Allergy friendly!! Thank you, 1492 Cuban Fusion!…read more I love that my kid can get a safe gluten-free/nut-free/peanut-free meal here, every time! And via UberEats too! I know this is one restaurant near his home where I can have a couple of meals delivered and I know he will be safe. I went for the first time myself a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the experience! The servers are knowledgeable and friendly, made us feel so welcome. Highly recommend ordering one of each of the flans for dessert, and sharing them! There were 4 of us sharing 4 flans, with enough for 5th person.

We ordered a variety of dishes to try 1492 as a first time customer. Empanadas, steak salad and a…read morecouple of the entrees to try different proteins and dishes. We also got the cuban sandwich. The Cuban sandwich was good but lacked any real flavor. Not sure if it's because it was delivered (so not as hot off the grill). But it was good, just not great. Next time I'd reheat it first. The empanadas were very good. We enjoyed a variety. My favorite was the pork. The steak and chicken entree's (both grilled) were ok and were both closer to 3 stars at best, maybe 2. The meat was tender but was a little bland, and as a to-go dish, the presentation is just unappetizing. I wouldn't order those again. The sandwiches are good to try in the future.

After a day shopping on Magnificent Mile north of the river in Chicago, we stopped at nearby…read moreCafecito on Chestnut. It was early Sunday afternoon, and we were too large a group to arrive without calling ahead. You walk up a lovely old half-flight of stairs under an ornate ceiling. After a short wait, half of our party went elsewhere, and the remaining four of us were quickly seated. The front area is mainly a café, with maybe 10 seats at tables for two. Farther back is a hallway and a larger room with seating in booths and at high-tops for maybe 40, and maybe 6 more at a small bar. The staff is quick and friendly. The food is delicious and fresh and hot! And the music is loud and festive :-) We had the thin-cut savory palomillo steak, a generous serving, pounded to tenderness, served with classic wet black-beans and white rice, sweet soft platanos maduros plantain pieces, and some greens and tomato. We had a lovely colorful medium-sized Mojo Shrimp in tart garlic citrus mojo sauce, with sateed red onion crescents, tomato chunks, and parsley. And we had the huge slow-cooked tender shredded-beef Ropa Vieja pressed sandwich, sauced lightly with slightly-tangy creole sauce, served with platanos maduros and black beans. All of their food delightfully authentic. We liked it so much, a few days later we ate at their South Loop location, too!

作为中国人，对Cubano食物风格接受度还不错。 我们点了Vaca…read moreFrita，其实就是煎牛肉丝，嗯...比较不错，因为蛋白质和脂肪有了，还有一些蔬菜带来的纤维素，美式餐食里常见的炸土豆被换成了炸香蕉。以及，配了一份米饭和黑豆mix，混合以后是咸味的，这就是我说的中国人的接受度，膳食均衡----碳水、纤维素、蛋白质、脂肪都要有。 朋友还点了Cafechera，比较特别，薄切的牛排，还有咖啡粉带来的焦香，第一次尝试，很喜欢，我以后手冲咖啡剩下的渣渣，不光可以放在冰箱吸附味道了。 Steak Chimichurri我没有尝试，朋友走了一天很饿，在桌上没留五分钟就消失了，应该是对厨师的褒奖。 Shrimp Ceviche Salad不错，但这是中国人可能会有疑惑的地方，因为酸度非常高，我们在国内还是习惯了沙拉酱、千岛酱，或者油醋汁，柠檬汁为主的酱汁我刚来美国的同伴不是很能接受，但我很喜欢哈哈。 餐厅不是很大，但是也有桌子和吧台，如果是快速吃个三明治，或者晚上想喝一杯，这里都很合适。 可惜我们当天没有喝上一杯，因为独立日餐厅要提前打烊了，所有照片里的餐具也都是pickup的状态，可惜不能拍漂亮照片了。 As a Chinese diner, I find Cuban food surprisingly easy to enjoy. We ordered the Vaca Frita, which is basically pan-fried shredded beef. Honestly, it was quite good -- you get protein and fat from the beef, plus some fiber from the vegetables. Instead of the fried potatoes that are so common in American meals, it came with fried plantains. It also included a mix of rice and black beans, which became savory and satisfying once everything was combined together. This is exactly what I mean when I say Cuban food works well for a Chinese palate: a balanced meal should have everything -- carbs, fiber, protein, and fat. My friend also ordered the Cafechera, which was something quite special: thinly sliced steak with a roasted aroma from coffee grounds. It was my first time trying anything like that, and I really liked it. Apparently, the leftover grounds from my pour-over coffee can do more than just sit in the fridge absorbing odors from now on. I did not try the Steak Chimichurri. My friend had been walking all day and was starving, and the dish disappeared from the table in less than five minutes. I suppose that counts as a compliment to the chef. The Shrimp Ceviche Salad was also very good, though this may be one of those dishes that can confuse some Chinese diners at first because the acidity is quite strong. Back home, we are more used to salads with creamy dressings, Thousand Island, or vinaigrette. A dressing dominated by lemon or lime juice can be difficult for some of my companions who have only recently arrived in the US, but personally, I loved it, haha. The restaurant is not very large, but it has both tables and bar seating. Whether you just want to grab a quick sandwich or come by in the evening for a drink, it feels like a very good fit. Unfortunately, we did not get to have a drink that day because the restaurant was closing early for Independence Day. All the tableware in my photos was also in pickup mode, which was a shame -- no chance to take any pretty food photos this time.

This place was amazing!…read more Came in a few weeks ago to grab dinner with friends, and was easily able to get a reservation same day on a Saturday night at 7 PM. From the very beginning, we were taken care of very well. We were quickly seated when we got in, and our server was very attentive. The restaurant was jampacked too, I'm surprised we were able to get in so quickly! The food was delicious; for dinner I had the pollo a la cubana which was so good. Our server had mentioned to me that this was his favorite item on the menu, and I could not agree more. The chicken was perfectly cooked, and very juicy. Great vibes in the restaurant too, very upbeat feeling here. Everyone was very friendly, and the music added a very tropical feeling. Overall great time and would happily come back.

Delicious, a highlight of our stay in Chicago. Chimichangas and roja vieja are both very good…read more Server offered for us to use their private room to change our son's diaper (no changing table), itemized the receipt for us, and refilled our water as needed.

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.

Never leave here unsatisfied. What a delightfully delicious place I stumbled upon thanks to a…read morefriend. from the Service to the drinks, Rio Juan even John helping out now is always the most pleasant experience the food is amazing the ambience is great definitely worth the truck from wicker for all this deliciousness the good vibes the great food and love so cool employees

I'd never had Cuban food before until I came here. I got a fried tilapia platter which came with…read morerice and a spinach salad. I genuinely cleaned this plate off. The spinach had a kind of sauce with it that when mixed with the rice and fish tasted absolutely divine. The plantains were perfectly fried. My friend got the pork sandwich which she also enjoyed. We also got two vanilla lattes which were very good. This place has both indoor and outdoor seating. We opted for outdoor because the weather was nice but the vibes were good inside as well. They have a pastry counter indoors that looked good. I would highly recommend making a reservation because the place was packed on a Thursday morning! In the future I would bring friends and family here.

I saw this place was close to my hotel, so I decided to give it a shot. I noticed they had a lot of…read moregood options, but I decided to stick with the pollo chimichurri. My food was ready within minutes and while I was hoping for a mouthful of flavors, I got anything but. The chicken wasn't really seasoned. In fact, it was lukewarm and bland. The plate could have gone without the tomato's as it made the maduros mushy. The plate itself was rather meh and I was pretty disappointed. Also, I was expecting the chimichurri to already be on the chicken and not for me to have to add it myself, especially considering I didn't get very much. Maybe they had an off day or I just chose the wrong dish.

Bayan Ko is the spot! Amazing brunch here - very unique menu! Service was great, smaller store…read morefront with a couple of tables outside as well. Ube pancakes: 4/5 Crab Rangoon dip: 4.5/5 Shishito Hash: 4.7/5

Bayan Ko Diner serves Filipino-Cuban fusion that doesn't disappoint…read more We ordered the following: 1. Cubano Breakfast Burrito (7/10) (beef brisket ropa vieja, soft scrambled eggs, plantains, Swiss, and black beans) Brisket and plantains? I was sold when I saw that on the menu. I'm happy to report, it was as good as it sounded. Also, the texture from the cheese, brisket, beans, and plantains was incredibly addicting. The Swiss cheese paid more of a textural role rather than flavor (compared to a different type of cheese) but I appreciated that the entire dish stuck to it's Cuban roots. For instance, Swiss is used in many prominent Cuban dishes such as the iconic Cubano sandwich. The burrito came with a red salsa which tasted pretty standard, but my recommendation is to add the hot sauce, provided at the table, to the burrito. You're welcome. 2. Sisig Shishito Hash with garlic rice (6/10) (chopped pork belly, breakfast potatoes, shishito peppers, soy black vinegar aioli, sunny side egg, toast or garlic rice) Now I am going to be totally biased here because I love anything that comes in a "Hash-style" dish. Fatty pork belly, seasoned potatoes, and a sunny side egg? It was not mind blowing and I probably won't order it again. I'd rather check out the rest of the menu, but it sounded good, looked good, and tasted good. Take that as you will. 3. Halo Halo Banana Split (5/10) (3 scoops of your choice of ice cream, turon, young coconut, red bean, coconut gel, flan, rice crispies) The ice creams are made by Milky Milky, a local Chicago small batch, handcrafted ice cream maker. For our flavors, we chose all 3 options they had at the time: ube, mango, and pandan. Homemade? Asian-inspired flavors? A wide variety of toppings? They got me again. Despite the rising popularity of ube within recent years (I am partial to taro lol), I have found not many places do it justice. THIS ube? We found a winner. Finally, a STRONG ube flavor that isn't lackluster or bland. The mango ice cream was fine and the pandan was too salty in my opinion. Pandan is one of my favorite ice cream flavors and I haven't tasted one that I haven't liked...until this one. Also, the rice crispies are so simple but add textural interest. Service was good. The atmosphere was cozy, but not cramped. The interior had jewel tones with a modern boho style that pays homage to the restaurant's Filipino-Cuban heritage.

First and foremost, I ate here this past Saturday. I was brought there steak sandwich. I had never…read moreeaten in the establishment before. I was thinking it wouldn't be promising cause I was thinking steak sandwich tuff, hard to chew, a piece of steak between two pieces of bread. Well I was duped on that thought. I received the stead sandwich, I opened the tray and was so surprised of what I saw. It was cut in half, and it was big. I took the first bite and let me tell you, it was so mouth watering I had to take a second bite. This steak sandwich melted in my mouth. It was all chopped up, into pieces, it was easy to chew, and swallow. It was seasoned just right, and I just couldn't stop eating it. I immediately asked where was this place. The sandwich came with a dressing, lettuce and tomato, on a French bread roll. I fell in love. I decided I needed to now go there, and get another one so I went there yesterday. I sat in the car in front of the place. I placed my order then went inside to get it. The restaurant has seating and lots of it for eating inside. They had tv's on the wall and a view to the outside. They had a public bathroom. There were patrons dining in when I arrived, and I walked up to the counter to get my sandwich. I informed hopefully it was the manager, that I had eaten the steak sandwich on saturday and it was mouth watering, and I just had to have another one. I didnt order fries when I made the order but I asked and they made fries to go with my steak sandwich. The fries too were just like I like them. Thin crispy and taste great. After speaking with the manger he wanted me to try another item they carried. It was an empanada, that too was delicious. The sandwich is so big full of steak, literally falling out the bread I couldn't even finish it. I had to save half for later that evening. This place impressed me. I don't know if they have self parking, I park in front, and ran in for my food and left. I was also told once they close the eat in dining for the evening they have a space next to the dine in that you can order for take out, and pick up till late night and thats a plus. I have to give this restaurant and awesome review cause it's rare to like everything about a business you frequent for the first time. The patrons that I saw eating at the tables looked happy and enjoying their food. I'm sure they carry more than the the steak sandwich, but that was my fav order. Thank you to the manager for allowing me to try the empanada free of charge.

We got the Cuban sandwich and Cubanito steak sandwich. Tasty and good value! The Cubanito steak…read moresandwich is a bit messy to eat though because it's ground beef. Unfortunately there wasn't a sit down option when we went, only window pick up. The employee was nice and had good energy though.

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.