Island Empanada of Merrick — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

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:...

ISLAND EMPANADA, of Merrick, BROUGHT BACK GREAT MEMORIES!

I have been retired for many, many, years now. When I worked in Spanish Harlem back in the day, I used to spend many a lunch break at the local cuchiifrito stand eating wonderful Puerto Rican favorites! My all time favorite has been Rellenos De Pappas (fried mashed potatoes stuffed with meat) they are very hard to find on Long Island! I am NOT Spanish, but I love PR foods and miss it dearly. Yesterday I found a place in Merrick called Island Empanada, because I am handicapped, it's hard for me to get around, I checked out their menu on the UBER website, and found ALL the PR things I love to eat at this restaurant! I ordered Sweet Platains, their Sofrito Beef Potato Balls, or Rellenos De Pappas, Yellow Rice and Beans, Pork (Pernil) Empanadas, and Shrimp & Mango Salsa (Camerones) Empandas. Everything, and I mean everything, was just DELICIOUS! My wife who has a delicate stomach for spices even ENJOYED all the foods and had no problems afterward! That was a relief off my mind.. I may never get a chance to go to the restaurant in person,, but as long as they continue to deliver, I will be their customer! Price wise they are very reasonable for sure! I RECOMMEND ALL who enjoy Latino food to give this restaurant a try. Either by delivery service, or by going there in person. You won't be disappointed, I promise you! I wish I could go...

Let me start off saying the empanada were delicious. I tried the

Chicken- kind of dry Beef - delicious Pork- good Shrimp/mango - good Mac/cheese - good

The reason for 3 stars is because the size and price of the empanada just don’t match up. An almost $5 empanada should be bigger. I shouldn’t have to spend $15-$20 to eat four palm sized empanadas to get full. Chickens road in Wantagh charges $5 and they’re GIANT. I am Nacho mama charges 3 dollars and they’re the same size if not bigger. I could go on. Either make them bigger or drop the price seriously. The food was good enough to go back, but not at these prices.

**reply to owner. I used door dash and all the...