Pikalo

Delicious place for empanadas in JP Boston Food: They offer a variety of Dominican food items but the star of the menu is the empanadas Got the lobster empanada and the cheese and guava empanada. Good amount of filling. The lobster was cooked perfectly without a fishy smell, could have used a little more seasoning and filling. The guava was a jam that melted with the cheese and was not overly sweet which was good. The best part of the empanada was the dough - buttery flaky crust with the right amount of crunch and soft filling. Comes with a chipotle dipping sauce! The size of the empanada is impressive for its affordable price (most are $4 or $5). Two is more than enough for a meal. There are so many great options and you can't go wrong with any of them. Other: Friendly staff, fast service Small casual place for takeout TLDR; Come here for authentic huge flaky empanadas

This is small place with just two tables and a service counter with empanadas behind a display case and a menu for sandwiches. I tried a beef empanada here on a Saturday night and it was delicious. $4.50 was a reasonable price for an excellent empanada and they accepted credit card for payment. I was surprised that it was served in a wax paper bag immediately, but it was still warm. The buttery pastry had lightly crispy edges, and it was filled with seasoned savory beef. I only tried one and a single empanada isn't enough for a full meal, but you can try a different filling or something else if you're hungry.

The pepperoni pizza empanada is truthfully one of the 5 best things I've tasted in my 36 years on this earth and I've eaten a lot of food in a lot of major US cities as well as a lot of food in Arica and Europe. I've always wished they'd sell their sauce to other pizza places, because the sauce alone might be the best pizza sauce I've ever experienced. And the Cuban is both Boston's best and the best I've ever had. And I have never had an issue with customer service and I'm not a Spanish speaker.