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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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

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.

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+

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.

Jonathan P.

Place was fairly new when my family and I went, but that didn't change a thing. Food was still awesome! I only got a picture of the Media Noche, but we also got a Cuban and of course we got some Pastelitos. Parking lot SUCKS, but it is what it is. Plenty of parking on the side street or even Irving. Don't let that stop you from checking it out!