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. :-)

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..

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.

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.

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.

All of the food we ordered was perfectly cooked. We had pescado frito - the fry on it was…read moreexcellent. We also had the parche and it was tasty and refreshing. The main disappointment on the parche was that they said they were out of the large so we had to order the small. For something not pre-packaged, that means they were out of large cups. That seems like a major and easily avoidable mistep for a restaurant. The octopus and shrimp salad with mofongo was a delight. The pescado frito we got came with Maduros and a salad. We wouldn't get the salad again for our other side based on the fact that it was just iceberg with some sliced tomatoes on top. The main knock on this place is that the service was incredibly slow. It took several minutes just to get parche after we ordered it and they were far from busy -like three or four whole tables the entire time we were there. Everything took a while even our waters at first.

Soon you walk in staff greets you and are very kind and nice Atmosphere and the vibe with the music…read moreon point perfect time for the summer to sit outside and have their parcha amazing you will not be disappointed but the rest of the menu is really good highly recommend coming in and checking it out will not be disappointed

After sitting on the Riverwalk watching some people eat some interesting looking sandwiches we…read moreinquired. So by accident we stumbled into this place. A few days later we went to try our own. The chicken and steak Jibarito we so good, perhaps a little dry. But what they were not was oily. Some great flavors. Oh and almost forgot, the beef and cheese empanada so good. Great crust without being too thick, good helping of beef in the middle and perfect for hand eating while people watching. We also ordered take away and went back to the riverwalk. Service was fast and courteous.

I recently ordered delivery from this place and it definitely delivered…read more I ordered the pork chops with a side of sweet plantains and rice & beans. The stewed beans in the rice&beans is probably the best I've ever had - and I eat a lot of stewed beans. The pork chops were deliciously seasoned but it was a tad overcooked for me (I like my pork pink) - but this is forgivable knowing that most Americans will faint if served pink pork. I also ordered the bacalao fritter. It's more like a pancake rather than a fritter and you can certainly taste the bacalao. It did not travel well (most crispy fried things don't) but a couple of minutes in my air fryer brought it back to life. I also had the chicken empanada and it was great. This place is highly recommended for lunches or maybe even dinner if you are too lazy to cook. Will order again and try other dishes.

Sinking my teeth into the lechon jibarrito def satisfied my craving!! Just look how perfectly…read morestructured this sandwich is nestled against the comforting arroz con gandules! Heavenly! & the flan was incredibly rich! You can tell their food is truly made with warmth and love! Perfect meal for a cold winter's night! Looking forward to visiting again to try their trembleque & cafe con leche! Mike, your hospitality was unmatched! You are too kind! Thank you for everything!

It looks like an old bar but don't be fooled by the aesthetics because this place has great food…read more They have a wide range of Puerto Rican food. I would definitely recommend getting things to share. We went here on a Saturday afternoon at 1. There were 5 of us and we were able to be sat upon walking in. There are table and counter options. We got the Alcapurrias, which were sweet and savory, mofongo, and for my main meal Plato Vegetariano. My meal was great. A friend got the steak sandwich, he loved it. This place is kid friendly, we got my child French fries and a Jugo de parcha. Which was passion fruit, and while my kid didn't enjoy it, I did. Highly recommend.