Empanada Mama Hell’s Kitchen
Latin American restaurant · 765 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019, United States · United States
★ 4.4 on Google · 5,773 reviews · View on Google Maps
Manipulation score
CleanCompleted Jul 15, 2026 · 98 reviews flagged
How this score works
The score estimates how strongly this place's review record matches known manipulation patterns, from 0 (no signs) to 100. Verdicts: Clean below 40, Suspicious from 40, Likely Manipulated from 70. It rises with the share of reviews flagged and how suspicious each one is.
- Burst
- — an abnormal spike of five-star reviews in a single day compared to the place's usual pace.
- Low activity account
- — the reviewer has almost no other reviews, photos, or Local Guide history; throwaway accounts look like this.
- Duplicate text
- — the wording is nearly identical to another review of the same place.
Verdicts are statistical estimates based on public review patterns, not accusations.
Review anatomy
Reviews examined
1,000
Flagged
98
10% of examined
Flagged avg rating
4.1★
place average 4.4★
Reviews per month
| Month | Reviews | Flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Jul ’24 | 4 | 1 |
| Aug ’24 | 45 | 6 |
| Sep ’24 | 39 | 4 |
| Oct ’24 | 53 | 8 |
| Nov ’24 | 38 | 3 |
| Dec ’24 | 33 | 2 |
| Jan ’25 | 32 | 3 |
| Feb ’25 | 35 | 2 |
| Mar ’25 | 43 | 2 |
| Apr ’25 | 44 | 5 |
| May ’25 | 53 | 1 |
| Jun ’25 | 54 | 7 |
| Jul ’25 | 44 | 5 |
| Aug ’25 | 45 | 3 |
| Sep ’25 | 44 | 2 |
| Oct ’25 | 42 | 4 |
| Nov ’25 | 44 | 5 |
| Dec ’25 | 45 | 7 |
| Jan ’26 | 53 | 6 |
| Feb ’26 | 25 | 4 |
| Mar ’26 | 41 | 4 |
| Apr ’26 | 48 | 4 |
| May ’26 | 37 | 3 |
| Jun ’26 | 38 | 4 |
| Jul ’26 | 21 | 3 |
Rating distribution
Evidence
- burst 4 five-star reviews on 2024-08-07 vs avg 0.4/day weight 1
- low activity account 81 reviews flagged weight 0.8
- duplicate text 13 reviews flagged weight 0.9
Flagged reviews
Exhibit — 3 reviews, near-identical wording
Great food and fabulous service! 5/5!
- Kevin McCarthy ★★★★★ 2024-09-15 suspicion 63
- Eclipse ★★★★★ 2025-04-02 suspicion 63
- Sebastian Terrones ★★★★★ 2025-10-19 suspicion 63
Exhibit — 2 reviews, near-identical wording
Excellent, delicious empanadas!
- Noa Kirkham. ★★★★★ 2024-08-13 suspicion 62
- Jesica Lencina ★★★★★ 2026-05-24 suspicion 62
Exhibit — 2 reviews, near-identical wording
Delicious empanadas and the juices are exquisite.
- Akenaton KEOPS ★★★★★ 2024-10-21 suspicion 57
- javi Zuaznabar ★★★★★ 2026-05-07 suspicion 57
Exhibit — 2 reviews, near-identical wording
Best empanadas on NY
- Leandro Mendoza castro ★★★★★ 2025-05-10 suspicion 54
- Giorgio Ricciardiello ★★★★★ 2026-01-31 suspicion 54
Exhibit — 2 reviews, near-identical wording
Delicious empanadas and drinks, great service
- mira srz ★★★★★ 2024-10-31 suspicion 55
- Cristopher Guevara ★★★★★ 2025-12-29 suspicion 55
Exhibit — 2 reviews, near-identical wording
A must visit every time I’m in the city!
- Julie C ★★★★★ 2025-06-21 suspicion 56
- Michael Feeney ★★★★★ 2025-12-28 suspicion 56
Showing the 10 most suspicious of 85 remaining flagged reviews.
Trey Farrow
30 reviews · Local Guide
★★★★★
2024-08-07
The food was great and the vibe was really fun.
Édrian J. Gary
19 reviews · Local Guide
★★★★★
2024-08-07
alvin chandar
7 reviews
★★★★★
2024-08-07
Good
Yeyo Legorreta
43 reviews · Local Guide
★★★★★
2024-08-07
The empanadas are amazing. It's great to know it's open at night and not expensive, especially for dinner after the theater.
Amine Jafine
1 review
★☆☆☆☆
2026-07-05
Security and other team member was extremely rude and showed no concern for the business or guest experience. Hospitality may not be the right industry for him if this behavior continues.
Thomas Harris IV
2 reviews
★☆☆☆☆
2026-07-05
DO NOT GO HERE IF BLACK!!! I a black man was craving empanadas after my work shift today which ended late so this restaurant was the only on open. I went to the front and ask him I could sit down. They said yes. I sat near the front and waited an HOUR to be served. Many servers passed me by to serv...
Sebastian Ortiz
1 review
★☆☆☆☆
2026-07-01
I went to the restaurant to take some photos and see what so many people have been saying about the place, but as an American, I feel embarrassed to see our flag in pink. A restaurant that’s always so busy and serves good food should be a pleasant and representative place, but when I went there, I f...
Raul Berrios
1 review
★★★★★
2026-06-21
Kristin Ross
2 reviews
★★★★★
2026-06-05
ZOKIR ELOMOV
activity unknown
★★★★★
2026-05-07
Report generated Jul 15, 2026. Reviews change — you can request a fresh investigation.
More investigations in United States
Air Temp Service Co. Inc.
51Little Falls Township · United States
Suspicious
The Hill
20Closter · United States
Clean
Namkeen
59Milton · United States
Suspicious
NEP Cafe - Irvine
18Irvine · United States
Clean
Mississippi Title Loans, Inc.
70Starkville · United States
Likely Manipulated
Sambal Thai & Malay
69Irvington · United States
Suspicious