Morristown, New Jersey has a small fast food restaurant called Raul’s Empanadas Town. Their slogan is “The New Concept in International Fast Food” however, I tend to disagree with that. Their food should not be considered “fast food.” I think of fast food: as prepared in five minutes or less, tends to be average and generic, usually full of chemically engineered ingredients, and is rather unhealthy.
Raul’s Empanadas are not necessarily healthy. What can be healthy about deep fried dough filled with cheese? The food does not take 5 minutes to prepare, rather, about 20+ minutes. Without seeing every ingredient to be positive, I’m sure that Raul’s does not use organics and they don’t claim to either.
That’s not a bad thing, however. Raul’s food is excellent and I had an experience that definitely needs to be told.
I called Raul’s and asked them to fax a menu since they don’t have website and they said no problem. I waited for 2 hours and received no menu. I called back and asked again, but to no avail. I decided to just drive over the thirty minutes and order the food then instead of trying a third time for a menu.
Upon arriving to Raul’s, I quickly grabbed a menu, wrote down the 20 items that appealed to Lauren and myself. We hoped the order was enough to fill three stomachs for the weekend. I placed the order with Munah, a really sweet and bubbly employee at Raul’s.
We talked and I told her about how I found the place and what I do. It was a very pleasant experience. One of the cooks came out from the back and said they were out of the Casao empanada, also known as rice & beans so I switched it to another empanada instead.
After about 25 minutes, the food was ready and we left, eager to consume the deep fried goodness of melty cheeses and veggies.
Lauren and I finally arrived back at her apartment, thirty minutes later, with a bag full of Hummus, Spinach and Cheese, 5 Cheese, some plantains, Daniel, which consists of mixed veggies like spinach, broccoli, carrots, etc and 1 Rock (Ground Beef and Cheese) for Claudio, the non-vegetarian.
Lauren started to eat her empanada labeled Daniel and she immediately spit up the food. It was apparently mislabeled! I looked inside it and yes, it was full of beef. I cut open a bunch more of the empanadas, I noticed we were missing a few of the Daniel empanadas! Disappointed, I called Raul’s and talked to Munah and said I’ll be back in thirty minutes and explained what happened, in a sweet, calm voice.
I arrived at Raul’s and the food wasn’t even ready, I had to wait another 10 minutes for it to be ready. Munah apologized profusely and I left with a smile on my face, eager to consume these allegedly amazing empanadas.
Content and hungry, I finally sat down and ate the empanadas. Lauren already ate a few while I was gone. She just couldn’t resist!
The taste of deep fried goodness hit my mouth and I loved it. The food was excellent, even reheated the next few days. The cheese was awesome; the veggies were neither frozen nor generic-store-bought-tasting. The plantains were sweet and fresh. It was just what I expected. Handmade and bursting with flavor, the golden brown pockets filled my stomach and left me with a huge smile.
My favorite was definitely the Hummus empanada. It was homemade, creamy, with small chunks of chick peas and garlic. You need to try Raul’s and I will go back. I’m sure it was a mistake, but I will from now on, check my food before I drive 30 minutes home.
I’m leaving the most important part of Raul’s to the end. Try the homemade sauces. The creamy chipotle will blow you away. The smokiness of the Chipotle combined with the creamy base makes this sauce unbelievable. The habanero mango salsa is great as well and the milder salsa is hottttt! Raul should bottle the creamy chipotle sauce!
I decided to give Raul’s another shot and headed over Saturday night with Lori. The Hummus empanada is still my favorite, followed by the Spinach & Cheese. I took a few Daniel’s (the mixed veggie) to go and they hit the spot also. The service, this time, was excellent. Fast, steamy hot, fresh and perfectly cooked. Everything was labeled correctly and it was just what I expected.
With many vegetarian options, Raul’s is a hit. The next time you’re in the area of Morristown, stop into Raul’s. Hopefully Willa, Munah or Raul are in so you can talk to them. They are really nice people and Raul’s recipes for empanadas are outstanding.
Even if you don’t like empanadas, Raul’s may change your mind. If the food doesn’t, the décor full of subtle empanadas will at least grab your attention. Go there and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
They don’t have a website, but check out Off The Broiler for another opinion.
Call 973-285-5555 for Raul’s Empanadas Town.
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