I must say this place is darn good! I've been meaning to check this place out but since they close kind of early (5pm) wasn't able to. Finally made my way today and it was worth the wait!! I had the steak sandwich and was pretty meaty and good in size for the price. Yum!!! The cafe con leche was awesome, just the way I like it. I will be back to try the rest of their menu. Woohoo read more

Discovered this place through Yelp and its definitly a hidden gem in New City. Great service, AMAZING cafe con leche, I gained about 5lbs on my first visit but it was well worth it! read more

See all

When I am in the area and I have the craving for a sandwich this is becoming a place for me to stop by. It's am unassuming place, but the sandwiches I tried are good. What about if you stop by and make your own judgment? I doubt you'll be disappointed. read more

Cafeteria Yesenia - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Every sandwich I've had has been delicious! I've had the cuban, jibarito, and 2 or 3 others. Never disappoints.

Awesome sandwiches, friendly staff and they are around the corner from my job. I will definitely be back. Reasonably priced.

Hole in the wall that has the best cuban sandwiches!! They are so delicious and the prices are affordable. I recommend the media noche sandwich and a cafe con leche. This place is worth trying out if you haven't already. read more

Really good sandwiches. Friendly place. They put a little sugar, I think, on the outside of their plantains before the fry them. This is both cheating and really, really yummy. Makes them crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Best I've ever had. They're right next to an intermodal container farm. If you're looking at the map and thinking, "I don't want to go to that neighborhood", trust me -- it's fine. A little industrial, in those few blocks, but fine. They have a parking lot and the place is beautiful inside. Pretty cups from mexico and great cafe con leche. Steak sandwich and the Cuban are both fantastic. The Yesenia sandwich is also pretty good, but go with the Cuban or the steak instead. They have a sauce in a squeeze bottle. I think lots of people don't try those and in my experience they're often uninteresting. The one they have at Yesenia is really interesting and very good. Definitely experiment with it. Put an exploratory dab of it on the top of your sandwich at first, so you can really smell and taste it. I got something to go and they included a little container of the sauce. When I finished the sandwich, I had some sauce left over. Seemed a shame. So I drank it. read more

I've tried a couple different dishes and they never disappoint! The servings are filling if you like to eat and if you get full easy you'll always have some to enjoy later. The taste of a home cooked meal and prices low enough to make you tip big. read more

I honestly can't get enough of those "Yesenia" fries with mayo and ketchup and crumbled cheese on top. The sandwiches are cool too but the fries accompany the sandwiches perfectly. Service is a little slow when they're busy. They have a private lot for parking. Coffee was average. read more

I've been coming to this hidden gem for several months and their papas yesenia and jibarito special are to die for! Must try!

I had been wanting to try this place for a while. I had the double Cubano and Yesenia fries. The sandwich was like 6dollars . Well worth it. The fries where 3 but were loaded. The young lady even gave me a large sample or arroz con gandules. Very nice employees. It took a little long but they were busy. read more

You're gonna get a huge bang for your buck here my friends, the place is not very nice but the food makes up for it and it's a BYOB, cash only... read more

Cafeteria Yesenia - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a great Cuban place. The service is good. Prices are reasonable. I would definitely eat here again. They take cash & credit. Very little English was used by the staff, during my visit. The menu is in Spanish & English. I had a double Cuban, rice & plantains with garlic. read more

Cafeteria Yesenia - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I LOVE this place, wish they were open later! The iced coffee is the bomb and the tripleta sandwich is full of meat, it's hard to eat it in one sitting. The bread is toasted and the ham and pork are tasty Lastly. you have to try the fries. Crispy fries with sour cream and a mild hot sauce, yummy! read more

I came across this place a few months ago and initially I was skeptical. I was used to having to drive out of my way to go to Mariano in the north side, but the idea of being able to get similar food closer to home enticed me. When I walked in, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise. The inside was not typical of most restaurants in the back of the yards area. The decor was nice with plenty of tables to sit. If anyone has ever been to Marinao, they'll know that the inside wasn't much to look at let alone sit. The menu was what I was hoping for. Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, coffee. I tried a Cuban sandwich and a cafe con leche and it was fantastic. After speaking to the owner, he told me that he worked at Marinao for years and he assured me his menu and food would be similar. Similar, yes, but there are four things that elevate this place beyond expectations: the ability to sit down, amazing customer service, consistent hours, and they take credit cards! Even if I was north, I would prefer to drive south to go to Cafeteria Yesenia read more

Nice little place in an so-so part of town. From the street you would never know this place is so quaint. Great paint job on the walls and nice artwork too. The menu is basic- not a lot to choose from but I'm ok with this. I ordered the steak and egg sandwich and a Cuban Coffee. The sandwich was huge and the coffee was strong! The staff was a husband and wife team and both were really nice. read more

Very friendly and great atmosphere. It was slow when I was there. But it was great anyway . The Cubano is to die for. Many thanks

Wow,I just amaze,how this place serves great Cuban sandwiches, coffee great,nice place,to have a cup of coffee too,highly recommend

I read the reviews on this neighborhood cafe last week. With errands to run over the weekend and the extremely warm weather, I decided to stop in for lunch. I was pleasantly surprised by the tasteful decoration, wall art and cleanliness of this neighborhood cafe. I was not sure what to order, but decided to have coffee even on a hot day? The 'cafe con leche' was perfectly made; along with the Cuban sandwich. The wait staff were responsive and courteous but low-key enough to allow for some privacy and let you enjoy the meal. Best of all--they open at 6am Mon-Sun...Gran comida de la cafetería;-) read more

Found this place driving on Ashland going home from work and was surprise how good the food is here. Most Cuban or Puerto Rican restaurant are located up on the north side of Chicago the south side is usually flooded with Mexican restaurants. The steak sandwich are so yummy also the owners who own the business are very friendly and nice. read more

Empanadas were on point. Sandwich a little dry. Price was right. Would return for a quick lunch.

I stop by every morning for my Cafe con Leche and it's always delicious!! Service is Great and the owner Jose is always there making sure everything is going great. My favorite sandwich is Jibarito and I order it without garlic and onion and it is great. Highly recommend this place. It is also great if you are a college student and are looking for some place quiet to drink coffee or tea and do homework or study. read more

I've been here about six times in the last two months. The Cuban coffee with milk tastes great and only $2. The sandwiches are all filling, freshly made, and reasonably priced. I love this place and highly recommend it to anyone who lives near here or wants to have some fresh coffee and a crispy sandwich. read more

Today was my first time trying Cuban food. OMG..so delicious. I forgot what the sandwich name was but it was perfection. The salsa, tostones, and fries were off the hook. The server was wonderful and polite. The cook brought my cafe con leche. Wonderful sweet people. I thought the spot was kinda romantic too. They even have Wi-Fi. My new spot. read more

The fried plantain was so good. It was crisp outside and soft inside. I liked the cuban sandwich. Give it a try.

For the love of Cuban food and particularly empanadas (patties) and cafe con leche (coffee with milk) I decided to have a surveyor visit. The sitting area is very cozy and beautiful. The lady in the front desk was friendly, shy and full of smiles. Having moved here from Miami, I miss the Cuban canteens all over the place, but to my surprise this cafeteria is very close to where I live. The parking is free which is great and the neighborhood is a predominantly Mexican area. The owners are Mexican but doing the Cuban cuisine. I was hoping my experience would be really good, unfortunately the three empanadas I ordered two beef and one spinach were all so burned and very darkened. The cafe con leche was delicious. I was totally surprised they would serve the burned empanadas to a customer. The items were to go and it was too much of a trouble to go back. I tasted them anyway and the fillings were good. However for empanadas there is a better place that I have found which is at Lito's, the empanadas are of very high quality. I would go back to this place to try some other items because it is not easy to judge a place by one visit. Let's see if I still get burned empanadas (see photo). read more

See all

What a great find!! Place is impeccable, service was amazing, food was delicious and fast. Great value, for a family of picky eaters we were all happy. read more

Amazing little Cuban restaurant. Delicious food, reasonable prices, and friendly staff ! Cuban sandwiches and Jibaritos are awesome. We will be back. read more

Quick lunch while in the stockyards area. Based on recommendations from other Yelpers, I ordered the Cuban. Hot & toasty with lots of pork & ham. Very good. read more

Edited to add that the steak and cheese sandwich is great! A solid choice for food in a rather blighted area! Original review: 5 stars for the Yesenia fries, knocked one off because the pulled pork is lacking. I'll be back for the fries but will try a steak dish next time. The spinach empanada was good, too. read more

The Cuban Sandwich was excellent. I asked for a simple pan con lechon (roast pork sandwich) and it was fantastic. The pork is moist and flavorful. Don't miss the empanadas especially the ropa vieja empanada. The ropa vieja is as authentic as it gets. As a bonus the staff (especially) the cook are friendly and efficient. By the way, I don't know what is in their salsa but it is spicy and has a fresh almost citrus flavor. Wonderful read more

Never knew this place exsisted. Drove past and saw those magic words, Cuban Sandwiches, and pulled over. Wow, are they good!! Reasonably priced and big!! Highly recommend!!! read more

this place is good. i work a few blocks away, and we often come for the cafe con leches, breakfast sandwiches, and for lunch! it's also great that there is a cuban spot south of downtown. read more

Great little gem in the back of yards. First time visit and I loved the place. Recommend the jibarito.

The Cuban sandwich was mediocre at best. But the coffee on the other hand was excellent. After I received my food and coffee, she never came back for almost 25 minutes and there was nobody there read more

They have really good food for the price. I like their Cuban sandwiches, Yesenia fries, and coffee. They are also very welcoming.

Great sandwiches and coffee. Very friendly service and a very relaxed atmosphere. This place is a great addition to a neighborhood that is in a revival. read more

Found this place a few weeks ago and I am a frequent diner their now. I love the Cuban sandwich. It is great to be able to get something like this in our neighborhood... The empandas are good also. I am working my way through the menu and you should try it too. read more

Love this place!! Their steak, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich is AMAZING. Prices are very reasonable as well.

Loved the jibarito and the cafe con leche! Great service!