Mi Antojo is the new empanada shop in Kansas City, Kansas

Mirelly Cevallos, a native of Pachuca, Mexico, moved to the Kansas City area 13 years ago but missed the distinctive empanadas of her homeland. In  September, Cevallos opened Mi Antojo Pastes and Empanadas at 7551 State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas.

The storefront restaurant offers a variety of empanadas – single-serving turnover-style pastries with both sweet and savory fillings – both traditional and “premium” versions. (The latter list includes a mole verde chicken empanada and an Italiano version filled with Italian sausage, potato and peppers.) Cevallos also serves three different soups each day (the sopa de fideo was delicious) as well as fruit smoothies and several dessert empanadas.

There’s a small, pistachio-colored dining area in the shop, but Cevallos says much of her business is carry-out. The traditional empanada list offers one meatless option (spinach and cream cheese) and six meaty choices, including a spicy chorizo and cheese pastry and a ham-cheese-pineapple combination that looked and tasted as if it had been made with chopped-up hot dogs. I ate it anyway.

Cevallos says the restaurant’s name, Mi Antojo, translates as “my craving.” The cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and from 9 to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Mi Antojo is closed on Sunday.