"Half Moon Empanadas" Are Full Of Tasty Goodness

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - "Half Moon Empanadas" is the only artisanal all-empanada company in the Miami.

Pilar Guzman Zavala and her husband Juan created the concept in 2008 and now have eight locations in South Florida.

"We have three locations at UM, we have one at FIU, one at Miami International Airport and Sawgrass and here," Pilar Guzman Zavala told Lisa Petrillo as they stood in the kitchen of their production facility in the MIMO District just east of 79th Street.

At "Half Moon" you can eat in, take out or get it delivered.

"We are grab and go empanadas. We have more than 20 flavors, we make the empanadas from scratch," said Guzman Zavala. "Nobody does this, a few actually make the dough. We make the fillings in-house. Everything is made in-house."

Because they are made to order, customers can customize their selections.

Petrillo did just that with chicken, beans, three cheeses, onions, tomatoes, peppers and chimichurri.

"This is magic right here. It's the ultimate comfort food. The chicken is super moist, the cheese is gooey and then dough on the outside is like a warm hug," she after taking a bite.

Next up was one with the "Half Moon" special ground beef, mozzarella, pinto beans, olives, pepperoni and hot sauce.

"The ground beef is super tender and has a kittle lick in it which I like," said Petrillo.

Next up was a top seller - the classic chicken empanada.

"There's a party going on here with these empanadas," said Petrillo. "These are $3.25 each or $8.75 for half-dozen, let me tell you something, this is a steal."

Half Moon Empanadas is open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is one grab and go you don't want to miss.

CBS4's Lisa Petrillo would love to hear from you. Please send us a suggestion for your #HiddenGems spot at tasteofthetown@cbs.com. You can also contact Lisa through Twitter or Facebook.