What a great place to get empanadas! I especially love $2 tuesdays! They have so many options for…read moreempanadas and so much space to hang out. They even provide board games to hang out which is a nice touch. Definitely coming back!

Great variety of options and really tasty! The date, bacon, goat cheese was full of flavor, just…read morenot for folks who don't like sweet flavors like dates. Staff recommended Malbec beef and it was probably my favorite. Definitely get the chimichurri!! It's worth it.

Haven't tried the empanadas yet (have heard good things), but the horchata latte is one of my…read morefavorite coffee in the city. The pumpkin spice horchata was good as well, but I prefer the original. Service is quick and super friendly! Would def come back to try the food.

It's always busy here at Cafe Tola! The line moves pretty quick though. You can find empanadas (so…read moremany flavors!) and also coffee! The empanadas are around $6.90 with tax each and i think you'll be content with 2 of them with a coffee. There's some tables and chairs outside but it seemed pretty full when we can by. They do have a ingredients list to the left of the cashier posted so you know what goes into the empanadas in case you are allergic or have a sensitivity to something!

Clean. Service was Sweet and Quick…read more Food is DELICIOUS. The small details are such a nice touch. The way they "stamp" the empanadas. #love City Parking.

I ate at the French Market but the empanadas were great! I had a bacon & egg, chorizo & cheese and…read moreNutella & Banana. All were good but the breakfast and dessert ones were my favorites. I also had a side of rice that was good. The dipping sauces were also a great way to have the empanadas.

Great spot for a quick bite! Nice vibe and pleasant employees. Below are my ratings of the…read moreempanadas I've tried: Ham and cheese - 8/10 Nutella and banana - 10/10 Chicken curry - 8/10 Mac n Cheese - 8/10

I ordered the meal #1 to-go from this spot on a Saturday night. I was impressed by the empanada…read morefillings, especially the date & goat cheese combo! The dough however lacked the flakiness that I love about empanadas. I think they would have been better as a dine in order rather than to-go. I would recommend getting one the meal deals for the most bang for your buck!

I've found a new addiction!! Thimi's empanadas. Located on the northeast corner of Ogden and S…read moreWestern Avenues sits a building with some art on its walls. Inside you will find some of the best empanadas outside of Buenos Aires. I first drove past it then looked up the Yelp reviews and came right back before close. I had the shrimp and chicken & cheese empanada. Both were baked to perfection and stuffed to the max. Combined with their home made chimichurri sauce and my oh my my taste buds were in heaven You have a new fan. I will go out of my way to get these. And the are affordable as well. The shrimp empanada was under $4. Quick fast service and a large selection of empanadas to choose from , including vegetarian options Thank you, they really hit the spot

Crazy good empanadas with a fun staff! There is not a lot of seating, so I think they maybe do more…read moretakeout, but we were able to snag some seating at a counter while we did a bit of a food crawl in the area. These empanadas are baller, and served by an attentive, efficient staff. We did love all we had, including the beef and shrimp. I love how they branded each so that we knew the flavors. That is such a classy touch, and appreciated. Perfect for buying for a party where they could be eaten instantly or warmed up.

Let me tell you. THIS WAS THE BEST THING I ATE when I was in Chicago…read more I knew I had to visit Pilsen while visiting Chicago for the first time. Coming from the West Coast, we mainly have Mexican, Guatemalan, or El Salvadorean food. Muy rico, tried and true. But Puerto Rican is more rare. So when I saw those bright and beautiful PR flags out by the front entrance, and an almost full-house at 2pm in the afternoon, I knew I had to check Jibarito Shop out. I knew I had to get a jibarito because of the namesake. I love that there's a half and a full sandwich option. I was here solo, so I happily ordered the half option...but could've easily given into eating a full order. A jibarito is scrumptious, fried plantains as the "buns" or "bread" with the meat of your choice, and side of flavorful yellow rice and beans. I went with bistec. You're handed a number and wait for your food to be delivered to your table. The first bite blew my friggin' mind. Flavor, fat, and WOW. As someone who loves all fries, having that crunch and oil from the crispy plantains was gluttonous. Rice was so good, I was licking the paper bowl. Atmosphere feels homey and open, and there's lots of table options but they fill up quick because of how popular they are. Good for families but smaller groups. Restrooms are clean and single-stall. Service is so friendly and efficient. Shoutout to the magic hands who blessed us with delicious meals. I am still dreaming of what I ate at Jibarito Shop. Please come to California!

Ever heard of a jibarito, much less had one? I had never heard of them and was unfamiliar with…read morePuerto Rican food until the Chicago Redditors suggested tourists try it out. Boy, did the hype not disappoint at The Jibarito Stop. LOGISTICS As a tourist staying downtown near Millennium Park, this was easy to get to via the Pink Loop CTA line. The shop is super close to the stop and they have a good amount of seating indoors, though larger groups may struggle with getting seats together. You order at the front, but they will bring your food to the table. Drinking water is available for free. FOOD True to its name... they have Jibaritos here, which are Puerto Rican sandwiches where fried plantain are used instead of bread with a protein choice. The name also seems specific to Chicago as they are not part of typical Puerto Rican cuisine, but nonetheless they are DELICIOUS. All Jibarito options come with the choice of rice (red beans and rice or yellow rice). They also come in a "full" and "half size"... if I'm being honest the "full size" is really just two separate "half size" sandwiches. A half sandwich is plenty with a lot of protein. If you can share with someone else and order a "full" jibarito, it should still come as 2 separate sandwiches and then you have room to try another time in the menu. Steak Jibarito (Full Portion) w/ Yellow Rice: This was my favorite thing I ate during my Chicago visit, it was a good balance of sweet and savory. The steak is thinly sliced, not too chewy, and goes well with the creamy garlic sauce they put on it. The greens also made it refreshing. The plantains are also thin with a little crisp and chew and add a little bit of sweetness. However you need to really grab onto the sandwich with both hands to ensure it doesn't fall apart. Yellow rice was also really good with some beans in it for extra protein. I think it's cooked with a broth since it was flavorful on its own. Fritter Sampler: This was a great mix of fried goodies to taste. First the dough on the empanadas was light and crisp in texture. Fillings were generous on all of them - very flavorful with a variety of spices. My favorite was the shrimp one that had a bit of kick, and I think it was filled with either pumpkin/squash or a potato? Although it came with one of each, every fritter was really big and easily shareable between 2 people. I struggled to finish my half, especially with that large potato ball filled ground beef. Fritters also came with 2 sauces... an orange-ish spicy sauce and cilanto cirtus salsa that was delicious. Be sure to pour them onto the fritters as you eat them! OVERALL Great food for the price and portions! My partner and I were stuffed between the fritter sampler and full size portion of Jibarito. I am really happy I ventured out of the main downtown area to check this place out. As a tourist and first timer when it came to Puerto Rican food... this place was amazing! Jibaritos have become my new food obsession and I will be planning on coming back for more next time I'm in Chicago. Skip the hot dogs and pizzas, do not sleep on Puerto Rican food and The Jibarito Stop delivers on flavor!

El Mercado Meat Mart is my number one spot for empanadas…read more I used to live in the area so I walked past this market so many times before I finally stumbled inside. I noticed they had a variety of empanadas and decided to try one, I was hooked ever since! I haven't actually shopped at the market but they seem to have a lot of niche items along with the basics. The staff is always friendly whenever visited. I've tried a variety of empanadas around the city but El Mercado reminds me the most of the homemade ones I used to make in college. They don't hold back on the protein and the empanadas always taste fresh. Admittedly the empanadas can add up. They're nearly $4 for each which is pricey so I only visit once in a while when I'm in the area. The empanadas are delicious so I highly recommend trying at least one. My favorite is the pepperoni and cheese as well as the ham and cheese. The pepperoni and cheese empanada is very cheesy so I pair it with a beef / chicken empanada because they don't come with cheese so they balance each other out.

Very small and cute little shop on the corner. We stopped in just to browse the aisles and see what…read morethe market was all about. The front counter was filled rice balls, empanadas, and desserts. The woman at the front was very friendly and welcoming and helped us choose what we wanted to try. We landed on a sweet beef rice ball and a baked beef empanada. You could tell both were extremely fresh. This was my first rice ball like this and it was absolutely delicious! Full of flavor and packed with filling. Just one of these alone is almost like a handheld meal to fill you up. The baked empanada was also very good, but I have also never had an empanada that I haven't liked! I will definitely be stopping by again in the future to try other empanada flavors, as well as to try a some of the desserts that looked amazing!

Another day, another burrito bowl! This is your friendly remainder that Chipotle could…read moreneeeeeeeever! And especially not for 10.49! Are you kidding me?! If you have not tried Chilangos, I'm here to tell you that you're absolutely missing out! I also ordered the steak taco and the shrimp taco. Both of those were 10/10 (per usual) but i HAD to show you guys how beautiful this bowl was! On top of looking amazing, it tastes amazing as well. You have your choice of protein and that's it and tbh, I love that! It automatically comes with cheese, rice, sour cream, pico de gallo, pinto beans and romaine lettuce. When I tell you that you don't need any sauce or added spice to this! It's so delicious! The portion is insane. I can get through maybe a 1/4 of it and I have to save the rest. One thing I love about this bowl is that the rice is seasoned. It may even be yellow rice and that makes it even better! Every bite is the perfect bite because you get a little bit of everything! Thank you so much Chilango! You have never ever disappointed me and the way you provide consistency needs to be studied! I appreciate you guy so much! It was a beautiful meal and ofc, I'll be back for more!

I had the munchies and was doom scrolling on DoorDash when Chilango popped up so I placed a pickup…read moreorder. The pickup process was super easy and the people working there were really friendly which made the experience even better............ I ordered the steak torta and I have honestly never had one made like this before. It had roasted veggies chipotle butter and came on toasted telera bread. It was really good and easily the best savory item I ordered. The tortilla soup did not really do much for me. I took a couple sips and kind of forgot about it. Now I am wondering if it was meant for dipping the torta because on its own it was pretty blah. Now let us talk about the Nutella and banana empanada because that deserves its own paragraph. That thing was loaded with bananas and Nutella and fried perfectly with the outside crispy and the inside warm and melty. I truly wish I had ordered five of them. No exaggeration. Next time the munchies hit this is absolutely my go to spot for something sweet.

Great empanadas, super fast service, and decent prices. The empanadas are stuffed deliciously full.read more

This is just a holler in the wall mostly carry out spot. So today I had 3 empanadas the Lechon,…read morespinach+ricotta, Birria. They are all fucking tasty. These are so much better than the Empandus spot

The empanadas here are so good and there's a wide variety to choose from. The staff is friendly,…read morerespectful, and very helpful. Both the inside and outside are super colorful with awesome murals decorating the exterior. The empanadas are a bit pricey but definitely worth it. I tried the chicken and beef ones and both were delicious. I just stopped in for empanadas and a coffee before carrying on with my day but I can't wait to come back and try more from their menu.

The horchata latte has absolutely no business being this good. I had a variety of empanadas…read more(birria, green spicy pork, mole de pollo, buffalo chicken and the guava with cheese). I would easily go back for the birria one, SO GOOD! The guy working was really pleasant and patient. The place wasn't too full on a Tuesday for lunch. I was across the street at medvet otherwise I would have ate inside. The place was super cute.