Empanada specialty store in Kagoshima offers 12 types with original ingredients

The owner Diego welcoming customers

Two months have passed since Para ti, a takeout store specializing in empanadas, opened in Meiwa, Kagoshima City.

Sanabria Diego, a native of Paraguay, opened the business in October this year. Diego has promoted and sold empanadas through language instruction, cross-cultural exchange at schools, and event organization. For the past five to six years, he has wanted to popularize empanadas in Japan, which led to the opening of the store.

The store has a floor space of about 40 square meters, and Latin music fills the red-themed space. The kitchen is located behind the counter, and it serves empanadas takeout only. The store name “Para ti” means “For you” in Spanish, and it expresses Diego’s idea of “serving new and delicious food for customers that they have never had before.”

“Empanadas are soul food that is eaten on a daily basis in Latin America and Spain,” says Diego. They are made by wrapping meat, ham, cheese, and other ingredients in dough and deep frying or baking them in the oven. Diego mixes his own spices and vegetables to make original empanadas, just as they do in Latin American countries.

Para ti offers 12 types of empanadas, changing weekly, including Argentine-style Criolla with ground meat, eggs, and spices; Spanish-style Gallega with tuna, vegetables, eggs, and spices; and spicy Pica Mucho with ground meat, kidney beans, and spices. The price is 250 yen per piece. Diego recommends the Pollo and Paraguaya, which allow customers to enjoy the authentic taste of empanadas.

Diego added, “If you haven’t tried empanadas yet, please come and give them a try.”

Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Closed on Mondays. Three parking spaces are available approximately 30 meters away from the store.