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    Borikén Restaurant

    4.3 (70 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 6:30 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order Borikén Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

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    BORIKÉN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Borikén Restaurant

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    Jibarito con pernil ($10): roasted pork, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and garlic plantains. Delicious! Comes with choice of side
    Eric S.

    PEQUEÑO LOCALE This Puerto Rican restaurant isn't on most people's radar, but it should be. Borikén is one of the most well-hidden places I've been to in recent memory. Tucked behind a shady liquor store and BP gas station on Galena Blvd in downtown Aurora, there's not much to say about this total hole-in-the-wall joint other than the food is terrific. The dining room is small and there isn't much seating to speak of, but you can still eat your meal inside if you feel like it; the last 3-4 times we've opted for carryout and that's suited us just fine. The employees are pretty nice from what I can recall. They have tasty 'frituras' (fried stuff) on the menu, including 'alcapurrias' (stuffed fritters), empanadillas, 'rellenos de papa' (potato croquettes), and 'amarillos' (sweet plantains). They're $2.75 each, I recommend getting a few to try. My wife loves their 'mofongo de churrasco' (mashed plantains w/skirt steak, $14) and our little guy enjoys the 'arroz blanco y habichuelas' (white rice & beans, $5). The beans - which are super flavorful - are more akin to a soup or stew, not that pasty glue-like mush other places serve. I'm a big fan of their 'jibarito de pernil' ($10), a sandwich made with roasted pork, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo-ketchup between two garlic fried plantains. I've had this Puerto Rican specialty at a few places now, though none have been better than Borikén's. Bread = 4.5 Circuses = n/a They don't serve alcohol, so those hoping for a Bacardi cocktail, piña colada, or even a cold can of Medalla will be disappointed. They do have desserts on the menu like flan and 'quesitos' (sweet cheese fritters), but they might not be available 24/7. * TL;DR * Borikén is both small & local, which could be a reason why they've endeared themselves to our family. With the closure of Caribbean Corner in Downers Grove (R.I.P.), there are very few restaurants in the western Chicago suburbs that serve food from my wife's homeland (Jibaritos on Harlem in Oak Park, and Cuisine de Jibarito in Melrose Park are the only places that spring to mind). The location isn't great by any means....you could easily drive by two or three times and not know where the hell to find Borikén, even if you're actively looking for it! The interior is super light on ambiance (aside from a tiny Puerto Rican flag) but they care about food, not vibes. Man, I wish 4-1/2 stars were a viable option. I can't tell you how many times I've found myself stuck on the fence, wondering if I should give a place the benefit of the doubt or accept that some restaurants excel in certain areas (like food quality) while being slightly deficient in others. I'd definitely recommend Borikén, and I'm sure we'll be ordering from them again in the next month or so. I can't kick the 'jibarito' habit, nor do I ever want to.

    Karen V.

    Authentic Puerto Rican food! Absolutely delicious! Located in the parking lot of the gas station. Delicious, seasoned to perfection!

    Pork Jibaritto with arroz con gandules  (rice&pigeon peas). And mogón go y carne frita (Green plantin loaf  and fried pork and salad.

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    9 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Delicious. Best mofungo I've ever had. Ordered pick-up twice and it's always been ready on time.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Food was delicious but it's right next to the gas station and seating is limited. The lady who took our order was nice as well.

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    2 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great food in a gas station setting. You'd totally miss this place if you weren't getting gas. Amazing Puerto Rican food.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The staff was all so kind and amazing! The food was fantastic and authentic! Oooo and the donuts!

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The food is spectacular! Highly recommend. We don't have to take the drive to Chicago for some tasty pr food.

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Average puerto rican rice and food. The food is quite a bit salty food. I like Chupacabra down the street better.

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Nothing better than a low key, unassuming place that serves fresh authentic food. Love it.

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    Ask the Community - Borikén Restaurant

    Can someone post a pic of the whole menu if there is one?The glare of the board is hard to read. Can't wait to try it

    You can try to go to their facebook page. There were no printed menu's when I went - only on the board. They can run out of the more popular items so you may want to call ahead to see if they have it.… Read more

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    El Mofonguito - Steak sandwich

    El Mofonguito

    4.2(65 reviews)
    32.3 miHumboldt Park
    $$

    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. :-)

    Photos
    El Mofonguito - Flag

    Flag

    El Mofonguito - Tostones

    Tostones

    El Mofonguito - Bistek encebollado, arroz y habichuelas

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    Bistek encebollado, arroz y habichuelas

    Borikén Restaurant - puertorican - Updated May 2026

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