There are egg-filled breakfast empanadas, including chorizo, black bean and egg, but our favorite morning option is the more classically Argentine ham-and-cheese.
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There are egg-filled breakfast empanadas, including chorizo, black bean and egg, but our favorite morning option is the more classically Argentine ham-and-cheese.
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The salty bacon, sweet dates and tangy goat cheese of this empanada is among our favorite combinations.
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The salty bacon, sweet dates and tangy goat cheese of this empanada is among our favorite combinations.
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So is the mushroom and blue cheese, whose flavor would not be out of place in a fine French restaurant. Manrique says this makes sense: French, Spanish and Italian cuisines are influential in the food of his homeland.
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So is the mushroom and blue cheese, whose flavor would not be out of place in a fine French restaurant. Manrique says this makes sense: French, Spanish and Italian cuisines are influential in the food of his homeland.
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When most of us think of an empanada, we think of one filled with ground beef. Like 5411’s other flavors, you’ll never find an air pocket in here—every bit is stuffed with flavorful beef and potatoes.
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When most of us think of an empanada, we think of one filled with ground beef. Like 5411’s other flavors, you’ll never find an air pocket in here—every bit is stuffed with flavorful beef and potatoes.
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Want something a bit different? 5411 uses Argentine Malbec to braise beef into sweet ribbons that recall boeuf Bourguignon.
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Want something a bit different? 5411 uses Argentine Malbec to braise beef into sweet ribbons that recall boeuf Bourguignon.
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For American palates, there’s barbecue chicken, stuffed with chunky bites of thigh meat and veggies.
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For American palates, there’s barbecue chicken, stuffed with chunky bites of thigh meat and veggies.
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Texans may be especially appreciative of the Mexican chorizo that melds seamlessly with patatas bravas.
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Texans may be especially appreciative of the Mexican chorizo that melds seamlessly with patatas bravas.
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You do know that Nutella liquefies at high heat, right? Imagine a segment of banana surrounded by a pool of liquid Nutella. Now try eating it.
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You do know that Nutella liquefies at high heat, right? Imagine a segment of banana surrounded by a pool of liquid Nutella. Now try eating it.
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If you’re suffering from empanada fatigue, skip the banana-Nutella (or append it) and get an alfajor. The crumbly dulce de leche-filled cookies are available covered in chocolate or plain.
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If you’re suffering from empanada fatigue, skip the banana-Nutella (or append it) and get an alfajor. The crumbly dulce de leche-filled cookies are available covered in chocolate or plain.
Do you call Buenos Aires often? If not, you probably don’t know to dial 5411 to reach it. But after a trip to the subterranean tunnels beneath 811 Louisiana Street, you’ll be unlikely to forget those integers. Tucked in the tunnels below 811 Louisiana Street, 5411 Empanadas exists primarily as a fast-and-clean alternative to some of the heavier, messier underground culinary offerings.
But that shouldn’t be what defines 5411. Though franchisee Nicolas Manrique offers the sorts of classic pies he ate in his native Argentina, including ground beef, ham-and-cheese and spinach-and-cheese, many of his empanadas are tailored to American tastes. That means big flavor in creations ranging from barbecue chicken to banana-Nutella.Â
5411 began in 2009 as a Chicago food truck. Its founders opened a storefront in 2012, with locations now in Miami as well as Manrique’s Houston spot opened earlier this year. Manrique came to Houston two-and-a-half years ago with his wife, who works in oil and gas. At the time, he was in sales and marketing for Kraft. His artisan approach to his empanadas is a departure from the corporation. He bakes each one fresh every day, beginning early enough to have a full stock by his 7 a.m. opening.Â
Though he admits some tunnel denizens struggled with the concept of ready-made half-moon-shaped mini pies (many wanted to create their own like, say, a poke bowl), Manrique says the city’s diversity meant almost as many diners were already familiar with and craving empanadas. Either way, we were sufficiently impressed to recommend venturing down to the tunnels even if you don’t already spend your days there.
Alice joined Houstonia in November 2015 and has been relishing exploring the city’s vibrant food scene ever since.
She began her journalism career at age 13 with a cult film criticism ’zine. As an adult, stints with WWE Magazine and EatingWell led to her job as senior food writer at Vermont’s alternative newsweekly, Seven Days, in 2008. In that capacity, she became one of the state’s most well-known TV and radio personalities. Her first book, Vermont: An Explorer’s Guide, was published in 2015. Alice has won an AltWeekly Award for Best Food Writing, two Daysies for Best Print/Online Journalist, and two "Top Social Foodie" awards from Burlington Social Media Day.
