Paula Tejeda can tell you all about the empanada scene – or lack thereof – in San Francisco, circa 1995. That’s when she and her then-husband, Dennis, took over Chile Lindo, a small Chilean restaurant in the heart of the Mission District.
“The previous owner said you’re going to have to learn how to make pupusas because nobody will buy empanadas here,” Tejeda recalled with a smile.
It might have taken more than a decade, but shops dedicated to South American-style empanadas are finally having their turn in the Mission and beyond.