Tico's Empanadas — Restaurant in Town of Brookhaven

I absolutely hate to write this review but I have to. I was really excited to try this place. Blue Point doesn't have anything like this anywhere nearby. I eagerly anticipated their arrival. But I was so disappointed when I got my first empanadas. I believe they use a corn flour based dough for their empanada shells. The flavor of the shell overpowers the flavor of the fillings. It also needs to be cooked more. The first time we got them the shell was barely cooked, it was mushy. The second time we went they were cooked a little bit more but still not crispy. Onto the flavors. When I order Spanish food I expect flavor, I expect use of spices; I didn't get that here. The beef was flavored simply with bell peppers and possibly a dash of salt. Same thing with the chicken. We had the same problem with the rice and beans. It was simply flavored with chopped up bell peppers. Very disappointing. Maybe I'm picky because my husband is from the Dominican Republic and I'm used to authentic Spanish food. But I've had several empanadas over the years and they were seasoned. The first time we went it was the second day they were open, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The second time we went the food was still bland, so with that said we unfortunately will not be back. We wish them the best of luck though. The restaurant world is a...

Dropped in to pick up some takeout for the family. Brought the bags home and began to dig in. We had one Beef/one Chicken Empanada each with a side of beans+rice and fries.

The Good: +The sides were solid; beans and rice tasted great, and the fries were still hot and crispy, not soggy and greasy like many other takeout fries +Sauces provided with each meal were solid +The filling for the chicken empanadas was nice, not super salty like some other restaurant empanadas I've had +Not super expensive

The Unfortunate: -Unless it's a glitch on my end, the website for Tico's Empanada's menu currently shows a dead Google Drive link, so it was a bit difficult to find pricing or an official menu. -This could just be a difference in recipe for Costa Rican empanadas, but when I think of an empanada I usually think of a flaky, crisp pastry. Sadly the empanadas were a bit chewy, it felt more like biting into a dumpling. These might be better enjoyed while fresh out of the oven/fryer in-store than takeout, but we got them home within five minutes. -The beef empanada's filling didn't have much flavor; maybe a little bit more onion or a bit of spice would help it.

If we pop in to Tico's again, we'd probably go for Beef and Cheese or the BBQ Chicken Empanadas to get that little bit of extra flavor and spice we're...

Food: We had heard so much about Tico's in the gluten-free Facebook group I'm in, but we're not typically an empanada family, so we dragged our feet on trying them out. We had a post-birthday lunch for me yesterday, and oh. my. god. did they live up to the hype. I had never had tostones before, and I was hooked from the first bite. The buffalo chicken empanada wasn't overly spicy, and the sauces they give you to compliment them with added a nice flavor and taste like quality sauces versus what you might get in other restaurants. The rice and beans were also delish.

Service: The staff is so nice, helping you pick out safe choices if you have celiac so you don't suffer a food allergy. The man who helped us explained everything so we understood exactly what we were getting, and I always appreciate that because I imagine he probably has to do that several times a day.

Atmosphere: I have to admit, it was kind of awesome to hear Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift on the radio. I did not expect that. Lovely table area with nice lighting.

I had only one beef empanada in my life, and that was several years ago, and my husband had never had one before, but after yesterday, we are most definitely fans now. We...