Sazon Criollo

Absolutely love this place but, because of their limited hours I don’t get to eat there ever. Please extend your hours a little, your food is delicious!

Wow what can I say? This is by far the best Puerto Rican food I have had outside that of my in-​laws home cooked. (This coming from someone of Polish decent) I have been here twice within the past two weeks and they hands down beat Niagara Café.
The staff are friendly enough that if you do not know what to order I am sure that they would help. Fortunately I get by quite well in this area.
On my first visit I order the Mofongo with Carne Frita and a Pastelillo… both outstanding. Had more than enough leftovers to give to my huband to piqué his interest.
On my second visit I ordered lunch and dinner (we were going camping and i hate to cook when we get there on Fridays). Once again not disappointed.
The tripleta sandwich was so flavorful, juicy and the bread outstanding. Pastelillo and all fried foods are never cooked ahead of time (bonus). The CarneFrita is adored by my husband who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican desent.
I only wish that they were open a little later. I would take friends there for dinner.

Criolla como en la isla! Vine de California a visitar y quede encantada con este lugar! Como quisiera tener algun lugar asi en Cali. La empanadillas y alcapurias so las mejores!

Their food is amazing but they’re closed when it says they’re open, they aren’t. Ridiculous.

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner! Going to school on the west side of Buffalo you learn to take advantage of the situation and check out all of the great ethnic food restaurants around. Finally made it to this place. Like a lot of Buffalo’s ethnic gems the place is very unassuming from the outside. The restaurant is in an old west side house. Walking in I had no clue what to order but the pictures posted on Unilocal from reviewers before me guided me to the tripletas sandwich. I also had to get a pastelillo to compare to the ones at the nearby Niagara Café. The tripletas is amazing! Its a big sandwich on a fresh roll that has ham, grilled chicken, and roasted pork with vegetables and some sort of really good sauce. The pastelillo was good and compared well to Niagara Café though Niagara Café’s had more spiciness for sure. These two items together costed me $ 10. I couldn’t finish the tripletas and I have a big appetite so that speaks for portions and prices.

Everyone really needs to treat themselves to lunch at Sazon Criollo. This little Puerto Rican gem is serving some of the best sandwiches and pastelillos I’ve ever tasted!
The restaurant hours have kept me from visiting Sazon until now. They are typically open 11am-​5pm on weekdays which conflicts with my normal work schedule. Last week the stars aligned finding my wife and I both home on a weekday and Sazon was at the top of our list!
The restaurant is easy to find and conveniently located just a few blocks away from familiar Allen Street. Walking in you are greeted by a handful of simple tables and chairs and a window to order your food at. I ordered the tripleta while my wife went with a few pastelillos. We took a seat and the food was brought out quickly.
The tripleta is a tasty sandwich offering tender chicken, pork, and ham as well as lettuce and tomato qualifying it as health food (right?). This is a must have for your first visit! The pastelillos are also great. I ordered half a dozen for the road and shared them with co-​workers the next day.
I love this restaurant. The menu is deep with options so you can go with what you know or try something new. The prices are great so feel free to be adventurous!

Best Spanish Spot in Buffalo. They have the best Pernil and yellow rice, and their tripleta is the best sandwich I have ever had.

Small little hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant in what felt like a random little neighborhood (and I’m sure random neighborhood provides many routine patrons!). I had the tripleta and it was every bit as delicious as everyone makes it out to be (I did ask for it to be made with turkey as the third meat instead of ham). The sandwich was big and delicious and scrumptious. It was like I had reached mouth-​nirvana, and I think it will be difficult for me to find a sandwich anywhere else that even compares to the tripleta. Yes, it was that damn good. I kinda lament that this place is so far from where I live — if it were closer I’d literally go two or three times a week.

Have been here several times and will keep going back. Great spot for lunch (can call ahead and pick up). It’s a bit of a «hole in the wall» type place, but if you’re into this kind of food, you’ll love it. The tripleta sandwich is very good and the pastallios are excellent, too. Also, try the drink they make in house — has a bit of a passion fruit flavor to it — refreshing and far preferable to a soda or run-​of-​the-​mill juice in my opinion.

Made a quick stop here for some lunch the other day with some friends, and boy was I happy I did! We arrived about 45 minutes before closing, so much of what was on the menu had run out. We ended up trying the roasted pulled pork with rice and beans, with a little of the beef sancocho on the side… and it was probably the best I’ve had in Buffalo. The owner was extremely kind, and chatted with us as we finished our meals. The little cantina has a very authentic, laid back atmosphere. In one visit, Sazon Criollo has become my favorite Puerto Rican restaurant in Buffalo. I will need to return asap to try some of their sandwiches!

The portions are huge. I got the tripleta sandwich as well as the beef and cheese pastelillos. Both of which were fresh and delicious. Good for take out or sitting and enjoying lunch there. Great little lunch spot!

Went to try this place out because of the reviews. Small place but the people working there were nice and friendly. I had the pernil with yellow rice and beans. It was good but it was a little salty for me. The food was not bad though. Parking was also no problem.

Do you like roast pork, rice and beans, a side of fried plantains?
Carlos is your man. What a cook.
Sometimes if I have a party, I order an entire pernil and serve it at home. Otherwise, I am there for my lunch.
The place is not pretty, OK? But… oh, the pernil!!!

I would like to name this place: Buffalo’s Best Kept Secret.
I wouldn’t have even discovered this place without a little Unilocal from my friends but OMG, it is my new favorite lunch spot!
On my first visit, I ordered the Tripleta. It was quite impressive, but I had a suspicion that the pulled pork was taking first place in that trifecta. So on my second visit I ordered the Pulled Pork sandwich with a side of Tostones. Amazing. Sure, you need to chew the bread, but if some of that pork happens to fall out and you put it in your mouth by itself, it’s tasty tenderness simply evaporates into a mouthful of deliciousness. Considering the size and quality of these sandwiches, they could easily be charging more. My second lunch order could have fed two people, but of course I woofed it down all by myself and then slipped into a luscious food coma.
Why not 5 stars? Why such a secret? They are only open until 4:30 on weekdays. So if you don’t work or live in the area, this one may not be easy to hit up which is a shame because I’ve already recommended it to so many people.

I’m an idiot for missing out on this gem two blocks away from my apartment. My friends decided to meet here for lunch since they had heard good things about Sazon Criollo. Since I’m not picky, I told my friend to order for me and I’d eat whatever. He got an order of tostones, 2 pastelitos, and 2 big plates of pork, yellow rice, and beans. He paid for everyone, so even though I don’t know the exact prices of what we got, it must have been fairly inexpensive for him to treat us. The three and a half of us (my friend brought her baby!) shared everything and they still went home with leftovers. I’m not a huge fan of pork, but it was so delicious my mouth just started to water. I’ve also never tried tostones before and I was a little scared, but they were yummy. I’m glad he introduced me to something new!
I never usually mark down for décor. You’re not going to feel like you’re in a luxury spot, but the tables are clean and it’s a simple little place. The woman at the counter was nice and she answered my friend’s questions about the menu. They are located just a few blocks away from Niagara Café so if you don’t have the time to wait in a long line for take-​out, definitely try Sazon Criollo.

I got this place confused with a local Donut shop, «Suzanne’s Crullers», and thank goodness I did, because Sazon Criollo’s donuts are WAY better.
OK, that’s not true at all. I made the whole thing up.
Truth is, I was running out of new hidden gems in the Buffalonianical Western New York greater wider general metropolitan regional region, and as part of a «last ditch» food tour in order to try and add another favourite to the nearly-​set-​in-​stone list of local attractions, I tried Sazon Criollo. Oh my goodness. Did I hit the jackpot, or what.
What to get: Tripleta sandwich.
What else is good: Chicken and rice, other sandwiches.
Sazon Criollo is some of the best Puerto Rican food I have ever had. It’s right up there with some of the best Latin food I have ever had. Their Chicken & Yellow Rice is simple but delicious, and everyone I know that likes this dish, says it is among the best they’ve had. Their Parcha (Passion Fruit juice) is delicious, although it’s way too sweet, so I get a cup of water and mix it (half and half), and it comes out just about perfect. Their Pernil is delicious and incredible. I tried the Mofongo, and I have to admit even though it’s a little pricier than all of the aforementioned, I don’t like it nearly as much.
But the piece-​de-​resistance is the Tripleta. For those of you who, like myself until recently, are unaware of the godsend that is a Tripleta, let me explain. It’s panini style toasted bread (which I usually don’t like), with ham, whole chicken breasts, and pernil (juicy soft roasted pork) on the sandwich (hence the «triple» in the tripleta… three types of meats)… then they add cheese (which I usually don’t), and lots of messy condiments (which I usually wouldn’t), and it all combines into this heaven sent piece of perfection know as THE TRIPLETA.
It’s one of the messiest things I’ve ever eaten… the chicken is so sauteed and so perfectly flavoured that it totally dominates the sandwich, and I am sure that the chicken alone (sans Pernil and Ham) would be an incredible sandwich for the slightly less hungry among you. It’s different from the chicken & rice chicken… it’s sauteed differently, it’s boneless, it’s just utterly divine. If you come to SC, you MUST try a Tripleta. If you come to Buffalo, you MUST try Sazon Criollo.
Let me explain how good it is. My father and his partner came to Buffalo for the first time, recently. He visited me for 2 days only. I had to squeeze a culinary treat tour in there. He doesn’t have a huge appetite. We did Pizza & Wings (Imperial of course) and that went down very well. We did Greek (Towne) which went down okay, we caught them on a bad night maybe. We did Beef On Weck from Charlie’s (don’t think he touched it) and a Ted’s Polish Dog (he was indifferent). Oh, and we had an excellent Italian at Mulberry which he liked (lasagne and meatball, obviously).
For the final meal, I had to choose between about 10 different places, and we went for this one. It was declared by all and sundry (sundry is actually Shyla Sundry, a friend of my Dad that travels with him a lot, weird name, but can speak 16 languages which always helps) as the best meal of the trip. It was just amazing. People couldn’t stop eating it. Even people off the street, saw us eating, and entered the restaurant just to steal food from our plate. As we were leaving, a homeless person asked for help, so I offered him money, and he said, no, I don’t want money, I want some of your leftovers from Sazon Criollo.
Note: my Dad visited again recently, and I took him to Valle Of Mexico, where the Albondigas special went down VERY well. If you haven’t tried that — do it.
Also the owners (hubby & wife) are adorable, friendly, and very attentive. Tripleta takes awhile to prepare, order ahead by phone if you don’t have time to wait. It’s on Hudson street, on the left hand side on a corner, about 3 blocks East of Niagara St.
I hope that this place gets the recognition it deserves, becomes ridiculously popular, opens up extra locations in suburbs and in other cities, and puts Taco Bell out of business. Am I asking too much? I usually do.

Great food! We enjoyed the environment and the service. The place is clean and the owners are very friendly.
We ate Mofongo con Camarones and was great! The pernil was very tasty and juicy. And the and the alcapurrias… Yummy!
It was a great experience for us. I recommend the Sazon Criollo if you want to enjoy a great Puertorrican food!!!

Whoa, thanks Unilocal.I’ve found a new lunch spot only 5 minutes from my apartment. Most of the patrons are Spanish-​speaking and coming in here and hearing the non-​native chatter… I know I’ve stumbled into some authentic delightfulness.
For $ 6, I get a plate of chicken, rice and beans… all tender, delightful and piping hot. I can’t wait to try some of the sandwiches. I saw a fellow Unilocaler dine on their tripleta sandwich and it looked mighty delicious.
Don’t come here expecting swanky décor, there’s just 5 – 7 tables and a counter up front where you order from the two owners who are likely working the register. It’s easy, but tasty and cheap. Great alternative to the Niagara Café!

I think the operative word to describe Sazon Criollo may best be simple. Décor is spartan. Service is brusque but efficient. The food is simple, sometimes too simple, avoiding the pitfalls of so many peers through an utter lack of ambition. All that said, call me crazy, but this tiny establishment might be the best option for lunch in Allentown.
On my first visit, I ordered one of their lunch specials. For less than $ 7.00, you will receive a giant haunch of roast chicken, mess of pork, or one of several other protein options, a plop of rice, and a blob of beans. No Chopped or Top Chef-​esque concerns about plating here. The chicken that I ordered was perfectly cooked and quite tender if a bit simple, prepared without the spices or marinades I normally would at home. The rice was rice, unremarkable. The beans were an utter disappointment. I prepare them myself at least three to four times a week at home and was known to frequently order plates of rice and beans from bodegas and taquerias throughout Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Beans ain’t just beans. Beans have their own flavor, and each variety of beans aligns with a variety of symbiotic spices that help to enhance them. These beans were just beans.
On my more recent visit, I ordered off their sandwich menu, ordering a tripleta, a combination sandwich of ham, pork loin, and chicken on a solid length of sourdough bread. Ordering this sandwich should be reason enough to dissuade anyone from ever visiting Jim’s SteakOut or Panaro’s again. With bread of perfect texture, meats providing wonderful contrasts to each other both in terms of texture and taste and sopping in delicious juices, I couldn’t get enough of it. As I finished it, I was incredibly disappointed that no more remain, wondered if other diners would look askance at me if I started slavering over the orts on the plate, decided I didn’t care, and devoured them anyway.
With a reaction like that, I can’t help but heartily endorse Saizon Criollo’s hearty sandwiches.
3 stars for atmosphere.
5 stars for sandwiches.
2 stars for plates.
3.5 stars overall.

If you visited a Puerto Rican household you’d find food exactly like what is created and served at Sazon Criollo.
Criollo — the influence of native Taino, Spanish, African and Dutch cooking — is the basis for the very fresh and tasty dishes on their menu.
My dining partner and I sampled the following:
Pollo Asado (Baked Chicken Lunch Special — $ 7.00) was juicy and hot and I selected yellow rice to accompany it.
The Pernil (Roasted Pulled Pork — $ 7.00) had delicately balanced seasoning and was roasted to perfection.
A Meat Pastelillo (Ground Beef appetizer — $ 1.75) was overflowing with traditional flavor.
Parcha (Passion Fruit Juice — $ 2.00). Cold and amazingly refreshing tropical juice that is house made. It’s very sweet with light acidity and — oh my — very addicting.
Served with the warmth and hospitality that Islanders are known for.
2^nd visit on ¹⁰⁄₀₈:
I waffled between the Cuban Sandwich and the Tripleta Sandwich and, after deciding in favor of the latter, found that I could only finish half.
The flavors of pulled pork, ham and grilled chicken with a mild sauce, lettuce and tomato in a warm Pane Criollo come together as an amazing comfort food. The Pane Criollo was warm, had a soft center and a thin crunchy crust, and was a key part of the Tripleta.
I finished the other half for dinner and it still had amazing taste.

Sazon Criollo is located in such a convent location. Close to Niagara Street, Carolina and Elwood! They offer a fresh menu. All items are cooked fresh daily in the morning home style. They have daily specials but my personal favorite is the yellow rice, beans and pulled pork (Pernil). Slow cooked all day in delicious seasoning, fills this dish with layers of flavor. Please stop by and visit this «Husband and Wife» team
Sazon Criollo se encuentra en una ubicación convento. Cerca de Niagara Street, Carolina y Elwood! Ofrecen un menú fresco. Todos los artículos se preparan fresco a diario en el estilo de casa por la mañana. Tienen platos del día, pero mi favorito es el amarillo arroz, frijoles y carne de cerdo tirado (Pernil). Lento cocinado todo el día en la deliciosa sazón, llena este plato con capas de sabor. Por favor venga y visite la «marido y mujer» del equipo.