Walking into Amy’s Pastelillos feels like walking into the entryway of owner Amaryllis—or, Amy—Rivera Nassar’s life. Potted plants sit by the door, bright pink tropical wallpaper lines the room. The windowsill is full of Puerto Rican and Latin American cookbooks. The space is small, but speaks to volumes of character—it’s littered with Drake stickers, punny mugs, and custom enamel pins proudly shouting “Pastelillo Lady.” The small entryway leads to the hearth, to Amy’s kitchen, where Amy stands to greet me next to a waving Puerto Rican flag.
Amy describes her new restaurant as “her third baby child,” and it truly feels like a family enterprise. The dusty rose tile countertop was chosen by her daughter, the shawarma special for today was inspired by her husband, and a child’s drawing of Amy is attached to the blast fridge. The inspiration for the restaurant comes from her experience as a mother, and the experimentation that comes with cooking. “You could put anything in, right?” she jokes about her pastelillos. “Playing with different recipes and different ideas,” she laughs, “it can be fun.” Even the staff is family. Amy’s nephew runs the register, and while we chat he runs forward to cross out one of the specials today—a pumpkin pie fritter—which has been so popular it’s run out.
But as far as children go, Amy’s Pastelillos is a baby, only six months old. “It’s been months, but it also has felt like six years,” she jokes. In a way, it has been six years. Amy tells us that she’s “been doing pop–ups for at least five years … and then that kind of evolved. I was just looking for a little space to put my own little kitchen, to have a home base,” she says. It took a while to scout the space, but when she finally decided to open a physical location, Fishtown was Amy’s first choice. “I live in the neighborhood, so I want it [to] be a neighborhood spot,” she explains. A pair of customers interrupt us for a moment, commenting on how good her food is as they leave, and Amy smiles back. Business seems to be booming as people gather inside the small storefront, drawn in to escape the rainy Philly skies. The weather cuts our interview short, but once inside we finally get to taste the food.
Amy walks me through the menu, explaining “the pastelillos are the star of the show,” but there are also “recipes which are super traditional to us.” Side note: , a pastelillo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish—a fried meat pastry similar to an empanada but made with a much flakier skin. Other traditional recipes include the pollito bowl, half rice and stewed chicken, topped with pink pickled onion and tostones (fried plantains). Unlike most restaurant meals, this food is modest and homey, a meal your parents would make you. The arroz con gandules is similar and reminds me of the rice with lentils my mom used to make. The next dish is the queso frito, fried morsels of cheese glimmering against a pink checkerboard paper. Paired with a pink guava dip, each bite of this dish is a journey through sweet sauce, crispy skin, and creamy cheese.
Finally, the pastelillos arrive at the counter. They take a while to prepare because each one is made fresh—and arrives as a perfectly crimped half moon in shades of yellow, orange, and golden brown. We try the meats first: shredded chicken stew, guava BBQ pork, and ground beef picadillo. The chicken is simmered to a perfect texture, with soft chunks of potato that contrast well with the meat. The BBQ pork is absolutely dripping with flavor. While unconventional, the sweet tang of the guava pairs beautifully with the savory pork. The ground beef is the most traditional, and it’s perfectly spiced, bringing a welcome heat to the palate. The chili doesn’t overpower the rest of the seasoning, and the symphony of flavorings echoes in the filling and into the flaky skin. Four sauces pair with the pastelillos: cilantro garlic, coconut ranch, mayo-ketchup, and Amy’s custom la parchita hot sauce. The first is heavy on the garlic, which I love, and the coconut ranch is a more mellow white sauce. The first three sauces all pair beautifully with the crispy pastelillos, filling in the little craters of exploded dough. The hot sauce, however, is a standout. Built off of passionfruit (parchita), the tartness of the fruit harmonizes well with the spice and sugar expected in a hot sauce and adds an amazing flavor profile that augments each of the pastelillos, especially the non–spicy options.
The special today is a shawarma pastelillo—heavy on the black pepper, but still an interesting fusion. The mushroom and cheese pastelillo are next. The filling is a little chewy, and the water in the mushrooms slips against the oil in the cheese. This combination is delicious, and perfect in theory but a bit tricky to get right. The two vegetarian options, however, are delicious. The soy chorizo and potato pastelillo in particular has a velvety filling, a distinct texture that doesn’t try to emulate meat. The spice mix in particular thrives in a plant–based setting, not competing against the power of protein.
I may be new to the neighborhood here, but so is Amy’s Pastelillos. Amy ends our visit in gratitude: “I feel like we get a lot of neighborhood support, you know, we’ve gotten a lot of press too.” Amy’s personality is humble, but her love is magnetic, and Philly has clearly embraced her. With fresh, flavorful twists on tradition and an atmosphere that feels like home, Amy’s Pastelillos has quickly become a beloved local fixture. She concludes by saying, “The neighborhood really has been great, and we see a lot of return customers.” I am sure to be one of them—and once you visit, you probably will be too.
TL;DR: The namesake pastelillos are the star of the show, bringing a tradition of home that welcomes you into a world of experimentation.
Location: 2001 Memphis St.
Price: $
Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
