It’s that time of year again: A full month of delicious and unique empanadas from Atlantic City’s Chelsea Neighborhood restaurants await your votes.
Chelsea Economic Development Corp. announced the 4th annual Empanada Challenge will be held once again throughout the month of September among 11 restaurants. A celebration and announcement of the overall winner will take place from 1-4 p.m. Oct. 7 at O’Donnell Memorial Park.
The contest was created in 2020 during the pandemic to encourage support of Chelsea’s local businesses while highlighting cultural diversity among Chelsea’s many neighborhood multicultural restaurants.
The Empanada Challenge contestant restaurants reflect the flavors and customs of El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Honduras and Colombia. These local businesses are well known in the Chelsea neighborhood, and the organizers are hopeful the 4th Annual Empanada Challenge will introduce people from throughout the region to the International Food District of Chelsea.
An Empanada Passport providing customers the opportunity to win a signature 2023 Empanada Challenge T-shirt by sampling empanadas from all participating restaurants will be offered again this year.
Empanada voters simply need to buy and taste an empanada from two or more (or all 11) of the participating restaurants anytime during the month of September, then cast their vote for their favorite at ChelseaEDC.org. Information about the restaurants and their unique empanadas is also on the site.
Participating restaurants include Boom Food Market, El Patron Restaurant & Bar, Mexico Restaurant & Bar, Queens, Rincón Catracho, Sabor Latino II and Sabor Salvadoreno. New contestants for 2023 include Good Dog Bar, La Parada del Borinqueño y Algo Mas, La Tia Peruvian Cuisine and Machu Picchu Peruvian Restaurant.
The winner’s event will include an on-site celebrity judges’ tasting, with local chefs voting for best presentation, best filling, best crust and best overall taste, along with free empanada samples for the public.
