I like this lil spot.. I was just driving pass hungry one day and decided to stop in. Kinda small…read morelocation but they make the best of it.. i ordered tostones which are fried plantains and fried pork belly...which is exactly what it sounds like. I was a huge fan of the tostones, it was crispy and crunchy and fried to perfection. They put tooo much garlic oil on mines but still edible. I was not a huge fan of the fried pork belly.. it was like I liked it bc I was hungry but I didn't like it enough to come back and order it again.. I think it was the seasoning and it was overly salty for me... besides that it was cooked to perfection. Maybe I need to come back and try something else on the menu but for now it's not a place I would rush back to and eat at.. I'm sorry I hate being mean but I have to be honest.

Was looking for Puerto Rican food and came upon the reviews of El Mofonguito…read more Parking is a little tough but we came early and were able to find street parking. We were greeted with a smile and guided to choose our own table. A basket of bread and butter was brought over promptly. I ordered appetizers, tostones rellenos de lechón and carne frita. They came out at the same time as the entrees. It only took about 10 minutes! We ordered a volcan with steak in red sauce (mofongo relleno de bistec en salsa), breaded chicken breast and lechón with arroz con gandules. The food was spectacular! Everything was very well seasoned and reminded me of home (born and raised in PR, moved here as an adult). I would definitely recommend that anyone come here for authentic Puerto Rican food. Be mindful that they are very generous with their portion sizes. We ended up taking about half of it home. There are worse problems one can have. :-)

We had a large group & Borinquen provided excellent service. Food was outstanding. Tostones are…read morethin & crispy.

I stopped by Borinquen and tried the pastel, alcapurria, steak jibarito with arroz con gandules,…read moreand an order of habichuelas. The alcapurria was the highlight of the meal, it was fresh and had a nice texture. Unfortunately, the pastel was very bland and lacked flavor. For my main dish, I ordered the steak jibarito with arroz con gandules and added habichuelas on the side. The steak was disappointing, as it was dry, chewy, and lacked the flavor I was hoping for. The arroz con gandules was okay, but nothing particularly memorable. The habichuelas were also a letdown, as they were watery and not what I'm accustomed to when ordering Puerto Rican beans. Overall, while the fresh alcapurria was enjoyable, the rest of the meal fell short of expectations. I wouldn't go out of my way to return.

My wife and l stop in for an afternoon dinner and it was amazing the food was off the chart and the…read moreservice was amazing . This is the stop if you're looking for a Lunch or dinner l would recommend it . Stop in and enjoy!!

I'll start by saying this was a spur of the moment meal well after the 2026 Puerto Rican parade on…read moreSaturday June 13th had ended. A friend and I decided to hit the Humboldt Park area (Western/Division) and take in some Borinqueña atmosphere and sights. After walking up and down Division Street awhile we stumbled upon Papa's Cache Sabroso. The place was jumping! The weather was amazingly gorgeous and outdoor seating was packed. There was a line for seating and takeout. The friendly host was doing an amazing job of keeping it all organized. We chose takeout and ordered a steak Jibarito con arroz y gandules and a side order of plátano maduro all totaling $22.27. As another reviewer noted it is a tad pricey but not overly so. It took about 20+ minutes to get the food...but like their sign states, something on the order of, "this is not a fast food place and good food takes time, please be patient". The Jibarito tasted good overall like other Jibaritos I've had in the past, however my friend commented that although the steak was flavorful, it was a tad chewy and I would slightly agree. The mayo, tomato and garlic kind of brings it all together for me, but I would've liked way more garlic...and there was even a small container of garlic "sauce", but it was very light on the mashed garlic paste. Whenever I dipped my plátano maduro, I couldn't get any pieces of garlic on until most of the olive oil was gone. The rice was standard and flavorful and I really did enjoy the plátano maduro. I would probably return to try the garlic chicken.

First time to this gem and it was a knockout! Food, service, ambiance all on point. We got the…read morecaribella skillet, a skirt steak special and shared the coquito French toast. The cafe con leche was strong and delicious. Can't recommend enough!

We came here several years ago ( during pandemic) they had their patio open and we enjoyed it a…read morelot; so we came back this time and unfortunately the experience was not the same. The burger with fried plantains sound good on paper BUT is impossible to eat, also it lacks flavor overall. I asked for some mayo and they ONLY carry Chipotle mayo which is weird ( I'm sensitive to capsaicin) but also if a kid goes there are no sauce options for them either. Service was SO slow but granted, there was only a lady in the kitchen ( who by the way never wore gloves) which is a huge no no in the kitchen The worst things were the dessert trio ( lacking flavor and clearly made with old bread) We maybe will give this place another try but it'll be a while sadly

This unassuming little spot in a veritable United Nations of Food strip mall is a hidden gem in…read moreChicago. Friendly, helpful, busting their butts service (I'm talking to YOU Anna and chef owner!) will ensure you have an excellent meal, perfect drinks and a great time at incredible value prices. Standouts were: the soup of the day (plantain and cilantro-- never had anything like but would like to have it again !), the lechon with a side of make taro that put mashed potatoes to shame--we didn't know that pork could be that juicy and garlic-ful. Also had the eggplant starter (almost like fried green tomatoes) and then the bread pudding with coconut ice-cream. We had a couple of well balanced creative cocktails, a great Spanish red, and some premium rum to round things out. It was crowded and we didn't have reservations (with make that mistake again) but were squeezed in at the 4 seat bar and well served by aforementioned Anna who didn't steer us wrong. Appropriate Latin music and tasteful tropical wallpaper and greenery made for a lively atmosphere. We don't live far so will be back. No matter where you live, you should make a reservation and go too! Small crowded parking lot, street parking, as always-- recommend public transit.

We made a reservation since there were six of us. It is very small inside so plan ahead. My friends…read moretried to eat here on Sunday night, but they were told the restaurant had run out of food. So we tried again on Friday. The service was exceptional. We loved our waitress. Everyone enjoyed their food. The craft cocktails were also good. If you are looking for authentic Puerto Rican food, you should try this spot.

Our friends ordered for delivery last night and OMG! IT WAS SO SO GOOD!…read more I typically have my doubts about ghost kitchens. But this one didn't disappoint. My fave was the steak jibarito. The steak was perfect! We also ordered a pollo guisado. I loved the rice (arroz con gandules) that came with it. And of course we ordered tostones and maduros too. There were a couple other things that were ordered but I can't recall at the moment. We will be ordering again. And again.

I will give it a zero star but l wasn't able to , it was the worse dinner l had . I'm a true Puerto…read moreRican and l know how food should look and taste and this was the worse l ever had the rice was soggy and l had a bacalito and it look like thin Pancake and it even had no taste so it's a place l will never come back to .and the service was horrible so this place l wouldn't recommend..

Hidden gem indeed. So hidden where sometimes we pass by & they aren't open. Got lucky this time…read more After letting our daughter play at the park, we decided last minute to grab dinner and to our luck, they were open! It's like a hole in the wall, mom & pop shop kinda vibe. Literally made fresh to order cause it took a hot minute to be ready. But I promise you the worth is worth it. Got the bistec Jabarito and it was massive like more than enough to feed 2 people and a child. We got 2 entrees and some empanadas and my husband loved those. Really wanna come back for lunch and we hope they are open & stay open.

I can't say enough good things! The food was legit (it was lunchtime-ish, so my spouse and I were…read morein the mood for jibaritos; he had the bistec and I had the cubano) - the yuca was just like my Abuela's; it brought a tear to my eye! - and everyone was so friendly. I rarely leave Yelp reviews (sorry), but this was so good that I had to!