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    Tropicuba Cafe

    4.3 (51 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

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    TROPICUBA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Joe B.

    Little local business that offers Cuban coffee and cuisine with a twist. Ordered your typical Cuban sandwich was not well toasted and lacked flavor also decided on a steak sandwich the meat was tender requested extra as I'm an onion lover and was disappointed when took a bite as did not have the added trims I requested maybe they were just annoyed as I got there 15 min prior to closing but will give them another try. Service was friendly.

    Joshua S.

    Stopped here on a fluke today after getting my haircut down the block. This might be the best Caribbean food I've ever had in chicago. I'm Puerto Rican and this Cuban place blew every other Puerto Rican place in the city out of the water. Everything was cooked to perfection.. I had the fried chicken with the Cuban rice and the sweet plantains along with a fruit juice mixed between mango and guava and passion fruit and a Cafe Con leche. I walked out so satisfied that I spent the next 2 hours walking 3 miles to Logan square before I felt like getting on the train again. The service was incredible and the prices were ridiculous but the food itself was so amazingly tasty and well made.. probably the best fried chicken I've had in Chicago for the record. Can't wait to try the steak sandwich and the other snacks and desserts including the empanadas. So fuggin worth it.

    Lechon Asado
    Jazmin R.

    I was visiting my grandparents and we were talking about ordering Cuban food when I started doing my research and found this place. We ordered carry out and for the price of things, we were all impressed. Places can sometimes be skimpy on the portions but our plates were packed with food. I got the Lechon with arroz y gandules, and platanos - very good! My mom got the ropa vieja plate which she enjoyed. Everyone else got jibaritos and they all enjoyed theirs as well. Service was great, ready on time when we picked it up. The restaurant itself looked clean and the staff was friendly at pickup. Definitely coming back as this is much closer than having to go deeper into the city for some good Cuban/PR food.

    Valeria G.

    Once again, GREAT service! My niece and family look forward for their traditional roast pork, black beans, white rice & yuca meal during Christmas. This restaurant delivers that! Highly recommended!

    Cubano sándwich
    Mari S.

    We tried this place today after passing by and it was so good the sandwiches tasted great we had the cubano and the bistec caballo the egg was cooked perfectly and the alcapurias were delicious as well service was good very nice and attentive

    Mango Tres Leches Slice
    Yarelis C.

    20/10! As a puertorican (born and raised in San Juan, PR), this is the only place that I LOVE their alcapurrias! The service is great, very homey and cozy and everything was tasty. My husband had the Churrasco with Arroz con Habichuelas Rojas and they were the best beans I've tried in the US! And the flan de coco and tres leches de mangó was so delicious! Definitely my new favorite restaurant that reminds me of home

    Sandwich Combo
    Terry T.

    This fusion restaurant of Puerto Rican, Cuban, and even east Asian food has culminated so many flavors found around Chicago and Latin America so effectively. Everything here is good: Jibaritos, Ropa Vieja, Cuban Sandwiches, and unexpectedly the Chinese rice as well. Alcapurria, Relleno de Papa, and Bacalao are the notable savory and greasy sides, perfect for a table to share. Service is nice and it's small but cozy. The coffee is potent and delicious.

    Ropa Vieja Jibarito
    Lauren Z.

    My fiancé and I decided to ring out the new year by trying the locally acclaimed Cuban restaurant. I had low expectations because I've always despised this parking lot (growing up in Portage Park) and have always tried to avoid it at all costs. Still, I had to see what it was all about! Parking lot is cramped. The location is small and right in between little cesar's and 711. Service was friendly. Since they just recently opened, they don't have "to-go" paper menus just yet. There was one menu at the cashier. We decided to get all the fried shit that was left out for the night. (It was close to 7pm and they close at 8pm). Everything cost just under 40.00 and we ordered quite a bit of food. Two jibaritos to go. We live in the area and by the time we brought it home, the "tostone" for the sandwich was soggy. Always best when crunchy. We waited a good 30-40 min for the food. Overall, everything was good but it did lack a little kick. Food tasted great with some hot sauce but you know it's really really good when you don't need any sauce. My expectations were exceeded but still wasn't mindblown. Very good. B+

    Beautiful mural inside
    Sabrina R.

    I have seen numerous restaurants come and go in this storefront, but I hope that Tropicuba Cafe is here to stay. They have a great menu selection with empanadas, a multitude of appetizers, jibaritos, a variety of sandwiches, and dinner plates. We had the plantain and yuca alacpurrias and the chicken empanada. All three were crisp and flavorful, especially with the red hot sauce and greenish garlic sauce. We also ordered the Bistek Jibaritos. The plantain was nice and crisp, lots of garlic on top, and they were generous with the meat and the cheese. We were so full walking out, we had to order some cafe con leche to get our energy back. Everything was great! I can't wait to come back to try the ropa vieja and their Cuban. The parking lot is tight, but you can also park off of Central or Irving Park if you're not willing to brave it. The staff was super nice, and came to check on us frequently.

    Audra M.

    As someone who does not own a car in the city, I am never too attracted to nondescript strip mall eateries. However, I was so glad I went against my norm when trying Tropicuba. This is a new location, and they really do a fantastic job in all aspects. The place is super clean, our server was awesome, and the affordable food just wowed me in full. If you have a car, the free spacious parking lot is a notable perk. My order was a Sandwich de Ropa Vieja, and my husband had a jibarito. We both loved our meals. They offer "Regular" and "Super" sandwiches, and I only had a regular, which was a very generous portion. My husband's jibarito was also a great size. Although it was dinner for us, we went with what we did so we could sample a few appetizers. I am so happy we went this direction because all apps were delicious. (We sampled many that were at the $1.50 price point, as well as an empanada that was fantastic) What really blew me away was the side sauce they served. They actually offer two, but the one that was so awesome was a garlic and cilantro mixture. I had to ask the server what it was exactly, as I was thinking it was with spinach. But, wow, this was so delicious and fully complemented the Alcapurria and Alcapurria de Yuca apps. I could literally go there and just have apps and this sauce! So delicious. Pro-tip: there is a key on a cord for the bathroom! You'll find it to the right of the door.

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    Photo of Jackie J.
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    4 years ago

    Food is amazing and tamales are unique and super flavorful ! My go to is the pork guisado

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    5 years ago

    I had the ox tails n really liked them. The staff was very friendly. Will b back for more.

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    Photo of Alex A.
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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    I've had this place a few times now. So good! I love their garlic sauce with the empanadas and the chicken sandwich is amazing!

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Good home cooked meal , nice and big empanadas , chicken one is my favorite . Great Cuban steak sandwich also .

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    The food very is delicious, the restaurant has a homey feel to it. And with 20 bucks you can have a real fest.

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    1492 Cuban Fusion - White rice and beans

    1492 Cuban Fusion

    4.4(336 reviews)
    4.9 miWest Town, Humboldt Park
    $$

    We visited 1492 this week while visiting from out-of-town, and found it to be in the top 3 of Cuban…read moreplaces we've tried anywhere! We tried the empanada trio with pork, chicken, and ham-n-cheese, and all were tasty; the lechon [pork] was especially great. For mains, my spouse ordered the masitas de cerdo (fried pork) and I got the pollo a la plancha (grilled chicken). We both opted for congri and maduros for sides. The flavor of everything was delicious! The meat was slightly on the dry side, and the maduros were SO sweet that we wondered if they were bananas rather than plantains, but overall we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The portions were plentiful. If we weren't staying in a hotel with a fridge but no microwave, we definitely would've had enough to take home for a whole other meal each. We would definitely be regular patrons if we didn't live hours away!

    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.

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    Interior

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    Tostones / Fried Green Plantains Yuca Frita / Fried Cassava

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    Cafecito - Steak Chimichurri Sandwich

    Cafecito

    4.2(1k reviews)
    8.4 miStreeterville, Near North Side
    $$

    Food was amazing! I'm still thinking about that soup…read more Service was excellent. Our server helped us through the menu and suggested some good items for us to try. Ambiance is dimly lit on the dine in side, but they do have windows on the cafe side and a cute patio !

    What a wonderful place! Charming location and even more charming staff. Visiting Chicago for the…read morefirst time and with an hour to my appointment in the Hancock Tower's 360 feature, I had plenty of time to get a quick bite before the Chicago 360. So searching in Yelp I see a Cuban restaurant, and that's my fav, so I went in and I had a great early dinner. Cafecito would be at home in a pre-revolutionary Cuban building, when Art Deco architecture permeated much of Havana and the other major cities in Cuba. Plenty of outdoor seating, but I chose to eat in the cafe area due to time constraints. I had the Vaca Frita which I haven't had in over 60 years and wow, it was amazing. It came with the proverbial white rice, black beans with plenty of condiment, and maduros. Oh yummy. My Cuban grandma would have been pleased... The waiter was indeed, a Cuban American who had come over during the early Cuban diaspora. We chatted a bunch about the old country and had a pleasant conversation about being from the same province in the island. Great reminiscing, great food, great service. Yum.

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    Cafecito
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    Omarcitos Latin Cafe - Steak Sandwich or Steak Jibarito

    Omarcitos Latin Cafe

    4.8(133 reviews)
    3.1 miLogan Square
    $$

    If you aren't coming to Omarcitos, you are missing out. My boyfriend loves all the Jibaritos but…read morethe Lechón Plate may be the best dish I've had anywhere in the city (and I have been to Michelin star and Top 50 Bars rated spots around Chicago). We split the Tacos Dorados De Pollo En Consomé as an app for the first time today and it was simply perfect. The lemonade is made super fresh. I have a feeling I may have to try everything on the menu. The energy is immaculate - maximalist mix of colorful tables and chairs, plants, original paintings, and a signed poster of Guy Fieri. The people who work here are so kind and helpful. The music is not so loud that you can't talk. There's an open-air indoor area and an outdoor section. If you get here before it gets too crowded, it's not a bad place to sit and read a book either.

    Yasss Omarcitos is exactly it!! I can not count how many times I have been. The food is…read moreconsistently amazing. Always hits 100/100. The place is getting popular, very popular. So if coming during peak times expect a small line and enjoy Omar is amazing standing at the window making sure everything runs smooth. He is yelling out hello papis left and right. He knows and loves everyone. The menu is full of everything is fire. Enjoy it this is one of the best on this country

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    Best Coconut café con leche

    Omarcitos Latin Cafe - Steak Sandwich or Steak Jibarito

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    Tropicuba Cafe - latin - Updated September 2026

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