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| - Great selection of flavorful empanadas (hand-pies).
Highly Recommended!
Friends wanted to meet for brunch, so I browsed my Yelp bookmarks and came up with AZ Food Crafters. Everyone agreed, so we gave it a try - and we were very glad we did!
Food:
I love the variety on the menu - so many things to try! And since Hatch chiles are in season, AZ Food Crafters has a special selection, which I was eager to try. I ended up with the Two Savory Pies combo so I could sample two different hand pies. I had the Green Chile Pork Empanada (a favorite of Yelpers) and the Green Chile Relleno, one of their spicier choices. I have one word to describe this: WOW!! The empanada crust was nice and flaky, not dense and chewy. And the flavors were amazing! My order came with ranch dressing and a wonderful hatch chile sauce, which was great for dipping. I must say, while the Green Chile Pork was flavorful, it was also fairly dry. I expected it to be a bit more moist. But the Green Chile Relleno, made with Hatch chiles, was simply excellent! It was moist, and fairly spicy - although not over-the-top-burn-your-lips-off spicy. This one's a definite repeater.
With my Yelp check-in, I also got a free dessert empanada - so cool. I decided on another Hatch chile selection: the Green Chile & Apple Pie with a Cheddar Crust. Holy smokes, was this good!!! If you come here while this is still available, by all means get it!! It was sweet and spicy, and a bit cheesy too. Amazing flavors!
I can't recall what everyone else had, but they were all happy with their selections.
Cost:
My Two Savory Pie Combo was a very reasonable $7.50 before tax. The amazing dessert pie was free, otherwise would have been $4. So ya, AZ Food Crafters has great value.
Service:
The staff were very friendly, patiently answering all our first-timer questions. It took a while for our food to come out, but not too long, and we all got fresh, hot empanadas.
Atmosphere:
The seating area is very small, probably seats around a dozen people. And the "kitchen" area is just across the counter, which is neat because you can watch the staff do their work. All-in-all the atmosphere is ok, but nothing special.
Overall:
I was really impressed with the food and staff, and can't wait to return to try some of the other selections. This one's definitely made the regular rotation!
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