Cuisine de Jibarito has very authentic Puerto Rican food with lots of Puerto Rican cultured decorations inside. We ordered the Tour de Puerto Rico and it came with A TON of food; we had lots of leftovers. It was very nicely displayed in three layers with a lot of variety of different types of Puerto Rican classics. I will say, the wait was very long for all this food, almost an hour and we were starving when we sat down. They mentioned it was all being made fresh, so just be prepared to wait a little for your food. They very graciously gave us an extra side of rice due to the long wait. If I want another Jibarito in the future, I will keep this place in mind! read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Steak Jibarito Sandwich - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

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Hello everyone , I am going to be honest this was not thee best pick for me. I arrived at opening after the restaurant took a vacation for like a week or so. The food was not as exciting as I would of liked but over all had a familiar flavor to it. The service was great but being one of only three customers was pretty simple to understand. The ambiance I can say was kinda inviting but in a way to get in get out type of feel. The food had no passion , I tasted the seasoning but not the love for the food that you would expect out of the only Puerto Rican spot for another 6 miles. Would I go again, maybe ! Thanks read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Hi Steak Jibarito Sandwich, Arroz Gandules - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

yall get 2 stars cuz the service was valid, however the food was subpar. i'm from new york, where the food gotta be valid, too much competition for you to come with something mid, this was also supposed to be a cheat meal for me as im kind of a healthy guy, mostly plant based but i thought a jibarito isnt crazy, so i got the shrimp jibarito, some tostones, and arroz con gandules i love puerto rican rice, it warms the soul, y'all should be ashamed of the rice i was served, it was dry as if it were sitting all damn day, and had no flavor, the jibarito was ok, as well as the tostones, they were a bit greasy, they smelled garlicky but didn't taste garlicky this would not make it in new york, and your grandma would prolly disown you for that rice, do better read more

I miss Cafe 23 . Came to Cuisine wanting a Steak Jibarito with lots of garlic and flavor I was really looking forward to arroz con gandules - I was so dissapointed. The rice con gandules was not arroz puertorriqueño, no flavor whatsoever. The Jibaritos could of been better. read more

Was really looking forward to try this restaurant ordered Carne frita had a bad smell like they used old oil or bacalao leftover oil, Alcapurria & relleno de papa extremely greasy with same smell of oil. I left arroz con gandules for the end and was too mushy and way too much cumin seasoning. On a positive note lady who took my order very polite and restaurant dining area looked nice and clean. Unfortunately will not be returning. read more

The food is AMAZING! The atmosphere is cool and unique. The music was blasting, but the windows were open and the wind was blowing. After I left the restaurant, I wanted to go back immediately for seconds. read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Steak Jibarito Sandwich - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

Ambiance: 4/5 pretty cool Food: 1/5 Portions were small. Left here hungry. Taste 1/5 food lacked flavor. Food was cold. Bread was dry and lacked flavor. Rice was hard and salty. Beans were salty and lacked flavor. Service: 4/5 people here are very nice. Prompt service. Overall: 2/5. I won't be coming back as other Puerto Rican restaurants are way better. read more

Very delicious , mofongo was awesome Quick service and friendly staff Little heads up , no credit card , caught us by surprise , cash and zell only read more

Little place with a lot of flavor! If you're looking for Puerto Rican food, this is your place. I've been to Puerto Rico many times. My go to is always mofongo but I've never had a jibarito sandwich before. This place is known for it. We ordered the Lechon and steak. Both are good but I would say the pork was juicy and had a lot of flavor. I loved the onions, garlic topped on the crispy fried plantain and the melted cheese. The jugo de parcha juice is so good! It kind of taste like guava and pineapple juice but I really don't know what flavor it is besides that it's good and we ordered another refill of it! The platano maduro relleno was ehh. It has beef inside a sweet banana but the beef was too dry for me. The banana was sweet and yummy though. The strawberry cake was like any other dessert. ***They only take cash but there is an ATM there read more

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Que comida buena Dios mio!! The morcilla was insanely delicious, y los bacalaitos (ask them to fry them crunchy) were great. The parcha juice was refreshing and sent me on an instant trip to the Motherland. Thank you Jibarito, Puerto Rico you rock! Ps I was told the Jibarito de Lechon was slamming y el arroz con habichuelas estaban rico! Pero go there yourself and find out or not cause then there's more for me. read more

HONORARY BORICUA* It's a little taste of San Juan in the western suburbs. ( *Nichole C claims I earned that title in late 2018 when I played the 'segundo plenera' in a holiday 'parranda' [drunken marching band] held in her hometown. I might be pale as a ghost, but I played the living sh*t out of that medium-sized hand drum and received blessings from the locals of Carolina, PR. Boo-yah! ) In looking for Puerto Rican restaurants within a 50mile radius, our search yielded this restaurant in Melrose Park. Cuisine de Jibarito is just south of Lake St & 19th Ave, near the train tracks. Street parking is free and typically easy to come by; you'll know you're in the right place once you see all the flags outside. The inside is cute, though the plastic covers on the tables makes me think of abuelita's house. They've got a giant mural on the ceiling and posters of famous Boricua athletes (Roberto Clemente, Javy Baez, Wilfredo Gomez.......but no Yadier Molina? No Alex Rios?) Their 'frituras' (fried food) are pretty good for $2 each. 'Alcapurria' (savory banana fritter stuffed with meat) was tasty but light on filling. The 'relleno de papa' was a large potato ball and tasted about as good as a fried potato ball can taste. 'Bacalao' (codfish pancake, yeah sounds weird I know) was too thick/doughy for our liking.....they're best when extra crispy. NC says that her 'chuletas fritas' ($12) with 'habichuelas y arroz blanco' (fried porkchop with beans & white rice) were dry. I didn't think they were all that bad, then again she's the expert on such things. Much like chop suey isn't authentic Chinese -- and deep dish pizza didn't come from Italy -- the 'jibarito' is a Chicago creation. It's a steak sandwich made with tomato, lettuce, onion, mayo, American cheese and two garlic-fried plantains. It comes with 'arroz con gandules' (rice w/pigeon peas), and was fairly priced at $9.50. Bread = 3.5 Circuses = 3.5 They don't have 'mofongo' on the menu (mashed plantain w/seafood salad), which is a bit disappointing. However they do have 'lechon' (roasted pork, a personal favorite) and cans of Coco Rico ($1.50), a carbonated coconut soda. Even more surprising is the occasional availability of Gasolina (alcoholic Capri Suns) and cans of Medalla! So what's the big deal about Medalla, a sh*tty beer that's the Puerto Rican equivalent of a Bud Light? Well for starters, it's not available outside of Orlando and Miami. The only times Cuisine de Jibarito has any in stock, is when Tío Pepe smuggles some back in a suitcase. Because of this, they only carry Medalla at certain times and charge a whopping $5.50 per can! Service has been friendly enough across three visits. Most recently, an entire colony of ants swarmed the ketchup bottle at my table (ugh). I accepted defeat and let them have it. * TL;DR * I've been here thrice and can say that Cuisine de Jibarito is a solid representation of the island, its people, and its unique food culture. $6 for a can of Medalla is robbery sure enough, but for native Puerto Ricans, it'll most certainly bring back happy memories. What price are you willing to pay for nostalgia? Abuelita's home cooking is still the best, though this place comes pretty close. Recommended, si! read more

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Nice place with good service. Puerto Rican food was very tasty. The fritura de bacalao were big and very tasty. The pork was outstanding. Would definitely go back. Prices was very reasonable. read more

The service was really nice but..Eso NO ES lechón!! Es carnitas! el arroz nada de sabor la nada que ver con el sabor boricua las carnitas sumamente grasosas no lo recomiendo pero el precio no lo vale read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Lechon Arroz Gandules - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

It was ok, the rice was mushy, Jibarito was just ok, the morcilla was good, non English speaking place, communication was an issue

Cute little place in the mid burbs. Hard to find authentic Puerto Rican food out this way unless I cook it myself or hightail it to the city. The food is delicious. Service is good, even though they only had one waiter who was on point with everything. read more

Food is superb!! We ordered mofongo, lechón, Carne frita, vegetarian Jibarito, arroz con gandules, alcapurria, tostones, parcha everything is definitely a 10 plus! I live about a 45 minutes away, definitely worth the drive! Presentation of dishes is unique very well thought out! Beautiful. Service was attentive and knowledgeable! THANK YOU! See you guys soon!!! read more

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Amazing! Came for the Jibarito's. 1st time and won't be the last! I will for sure come again with the family. Clean place, music is amazing , employees are great! and especially the food. Whole place makes you feel at home. Very welcoming. Thank you so much! read more

The food is not good, the steak literally looks like it was boiled. Dude smiled while giving me this. read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - a styrofoam container with rice and meat - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

The lechón Jibarito was good but the explicit reggueton music doesn't make a family friendly place. No beer. Only cash.

Being only 5 min away from my hubby's job, this is 1 place where I'll be frequent! Parcha is watered down. Canoa (ground beef & cheese in maduro) was outstanding!!! Beans had green peppers & carrots mixed in... HEAVEN!!! read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

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Unfortunately the service was terrible. Very poor service, the waitress took 10 min in taking the orden, even tho was no people by the time we get here, I asked for a glass of water and took another 10 min to bring it to me, it's being 40 min and he still haven't get out food The place looks good. No servicial Una falta de atención del servicio, se tardaron alrededor de 10 min para tomarte la orden. No ofrecieron agua. Tardaron 40 min con la comida cuando solo tenían 3 mesas. La comida parecía de un día anterior, no estaba fresca. No existen medidas de prevención del COVID. read more

I must say I love finding amazing food! Food was amazing we had the tour of Puerto Rico and gotta say it reminds me of my a lot of all the great food I just had In Puerto Rico on vacation. Gotta say you must try this place one of the best Puerto Rican restaurants in Chicagoland area!!! Very authentic!! Will definitely be back here again soon!! read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - 10. Tour of Puerto Rico - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

I'm back in Kansas. There's no place like home, and this food is as close to home that I can feel the breeze of the Atlantic Ocean. read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Beans puertorican style - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

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Hello everyone!!! I called a week ago to reserve a spot for my husbands birthday on January 22 for 2:00 PM. When I did arrive to the restaurant at 2:00 PM on January 22, there was a sign on the door saying it was closed until the 26th. My heart dropped when I saw the sign. It did not indicate if there was an emergency in the family I would've understood. I never got a phone call saying that the restaurant was closed or an apology..... I am very disappointed we've been through a lot for the past week. We have lost a member of our family and for that to happen to us was a knife on my back. I was looking forward to it!!!!! BIG Disappointment!!!! read more

The plates are wood and shaped like Puerto Rico. The place is charming and cozy. The food was good, but Chicago area has a lot of competition. So with that in mind I'm giving it a 5 star review. Because it's in Melrose Park and they took a chance to save us an hour drive to the next Jibarito spot. Now about the food, overall it was good. The rice was too salty to finish but I judge on flavor and not salt. It had good flavor, they can simply add less salt next time. I had high hopes for the alcapurrias but it was either too dense or it was a little too dry/stale. They were really big though! :) The Jibarito was really good but it felt like it was missing something.. maybe garlic! I still can't figure it out. . I think it has a lot of potential to be a great spot! I would say try it at least once, especially if you are in the neighborhood. Give them feedback in person. It has great seating for large groups. There is a booth section decorated with cubs theme. If you are a cubs fan, you will love the decor! Great place to watch the game too. I found the decor to be a little quirky but charming! I really felt like I was at an establishment in Puerto Rico! Buen Provecho! read more

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Last night was my first time trying Puerto Rican food and let me tell you...this place did not disappoint! The service was fast, our servers were very friendly, and the food was delicious. I ordered a Piña Colada and the Pastelillos and they were so good! We will definitely be back. read more

Didn't like any of the food, ordered steak plantine sandwich very not good steak, bad pork, empanada was garbage, my stomach also.

This place has the potential to be a better place if it corrects few things. First. Stop using Puerto Rico wooden place, they are very inconvenient and the food gets cold very fast. Second, accept credit cards for payment. Third, serve the food orders all at the same time. Update the menu regularly and delete the items that are no longer available. read more

I have been wanting to check this place out for a while and it did not disappoint! I had the steak jibarito with arroz and my friend who is a vegetarian had the veggie jibarito with white rice. These people know how to season and cook! Then we had café and a pastelitos de guayaba. The café was on point the pastelito was okay, maybe I will try the budín next time. The place is small but I loved the vibe. Good música with PR flags everywhere along with Cub memorabilia. The staff was extremely friendly it felt like you were at someone's house having dinner. Highly recommend and will be back! read more

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The food was good. El arroz con gandules is made from medium grain and was moist. Just how I like it. The Jibarito was also delicious. I did notice that the pastellios looked like the Goya packaged ones, so not sure how authentic the dough may be, the meat was flavorful though. I also tried the alcapuria and that was tasty! Given the area I was satisfied with our meal. I would come back and try other things. I would recommend the staff to update their hours. We arrived after 7 and were greeted and seated, however those who came after us (around 7:40pm) for carry outs/dine in were told the Resturant was closed. A teenager who didn't look like staff member (family members, I'm guessing) was telling the patrons this message. Our service was nice. I liked that they accepted the square and you could pay immediately. read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

Very tasty food and out of the park hospitality. Great ambience and service. Súper friendly. read more

I have been eating jibaritos from the north side of Chicago for as long as I can remember, traveling 40 minutes to Humbolt Park sometimes & let me tell you THIS is the best jibarito I've ever had. Not too much garlic, meat was tender & flavorful almost no fat, tostone was perfect. Rice was seriously so good, not too dry & not too wet. I never even knew this place was by my house or I would've ate here much sooner. I had an alcapurria too, which was also amazing. If I lived in the city, I would travel to eat here. read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

I've been here in the past and they updated the establishment with open widows, great up beat music and adult beverages. Love the new layout!! The food is amazingly delicious. However, the services was a little slow. That's why I give this place 4 stars. read more

I have been dying for a great tasting Jibarito! I have passed this place several times and finally decided to try it especially after seeing one of my Yelp friends bookmarked the restaurant. I'm so glad there is a authentic Puerto Rican restaurant near by. I decided to try there jibarito and just by the smell of it made my mouth water. Now when I took a bite into the sandwich I was instantly in heaven the tostones of the Jibarito was not hard or crunchy (like I've tasted before) it was just right, you can taste the freshness. Everyone was very welcoming and the sandwich was done in less then 5 mins. I have a new favorite place near by instead of driving to the city to get a good Jibarito. :) read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Jibarito - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

When I was 15 years old I used to work here and they paid me $3 an hour (my dad knew the owner and got me the job when he was drunk) I found out my third day that's how much I was getting paid. I quit the next day. I am now 18 working else where. At my current workplace I saw one of my old coworkers from this place and it reminded me to post this. The food is good. read more

update: Instead of trying clear the misunderstanding in a civilized manner the owner accused me of being a liar, butting into other people's conversations (conversation that was being held on business hours loudly). In addition she dismisses my experience as review. Below are the screenshots of her response to the same review on her Facebook page. Running errands in the area we came across this establishment and decided to give it a chance since a Puerto Rican restaurant stood out in a Mexican neighborhood. As I was walking towards the door I saw a man signal the people inside and as soon as we opened the door a woman behind the counter screamed "excuse me we are closing soon so if you want to order it can only be to go" (this was at around 5:30pm and we didn't know they closed at 6pm on Mondays). Since we had been in the car running errands all day I said we weren't staying because we wanted to sit in. So already outside ( the patio door was open) we hear her scream mockingly "se quedo con las ganas" which roughly translated means that I wasn't going to get what I wanted, followed by over the top laughter. I fully understand not sitting people half an hour before closing but the mockery is unnecessary. Needless to say I won't even waste my time nor money after this first impression. read more

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Great food great service great place. Has a vibe of Puerto Rico with a flare of the Chicago CUBS. read more

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Oh my gosh ! Very authentic and very good!! Service was amazing and the whole restaurant smelled so appetizing. No complaints and no changes - the tostones were FIRE read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

We should have followed the RATS(WE SAW AT LEAST 6 IN THE REAR) and ran from this place!!! NO WAY, NEVER AGAIN!!! Reheated, crunchy, flavorless, DRYYYYYY, Alcapurria. Plantain-ok. Beans-frickin NASTY. The rice had been sitting out!! Just not fresh. WHERE IS THE LOVE(in the food)? NOT HERE. Two visits, we don't need three. read more

Ate here for the first time, ran into it by luck. Decided to give it a try, so very happy I did. The place was very cute and cozy, I felt like I was in a restaurant in PR, waitress was very kind and attentive. I had a Lechón Jibarito, which was absolutely delicious, meat was very tasty and juicy. My partner had a steak Jibarito, which was also very good. The Arroz con Gandules, had great flavor, maybe a tad bit less salt, but great flavor overall. Our food was served on a beautiful wooden plate, shaped like our beautiful Island of Puerto Rico. I am very happy to have a good Puerto Rican restaurant near us. Will definitely be going back read more

Cuisine De Jibarito - Lechón Jibarito - Puerto Rican Near Me - Melrose Park, Illinois

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