My First Take at Empanada House by Sweet Octopus

Empanda House by Sweet Octopus

I was not aware that Sweet Octopus was in the process of opening up in historic Duluth until I read about ti on the ALJC. That said, It threw me by surprise considering I am not a 5 min drive away from the location. Reading about this, they did mention the types of restaurants that were a part of this establishment and It appears I have a lot of writing ahead of me to explain each brand. In the meantime though, being the cafe hopper that I am – I wanted to go here simply to get some work done and try their cafe area.

Daral (the YAM) went ahead of me and shot me a photo of the Sushi Doughnut he had by Poke Burri downstairs. That alone was enough to get me intrigued by that place – but that’s another article for another time.

AMAZING EMPANADAS AND COFFEE

Running upstairs this place looked very well built and had the coziness of a cafe with a light bar feel. The upstairs area seems to be owned by a couple who combined bubble tea, coffee, empanadas, and fruit drinks. As unique and diverse as that is, w decided to give the empanadas a try. Expecting a fried dish, I was shocked that this was baked like a pastry and very flaky and soft.

The inside ingredients had a ton of love and attention which I could tell and I just tried the traditional. Daral had the bulgogi beef and really loved it.

Friendly Staff

The staff was very candid with me about the fact that they are new and working on better processes but so far they were extremely helpful at answering my 100 questions.

Affordable Coffee

One thing I gotta say is that the coffee here is done well and is much more affordable than other cafes that I normally work in. a large latte here will cost you around $2.50 which is a killer deal. The coffee was to my liking and the owners were very easy going to talk to and get more information about it.

Altogether, I will be back here for sure to learn more about the concept so stay tuned. In the meantime, for people like me who love to study or work in cafes – this is a great stop. Not only are you getting the cafe feel and look but your getting affordable coffee and the opportunity to get your snacks and dishes all in one place. This eliminates the need to leave the cafe, find food and return later to find your seat taken. I love the idea of a cafe inside of a restaurant and frankly, I wish more would do this and follow this Empanada House way.