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Que Bola Cuban Cafe

4.6 (133 reviews)
ModerateCuban, Cafes, Sandwiches
Open • 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Order Que Bola Cuban Cafe Takeout or Delivery

Que Bola Cuban Cafe Photos

QUE BOLA CUBAN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Dogs allowed

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Bandeja Que Bola @veefoodlife
Alvina C.

Looking for something unique to eat in the area that isn't a chain. Looked this up on Yelp and saw all the awesome reviews. No lies were told. Cute and vibrant strip mall spot with nice variety of Cuban eats. Got the Bandeja Que Bola...because a sampler plate is always after my heart! I want to try a little bit of everything and this is exactly what this platter was! Also got the Lechon Asado! Portions were immaculate and all tastes were on point! Can't wait to go back and try some other goodies!

Chicken soup

Everything is excellent! Nothing was greasy, or over seasoned. We enjoyed all the food (pictured) and over ordered! What is it they say: don't go to grocery store when you are hungry! Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs and we ended up taking home half of each sandwich. So full but so good! Definitely will be back, highly recommend!

Dick K.

Sandwich was good, media noche, a lot like a Cuban sandwich, plus the ham crostinis are great too. The atmosphere is fun with the music, and the decorations. For a minute I forgot I was still in Des Plaines! Until I felt the 22 degree (F) weather outside!

Jibarito
Soneya S.

Found this little Cuban restaurant in Des plaines and decided to give it a try. From the photos online, it looked like they served alcoholic beverages but unfortunately, we learned upon arrival that they're still in the process of obtaining their liquor license. The space is very small and, to be honest it got pretty warm inside. It felt like there was no AC, which made the dining experience a bit uncomfortable. We started with three empanadas: 1 chicken 1 beef Both were flavorful and well seasoned. The guava and cheese was a bit too sweet! For my entree, I ordered the steak jibarito and a modongo without pork! Absolutely delicious, the flavors were rich and authentic. They really need to work on getting the AC running or getting fans spread out and securing a liquor license to enhance the dining experience! I'd come back just maybe on a cooler day!

Vaca Frita dinner plate
Barb B.

Back again and again, it was EXCELLENT! I ordered vaca frita, Cuban rice and plantains - delicious. My husband ordered rellenos trio & enjoyed it thoroughly. Some of the best Cuban food we've had outside of Miami! Yum

Jovan B.

I love Cuban food,the culture and the music! But I was disappointed in Que Bola. I went here with a friend to grab some food, the environment was lovely, service was good,loved the music and the selections of drinks they had. When it comes to the food I was not happy. I got the Rabo Encindido, there was only 3 oxtails in the dish, and not a lot of meat on them, a little flavor. For the price of the dish you would think you'd get a good amount, but I didn't.. I love Cuban food and the culture but I was let down.

Hersh A.

This is a gem of a restaurant that serves delicious Cuban food. I have been here twice and had terrific food and good experience. It's a family-owned establishment and is popular among the locals. The food is made fresh and it had authentic flavors. The restaurant had a cozy atmosphere and the vibe is good. Que Bola has a good menu variety and the items are reasonably priced. It's counter service in the sense that you order at the counter and if you choose to dine in, then food is brought to your table. I liked their Ropa Viejo and Jibarito Cubano sandwiches a lot. The sandwiches were packed and full of flavor. They were delicious to say the list. Their Cuban coffee is really good as well. It had a good taste. The restaurant is clean and inviting. The dining area is small since the restaurant is small in itself. There might be a wait if you are looking to dine in depending which time of the day you go. We received good service. The staff was friendly and helpful. I highly recommend checking out this restaurant. You can't go wrong with it.

Ropa Vieja Sandwich
Stephanie A.

Ordered the Rope Vieja Sandwich which came with a side of Plantain Fries and 2 sauces which were tasty. A very filling sandwich filled with steak and beans and very good. The online ordering process was super easy and service was quick when I came in for the order. A cute small place perfect for lunch

Patty M.

OMG! Hands down.. one of the best Cuban food, small and cozy! Generous portion, great taste, meat is very tender and juicy! Highly recommended!

Where do I start? I decided I wanted to make Cuban sandwiches at home, but I wanted legit pan Cubano and since no spots near me seem to carry it I called Que Bola on a whim to see if they would sell me some. I'm glad I did...Marco was kind enough to order 4 extra loafs of their bread and I happily drove 45 minutes to their restaurant to pick them up. And again, I am glad I did. When I got there Marco and his team were so kind. I told Marco my plan to make Cuban sandwiches at home and his response was to bring a bunch of samples of their pork and several different mojo sauce variations for me to sample. Let me say, the braised pork was easily one of the best bites of meat I've had in my life. The sauces are all incredibly delicious and perfectly compliment the pork as well. He sent me home with 7 different types of sauce to dip my sandwiches in, and each one is unique. The hospitality at Que Bola was second to none and the food speaks for itself. I will happily drive down there again soon to sit and have a meal. From my interaction with Marco and the amazing food it is clear he puts a lot of pride into the food he serves. Just an amazing little gem over there is Des Plaines. Thank you so much Marco, and staff.

Ropa Vieja dinner plate
Lisa S.

I am here now and the food is amazing, the ambiance brings you back to Cuba and the service is warm not to mention fast. I would recommend anyone to try some thing different, you will not be let down!

They have amazing sauces

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2 months ago

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12 days ago

Food was good. The yuca was the best I've ever had. The technicians was a little dry. The beef and chicken Empanadas were tasty.

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5 months ago

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2 months ago

Hole in the wall is delicious, even their selection of coffees was a surprise. I can't wait to comeback to try other things.

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1 year ago

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2 months ago

Wife is Cuban and said it all tasted very authentic! Cant get a better food review than that!

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3 months ago

Love it there. Great food and very authentic. Marco goes above and beyond. A hidden gem in the neighborhood

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3 months ago

Delicious! Don't miss the soup, but the sandwiches are also excellent. The classic Cuban is always a favorite

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Jibarito Time  Chicago Style Plantain Sandwiches - Chipotle Chicken and lechon slow cook pork

Jibarito Time Chicago Style Plantain Sandwiches

4.1(181 reviews)
1.5 mi
•$$

Food was amazing! Customer service was excellent. Restaurant Felt nice and homey. I highly…read morerecommend it.

First time there. 11:45am. I ordered a steak Jibarito, tostones, rice and 2x beef pastellilo. I was…read moretold they were out of tostones, which was a bummer after driving so far and being within an hour of opening. The gentleman at the front was a nice guy. I'm not dissing this dude. He must have been on the phone with his dad or mom because he said he had a customer and ended with an "I love you". All good. But I stood there long enough to hear that all play out, waiting to order haha. Anyway the funnier thing was he said "I'll have it to you in under 20". Which I thought was a funny way to phrase when my food would be ready. Like this could be a comedy bit almost. Usually you try to instill confidence that food will be out right away, not establish an upper limit for the time frame haha. Whatever, it was a kid. Also it took 21 minutes (per my receipt time stamp vs watch) The serious part tho... food review. 1. Jibarito was 7/10. Decent flavor on the steak but lacked a bit more. I wont blame the sogginess on the restaurant, it was a long drive home. I put it in the air fryer later. 2. The rice was salty - and I usually like salty. Also more wet and compounded, while also being a little dry like it was from the bottom of the pot? It's hard to explain, but I didn't love it. I wish it had more peas and maybe some pork and less seasoning TBH. 3. Maduros was my side - it was good. 4. Beef pastelilos - 7/10. They were the puffy kind, but more hollow than I'd like - i.e. meat to air ratio. But they were overcooked. I could taste the burned-ness of the dough and it didn't sit well. 5. No tostones - they were out. but a funny story is about 5 mins into my waiting another worker came in, so I could hear them talking in the back. The prior kid said something to the effect of "oh we are out of tostones".. "but I can figure something out". Like it was possible to make... the tostones... which weren't available to me at the time of my ordering... I kind of had a "hell naw" moment, but decided to suppress it. Net net, I ate half my jibarito because it was big. I could not eat anymore rice because it was too salty. And I had one pastelilo because now I'm full. One suggestion - make some pique. I asked for some hot sauce as I received my order and all they could offer were generic packets of what is probably louisiana style hot sauce. I want that habanero pique!!! I think it'll help, at least cut through some of the salty TBH. Also work on the service and timing. 20 mins is too long for 1 jibarito and sides. Thanks!

Photos
Jibarito Time  Chicago Style Plantain Sandwiches - Interior of order station and kitchen entrance, zoom in to read menu (Dec 2024)

Interior of order station and kitchen entrance, zoom in to read menu (Dec 2024)

Jibarito Time  Chicago Style Plantain Sandwiches - Jibarito de bistek

Jibarito de bistek

Jibarito Time  Chicago Style Plantain Sandwiches

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Café Cubano - Lechon sandwich

Café Cubano

4.2(45 reviews)
9.4 mi
•$$

Didn't get very to try the food, the service was as bad as hours posted 11-9p 2 days in a row on…read moretheir fb page but closed when we arrived at 815p( NO SERVICE because it was closed) The ambiance ... uuugh So, I went on their FB which highlighted some tapas and the words ' Tapas - open from 11- 9 and wrote how disappointing that We traveled from up North in Chicago to try & enjoy some tapas which looked good in the picture but to find it closed was our 1st impression and we were ONE & DONE. So we went to patronize another restaurant which was phenomenal ( 5 stars) elsewhere. Someone posing as a customer by the name of ' Mayra ' replied and stated ' back in the day' people would call 1st to find out it it was open.... DUH I replied yep ' back in the day' before social media and cell phones one would call first to find out operating hours but in todays world social media is utilized just for that plus why would one call if its posted on Facebook that they were opened today ( Tuesday March 3rd) from 11-9 I got a reply back- from that person who replied something about accountability. What ???!!?? wait, if i were to be the owner of a business and I'm trying to bring in business, i would monitor said websites / web pages advertising with correct info. ( these 11-9 ) hours were posted 2 days in a row have you. Well all of a sudden I can't seem to find the page on Facebook because it seems that that person named 'Mayra' is most likely an / or the actual owner and instead of apologizing and correcting their error , I was blocked from their page because I cannot find it now. & I started following that page. Oh well Sad , because I would've written a very positive review of what I come to find out a little bit ago in searching their namesake & page that they relocated from Elmwood Park to this location in Oak Park. We patronized them in Elmwood Park in years past and although nothing to write home about 'back in the day' , it follows the same today with how the response was- Poor! Poor mgmnt, poor handling = no patronizing this location in Oak Park. We've had way better and real authentic Cuban food at several locations within Chicago city limits. This place, according to reviews I've read is pricier for the quality of food served and obviously from the actions of the ' so named Mayra' who responded to my reply in their post about we were not happy having come all the way from the city to only find it closed , tells you alot about the business and it's staff / owner--- very poor. No wonder for their very few reviews between time. Pictures look good but the service or whomever manages their web pages speaks volumes of what to expect.

Great food and friendly service but they're a little overpriced, and they have a fee for card…read moretransactions, for aome reason. I had missed breakfast and had to have a late lunch so admittedly I was very hungry: a medianoche sandwich, Cuban coffee, tostones, and two empanadas de guayaba for $38.88. The food itself was authentic Cuban American (it's better here than in Cuba, believe it or not) and the waitress was super friendly, though.

Photos
Café Cubano
Café Cubano - Chicken plate

Chicken plate

Café Cubano - Front view

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Front view

Mago Grill & Cantina - Beef Fajitas

Mago Grill & Cantina

3.8(803 reviews)
7.5 mi
•$$

Had an unscheduled lunch yesterday at Mago's with my wife and son. Once again as always, we were…read moretreated as family there. A special treat, was having Lorenzo as our waiter. Always a smile and hug when he sees us The food was fantastic, and the service was excellent. We finished the our lunch with a Churro mini wagon filled with ice cream, caramel and. Chocolate syrup to dip the churros in. All in all it was a great meal with the best Margaritas in town. Thank you again to everyone at Mago's for making it a great day!

Today was Labor Day, and my friend and I were walking around the pedestrian zone looking for a…read moreplace to sit. We ended up choosing Mago. We decided to sit outside on the patio, which honestly wasn't much different from other restaurant patios. Our server, Trayana, was exceptionally kind, cheerful, and truly wonderful -- nothing but compliments for her service. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the food and drinks. The cocktail Paloma was marked on the menu as "the most popular," which is why I ordered it, but I simply didn't enjoy it. The same goes for the food. I ordered the Salsa Verde enchiladas, and I can't really say they were good either. They tasted somewhat sour to me. One great touch, though, was the complimentary chips with three different dips served as an appetizer. While we're not huge fans of that kind of snack, many people are, so it's definitely a nice addition while waiting for the main course.

Photos
Mago Grill & Cantina - Dinning room

Dinning room

Mago Grill & Cantina - Burrito

Burrito

Mago Grill & Cantina - La Princesa and La Reina

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La Princesa and La Reina

Phoenix Flame - 8oz Argentinian style NY Steak with potatoes and veggies

Phoenix Flame

4.6(156 reviews)
8.8 mi

There were five of us and we had a reservation. I highly recommend having one as the place is a…read morelittle on the small side with a small amount of tables, two to three counter height rounds, and a bar with about five to six seats. We ordered some drinks (no one got alcohol) and some appetizers. We got the Low Carb Yuka Fries and while that is not my bag, they were good. I was pleasantly surprised. We also had the roasted red pepper spread, which everyone enjoyed. Two of us ordered the Ultimate Steak Sandwich. I opted to removed the caramelized onions. The other person let them on. I also removed the garlic herb sauce but replaced it with a chimichurri sauce. That really kicked it up a notch and was good for dipping the fries in. They're fresh cut fries, so they were good on their own, but the chimichurri again kicked it up a notch. We also ordered the chicken bowl, the avocado salad, and the Greek style lamb chops. We all loved our food and were too full for dessert. It's a quaint little place, cozy for intimate conversation or a night out with family and friends. I think the night was made a little more fun when a couple came in and was seated at a counter height table and were making out all night. It was a lot and gratuitous. The table next to them were visibly uncomfortable and that made it all the more enjoyable to witness. Dinner and a show. Who knew?

Are you looking for a magical find in a location that's out of the usual? If so, this is that…read moreplace. Phoenix Flame was a fantastic find. We had fantastic boa boa sliders that you will regret not ordering. The octopus and maduros were great as well. For dinner, I had lamb chops with chimichurri that was delicious and tender. My colleague had the short ribs were tender. The Argentinian steak was "delicious " with not too much chimichurri and excellent vegetables. Should you come here? Yes!!

Photos
Phoenix Flame - Ample seating for big and small parties

Ample seating for big and small parties

Phoenix Flame - Plantain Maduro - spectacular!

Plantain Maduro - spectacular!

Phoenix Flame - The Ultimate Sandwich

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The Ultimate Sandwich

Que Bola Cuban Cafe - cuban - Updated May 2026

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