TV Restaurants

Is Maria Empanada Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 23 Denver, Colorado

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Maria Empanada is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 2026.

What the source shows: Maria Empanada's own website lists 1700 Platte Street among its current Denver locations, and Yelp's listing for that address, updated August 2026, independently shows active reviews and current hours. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? 2 episodes

Part 1 — Season 23, Episode 9 Aired

On the September 2015 episode 'By Hand and By Fork,' Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Maria Empanada, an Argentine empanada shop in Denver's Riverfront/Platte Street area. The segment centered on the shop's hand-folded empanadas, crimped to order in a range of sweet and savory fillings drawn from owner Lorena Cantarovici's family recipes. Maria Empanada's Platte Street storefront was one of its earliest locations, in what has since grown into a small local chain with several Denver-area shops. According to the restaurant's own website, the 1700 Platte Street shop is listed among its current Denver locations, and a Yelp listing for that address, updated in August 2026, shows the shop keeping hours of roughly 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Part 2 — Season 34, Episode 5 Aired

Maria Empanada, an Argentine bakery-cafe on South Broadway in Denver run by Lorena Cantarovici, contributed empanadas to the June 2021 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode 'Takeout: Shipped, Sweet & Savory' (S34E5), according to Food Network's episode description, which paired the Denver stop with Cajun food from Los Angeles, crepes from Las Vegas, and barbecue from Taylor, Texas in the same takeout-themed show. Maria Empanada makes as many as 1,500 empanadas a day, filled with beef, chicken, spinach, corn, and other ingredients, and the business has grown to locations in Denver and Aurora, according to Westword.

The episodes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Episode 9
Aired
Title: By Hand and By Fork · What was featured: Argentine-style empanadas folded and crimped by hand
Season 34, Episode 5
Aired
Title: Takeout: Shipped, Sweet & Savory · What was featured: empanadas made in-house at up to 1,500 a day
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 4 references

  1. mariaempanada.com https://www.mariaempanada.com/find-us
  2. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/maria-empanada-denver-5
  3. foodnetwork.com https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/episodes/takeout-shipped-sweet-and-savory
  4. westword.com https://www.westword.com/food-drink/maria-empanada-to-appear-on-diners-drive-ins-and-dives-this-friday-7175506/
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Record ddd-0825 · checked by Cal Marchetti.