Really hit. Garlic took it over the top. Quick efficient service in the take out location 10…read moreminutes before closing. Did not disappoint.

Just purchased a large order of pastel from this location and they were all burnt…read moreThey were sticking to the foil, and the banana leaf was sticking to them huge waste of money I'm very surprised because you usually have very good pastel.

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. :-)

The vibes were off here. The staff was polite yet I somehow did not feel welcome. The sandwiches…read morewere tasty, and I enjoyed the appetizers. The flavors were good, but the food was dry. I asked for any sauces for my sandwich, and we were given hot sauce and the mayo catsup mixture in a bottle. All in all, it was a relaxing time. I would hate to be there if it were busy. It's a smaller space. I would eat here again, but I am not rushing to come back.

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.

I would say that this place is a tasty secret to a lot of people who never make it over herre to…read moreDivision or Puerto Rico... We parked in the neighborhood and walked around a bit and I like how the people really celebrate their culture here, with all of the flags, decorations, huge murals, etc... There is an exodus of the younger generation leaving the island to go elsewhere, mainly the US mainland...So, when you find a place like Papa's, which is very authentic, come back here, again and again...I think the mainly Puerto Rican clientele shows how legit their flavors are. We started off with the following: - chicken salad, which was full Of flavor and very meaty - the steak Jibarito with garlic butter sauce was incredibly great, this was an awesome sandwich and I'll probably order double meat next time - Maduros - very sweet plantains and could be a dessert - pollo chon (chicken lechon), flavored just right, juicy, tasty and pretty huge The service was inviting and thank you Pana, who was talking with us as we were waiting for them to open their doors for lunch.... Hope to make it to Puerto Rico one day!!

Papa is the best. The food is always on point and a great staff to make you feel welcome.read more

The Avocado Jibarito was so good! As a vegetarian, this was the perfect adventurous little meal. We…read morecame here twice during our trip to Chicago. It gets very packed on the weekends and seating is limited, but they're also very accommodating and I can see they care about their customers. I opted for the yucca fries the first time but skipped the second. Definitely try it with the regular fries because they were soo good - I think they cut them there themselves.

I was so happy to have breakfast here while my friend and I were in town on a girls trip…read more The bus boy/host was so talkative and fun to have a conversation with! Shout out to him for the hospitality and ideas for stuff to do on our trip! I was so surprised that the veggie patties were cooked just right and the fruit was so fresh and delicious!

I know they are soon moving locations and expanding, which is well deserved. Whether or not this…read morereview travels to that new location, I guess time will tell, but what I can tell you right now is that the move is well-deserved. A beautiful little place, tucked away in a cozy corner of a small shopping center, you'd never expect such flavors and such an escape. With a larger place, walk ins would probably be handled fine. When I went, we felt lucky showing up when we did, as it soon filled up inside, such that a couple had to be turned away at the door. Plantain soup. It was a special, and special it was. The drinks were equally phenomenal. And the service was delightful. Itching to go back before they make their move.

So today after many month of wanting to try this restaurant in our next-door neighborhood we…read morefinally went today and OMG it was the best northside Puerto Rican Restaurant we have have visited actually the only one in the north side of Chicago. Thr atmosphere and ambiance was amazing beautifully decorated in the place is small but cozy and you literally feel at home, the owner chef and his bartender hostest greet you like if your family. The owner Eric is so sweet and down to earth he makes you feel like an old friend visiting from the homeland. Katie was supper sweet and very informative on all the menu and drinks. I decided to try the Entre Las Sabanas made with Bacardi & Conac it was so good I asked for a second one. My wife had Tamarindo non alcohol because she was driving, we also asked for the Hummus de Gandules that was so different and so yummy served with plantain chips. For dinner I had shrimps with arroz blanco and pink beans my dinner was so good. My wife had vistec encebollado with rice and beans, she loved it. Our dessert was pudding de pan. It's a must restaurant to visit if you like Puerto Rican food. I highly recommend this restaurant and on weekends it's highly recommend to make reservations. I will certainly return 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..

Overall giving this place a 4/5! It's hard to find good Puerto Rican food so was really happy to…read moresee one and the menu looked good!! The pork was really flavorful and the rice was wonderful too. Really large portions which I can't be mad about lol. Loveeeee the tostones, some of the best I ever had and the creama dip was the icing on the cake. I had to take off 1 star because unfortunately my Habichuelas were missing....like there was rarely any beans in the bowl :( which makes me sad because I loveeeee them so much. Note - i ordered from Uber eats and did not visit the restaurant in person.

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!

I have drive past this colorful place and finally go to try it. Sat outside on their dog friendly…read morepatio. Clean and spacious outside. Food is amazing. The empanadas were the best. The chicken one was great. The best one was the seasonal shrimp. Amazing and so much shrimp and the sauce was bomb. Service was good. Server came many times to fill water and all staff were nice.

The portions are small and food is over priced , taste was okay but I will not be eating here…read moreanymore