Island Empanada of Merrick

"Was served a partially frozen sofrito ball (potato ball) . When sent back the guy exclaimed "oh it was in the cooking a while well put it in the frier a bit longer" empanadas sit in baskets like bagels in a bakery. Wasn't thrilled, even the sofrito ball was under flavored, I could make this at home and so much better"

"Nothing at all special here. Small sample of issues: PLACE >>>>ONLY works for Lactose Safe & Spicy Foods Safe eaters; place is very dull; &, boring; mostly all teen staff, who make lots of errors, very small, TINY, CRAMPED, store space, outdoor bench was removed!!!, -->>heavy priority on to-go orders!!!!!; slow moving, rigid staff; NOT a private: "public bathroom"; very, tiny, cramped, limited waiting space; crowded waiters flood the store; lines always back up onto indoor eaters; no fresh drinks, machine dispensers, no changes in staff service processes ever work out; register transaction process is always rigid and always difficult; shop opens late; &, closes early; far too many loud, wild, crazy, boisterous customers; crowded, lines always inside; &, outside the store; store insides clean, but, -->>always messy; &, -->>never neat; tabletops rarely cleaned; store insides always LOUD; &, NOISY; W/: WAY -->>too much chaotic commotion overall; place is a stress, tension, arguments, fights, anxiety, trouble magnet; atmosphere highly similar to a bar; &, too much constant action at door going in and out; NO food; &, drink products diversity & variety; extremely limited selection; items ONLY taste worthwhile when -->>immediately "fresh"; menu --->>>NEVER changes; ONLY cold drinks available; &, ONLY SUGARY, HIGHLY SWEETENED SODAS; &, DESSERTS AVAILABLE; &, all items ->obscenely ->overpriced; &, ALWAYS RISING; VERY FEW: napkins & utensils ALWAYS, THEY ARE: -->>highly limited; order packing severly deficient; prone to spills, leaks, rips, tears, easy drops, accidents, oily, greasy, staining, smelly spots; drips, breaks, gashes, holes, and, money & food loss; if problems encountered there are NO refunds, NO problem solving, NO owner is EVER on site; NO numbers to call; most customers are dangerous or -->>troublemakers; NO issues ever get resolved; tons of potential explosions between staff & customers are always brewing, this is a Hispanic/Latino version of: "Fast-Food Hell"!;...ETC. Place was a huge hit for convenience; NOT for any quality; which is average to mediocre. A. - [Up-Dated: Tu.-09/12/23.]."

"Store is very clean and staff is very friendly. Took one look at the menu and mentally refused to pay $4 for an empanada. Empanadas usually range from $1.50-3 (mamas empanadas). Even specialty empanadas. And they’re made fresh to order. These were premade sitting on a glass bin on the counter. Ended up ordering wings & fries (safe bet). They barely filled 1/2 the container with fries and the wings were definitely fried from frozen (tolerable). Def could get better wings at a bar or pizzeria. All for $14. For a quick bite, this is not it. I could’ve gotten 4 slices of pizza to fill me and another person up for the same price."

"Not bad at all!! Good food and a nice young lady behind the counter. The price is high. 4$ a empanada. The deal I had was 35$ for 10. The beef and plantain empañada was great the one pork was great too. Chicken empañada was also good. I would like to try a chicken pepper and potatoes, or pork and plantain for a future feature item. They have vegetarian options also."

"Long over due, review for these delicious empanadas that I tried from a food truck at the amityville park, went to a event slammed by the bay and they were there selling empanadas! The lines were so long and they kept making new empanadas, they were trying to keep up with the demand of empanadas that everyone was ordering. Chicken/Shrimp/Carne empanadas we’re all tried and all of them were very tasty and fresh! Highly recommend visiting a physical location, if you can’t find the truck."