Nothing brings co-workers together quite like food—especially when it’s delicious, unexpected, and just the right kind of messy. Whether you’re bribing the team to power through a Monday meeting, celebrating a big win, or simply making sure no one gets hangry, a great office lunch is always a good idea.

Enter Latin-inspired cuisine, especially empanadas—because who doesn't love a handheld pocket of joy? Here are 10 delicious catering ideas that will make your team forget about spreadsheets and emails, at least for a little while.

Empanada Platters: A Crowd-Pleasing Favorite

Empanadas are the office lunch superheroes—they are compact, flavorful, and can save you from boring salads. Golden and crispy pockets of joy are ready to brighten up busy days at work by being easily grasped and shoveled between emails (or when you pretend your camera does not work while on a Zoom call).

But they also have an impressive assortment of mouth-watering flavors. Here are a few:

Shredded Chicken: Succulent, seasoned to perfection, and bound to make you wonder how many dull chicken sandwiches were served to you over the years.
Spicy Beef: For all those thrill seekers! It'll shock your taste buds more sharply than that shot of morning coffee does.
Spinach & Cheese: A veggie delight by itself. You'd know; it's the perfect mix of creamy, cheesy, and, well, not a veggie.

Creative Serving Ideas for Empanada Platters

Flavor Parade: Line up empanadas by flavor so it's easy to grab and go without the random bite surprises.
Label It Up: Use bright, fun tags or mini flags for each type of filling so that no one has to play the guessing game.
Dip Like a Pro – Serve with tangy chimichurri, spicy aioli, or classic salsa for an added flavor. Bonus points for setting up a dip station with teeny-tiny sample spoons!

DIY Empanada Bar for Team Bonding

Set up an empanada-making station so that team members can customize their meals, laugh over their poor folding skills, and figure out who among them is truly an empanada-rolling queen or king. Just be ready for the argument over whether the answer to all questions is, in fact, more cheese.

Tips for Setting Up a DIY Empanada Bar

Provide a variety of savory and sweet fillings.
Include toppings like fresh herbs, shredded cheese, and house-made salsas.
Offer gluten-free and vegetarian dough options to accommodate dietary preferences.

A plate of fajitas with all the fixings: chips, salsa, guacamole, and tortillas.

Latin-Inspired Salad Bowls

Fresh, vibrant salads pair beautifully with empanadas and balance out the meal—because we all need some greens to convince ourselves we're being responsible. Here are some fabulous options:

Avocado and Corn Salad: creamy avocado, sweet corn, fresh lime dressing. Because guac isn't the only way to enjoy avocados!
Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl: A protein-filled, nutrient-packed option for a pretend-worked afternoon.
Classic Latin Caesar with Cotija Cheese: A new twist on the old favorite because croutons are just tiny, tasty little bread rewards.

How to Elevate a Simple Salad

Toss in crunchy plantain chips for the indulgent crunch—to think croutons have had all the fun.
Sprinkle spiced roasted nuts all over your salad; that is undoubtedly a flavorful and texturized punch with which your fork will happily agree.

Sweet Dessert Empanadas to End on a High Note

What is a fantastic meal without dessert? And let's be real, some of us only tolerate salads to get to that sweet ending. Impress your team with:

Belgian Chocolate & Banana Empanadas: Decadent and sinfully good that someone may "accidentally" find their way to the dessert table.
Guava & Cheese Empanadas: Because fruit and cheese have never tasted so good together.
Romeo and Juliet Empanadas: A Brazilian-inspired guava and cheese combo, proving that food, not just love, can be star-crossed yet delicious.

Pro Tip for Dessert Displays

Use elegant tiered trays for a visually appealing dessert presentation—because desserts deserve the red carpet treatment, too!
Pair with whipped cream or fresh fruit slices for an extra touch because nothing says "I’m fancy" like a dollop of cream on your empanada.

Fusion Latin Sandwiches for a Fresh Twist

Sandwiches are the office staple lunch, but when Latin flavors are added, they go from "meh" to "muy delicioso!" get ready for these bold flavors:

Cuban Sandwich: Pulled pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard—why settle for ham and cheese when you can have a full-on flavor fiesta?
Roasted Vegetable Sandwich: Vegetarian goodness, grilled vegetables, and a sprinkling of cotija cheese make this proof that being meat-free never has to mean being fun-free!

Seasonal Soup and Empanada Combos

Nothing is quite like a warm, comforting soup during the colder months. When the office feels like a walk-in freezer, it's time for soul-warming sustenance. And what better way to do that than with a steamy bowl of soup paired with a crispy, flavor-packed empanada?

Here's how to turn lunchtime into a cozy culinary retreat:

Black Bean Soup: Rich, hearty, and full of flavor. Think of it as a hug in a bowl—without the awkward lingering.
Chicken Tortilla Soup: Spicy, zesty, and sure to clear out those sinuses and wake you up. Forget it's only Wednesday.

A variety of colorful cocktails in different glasses on a table served at Empanada Mama.

Fun Beverage Stations for Refreshing Pairings

Nothing seems to wash well with a lovely empanada like a gulp of something soothing—unless, of course, you enjoy the pains of dry mouths, which everyone hates. Try to set up a beverage bar with Latin beverages like:

Horchata: A sweetened rice milk flavor with cinnamon to satisfy your love for coffee, not during its "siesta," but all hours.
Tamarind Juice: A sour and fun one that lets your taste buds do the samba.
Fresh Fruit Agua Frescas: Seasonal fruits such as mango, watermelon, and pineapple.

Make sure to have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage options for your co-workers.

Tips for a Creative Beverage Station

Reusable cups for sustainability.
Lime wedges, mint sprigs, or fruit slices make it a showpiece.

How Empanada Mama Can Cater to Diverse Diets

With Time Square’s favorite Latin place, Empanada Mama, no party member needs to be left behind with the options below:

Gluten-free empanadas on request. Even those who fear gluten will join in on the fun.
Vegetarian empanadas with creative fillers because "boring" and "veggie" should never appear in the same sentence.

A delicious spread of empanadas, perfect for a satisfying meal.

Partnering with Local Catering Services for Hassle-Free Lunches

Why bother managing catering logistics when you can be enjoying the feast? Work with a reliable caterer like Empanada Mama. Let us do the heavy lifting.

Catering Services Include:

Prearranged platters stacked full of an array of empanadas and sides, where indecision is the only real problem.
Customizable menus to fit your office's dietary quirks—because Karen's dairy-free, Bob's gluten-free, and Sam's on a high-protein kick.
Convenient delivery options so you can focus on what matters: securing the last chocolate empanada before Steve from accounting gets to it.

Last Bite

A fed office is a happy office, and let's be honest, nobody's ever been the change anyone's looking to see in someone while running on fumes. Latin-inspired catering, especially empanadas, brings that sense of joy into an otherwise terrifying Monday morning conference call.

With Empanada Mama, the top-notch flavor of your day arrives with absolutely zero stress-on-you-the-planning-committee; the hard part should be deciding between Spicy Beef and Guava & Cheese. So, ditch the sad desk lunches, bring on the empanada feast, and make office lunches worth marking on the calendar. Get our catering service now.

10 Office Lunch Catering Ideas to Impress Your Team