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 but very nice ambiance and the food is great! Good…read moreportions 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.

Had a really disappointing experience at Cocorays. I ordered several items, hoping to try a variety…read moreof their menu, but unfortunately most of the food was either overcooked, burnt, or completely lacking flavor. The birria ramen was especially disappointing--it had almost no flavor, and the ramen itself wasn't even cooked properly. The birria tacos were also burnt, which made them hard to enjoy. Overall, a lot of the food I ordered was simply not edible. The only things that were okay were the horchata and the canned soda--everything else missed the mark. For the prices being charged, I expected much better quality. Sadly, this experience did not live up to expectations at all.

You got to try this spot out if you're in the area. It's so delicious. I've been multiple times and…read moreit does not disappoint. The owner is also always behind the counter working and it's great to see. You can feel the love inside that place. There is a parking lot and some tables inside if you want to eat there. I've eaten both inside and taken it to go. It hits the spot. I've gotten the birria tacos and the tacos al pastor. The rice and beans and the plantains are also real good.

Good food excellent Dominican "pastelitos" meat, chicken and ham and cheese pie's, these are fried;…read moretry the natural juices, good combinations. Ok service Mainly food to go, although they have some tables but loud music if you choose to eat in.

Don't get mislead by these other reviews they are literally over 2 years ago. Miguelinas was my…read morefavorite sandwich shop in Lawrence and that's saying something because you can literally get the same sandwiches in the bodega right across the street. Their portions suck and their toppings are trash now. I'm have no clue what has changed and don't say inflation but this place needs to Go back to how it was. I hope They get their ish together.

Delicious Colombian food. Portions are huge. Waiters are very friendly. They have their own parking…read morelot which is a plus. Colombian bakery items and different types of cakes are also displayed.

I wanted to try their food so I called to place in my order, the person who answered the phone when…read moreI called was speaking in Spanish. I told her I don't speak Spanish and she hang up the phone on me. Tried to call again and I ask for a manager again they hang up on me. I guess if you don't speak the language you get no service.

After a long afternoon of shopping, my friends and I built up and appetite. We wanted something…read morequick that would calm our hunger for the drive home to RI. One of my friends was more familiar with the area and recommended we come here. She ordered a plate of fried pork with tostones, some guisado de res, and white rice. The total was around $20 which was fair for the portion sizes. The guisado was a bit oily but the flavor was really good and the meat was very tender. Since the tostones did not come with a sauce, we ended up dunking them in the guisado. The tostones were on the thicker side but crispy and tasty. The fried pork was good, although maybe a little bland. The lime helped a little bit with bringing out the flavor. The white rice was good. They offer a small, medium, and large portion - small was good as a snack for 3 people. I would come back and try more of their menu items. They have a parking lot, but it was packed and the snow didn't help. There is also street parking. It is in a lively part of town, so I enjoyed people watching while eating in the car.

This is a family owned Dominican restaurant that serves a variety of typical homestyle dishes. The…read morespace is pretty big. There's a large dining/ bar area and a takeout side with a few tables. We ordered the sancocho and rabo guisado (Oxtails), with white rice and plantains. The sancocho was pretty good. It had a lot of meat and vegetables, the white rice was perfectly cooked. I thought the sancocho had a bit too much garlic in the seasoning, but it was still great, especially since it was rainy and a bit chilly. The Oxtails were simply amazing! They were extremely tender and practically falling off the bone. The sauce was seasoned perfectly and paired well with the white rice. I've never had Oxtails this good at a restaurant. They tasted just like when mom recipe takes hours and hours to make since you want to cook it long enough for the meat to become tender. The service was very friendly and attentive, the food came pretty quickly. Prices were very reasonable. If I'm back in the area, I will definitely return and order the Oxtails.

¡ Comida fenomenal! If you are looking for authentic, Puerto Rican food, cooked with heart and soul…read morefrom family recipes, go here! If you're looking for your typical chain restaurant, move along. The food here is cooked with such love, you can taste it! We have now been twice in one week, and we are already looking forward to returning. Everything that we have ordered has been delicious-from empanadas, arepas, fried chicken, stewed chicken, arroz con gandules, etc.

I wasn't impressed but it is something different. Pleasant man cooked behind the counter. I think…read moreit cost me 50 dollars for lunch for two

This restaurant is tucked away in the Tannery, but you don't want to miss it. I actually do not…read morelike empanada's but my friend wanted to go and get one since she had heard about it online. I took a bite of hers after we left, and it was actually so good that I turned around and ordered one for myself. We both got the Chipotle Chicken empanada and it was so good. It was cooked within 5 or so minutes and was hot and fresh. Definitely recommend stopping here for an empanada- it was worth it!

Cute place. The tamale and empanada would actually quite good. 4 stars for sure. The service was…read morefine, we ordered from a touch screen and the food was ready in 5 minutes. We ate inside the Tannery mall with our dog by our side, very convenient. The prices were ridiculous for what we got. 2 empanadas (not generous with beef filling) are barely sufficient for a light lunch and ran nearly $20 with tip. Our food came with 3 accompaniments, powdered cheese, sour cream, and mild watery green sauce with absolutely no flavor.

Located conveniently at the Rockingham Mall in Salem New Hampshire, this spot specializes in…read moreDominican food. The first bite of rice filled my mouth with flavor. Then I tried the pernil aka pork shoulder, which was recommended by the young lady who helped me, was a perfect match with it. The pork was soft, tender and filled with flavor. The chicken empanada had potential, it was a bit dry but the chicken did have a good flavor. I think hot sauce or a mayo-ketchup sauce could have added some texture to it. But definitely, I do recommend Cibao, it was nice to see Latino food at the mall food court !!

Cibao Kitchen opened its third location in Salem at The Mall at Rockingham Park food court in the…read moreformer Au Bon Pain space. I've been to the other locations in Nashua on Ash Street and at the Pheasant Lane Mall food court several times and have had great food there. Cibao Kitchen serves up Latin American/Dominican food at very reasonable prices. The food is hot & ready served from behind the glass display counter. They offer a variety of meat entrees such as stewed beef, chicken, oxtail, ribs, pork served with choice of rice, and small salad for $7.99-$8.99 plus tax. They also sell spaghetti & fried green plantains ($6.99 plus tax), fried green plantains, sweet plantains, empanadas, stuffed potato balls, fried cheese, tamarind rice, Pepsi products, and fruit juices.  I stopped by this mall food court location late evening very recently and ordered my favorite Stewed Beef Dinner ($8.99 plus tax) and the last stuffed potato ball (filled with meat-$2 each). The portion here is good sized, the Stewed Beef was very tender. The Spanish rice and beans had good flavors and the salad was small and simple with iceberg lettuce, tomato slice, and ranch dressing. The stuffed potato ball (fried crisp outside) with soft mashed potatoes and ground beef in the center was a nice side to go with dinner. I would've ordered their empanadas too, if they didn't already sell out.  Though I am sad that Au Bon Pain (I enjoyed their croissants and pastries) closed in Salem, I am so glad that Cibao Kitchen opened another location at this busy mall.