SEATTLE — Empanadas are a food staple in Argentina, but new Ballard restaurant Maria Luisa Empanadas was inspired by one particular home chef.
"My grandma used to make empanadas all the time and to me it was (the best),” said owner Rodrigo Cappagli. "I was missing them so much that I was like, 'I need to make empanadas' because I couldn't find empanadas anywhere."
Cappagli grew up in Buenos Aires but didn’t learn to replicate his grandmother’s recipes until he moved to Seattle. He initially launched his small business as a catering company, working out of commercial kitchens.
Opening the doors of his own brick-and-mortar restaurant in April 2024 was a dream come true.
"Makes me feel great, like super proud,” Cappagli said. "To me, she's everywhere."
Argentine empanadas are baked, not fried. Each turnover is filled, folded and sealed by hand.
"The flavors are so different. You can find a lot of things inside your empanadas in Argentina. Beef, chicken, chorizo, ham and cheese, vegetarian options," Cappagli said. “You can put inside of an empanada everything, basically. You can put mac and cheese if you want, you know?”
Maria Luisa Empanadas also features Argentine sweets made by a pastry chef, including chocolate alfajor (a cookie sandwich filled with dulce de leche) and medialuna (a slightly-sweet croissant.)
The restaurant is also a tribute to Cappagli's other passion: futbol. Walls are decorated with jerseys from Argentina's national team and photos of Lionel Messi.
"I'm crazy about futbol, you can see futbol everywhere. In the bathrooms, everywhere,” Cappagli said, laughing.
He hopes to host big crowds during upcoming Copa América matches.
Despite being new, the eatery already has regular customers and sells out of empanadas daily.
"Sometimes people order to-go, and they start eating here. They eat two or three, close the box, and come back (to the counter) – ‘I need six more, 10 more,’” Cappagli said. “And that's awesome. And they keep coming."
Maria Luisa Empanadas is located at 928 Leary Way Northwest and is open Tuesday – Sunday from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Email.