Best food I've had outside of the island!!! 10/10 recommend the arroz con gandules were great

So today after many month of wanting to try this restaurant in our next-door neighborhood we finally went today and OMG it was the best northside Puerto Rican Restaurant we have have visited actually the only one in the north side of Chicago. Thr atmosphere and ambiance was amazing beautifully decorated in the place is small but cozy and you literally feel at home, the owner chef and his bartender hostest greet you like if your family. The owner Eric is so sweet and down to earth he makes you feel like an old friend visiting from the homeland. Katie was supper sweet and very informative on all the menu and drinks. I decided to try the Entre Las Sabanas made with Bacardi & Conac it was so good I asked for a second one. My wife had Tamarindo non alcohol because she was driving, we also asked for the Hummus de Gandules that was so different and so yummy served with plantain chips. For dinner I had shrimps with arroz blanco and pink beans my dinner was so good. My wife had vistec encebollado with rice and beans, she loved it. Our dessert was pudding de pan. It's a must restaurant to visit if you like Puerto Rican food. I highly recommend this restaurant and on weekends it's highly recommend to make reservations. I will certainly return again. read more

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My goal is to try 50 new Chicago restaurants in 2025! Restaurant: 51/50 Month tried: September Favorite dish: Pollo Al Ajillo Marinas is an unassuming spot in a strip mall that packs big flavors and cheerful service. Was so happy to discover this place. I tried to go back on a random Friday night recently, and they were completely booked up for the night, so definitely make a reservation!! Drink: La Playita - yummmm House Starter: Yucca fries and I believe some kind of guava dip? - This was SO good. I need to know exactly what that dip was and how I can get a jar of it. Starter: Queso Frito con Tamarindo - Fried cheese, how can you not love it?? Entree: Pollo Al Ajillo with rice and beans - This was so simple but SO flavorful. And a HUGE portion, perfect for lunch leftovers. I truly cannot stop thinking about this perfectly executed plate. Dessert: Flan - I have never in my life enjoyed flan, but they brought it for my friend's birthday, and I really liked it! Did Marinas make me a flan fan?? It took a bit of time to get our check. I had the feeling they wanted us to sit and enjoy more drinks. Next time I think I will do just that :) read more

We made a reservation since there were six of us. It is very small inside so plan ahead. My friends tried 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. read more

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Came for restaurant week. I had the jibarito which was rich in flavor. I liked the avocado salad but the empanada was on the dry side. Cute atmosphere. Great service. Server was friendly and the chef came out to check in and introduce himself. read more

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar - Empanada and avocado salad - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We Came Here To Celebrate My Dads Birthday And There Are So Many Great Things About This Place! First Off, The Staff Is Super Friendly, Personable, And Incredibly Accommodating. The Vibe Is Fun, Welcoming, And Makes This Small, Quaint Spot Feel Special. Now For The Good Stuff, The Cocktails? Absolute Fire. The Food? Chef's Kiss! Every Single Dish We Ordered Was Amazing, Full Of Flavor And Clearly Made With Love. If You're Looking For Authentic Puerto Rican Food Paired With A Great Atmosphere, I Highly Recommend Marina's Bistro. This Spot Is A Gem! read more

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This unassuming little spot in a veritable United Nations of Food strip mall is a hidden gem in Chicago. 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. read more

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If you're looking for authentic Puerto Rican food, this place will definitely do the job! The pastellios made us want to go back to PR, immediately! It's a small spot, with a nice bar and few seats and the servers and owner were SO nice! Our favorites were the empanadas and bisteca (fried pork chop). Highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

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Food quality is so much better dining in than delivery. The garlic chicken is saltier than its supposed garlic flavor. The bistec was dry and tasteless through delivery - but when I've had it at the restaurant, it was perfect! read more

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar - Pollo Al Ajillo (Garlic Chicken) - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fresh take on Puerto Rican cuisine! It's so nice to see how much love they put into their work as the refresh the menu regularly and manage to make it all taste great. Chef Eric is always so kind as to greet our table personally and I've been there for about 3-4 birthday dinners and it never fails. Always filled with a good amount of people and the decor is great around Christmas. read more

Amazing authentic Puerto Rican food, great service, I will visit again. Restaurant is small so you get really good personal service.

Wow, this place is AMAZING. I am saddened that I only am now discovering this amazing Chef and restaurant. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted and sat with a smile, and our waiter was attentive and kind the small space made it feel like you were eating in a family friends home and you could taste the care and love and passion in the meals my group and I participated in the Chicago restaurant week menu and while this was a bang for your buck, kind of deal. We left full and delighted. Starting with the first course the ensalada was fresh. The avocados were Perfect, and it was such a great beginning, pallet, cleanser. Course. The croqueta was like, biting into a memory of my past. It was soft with a flaky outside crust and it had a gooey middle. It was also huge!! For me. The star of the show was the pork chop. I have never had a pork chop that was juicy Perfectly fried and left me thinking about when I could come back to order it! Pork is not my usual. Go to protein of choice, but don't skip out on this dish. Lastly, that bread pudding was something to write home to my abuelita about again. All these dishes just tasted with immense passion and love. I would scream from the rooftops that you need to try this place 10 out of 10 experience. read more

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Marina's brings Puerto Rico to Chicago! Super attentive service. Definitely make a reservation on a Friday night because it will get packed! -Bartenders make fresh & tropical drinks, including great non-alc selections - Homemade plantain chips with a sweet cream dip - Def order the sweet plantains (we may have gotten 2 orders) - Croquette trio sampler are huge with different sauces - Lechon Asado is super tender & loved their twist on mofongo! read more

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So glad we found this spot in wandering around Uptown. We stopped for a Saturday lunch around 12:30 and it wasn't crowded, but was nearly full before we left. The atmosphere in a small strip center space was intimate, clean, with nice lighting and decor. We opted for sandwiches - both (the tripleta and the bistec) were delicious, meaty and flavorful. The malanga chips served when we were seated were a pleasant surprise (guava based dip was a tad sweet for me). We tried the el chillin mocktail (not too sweet) and the Medalla light beer - both cool and refreshing. Service was perfect and friendly. We will definitely put Marina's on the return visit list! read more

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Service was nice and the portions were large! The croquettes were ok, and fun to share when divided up but not super flavorful. The sandwich I got was huge and had good flavor but the chips and guava butter you got with the table were a fun and interesting flavor to start with. And I really enjoyed those. The drinks were my favorite part and the wait staff was more than willing to describe some of the lesser known ingredients, but they did take a while to come even with such a small restaurant. read more

cute place w parking. i had a steak Jibarito and it was amaaaaazing. i ordered it to go and the staff worked w me on what would travel best. the have plenty of it variety including GF and vegan. highly recommend! read more

I'm so happy I finally got to check out Marina's! It's tucked in a little plaza off Wilson, so it's very easy to get to from the red line or the 36 bus. The restaurant did such an amazing job transforming the space. It truly feels like you've entered a beautiful little outdoor patio. We got lucky getting a table without a reservation. They were very nice to squeeze us in! The space is pretty small so you should make a reservation in advance. I love Puerto Rican food and was so happy to see how many veggie options they had on the menu! I got the passion fruit juice to start and it was so fresh it had some seeds at the bottom too! They have a full bar and a nice mocktail list as well. For food, we decided to split things so we could try different options. We ordered the queso frito con tamarindo, berenjena frita, and the jibarito impossible. The queso frito was SO good. I am obsessed with tamarind and I loved the addition of the rosemary as well. The berenjena was good but I wish it had a bit more of a kick to it. The sauce and parsley it came with was good, but I think I wanted just a little more flavor from this one. The jibarito was very good! Since being vegetarian, I have not been able to find one without meat. I was SO happy to see this on the menu! I was hoping to try dessert but honestly this was incredibly filling and I couldn't even finish all the food. I will have to come back! read more

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I cannot rate Marina's highly enough! Don't question it, just go!! The food was delicious, freshly prepared, and authentic to my meals in PR. The arroz con gandules is TOP TIER. The chef himself checked in on us twice. He even gave us a loaf of pan sabor to go after I complimented how delicious it was! It's shipped (frozen) directly from Puerto Rico to Marina's!! I will be back!! And I'm bringing my Puerto Rican father in law! read more

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Anna was our server, she was very friendly and helpful. Small place but very delicious! All the food quality was great and served hot. The drink was delicious great bar tender! Good options of non alcoholic beverages. Large portions and great music playing as well. Recommend doing reservations for the weekends. We got lucky with no reservations. Definitely going back! The owner also came to the table asking, how the food was as he also went around all the tables as well! Great place read more

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Came here for the first time to discover this beautiful gem! Puerto Rican food that is absolutely delicious and such great service and ambiance! The drinks were amazing, and every part of the meal was as well! The tostones are served with this butter and fruit spread combination that is amazing! The server recommended another appetizer that I forgot the name of, it was a cheese dish- amazing flavor! I ordered the chicken mofongo and this was the first time I've seen the option to mix yuca and plantains in this dish! Delicious! Highly recommend! read more

We were lucky to snag a spot here before a show at the Riviera. There was a sign at the door that they were booked for the evening, so reservations are highly recommended. The appetizers were great, including the complimentary taro chips with guava butter. The restaurant itself reminded me of a place in Viejo San Juan. If you want excellent food & cocktails while being transported to Puerto Rico, check this place out! read more

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This is such a cute spot and I'm so glad I made my way out here on a snowy evening. I'd been reading other Yelp reviews about the complimentary plantain chips with guava butter and they did not disappoint at all. I'd been having a meh day (seasonal depression is so real) and the moment I ate these plantain chips, my day and mood was transformed. Eating here really reset my spirit. They do seem busy (at least on a Saturday night), so I definitely recommend making a reservation if you can. I was lucky to get a seat at the bar. I very much enjoyed the side of majado (mashed malanga roots) that came with my steak jibarito. I wouldn't say this is the best jibarito I've had (tough competition here in Chicago), but still good and I'd definitely come back here. I didn't get a drink this time but the drinks looked delicious. I also appreciated the service - they were so busy but I definitely felt checked upon and they're definitely doing a great job. This is a business I'm definitely rooting for and recommend y'all check out. It's also a cute place, so definitely lovely for a date or a nice dinner with friends. read more

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar - Complimentary plantain chips and guava butter (delicious) - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I LOVE THIS PLACE. Highly recommend making a reservation because they get booked up. Staff is very kind and helpful. The vibe is relaxing but fun. Food is amazingggg. I think about the mashed taro in my sleep. The meat is soooo tender and I've never been a plantains girl but there's are perfect, especially with the guava butter. Everything I've tried has been amazing. read more

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AMAZING food, drinks and ambiance I have been waiting months to try this place!! My partner noticed it while walking. Can't wait to be back!! The food is fantastic!! I had the bistec encebollado with rice. Could not get enough!! The Calle Loíza was the perfect end of summer drink!! Our server was so sweet and nice!! Gave us great recommendations. read more

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The food was extremely flavorful and fresh. This is a very small restaurant that is beautifully decorated. The service was great.

I went to Marinas Bistro & Rum Bar this week. It is located in the Uptown area. The restaurant is located in a strip mall with a tiny parking lot. The restaurant/ bar and restaurant are extremely small. It was crowded and I felt like a sardine in a can! The ambiance is good and the decorations are very modern and cute. I ordered a cocktail that cost around 14 dollars. It was average, and lacking liquor. I also had their complimentary Plantain Chips and Guava sauce, which was tasty. It took a while to get my drink. People that were seated after me received their cocktails 10 minutes before me, so that was puzzling. The waitress was friendly, but there was only 1 waitress serving in this busy restaurant at dinner time. Unfortunately, my experience was very uncomfortable, I wanted to leave quickly. This restaurant is too small to have a girl's night out! read more

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Absolutely amazing food! So much so, that it's compelled me to come out of my Yelp retirement and actually write a review. Chef Eric flawlessly combines all of the wonderful flavors and feelings of Puerto Rican comfort food with an upscale presentation and style. The service was amazing and the ambiance was cozy. Only tip is that parking lot is kinda tight but there seems to be plenty of street parking as well. Oh and make sure to grab a dinner reservation because the dining area is small and place is very popular. We tried so many items that we absolutely loved including multiple cocktails. All of the cocktails were extremely well balanced and thought out. While it was hard to pick favorites since literally everything I had was delicious, my favorites in each category were: Cocktail: El Viejo San Juan- think evolved or grown up Piña Colada. Starter: Ensalada de Aguacate- I have never ever picked a salad as my favorite starter at a restaurant and all of the starters were delicious. Perhaps it's my longing for Spring to start and for our Chicago winter to finally be over, but this salad immediately transported me to warmer times. So fresh and delicious, perfectly dressed, I could have easily added shrimp and been happy with this as my entree. Main: Costilla De Res con Puree de Yuca y Papa- this short rib was so juicy and tender and the purée was the perfect accompaniment, so garlicky and delicious. Although it still didn't stop me from ordering an extra side of arroz blanco con habichuelas because it really should be deemed a crime to have Puerto Rican food and not have white rice and beans. Dessert: Why order just one? Exactly the thoughts of the group I was with, so we ordered them all (I love my friends). Again, you cannot go wrong with any of them. But my personal show stopper was the Budin de Pan. While the menu description is accurate: "Warm bread pudding with homemade ice cream", with all due respect, it does not do this dish justice. It fails to convey the happiness and nostalgia that those of us fortunate to have grown up with access to our local Coquito Ice Cream guy and his little cart of pure joy. The combination of the coconut ice cream with the warm delicious bread pudding sprinkled with toasted coconut was a perfect cap to a wonderful meal. Will definitely be returning. Enjoy and buen provecho! read more

Great food with unique starters, entrees, and desserts. Although it's in a small strip mall, the atmosphere inside is inviting and upscale. The rum cocktails were excellent too. The service was friendly and appropriately attentive. It wasn't too busy on a weeknight and we stayed a long time and never felt rushed. Exactly the experience you hope for when you choose a restaurant knowing nothing about it! read more

Had been anticipating this place to open for months in our lovely Uptown, and now that they've finally opened, I got a few friends of mine to come here for lunch on a Friday. The owner was very pleasant and excited for us to be there. There were actually a lot of people dining here for lunch which was also a great sight to see. As far as drinks and food, we all enjoyed our cocktails a first, and they also gave us a complimentary plantain chips and Guava butter (which was excellent by the way). The lunch menu is somewhat limited, but for Puerto Rican you can literally never go wrong with a Jibarito sandwich, so I was glad we all ordered different variations of it. All of us loved our meal. I think our server could have been a little more lively and friendlier, but the ambiance and food made up for it. All-in-all, our total was around $100. I highly recommend this spot for a date or catching up with friends! read more

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This spot recently opened I encourage you to read about it on their website This place is small-ish as restaurants go But it packs a punch It's SENSATIONAL Which is probably why there was a short wait tonight at 7:30 The owner greeted us at the door He said 15 minutes but it was more like 8-10 and he was apologetic The meal was worth the wait I would have the drinks and the complimentary plantain chips and guava butter all night long We stayed with the hummus which was delicious - same plantain chips, perfectly fried and savory The lechon and chuleta were on point, as was the Puerto Rican rice (if brought me back to days when I lived in NYC and ate at a PR restaurant and had the chuleta empanizada which was breaded) This place is also a "Rum Bar" and aptly named!! We tried multiple drinks from their menu and each one was delicious!! *Note: don't stick to what you know - their version of piña colada is amazing but you can get that anywhere (or have it for dessert if you don't have the bread pudding) Our server was the most adorable blond who we really vibed with and we were incredibly well taken care of I hope everyone gets to see how fantastic this spot is read more

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I LOVE this place! The food is insane! Sooo good. The chef/owner Eric is so talented and the food was fire. Took me back to Puerto Rico. The staff was amazing. Katie and Freddie and Carl were all so down to earth, so sweet and attentive, such a good feeling just walking in to the restaurant. I want to go back and just hang out with them, they were all amazing. Drinks, food, ambiance, 12 out of 10 stars! read more

quaint with creative decor despite location next to a laundry. Service was excellent. menu featured a lot of fried food. Limited. Grilled shrimp entree was not grilled nor had any seasoning. I fear it was farmed shrimp as well. Disappointing. Rice was cold, under cooked and beans were bland. salt and pepper on the table would help, along with traditional seasonings whatever they might be. Ceviche style salad had taste. Eggplant was extremely thin cut, mostly breading and also deep fried ....... short rib dish was ok but I don't think it actually was a short rib. Again, nothing exiting to the palette or in the presentation. Hard to believe these dishes were created by a trained chef. We expected more. read more

Visited Puerto Rico for the first time recently and loved every second of my trip. Had the worst post trip depression after coming back so naturally, I looked up restaurantes Puertorriqueño in Chicago and was so happy to find one so close to me in Uptown. Located in a super unsuspecting strip mall, I think this place is the definition of a hidden gem. From start to finish, everything was on point. The drinks? Amazing. The food? Delicious. The service? Top tier. Shoutout to the chef who came by to talk with us! Will definitely add this to my list of restaurants I'll use to impress my visitors that come. read more

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I wanted to love it but I thought it was just fine. Good atmosphere but kinda pricey for what you get.

Went there for dinner Sunday and was seated by the door because apparently we didn't have a reservation (it was just 2 people). Then another two people came without a reservation but they were accommodated in a nice table by the window. First Red Flag!! Then, it took a while just to get our drink order BECAUSE the host was the bartender and the waiter. Because of that, we ordered drinks, appetizers and main meal all together because we had no clue when we'd get him back. Never once did he apologize for being there alone. Don't know if that's how this business is run, but having one person doing it all does not make a business. (2nd Red flag) I was super dissapointed in the 3 sorrullos we ordered as an appetizer. They were the skinniest sorrullos I've ever seen and they charged $8 for 3. What???? I hate I didn't take a picture. The bistec encebollado was the driest and thickest pieces of meat I ever tasted and I'm Puerto Rican. I took it home and made it guisado. Will not be recommending this PR restaurant to any other Puerto Rican. Let the blanquitos enjoy it. read more

Hung out at a new Puerto Rican spot in Chicago. It came up in my IG and it was !!!! I went in with my entire family (5 kids, my hubby and my mami). The food was excellent. I'm a cook myself and am very picky with Puerto Rican spots in Chicago because they normally do not taste fresh, they may have a cheap style of rice with hardly no ingredients (its like playing a game of finding the gandules) or the food can be super greasy. BUT NOT HERE!!!! Marinas Bistro has fresh Puerto Rican food. The Jibaritos were juicy and NOT GREASY! Seasoning was so good and the tostones were perfect. My highlight were the beans. Guys!!!! These habichuelas were soooo good. They can be eaten alone Great bar as well with some yummy drinks (and mocktails that were just as good ) You should definitly take the time to pass by and check it out. Eric the owner was so sweet with my entire crew and even made sure my hubs felt special on his birthday. It felt as if I went to the primos house down the barrio in PR. Wepa! read more

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We went last night to celebrate a friend's birthday. Two of us are Puerto Rican (including me) and we were really looking forward to this dinner. We had reservations. They were booked solid. It's intimate, cute and good music not too loud. Our drinks were all very tasty and I specifically ordered the El jíbaro which was amazing. (A lot going on in this drink) This drink needs to be put up in a contest. So on point and tasty. Everyone switched to this for their second drink as it was that good! Plantains and guava butter were a very nice surprise. Traditionally, the starter is a soft white bread and butter. Croquettes three ways and sorullos. Sorullos remind me of childhood memories of my grandfathers cooking. Such a nice treat. Croquettes had a nice variety and were delicious. We ordered bistec, pollo and chuleta dishes. For our sides we ordered the white rice and red beans, arroz con gandules and malanga all shared. We were very happy with all the dishes and the flavor profiles. One comment was "I'm having a party in my mouth!" Portions are generous. We had the flan and it was perfect. We all plan to spread the word and support. Service was great and very attentive. Chef stopped at our table and recommended the chuleta. So nice to have a new Puerto Rican restaurant on the north side. read more

The staff here is wonderful, and the food is absolutely amazing. I ordered a jibarito and had a few special requests, which they accommodated without any issues. I was truly impressed this place is a hidden gem. The steak jibarito, in particular, was so delicious that I had to pause and savor every bite; each mouthful was bursting with flavor. I've tried many places in Chicago, and this spot reminds me of La Bomba from fifteen years ago. Back then, I would have given La Bomba a 9.5, but this place is a definite 10. I'll absolutely be coming back! read more

The food, cocktails and attention was excellent. The food mofongo / lechón amazing! The server was attentive and so cordial

Authentic Puerto Rican food! They are so friendly! Food is amazing! Drinks are amazing! It's small but the atmosphere is trendy. We tried- El Yabucoa, Calle Loiza and La Playita(this is the sweetest out of all 3 we tried). We started with the beef empanadas, hands down the best I've had in Chicago. Then for entrees..my least favorite was bistec encebollado(unfortunately this one was very dry, definitely needs a sauce to go with it) we got the Puerto Rican rice but wasn't fond of it. Now the bistec sandwich was so good, we got that on sweet bread and came with a choice of white rice which was so good and beans. So choose the white rice over Puerto Rican! And then to my favorite dish, the chicken thigh mofongo, we did the mix of fried plantains and yucca, absolutely delicious! read more

Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar - Beef Empanadas Pastelilos - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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