My favorite empanada is also the onion one. But as Mexican, I also love the spicy chicken and beef! with our salsas. (Argentinians would kill me since they dont eat them with salsas, but Mexicans love anything with salsa!)
   We are thinking to add new flavors of empanadas… a scramble egg empanada for breakfast,… other ideas?…

5. Kristen:
   September 17th, 2008 at 6:28 am

   Ooh, Pilar, an egg empanada would be wonderful, yum.

   So many possibilities (I’ll probably need to visit again to think of even more possibilities) :)

6. Salma Al-Dairi:
   September 17th, 2008 at 8:03 am

   HalfMoon is the best Name, Design, Service…. it is a real Argentinean Empanada created by a real Argentinean owner .. he is the expert of Empanada that he promised to himself since childhood to make the name Empanada becomes the best food to eat in the USA .. he is the great Argentinean the Dr. of Empanada John Zavala.
   Trust the Empanada you eat .. it is fresh, tasty because it is made by Halfmoon… Bravoooooooooo John .. all the way for success.

7. Robert:
   September 17th, 2008 at 2:31 pm

   I myself have sampled the wares of HalfMoon and being a connoisseur of empanadas (a local late night tradition amongst Washington D.C. party goers), I can honestly say they have an outstanding product. The spicy beef is where it’s at!!!

8. Kristen:
   September 17th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

   Thanks, Salma and Robert. I will trust the empanada :) and agree that these are outstanding. I haven’t tried the spicy beef yet, but that’s on the list for next time—

9. Melania:
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:10 am

   I myself have sampled of the empanadas and let me tell you they are just GREAT! I love them, I wish they have a location in DC ☺ I personally love the veggies empanada delicious! And your idea Robert sounds great I will be a loyal customer for sure!

   Best wishes to Juan and Pilar!

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Posted Sunday, August 31st, 2008, 9:25 pm | Filed in Food, Video. Follow responses through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.