LAS CHILENAS
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★
District: La Vista
Coffee house serving authentic Chilean empanadas
Perfect For: Breakfast/Brunch; Casual Dining; Takeout; Lunch
Standout Dishes: Beef Empanada; Sully’s Breakfast Empanada; Churrasco Italiano Sandwich
What if I told you that you could not only get authentic Chilean cuisine in Omaha, but that it would come from a coffee house in a La Vista strip mall?
It might sound crazy, but Las Chilenas is the realization of a dream for sisters Zabria and Debora. For nearly two years they served their food, highlighted by the unique Chilean empanadas, at pop-ups and through ghost kitchens. And now with a brick-and-mortar, they get to bring the flavors of their country to Omaha.
The shining star of the menu is the empanadas. The dough—a combination of flour, salt, and lard—is made from scratch. It’s sturdy and tender to the bite. It has a good flaky consistency; not that of pie dough, but it has that delightful melt-in-your-mouth quality. The empanadas are well-sealed, and an egg wash provides a satisfyingly crispy exterior.. The dough is mild in flavor, allowing the fillings to provide the dominant taste.
Chilean empanadas differ from their counterparts in two unique ways:
- They relatively large and are commonly eaten as meals instead of snacks. 2-3 of these empanadas is enough to satiate most appetites.
- They’re baked, not fried, and the empanadas at Las Chilenas don’t have much if any grease or oil. You don’t feel heavy or weighed down after eating a few.
Las Chilenas offers many different filling options, most containing a protein, cheese, and a mix of vegetables. There are several vegetarian options, and they’re some of the most flavorful on the roster.
The most traditional offering is the Beef Empanada, which has a powerfully rich, deeply savory flavor with an earthy undertone. The ground beef is a touch greasy, but in a pleasing way (like one might expect from a cheeseburger). The baked egg and olive might sound a bit odd on paper, but they add a rich, buttery flavor and a nice brininess, respectively.
Among the other meat-filled options:
- Sully’s Breakfast: Whoever Sully is, he should be proud to have this named after him. The scrambled eggs are creamy, the bacon salty and crispy, and the mozzarella cheese gooey enough to hold it all together.
- Shrimp: Normally cheese and seafood aren’t friends, but they work beautifully in this empanada. The shrimp can be slightly overcooked, but the flavor is spot on.
- Chicken & Mushroom: There’s nothing wrong with this version, but compared to the others, it just doesn’t stand out. The chicken is a bit tough and bland, though the sauteed mushrooms add an earthy, sweet accent.
As noted above, the vegetarian options are arguably the most flavorful of the bunch (after the standout beef). The Veggie Empanada is packed with rich cream cheese, giving it that craveable gooey factor. Corn adds sweetness to balance the spinach and mushrooms. The Corn Empanda is cheese forward as well, with the sweet pops from the fresh kernels cutting through the saltiness of the melty cheese.
How well the empanadas are filled varies by filling. Some are completely stuffed; others have air pockets. But they all come with a brilliant, tomato-forward salsa that adds a bright, acidic touch to each bite.
It’s not all empanadas at Las Chilenas, however. There are several breads and desserts, including alfajores and tortas, to go along with a few other savory options.
The Churrasco Italiano is close to being a fantastic sandwich. The homemade bread is wonderful; it’s thin, but has good structure and holds up very well considering the mountain of ingredients Las Chilenas puts inside of it. The steak is sliced thin, resulting in a tender, easy-to-bite-though piece of meat, and it’s seasoned well.
The freshly-smashed avocado adds a creamy, fatty consistency, while the housemade mayo is rich and tangy. They taste excellent, but the ratios are a bit of a problem. There’s so much of the two that they billow out of the sandwich each time you take a bite and overwhelm the flavor a bit; cutting back on those two ingredients 30% would do wonders. But even as is, this napkin-killer of a sandwich is delicious.
The same is true of the Completo Italian, a hot dog inside a homemade bun that is drowning in mayo. If the ratios were a bit more balanced, these items would be even tastier than they already are.
Las Chilenas also has several coffee drinks and makes its coffee fresh each morning. The coffee has a dark bitter taste with a creamy finish. Most of the drinks, including the lattes, are more coffee than dairy or syrup forward.
The shop is pleasant and happy with light bouncing in through large windows and colorful, playful wall colors. The walls are also adorned with unique work from local artists, and there are several different types of seating available, from cozy couches and chairs to traditional table and high tops.
Las Chilenas is a very welcome addition to Omaha’s food scene. There’s nothing quite like these empanadas in the market, and the sisters’ excitement to bring their cuisine to Omaha is evident. There’s a lot of love that goes into this food, and after two years of hustling, the sisters are bringing something new (and needed) to Omaha.