Hidden Gem and Unassuming is exactly how I'd describe El Criollo Restaurant in Dracut. Last night was 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. read more

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Small restaurant packing flavors. Enjoyed the food here. Didn't get a chance to snap pictures of the 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. read more

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Hidden Gem! Amazing food! Definitely do not miss this restaurant. Recommend reservations for dinner, not a big space. read more

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Horrible waitress took over 20 minutes to bring drinks. Steak was ordered medium rare and brought it well done. The platano Maduro was burnt and the rice under cook. Will never go back!!!! read more

Small but very nice ambiance and the food is great! Good portions and the menu is diverse. The owners are super nice and the staff very friendly. Presentation of dishes are excellent. The flavors are really unique, with the definite Puerto Rico touch. Prices are reasonable for the amount of food you get. read more

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Service was excellent, beautiful PR restaurant, full bar and was fully staffed. Food was exactly what I was craving. It was screaming Miami. read more

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We dined here as a party of two and were disappointed overall. The restaurant was very cold, with only one space heater, which made it uncomfortable to sit and eat. The menu clearly listed margaritas at $15, but we were charged $32 for two. When we questioned it, we were told the menu had changed -- even though the menu we were given still showed the $15 price. This should have been communicated before ordering. An automatic 18% service charge was also added, making the final bill extremely high for just two people. Between the lack of pricing transparency and the uncomfortable dining temperature, it did not feel like good value. Additionally, $9 for small empanadas and $5 extra for avocado which usually comes with meals..felt excessive. Unfortunately, we would not return. read more

El Criollo Restaurant - Small empanadas - Caribbean Near Me - Dracut, Massachusetts

Amazing and authentic Boricua spot in MA! Being away from our beautiful Island is not easy at all, but having places like El Criollo bringing closer to us a little piece of our traditional cuisine to this corner or the world is priceless! We visited El Criollo for the first time recently and have to admit that we felt like eating in one of our delicious restaurants from our beloved "Patria". Starting with the drinks, my wife ordered a Piña Colada that was full of flavor and I ordered a Coconut Mojito that was absolutely delicious. Then, moving toward the appetizers, we ordered the traditional "alcapurrias" and the chicken empanadas. I have to admit that when I tried the "alcapurrias" I almost cry . They were so tasty and well prepared that reminded me the ones our grandmas used to made us when we were kids. The empanadas were also delicious, but I can't stop thinking about the "alcapurrias". Then, the main dishes! My wife ordered a "mofongo" with fried pork and I ordered a "trifongo" with "ropa vieja". Both the "mofongo" and "trifongo" were absolutely delicious, with pork crackle mixed inside it which enhanced their already great flavor. The fried pork was very good as well as the "ropa vieja", although I did not like the "ropa vieja" very much because it had a sweet taste that I wasn't fond of, but I am just judging it from my personal taste and not necessarily that the flavor was wrong at all. And, of course, it comes the desserts. We normally order one dessert to try but this time we ordered two, the passion fruit cheesecake and the guava bread pudding. Both were absolutely delicious and were a great way to finish our meal!! The place was very clean, organized, and inviting, although I think that it is too small, for which we highly recommend making reservations in advance so you don't have to wait for a table, although you may do so at the bar. Our server was very cordial and polite and she did a very good job taking our order and regularly checking how everything was going. In overall, amazing experience that we highly recommend to whoever wants to enjoy a taste of Puerto Rico without leaving this "warm" place that we call home now. Blessings to all the staff at El Criollo!! read more

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Pros: - delicious food -great drinks - great service - cozy atmosphere Cons: None read more

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Cute little Caribbean restaurant in Dracut! It's definitely a hidden gem. The service was a bit slow but the food was excellent. Had the beef empanadas and crispy pork belly bites as appetizers. The main dishes were seafood paella and mofongo with steak. The best was the margarita flight! read more

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This place never disappoints! This is my third visit, and I absolutely love it! The service is super quick and so attentive. The cozy ambiance makes it a perfect spot, and the food? Just fantastic! Can't wait to go back! read more

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The atmosphere, food, and service were good. A mandatory 18% gratuity is added to the bill.

I think the food doesn't taste like Puerto Rican. The mofongo doesn't taste good and the crab alcapurrias taste bad. The owner should hire good and experienced chefs the rice doesn't have the real gandules taste because they don't use authentic sofrito. read more

Terrible service and food I order chicken and it looked black still had feathers attached and nothing was great read more

Best Puerto Rican food in Mass! I drive about 45 mins out & I've been here 3 times so far & each time has been a 10 out of 10. I think I found my new favorite restaurant read more

Authentic Puerto Rican food!! Everything was delicious. Generous portions and Great service! Ceviche was one of the best I've ever tried. read more

Yes nice place if you want to try something different!! The food we got was really tasty I got the skirt stake with rice it was really amazing!! My husband got the rib eye special that was also delicious except that the rib eye was extremely fatty. He said next time he will get the steak I got because it was amazing and not fat at all. The drinks he got were very good and I think we will be going again. read more

El Criollo Restaurant - Ribeye steak chef's special - Caribbean Near Me - Dracut, Massachusetts

Great service fantastic ambiance great food fantastic service great customer service excellent service I will be coming back unbelievable price and music don't even get me going in that . Fast forward to next week. Here again and again and again .thanks to the waitress she was fabulous read more

OMG food was delicious!!! Best mofongo!!! People were nice and attentive, I'll definitely go back soon!!!

Amazing food, drinks and service. Hidden gem! Dining area is a little small so you may want to call ahead if you have a bigger party. read more

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Super Brutal!! Y la comida buenisima un excelente servicio simpre! Buen ambiente familiar

I did not like the vinegrette. My spouse did not like the chicken. But the mofongo was superb!

Authentic Puerto Rican food. Definitely a hidden gem in Dracut. Place is small but the food and drinks definitely make up for it. They sell pastels and coquito. So good and a must try! read more

On our way to Montreal from Boston we were looking for some Pierto Rican food and this place did not disappoint. I've eaten Puerto Rican all over and in Puerto Rico and the food here is delicious. Thanks for accommodating us right at closing. Food is excellent! read more

This is the best Latin Food Restaurant in the area. I can't name a specific plate because EVERYTHING taste soooo Goood. Èste es el mejor restaurante de comida Latina en el área. No puedo nombrar un Plato en específico porque TODO sabe taaan riiicoooo. ​ read more

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This place is a hidden gem! If you are looking for authentic Latin American food, this is the spot! Place is small, in the strip mall next to Planet Fitness. The ambiance was perfect. The drinks were excellent. We were amazed by the food, can't wait to go back and try more things! read more

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The food was outstanding and full of flavor and food was delicious and beautifully presented. The service was top-notch and the staff was friendly and attentive. read more

Some of the best Caribbean food in the area. We couldn't decide what to get so we ordered a little of everything- all the food was delicious and tasted super fresh. Also had great service and a very clean dining room! Can't want to go back again read more

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the food is and amazing staff. I love the garlic shrimp monfongo, I reccomend it it's delicious

The food is pretty good and fresh the service is always great always welcomed with a nice smile from everyone! The piñacolada is delicious... I love the steak with white rice and beans also the Alcapurrias the best around town for take out! Can't miss with ordering from here read more

El Criollo Restaurant - Caribbean Near Me - Dracut, Massachusetts

Food and service was excellent, nice and quiet vibe. We had great service . Love the bourbon and rum that they offered. The guava cake was amazingly delicious. read more

First time visiting this restaurant Place is small, but well configured and spotless. Staff didn't really speak English but understood what we said, enough to take our orders. Food was great, very authentic and flavorful. We'll definitely return. read more

A must-go-to in Dracut! For our first try we went with a take out. Mofongo was amazing! Tried both the chicken and chiccaron. Loved the sauce and the marinated veggies. Empanadas are also delicious. Green sauce has a nice kick to it. All food was well prepared, fresh, hot and good presentation. We will definite order again and are looking forward to going in person- cocktails sound fantastic!!! read more

The Caribbean food is so authentic not to mention their sangria! Service is so friendly Love this place Ambiance - the music transforms you to Cuba. read more

Excellent Caribbean style food. Very authentic. Staff was great! Nice atmosphere once you get inside.

food with interesting flavor ingredients all good 100 % recommend nice ambiance all clean good service... read more

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Had the steak mofongo relleno, it was fantastic. The hot sauce served with it has a good kick without killing the flavor in the meal. Would happily order again but would want to try more before it becomes my favorite. The guava pudding was also just as delicious and a nice new treat. read more

Tasty food I got the chicharrones with French fries, in which they happen to serve my favorite, steak fries! The fries were served hot and fresh and the chicharrones were very crispy and delicious. Definitely will be back for more. read more

We went for our first time and when I say it was outstanding it would not express the food and service on how wonderful it was . We got appetizers and each item was delicious. We had tacos, Cerviche , Empanadas and Tostones each item was perfectly displayed and was awesome. The service was great and Elsie explained each item. We can't wait to go back again . read more