Friday, May 25, 2018

Lola Empanada – San Tan Valley, AZ



D.Rough and I were driving back to Phoenix from a visit to family in Tucson. D.Rough had been looking at food destinations off the beaten path between Tucson and Phoenix and kept seeing Lola Empanada come up. We left a little early to make sure we had time to stop by Lola and check it all out. I’m so glad we did.

The place wasn’t busy when we arrived and the woman working was having her really awesome and friendly young kids help us out. They were adorable. It took us a minute to decide on lunch, but we figured it out with some compromising, so we could try more things.

We got:
  • Chicken bacon jalapeƱo popper
  • Green chili chicken
  • Spicy beef
  • Spicy beef bean and cheese
  • Yucca fries with garlic aioli

D.Rough also got a fresh margarita. We weren’t sure it was going to be good when it arrived, since it was  a little “clear”. But it honestly was fantastic. Really wonderful fresh lime taste and not overpoweringly boozy. Really awesome and refreshing.

The yucca fries were very generous (size-wize) and went really well with the garlic aioli. The dip was pretty magical. The outside was very crunchy and the inside was nice and fluffy like mashed potatoes. A wonderful choice and one I’d recommend (as long as you have someone to share the giant portion with).

Each of the empanadas were wonderful. I’m really impressed with how fat they were with fillings and also how well they were fried. They were flaky and crusty, but didn’t fall apart (and weren’t greasy tasting). D.Rough’s favorite was the green chili chicken one and my favorite one was the spicy beef with beans and cheese. We were extremely full after eating all of these, but it was worth it.

This place is a hidden gem that deserves more attention. Great work, Lola!!!

And then, just before we got back to the rental car place, a giant hawk slammed into the side of my car while I was on the highway and rocked my door. This is why I always get the insurance on rental cars. WEIRD STUFF ALWAYS HAPPENS TO ME!!!

Lola Empanada
5452 E. Skyline Drive
San Tan Valley, AZ 85140