The Empanada's Box is finally putting down permanent roots at Findlay Market, moving into a full-time storefront at 1819 Elm Street after years of bouncing between pop-up kitchens, a Covington storefront, and a temporary Elm Street space. The family-run business, known for South American and international flavors, plans to introduce an expanded menu, hand-crafted cocktails, and traditional entrees once it settles into the new address.
As Cincinnati CityBeat reports, the new location sits just a few doors down from the business's current spot in the market district. Founders Diego, Fabiana and Lucas Nuñez said the larger location will allow the business to build on what guests love, according to the outlet. The move caps a growth story that began at Findlay Kitchen in 2020, before the business operated out of a temporary Findlay Launch space on Elm Street.
From Shared Kitchen to Standalone Restaurant
The Empanada's Box was the first resident of the Findlay Launch storefront accelerator program, a distinction that set the stage for its later expansion. Founder Diego Nuñez, a native of Buenos Aires, built the concept around his grandfather's Buenos Aires-style ground beef empanada recipe alongside globally inspired variations like Jamaican jerk chicken, Lebanese spiced beef with lemon, and Chicago-style pepperoni, according to Cincinnati Magazine. That accelerator residency, launched in 2021, pairs early-stage food businesses with move-in-ready storefronts for 9-to-15-month stints alongside a 9-week business education curriculum, per Movers & Makers.
The business graduated from that first Findlay Launch residency in June 2022 to open its first standalone restaurant at 212 W. Pike Street in Covington, Kentucky, per the same Cincinnati Magazine account. It later rejoined Findlay Market and moved into its second location on Elm Street in 2025 before this latest expansion. Jordon Kuhn said the larger space will let The Empanada's Box share more food and culture with the community, per the CityBeat report, and the business also plans to provide space for events and gatherings.
A Storefront With History Across From the Market House
The 1819 Elm Street address carries its own local history. The storefront previously housed Southern restaurant Mighty Good: Meat 'n Three until its closure in March 2023, then served as a temporary home for historic vendor Eckerlin Meats during renovations to the market house, according to Cincinnati CityBeat. The address sits directly opposite that historic main market house, giving the new restaurant prime visibility in the district. Findlay Market announced a Grand Opening event at the address featuring formal remarks, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a champagne toast, and free empanadas for the first 100 guests.
Findlay Market itself has anchored Over-the-Rhine since it opened in 1855, and it remains the sole surviving municipal market house of nine that once operated in 19th-century Cincinnati, drawing more than one million visitors annually, according to the Lewis & Clark Trail. The Empanada's Box has grown alongside the market for more than six years, a trajectory the Corporation for Findlay Market is now trying to replicate at scale.
Part of a Bigger Push to Fund Food Entrepreneurs
Since launching in 2016, the Findlay Kitchen incubator has provided access to 14 licensed commercial kitchens and equipment, supporting more than 300 local food entrepreneurs, per data from the Project for Public Spaces. Nearly 43% of Findlay Market vendors have expanded operations after entering the market's programs, the organization notes. Those programs have also focused heavily on underrepresented founders — during the 2023 Taste of Cincinnati festival, 89% of Findlay Market-affiliated participants were BIPOC-owned businesses, according to WVXU.
The Corporation for Findlay Market launched a $21 million capital campaign called Findlay Forward this year, with $3.7 million earmarked specifically for expanding food entrepreneurship and accelerator facilities. Other concepts that have used the Findlay Launch accelerator to graduate into permanent storefronts include Cuban restaurant Chacabanas and Jamaican concept Jay's Nyam & Jam, both of which tested their concepts in Elm Street accelerator spaces, according to Movers & Makers. Hoodline previously covered Jay's Nyam & Jam's leap to a storefront, part of a broader wave of market vendors expanding into standalone Elm Street spaces this year.
