Great food here would recommend the picadera paisa for 2 was plenty. Best place to be at. Good…read moremusic and micheladas 10/10

Absolutely yes. I loved the Columbian food here. I only wish I hadn't been so tight on time. I had…read moreto scarf my food down in 15 min and take the rest home. It's a family owned, small business which I love. I always want to suppprt those. Located in the basement with a bakery above it, the location is unique. It's very colorful and festive which adds to its charm. I ordered the Bandeja Paisa and it was enormous and cost $29. Pricey, but I got 3 meals out of it. It had pork belly, columbian sausage, rice, beans, a fried egg, avocado, and a fried plantain . Gigantic portions. We also ordered empanadas and they were the star of the show. I wish I lived closer to Elgin. I have no idea if I'd return, but I do recommend.

Great food at this Puerto rican restaurant!!…read more I just love the varieties they serve here. My favourite is the chicken jaberitos!! Service is quick and the people working here are really sweet. Typical Puerto Rican Ambiance:)

I recently tried a Puerto Rican spot out in Elgin and had really high hopes going in…read more I ordered a jibarito with a side of rice, plus an alcapurria and a pastel to try a little bit of everything. Starting with the jibarito, it was honestly a bit of a letdown. The meat was a little chewy and the overall sandwich felt dry, which took away from what should've been a really flavorful dish. The rice also missed the mark for me. It lacked flavor and had a bit of an odd aftertaste, which made it hard to enjoy. For the pricing, I was a little surprised $15 for a small jibarito and $5 for a small side of rice didn't quite match the quality or portion size. That said, not everything was a miss. The alcapurria was definitely the highlight fresh, well-made, and full of flavor. I'd absolutely order that again. The pastel was just okay in my opinion there were a lot of potatoes and not as much meat as I would've liked, so the balance felt a bit off. Overall, it was a mixed experience. There are some strong items on the menu, but between the inconsistency and the pricing, I'm not sure I'd rush back.

I ordered a side of rice to go with some soup I had for lunch! This little bit of rice cost me $4…read morealmost what a small bag of rice cost and the container is barely filled! This isn't the first time I order to go and they end up packing the bare minimum, never again!

Colombian food in the suburbs is not easy to find. Taste of Colombia is excellent if you don't want…read moreto drive into Chicago, though the parking lot is sometimes reminiscent of something in Chicago. Everything we had was perfect, from the bandeja, the mixed grill, to the mini empanadas appetizer. The service was friendly, and the food came out quickly. I had been here once before when it was at a smaller space in the same strip mall. This new space had several more tables.

Visiting from Arizona and always willing to try something new. A friend's daughter recommended…read morethis, and what a great place, one of my all time restaurant experiences. We were four and decided that two Smalls and two Mains would be a fine amount and it was. If you as a group are big eaters, maybe an extra small, but use this as a guide. The Smalls were the mussels (about a dozen) with such an incredible and hard to describe, taste. The other small was the NAPOLEON BUENOS AIRES, also unusual and special. For the Larges, we shared the SALMON A LA BRAZILEIRA and VENEZUELAN CARBONADA (no meat eaters here). Also a bit difficult to describe, but take my word for it, very special. As we were headed to an event with desserts, we didn't try any here (and also no one was drinking tonight). Would love to come back and try if I'm in Chicagoland again. Just go!

Nice looking place in thr heart of Highwood. The good, the empanadas (Argentinian and…read moreColombian)...tasted the salmon with rice and asparagus and it was good, and had the churrascos which was a small portion of skirt steak, thinly slighted grill chicken and Brazilian sausage with black bean and rice and sliced fried plantain. Nothing wrong with the food, have had better but it was good. Service was slow and the place was really loud. Came with friends and could not hold a conversation because with other tables filled it was so loud. Parking was hard to find, ended up parking four or five blocks away. For the price and experience, would not go back.

I was excited to see a new place open by work and even more excited that it is a cuisine I've never…read moretried before! It is in a former BBQ joint and the aquarium smoker is still there. The space is small with a handful of tables and a wall of Guatemalan snacks, cooking mixes, and beverages for sale. I ordered a dish that consists of chicken in a creamy sauce, white rice dotted with a few carrot slices, and tortillas that were being made to order behind the counter. The sauce was delicious and very mild. A piece of chicken on the bone that appeared to have been stewed was enveloped by the sauce alongside the rice. Several tortillas were served on the side. I broke off a few very tender chunks of chicken using the kinda flimsy plastic fork I received, tucked them into a tortilla, and decided to drizzle it with the hot sauce that was on the table. I forget the brand, one I've never seen, but it was good and it had a shockingly neon green color that looked pretty damn cool on the reddish sauce. It was like Slimer's ectoplasm if it was moderately spicy and yummy. Perhaps it was, but Venkman didn't mention it. The tender, chewy tortillas were the perfect vessel for the chicken. After eating all of the chicken and tortillas, I mixed the remaining sauce into the rest of my rice for a final treat. Overall, this was a very enjoyable meal. With a bottle of water and tip it came out to around $20. At that price, I had hoped for more chicken and tortillas. Also, a fork and knife would make more sense for the task of removing meat off the bone of chicken covered in a blazing hot sauce. I was hoping to find a new lunch spot, but can't justify stopping in frequently at the present cost of this dish and others I had considered. Definitely made with love and worth a try though!

The food is definitely worth a try! So glad to have a piece of authentic homemade Central American…read morefood in town! The service is fantastic. The workers are understanding and courteous.

Great service and cute ambience! We ordered the ceviche clásico and the lomo saltado, which were…read moredelicious and similar to what I had in Peru. There aren't many Peruvian places in the Chicagoland area but this is better than the one in the city. We also got the passion fruit cheesecake and that was amazing.

We met friends at Rios this past weekend. I would give Rio's a little more than okay, but not good…read moreenough that I would come back. Service was good - and they have live music on Friday nights. For drinks, we had white wine and passion fruit pisco sours. We've had better pisco's however. For appetizers, we shared the scallops and the Ceviche Rios. All four of us loved the appetizers and the complimentary bread that came. For entrees - my husband and I shared the Milanesa a la Provenzana and the Arroz Chaufa De Mariscos. Both dishes were good - and handled a reheating the next day, but nothing outstanding.

First visit to Hacienda Calavera: Overall a fantastic experience! Must try!…read more Rating scale is up to 5 stars: Food: 5 Service: 5 Ambiance: 5 Price: Very Reasonable Noise Level: Loud / Nightclub Vibes What we ate: -Steak Empanadas $16 - really good. Nice creamy sauce inside and great mildly spicy dipping sauce on the side. -Carne Asada $35- seasoned well and tender. Salsa verde was the best I ever had. -Lobster Tail Alla Parilla $65 - HUGE! Delicious! A mildly spicy butter sauce on top. Yum! What we drank: -water (they offer only bottled- still or sparkling - no tap apparently) -lemonade - very good. Not too sweet. Decor: so adorable and pretty. Each table had a single tall candle for a nice ambiance. Seems like the place to be on weekends. Server: Eduardo - very helpful and attentive. Negatives: music was a bit too loud (we were near a big table level speaker) and utensils were cheap.

I want to start by saying this experience had absolutely nothing to do with our server Jarel . He…read morewas kind, apologetic, and truly the only positive part of the evening. Unfortunately, the way the rest of the service was handled made it nearly impossible for him to give us a good experience. This was actually the second time I've experienced the same issue here. The first time, the manager handled it well and even sent over drinks, which is why we decided to come back. We came for my birthday dinner, and after being seated we waited about 20 minutes with no greeting or service because the host never informed our server we were his table. Later, the host awkwardly dropped a "birthday menu" on the table after we had already ordered. The biggest issue was the timing of the food. Our entrees were brought out before our appetizers, and when we explained the mistake the food runner responded rudely instead of simply correcting it. While we were still eating our appetizers, they repeatedly tried to rush our entrees out even though we had barely started. At that point I spoke with the manager and explained that this exact issue had happened before and that it was making the experience feel rushed. She seemed very disengaged and didn't really offer a solution. Ironically, she later brought drinks to the table even though I had just explained that I was driving and didn't want any. What was most confusing is that the restaurant was very slow that evening, which made the constant rushing and multiple service mistakes even harder to understand. Our server remained apologetic and professional throughout, but unfortunately the overall experience and management response were extremely disappointing. Given that this is now the second time experiencing the same issues, I will not be returning. TERRIBLE

"A wonderful 'going away' meal for my daughter before her move back to NYC! We visited Bendita…read moreCocina around 1 PM and were seated right away. The mushroom and butternut squash soups are both amazing--highly recommend tasting both if you're with a friend! My daughter loved her Caprese sandwich, and I'm so glad I asked our waitress, Juliette, for her favorite empanada pick--the Spinach and Cheese was the absolute correct choice. My husband loved his Chef Zee chicken salad, too. Service was timely, professional and friendly. Got daughter to airport on time, Thank you. We will be back,

I wanted to take out my Valentine out for a nice dinner so I set up a double date with my friend…read moreand his valentine. I decided to make 7 pm reservations for our favorite Argentinian Restaurant! It was easy and painless to make. A quick call. Driving to the restaurant, I was expecting it to be jam packed as the restaurant eating area is small and cozy. As we pulled into the parking lot, my hunch was confirmed. The parking lot was full and we can see people outside. We arrived a couple minutes before 7 and when I walked in, I had to work my way through people waiting to be seated. The staff was non stop busy and was in and out of the kitchen. Based on how packed it was, I knew it reservations would not be on time but for how long? I checked in and the staff member told me that a 4 top was just finishing, and it is ours as soon as they are done paying - 15 -20 minutes at the most is what he estimated. 15 minutes later, we were seated. I was happy considering how busy they were and the communication was great. We received heart shaped bread and water immediately and that was nice. They usually have breadsticks so I loved the touch of the shaped bread. The staff took a little while to get our food order, my guess was it was to pace the kitchen and the wait staff. It was ok cause we had great company at the table. We got our order in and the server was great and apologized for the wait and we totally understood. My wife and I shared a meal. Two empanadas and their cheese lasagna. My friend got calamari to share and ribeye steak. His wife got the pasta with shrimp. The appetizers came out in a timely matter, hot and fresh. The empanadas are homemade (spinach cheese and capreses). The crust is the make it break for empanadas and it was good as usual. The main course meals came out and they already split our meal which was unexpected and great service. The steak looked scrumptious and the pasta looked well dressed. As for as our lasagna, the amount of sauce was well balanced, the flavor of the tomato cream sauce had a nice tang to it, it was not loose or too thick. The pasta was tender and the parm, ricotta, and mozzarella was cheese had the right amount of each and topped with shaved parm. I loved it and would get it again. I'm a pescatarian but when I saw my friend's ribeye, I just had to try a slice. And did I make the right choice. The meat was tender and was cooked to the right temp. The chimichurri was delicious and pairs well the steak. What's Valentine's Day without sweets! We ordered Tiramisu and Flan Con Dulce De Leche to share and they were solid choices. Both were good and very tasty. The sizes were perfect to share although I would have made room to eat both of hem to myself. The overall experience was great considering how busy it was. The staff were exceptionally friendly and kept that excitement of serving the customers knowing how busy the restaurant was. I highly recommend this place do far, the friends were have dined here with has come back multiple times. They would send my text messages with pics of them dining. I always respond, "did I miss the invite?"

I received a warm welcome when I entered the door. The front area of the restaurant was full so we…read morewere led to the back, enclosed patio. There was a funky smell at first (the wood, the alley?) but we eventually just got used to it. I would suggest something to battle the smell. The waitress mentioned the specials for the night and when she said Short Rib, I was sold. It was delicious. Only sad thing is that the average person will probably never take leftovers home. The portion, as pricey as it is, is just right for one person. The margarita I had was good and the Tres Leches dessert was a perfect ending.

One of my favorite spots to eat in Skokie! Staff is so friendly, and the food is absolutely…read morephenomenal! I'm a huge fan of the camerones and the flautas, so delicious!

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!!