A hand picks a baked empanada from a pink box of flavor-stamped Half Moon empanadas, next to an iced green drink and a latte

Half Moon Empanadas: Miami's Own Empanada Spot, Just Down 79th Street

Hungry before a sneaker run, or right after one? Half Moon Empanadas sits a short walk west of Shoe Gallery on the same side of 79th Street, and trust us, it's the kind of spot you walk past once and then keep coming back to. Golden, oven-baked empanadas, sweet and savory, plus coffee for the road. It's Miami-born, and it shows.

First Impressions & Vibe

Half Moon's motto is "Born in Miami. Made to Move," and that's the whole idea: food you can eat with one hand. No forks, no waiting around, just a warm empanada and maybe a coffee or a refresher to go. Look for the flavor name stamped right on the crust, so sharing a box is never a guessing game.

This shop has real neighborhood roots, too. When it opened in 2016, cofounder Juan Zavala told Miami New Times the 79th Street space was first picked as a production-only kitchen, and a pickup window was added because people in the area kept stopping by for empanadas. That's the Upper Eastside for you.

What to Order

Half Moon keeps it simple: the empanadas are all oven-baked, and the lineup covers every craving.

Baked empanadas stamped Classic Beef, Spicy Chicken, Pulled Pork and Guava & Cheese spread on pink with dipping sauces and drinks

  • The Cheesy Gaucho: a favorite in The Infatuation's 2021 review, loaded with ground beef, black beans, corn, bacon, mozzarella, asiago, provolone and chimichurri.
  • Meat: Classic Beef, Spicy Beef, Classic Chicken, Spicy Chicken, Ham & Cheese, Pulled Pork, and Bacon & Egg for the breakfast crowd.
  • Vegetarian: Spinach & Cheese and Three Cheese.
  • Sweet: Dulce de Leche, Hazelnut Cocoa, and Guava & Cheese.

Flavors can rotate, so check the menu when you order. Feeding the whole crew? Half Moon caters too, and empanadas need zero utensils.

The People Behind It

Half Moon is a real Miami hustle story. According to the company, its first store opened in Miami in 2008, in the middle of the financial crisis, and it didn't make it. Then the empanadas sold out at a street fair, a university offered a small kiosk, and the brand started going where people already were: campuses, hospitals and eventually airports. When the pandemic shut its locations in 2020, the team pivoted to preparing meals for hospitals and senior facilities.

Half Moon Empanadas team in pink and black shirts cheering in front of a colorful mural with the Half Moon logo and two empanadas

Today you'll find Half Moon from Miami to airport counters in Denver and Chicago, and the company says it's still owned and led by CEO Pilar Guzmán. Not bad for a brand that started with one struggling storefront.

Know Before You Go

Hours and menus change, so check the website before you head over.

Grab a box of empanadas, then head back east on 79th and make a day of it with a stop at Shoe Gallery. We'll be here.

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