5411 Empanadas, a Chicago area empanada restaurant, has plans to open up shop on Davis Street this spring. 

5411 was named after the international dialing code for Buenos Aires, Argentina, the owners’ home city. The company originated as a food truck in Chicago in 2009 and opened its first permanent location on Clark Street in Chicago in 2012.

General Manager Tomas Ovejero said the restaurant plans to open the new store at 809 Davis St. by the end of March. He said it’s important for the company to bring a piece of Argentinian culture to Evanston. 

Empanadas are a type of either baked or fried turnover of Spanish origin that usually include fillings with a pastry wrapping. The dish is common within many Latin American countries.

“Our main goal is for everyone to be able to know what a baked Argentinian empanada is,” Ovejero said. “What makes us stand out is our different fillings.” 

5411 Empanadas offers 16 different fillings, with savory options including beef and spinach and cheese empanadas, to sweet options like banana nutella. 

The company launched a delivery service in 2020 to ship frozen empanadas across the country. Leticia Perez, the Evanston location’s general manager and store director, said the restaurant decided to open in Evanston because many of its delivery orders came from the Chicago suburbs. 

“Once those doors open, it’ll bring a little bit of heaven to all of our potential customers,” Perez said. 

Perez said the restaurant aims to extend the company’s outreach to college students in the area. 

The new spot in Evanston will be the company’s fourth location in the Chicago area. 5411 Empanadas has two locations in the Lakeview area and one in Wicker Park. Perez said it also has two stores in Houston and hopes to open more locations in the Chicago suburbs. 

”Chicago is where 5411 was born, so the opening of a new location nearby is something that we look forward to,” Perez said. 

Owner Nicolas Ibarzabal (Communication ’07) said the restaurant plans to offer free empanadas around lunch time on the opening day. 

“The goal for us is to get a little piece of our culture into Evanston,” Ibarzabal said. “Empanadas for us in Argentina is a main food for when we get together. We really want to bring a part of us to Evanston.”

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