Hidden Gem and Unassuming is exactly how I'd describe El Criollo Restaurant in Dracut. Last night…read morewas date night with my two girlfriends and we met up with some of our foodie friends for another food adventure--this time, it took us to the Caribbean. Criollo is located in a small strip mall and doesn't look like much from the outside, but as soon as you open the doors you know you're in for a treat. The decor is polished and cozy with a nice bar area; the kitchen is semi-open so you can see the flames as your food is firing. They have fantastic Caribbean and Puerto Rican fare with beautiful, thoughtfully crafted cocktails. Everything was fantastic from start to finish. Here were some of the highlights: -Chicharron: crispy pork belly bites, need I say more -Alcapurria jueyes (Fried crab fritters): golden, crispy fritter with a crunchy exterior and soft, savory inside with flavorful crab filling. The fresh bites from the onion slaw were a nice touch with these. -Chicken empanadas: dip these in the pink sauce with a touch of their spicy sauce and you're in heaven. Slightly crisp and flaky exterior with a tender, chewy bite, perfect for holding the delicious filling. -Mofongo with shrimp and garlic sauce: if you've never tried garlic sauce on Mofongo, I highly suggest it. It's creamy and garlicky in all the right ways. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and the Mofongo brought me right back to my trip to Puerto Rico where I first fell in love with it. -Churros: truly the best ones I ever had. It was a last minute add on because "why not!" and the best decision! We made reservations for 6:30pm and when we arrived it wasn't overly busy, but by the time we left every table was filled. And that's no surprise based on our experience.

Small restaurant packing flavors. Enjoyed the food here. Didn't get a chance to snap pictures of…read morethe empanadas or alcapurria de cangrejo (really good - with crab meat). Some of the other dishes from our party are attached. They're also known for their mofongos (trifongo was perfect). I will say that the portions are huge. Pricing is a little high for some of their items, as others have stated.

Really good empanadas, lots of selection for fillings. Try them all, even if it sounds like…read moresomething you wouldn't like. Pastelon ones are fantastic, and they have more basic choices (pizza, ham and cheese, etc) if you have picky eaters. On top of the empanadas, we had both a Cuban and the Jibarito sandwich and they were fantastic. Great prices, quick, easy. Can't ask for much more.

Ordered for an office meeting and everyone thought the food was good. I order the burrimongo which…read moreis burrito filling wrapped with mofongo instead of a tortilla. Im actually from northern Va/DC area where I've tried various mofongo dishes, some good and some just meh, so for me, I felt the mofongo tasted meh...it lacked flavor or seasoning. I mean it was ok IMO but I probably would order something different next time.

I ordered the rice bowls from the catering menu. 10-15 people…read morethere was tons of food with leftovers. it was cooked to perfection, we picked it up and put it right on the table. So easy and delicious we also got some empanadas, chipotle chicken, they were the best i've ever had! I highly recommend trying this place I forgot to take pictures because everyone was diving in!!

First time there. Found online. Owner told me, after I order…read morethe steak tacos, that they would be the best I've ever had and they are in fact the best in the world. Well. Not sure about the world, but hands down, the best steak tacos I've ever had. Took 15 min to prepare and worth every second. Every bite was delicious. If you haven't been there, get there!! You are missing the best food around. I will be back without a doubt. I can't wait to to try the rest of the menu.

I've been eyeing this place on my delivery app for a while and I finally ordered last night. The…read moremenu has so many tasty sounding dishes that it was hard to decide what to order, but I eventually decided on the ham and cheese sandwich, fried chicken and sweet plantains, beef/onions and rice with pigeon peas, and alcapurria. They offer different sizes for the meals so I chose small portions of each to try a few different options, but each helping was still quite large! The total for all of this food ended up being around $25 also so it was an amazing deal. The food itself was AMAZING: Ham and cheese sandwich - with lettuce, tomato, onions, and mayo, this sounds basic but it was SO GOOD. The bread was pressed down and nice and toasty, and the proportions of the ingredients were just spot on. A really great and affordable hot sandwich! Fried chicken and sweet plantains - the chicken was a little older since I ordered at the end of the day, but there was still enough moisture in it that it wasn't dry. The batter was also really well seasoned with different herbs and spices - it had a really nice rounded flavor rather than just being salty. The plantains were also nice and caramelized - a perfect sweet bite! Beef/onions and rice with pigeon peas - The beef was a little bit dry but still full of flavor and felt like it had been cooking in the sauce for a while so it was pretty tender. The rice and pigeon peas were really really good though - I will likely choose this as my side moving forward. Not sure how to describe it but it was really flavored with spices but not overly powerful in any direction. Really delicious rice. Alcapurria - My favorite! I had these in Puerto Rico and this version was nicely crisped with a ton of flavored minced meat in the center. The texture was spot on and just so savory and memorable. I want to go back to try the chicharrons, the tres leches cake, the chicken stew, the empanadas, and so many more things on this menu. It's really a gold mine for dishes and so so so delicious!

Man I haven't been to this place in over 12-15 years. On the way home we felt like eating some…read moreauthentic Caribbean food so we stopped in. Place is under different management but the food still hits! Service was great also.Definitely will be back in the near future.

I may have died and gone to Heaven I have found the Best…read moreEmpanadas in Springfield and can't wait to try the Cuban. Affordable and well worth the wait

This place is absolutely amazing. If you want to go to Puerto Rico just come here and the food will…read morebring you there. I went on a Saturday during lunchtime, and I was blown away with the crazy amounts of people coming in. Service was absolutely amazing. Every worker was super friendly. The line moved fast with the number of workers they have. The first bite of the rice and beans was heaven. It brought me back to my grandmother's cooking. They have so many choices of authentic Puerto Rican food. This place is 2 hours away from my house but I guarantee you I'll be coming here quite often. They have seating but like I said first come first serve. Get in here before any rush hours and you'll be ok. They have a great amount of breads as well as Spanish pastries. The amount of food you get for what you pay is crazy. I ordered rice and lentils, with red beans, and roasted pork. It was literally enough for lunch and dinner or two people. This was dine in, not sure how much you get for takeout. Smart me I ordered my kids there own meal which had to be taken home as well. This is a definite go-to spot for Puerto Rican food. The location isn't in the best of towns, but everyone there was friendly and there to chow down.

Pastelillos and Alcapurrias pork and chicken kebobs (pinchos) so many ways it can go wrong but this…read moreplace make them so delicious! The owners and their employees are always so respectful and friendly to their patrons... Great place to go for a quick snack love the food!

This place has the absolute dirtiest food style there is..I saw mice droppings near the food!! They…read moreuse left over food thats is days old..The people are also extremely dirty..There was a dead roach in one of the boxes they gave us..Please do yourself a favor and stay far far away ...

They never disappoint! There's a large variety of choices on the menu that are full of flavor,…read moreemployees are cheerful and friendly and it's always ready on time for pick up orders. We go here often!

This establishment feels like home. Cozy inside with that…read moreauthentic decor. Food was amazing and tasty. The young lady that served us was polite and nice. Can't wait to go back. Plenty of parking. I used maps to get there and it brought us around another building . Don't panic just drive around .

There is no dispute about how tasty this place is. Every bite tastes homemade, so you know it's…read moremade with love. They didn't have everything on the menu when we went and honestly that's okay, because just about everything looked and smelled good. It seems like someone's aunty is just cranking out whatever she does well and you've got to appreciate that. We got the pork dinners which come with salad, rice and beans. The rice was on point. The pork was delicious too and filled with flavor. Some other reviewers suggested that the meats can be dry. This was our experience, but it's likely how the food is being stored and not how it's prepared. It was still good and a decent bang for your buck, so check it out. We also enjoyed beef empanadas that were served hot and crispy with tons of juicy meat inside. The owners were really friendly and outgoing, joking and being playful with customers. It makes for a welcoming environment. We will go back.

Super friendly owner and the food is straight fire!!! Especially love the fried chicken platter!read more

Very friendly staff and very clean. A nice old school cafe with modern features. The coffee is…read moreunder 2 dollars and you can get food for under $10. The coffee was bomb especially for drip. The fish cake and the pork were spectacular. I truly wonderfull hidden gem.

Great Puerto Rican food, a big selection on the menu and excellent service! Best plantains in Bostonread more

Absolutely amazing food. Menu is small but everything we had was authentic and delicious. They even…read moremade me chuleta kan kan pork chops that they normally only serve Thursdays and Fridays. Trust me they are a must try. Rich deep flavor crisp outside yet still moist inside. The yellow rice is extremely flavorful cooked perfectly. The pernil was seasoned perfectly through and through flavor burst in every bite not overly moist like most. The arepas were flavorful and deliciously seasoned crunchy and authentic. The yucca also had such a good taste almost like onion potatoes. Finally the flan was one of the best examples of authentic flan I've had anywhere creamy rich caramel flavor. Very well done. It's an awesome family owned/run place and there are only maybe 5 tables. Highly recommend! Must try!

I walked in and immediately was brought to PR with the food and art. The empanadas were delicious…read moreand the service was so wonderful! I would go over and over, it's a fun vibe.