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The empanadas that improved a day of airport delays.

The first delay switched my flight to Chicago from gate N to D, the second nudged it well past lunchtime, sending me in search of some food for my family. I generally avoid eating at the airport for the usual reasons—it’s expensive, rarely good, and often heavy. At the airport, taste buds tend to begrudgingly sleepwalk, but Neighborhood Bubble Tea & Coffee’s empanadas shook mine awake.

I’m a snacky eater, especially when flying (my go-to airport purchase is a bag of Chex Mix). But, in an effort to keep spirits up, I stopped by Neighborhood for some colorful drinks for the kids and caffeine for the adults. The Tukwila Filipino breakfast spot doesn’t serve its full menu at the airport stand, just breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and a few little grab-and-go items. It turns out, that’s more than enough.

The beef and cilantro empanadas from Neighborhood are the first domestic airport meal I’ve ever thought back fondly upon. The flat, palm-size half-moons are almost more like dumplings than any of the (many) types of empanadas I’ve eaten before. The thin wrapper was crispy around the edges and pliable in the center, letting the flavor of the soft filling take centerstage with its herby, beefy, brightness.

When I mused out loud that my empanadas were so good I might need to write about them, my 9-year-old said, “Don’t forget to tell them about the Spam musubi.” She hadn’t saved me a bite, but since we got hit with one last delay before I’d finished my pandan latte with strawberry popping boba (airport drinks are a no-judgment zone, right?), we had plenty of time to go back for musubi refills before takeoff—and I’ve got no regrets about that.

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