Nicely Compact: Behind the Scenes in the Nuchas Times Square Kiosk

By: Finance Foodie

If you've visited the Times Square area lately, you may have seen or smelled the Nuchas kiosk on the streets. Created by Argentine-born Ariel Barbouth, along with chef German Lucarelli, these uniquely flavored empanadas (and extras!) offer a South American flair baked into every bite.

The Kiosk

Since I seem to find myself in NYC more and more these days (do I even go to class in Philly? all signs say no), I decided to take the Nuchas' people up on their offer for a behind the scenes look of their recently opened kiosk smack dab in the middle of all the action on 44th and Broadway. As I prepare for my trip to South America over this winter break, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to give my taste buds a sneak preview of the cuisine I soon will be experiencing very soon South of the Border.

Feeding hungry customers - one empanada at a time

As I walked in the little kiosk, fearing my clausterphobia would act up, I was surprised that it was much more roomy than expected.  The kiosk seemed to be constantly busy (even though we had passed the lunch time rush hour) - luckily all of the empanadas are pre-made in the morning, so all we had to do is pop a tray in the oven for 8 minutes and watch it cook!

Empanadas - the before

As we waited for the of empanadas to bake, I took the opportunity to snack on some medialunas (Argentine croissants). FYI: these were a lot sweeter and denser than the traditional French croissants.

Medialunas

BAM! All done - look at that lovely batch of fresh out of the oven empanadas (don't worry - these weren't for sale - one look at all the fur I was swathed in and the employees told me to keep that batch for myself)!

All mine!

Here are the boxed up empanada for my trip home - one of each flavor. Even though the best seller is the original Argentine (ground beef, onions, peppers, olives and potatoes baked in white dough), my favorite was Portobello (portobello mushroom, spinach, onion, mozzarella baked in spinach dough).

All ready to go!

Nuchas hasn't been around long (the kiosk was opened only about a month ago), but these bite sized babies have become super popular (average empanada sell-thru: ~1,000 per day). So the next time you find yourself in Times Square, hungry and looking for gourmet on the go - look no further than the Nuchas kiosk!

Nuchas
Broadway Plaza
New York, NY 10036
(646) 477-8247