"Hee-ba-ro" is basically Cafe Central's take on the traditional jibarito. I was seeking this, and as I sidled up to the counter...I thought, "well isn't this place charming." And, it is...it really is. Blue linoleum and all! Not a bad stab at the plaintain 'n' steak lover's sandwich of choice, but it's on the "mini" side. Wonderful if you are watchin' your waistline...but terrible if you want a full-on jibarito party in your belly. About $5. Not too shabby. Service was sweet, despite my lack of language. Prices are pretty cheap, and they have a fairly phenomenal canned juice selection. Diet Coke, coffee...all the regular caffeinated choices available. Diner-style. Comfortable. Minus one star for the size, but four full ones for the rest...parking is easy (meters) on Chicago Ave. Hole-in-wall lovers, come hither. read more

Spending an idyllic week in Puerto Rico only to come back in Chicago under the snow *in the middle of April* ain't no good feeling. (I feel it in my fingers, my toes and everywhere in between) You just want to hop back on the plane and say "Hasta luego!" to the city, its winds, its parking tickets and all its general BS. Chicago, yeah, sometimes I really don't want to deal with you. Sorry. Good for you that you make it up with all your glorious eats. I would probably leave you in a heartbeat otherwise. You - literally - have me by the guts. Sigh. Jaded by a week of rain, and rain, and rain, and..... I decided to warm up my soul down the street at Cafe Central that I had always mistaken for a dinner until very recently (thanks Angie M. for proving me wrong). Lunch time = island time. And I was "oh em gee". Now it's no fancy place, y'all. Leave your heels and glittery barrettes at home. Could be a Puerto Rican dinner alright with its blue linoleum, cheap-looking booths and no frills decor. But you shouldn't care because what's matter is what's in your plate. Sunshine, salsa and asopao, arroz con gandules, cabrito y flán. Stew, rice and beans, goat and (duh) flan. Oh yeah. The jibaritos albeit delicioso (yum!!) as the Chicago creations that they are, were not part of the trip.... I can see how expats would want to come here and just feed their memory because I was totally wowed. And the goat stew they serve for lunch special ($5.60 for a 'small' plate, $7.75 for a dish the size of a Shrekish head) is just in-cre-di-ble. The best I have ever had in the city. Forealz. It's on the bone - but just be willing to work; you'll be rewarded. (**PR-13** : The fact that it's "cabrito" or baby goat probably helps too....but don't think about it. Just picture a nasty, smelly old Billy Goat and your conscience will leave you alone. Promise.) My asopao de camarones (a stew made of shrimp, bell pepper, carrots, potato, soffrito, rice in a rich and fragrant achiote broth) was absolutely glorious and so copious I had enough for two meals. It made me so happy. Mofongo purists, beware: they add pork skin in theirs - which I understand can be a good thing but that wasn't what I expected to find in mine. Since it's $2.50 extra, I will pass it next time. Vacations, four blocks from home. read more

Just a no frills diner that serves puerto rican food. Service was ok. Food was good. If you a looking for circus this is not the place..very simple decor..very reasonable.prices.. read more

The name of this place as well as the facade are rather non-descript and there is no menu posted in the window as many other restaurants do. We were looking for a quick meal in the area so we decided to check it out. I am guilty of ignoring this place. My loss over the years for not checking it out sooner. The place has a lot of things going for it: inexpensive, pleasant service, big menu, seafood choices, and the food is flavorful but not overly spiced or salted. I had the beef stew served with rice with pigeon peas and beans. Yum! (The only negative was that the stuffed potato/plantain appetizers were a little dry). A 4.5 star place but I'm giving it 5 stars. What pushed me over the top is the extensive menu and the abundance of seafood choices. read more

Amazing pork chops. Amazing rice. We love all the food and the service is great! Every time we want pork chops and rice, we call Cafe Central! read more

Cafe Central is the kind of place that every neighborhood should have, a place with good food that's inexpensive and quickly made from scratch using fresh ingredients. My only complaint with my food was that they used process cheese on my sandwich instead of some sort of real cheese. The service was friendly and helpful, if not exactly speedy. Not exactly slow, but not exactly speedy. I will also mention that the espresso they serve, made on a classic of a machine, is quite good. The coffee they use isn't the best, but it comes up smoother and less bitter than good coffee does in the untalented hands of too many other cafes in the city. They appear to make their own flan, too, which is always nice to see. read more

Every time I go to Cafe Central, I hope and pray they still have piononos (aka "relleno de amarillo). Perfectly seasoned ground beef wrapped in platanos maduros, and fried in perfect dough. I'm definitely not the only one in love with these because if I go any time after lunch, they don't have any left. I digress. The first time I went to Cafe Central must've been over a decade ago. I am now a regular. A Humboldt Park native and granddaughter to the best arroz con gandules chef in the world (seriously, even though I'm sure any Puerto Rican would say the same...), I have had my fair share of Puerto Rican food and have high standards. You walk into Cafe Central and you'd swear you were in Old San Juan. They have a cafeteria style bar at the front, and booths stretching all the way in the back. Taino drawings decorate the walls, and the salsa music is playing at a very appropriate sound level. And while the waitstaff is always very friendly, there is, of course, the Caribbean laid back attitude; you can't fault them in that regard because it's part of the ambiance (I'd expect no less). Make sure to sample all of the frituras: the aforementioned relleno de amarillo and the pastelillo (fried pastry shell with ground beef inside) are my favorites; morcilla (blood sausage), alcarpuria (I'm still searching for the best alcapuria in the city, I'll be sure to post when I do), rellena de papa (fried potato stuffed with ground beef)... Also, you can get a few meals out of the combination plates (mixtas); they sit in stews all day so the meat is always perfectly seasoned and amazingly tender---I'm talking melt in your mouth deliciousness!!! Cafe Central is definitely my favorite Puerto Rican restaurant outside Paseo Boricua (if not in the entire city). Three of my sisters and I shared a Valentine's Day dinner here, completely maxed out, non-stop food coming to the table, must have been in the restaurant 2 hours, and left with less than a $30 bill. What more could you ask for??? read more

I have high hopes for this place, so I fully expect that my 3-star review will be upped the next time I venture to Cafe Central. Full disclosure - Cafe Central was an ad-hoc choice. After coffee on the verandah (well, ok, on the really small back deck), we made our way through the empty booze bottles, used condoms, and auto window glass discarded outside my girlfriend's apartment building by the ever-so-quality patrons of Betty's the night before. Hoping to chow down on the buffet at D52 Smith Eatery, we found that we were early. So, an hour of coffee and board games at Mercury Cafe later, we returned, only to find that D52 Smith Eatery was closed, window sign advertising Sunday brunch buffet notwithstanding. So, after confirming the 7-day wait at Flo, we dropped into Cafe Central, which had been on my list of places to try for quite some time. Service was slow and distracted, despite relatively few patrons. However, I think they were short - and our server was most apologetic - so no stars deducted for service. A good effort under trying conditions. We split a plantain fritter to start, and each had a jibaro - me the roast pork, my girlfriend the steak. The plantain fritter was excellent in concept, but cold and rather flavorless. I suspect it had been sitting out awhile. Ditto the arroz con gandules - and dry, to boot. And my girlfriend preferred the jibarito at Habana Libre to Cafe Central's steak jibaro. I, however, found the roast pork excellent - although the American cheese melted atop it was ... unexciting - and the plantains moist and flavorful. As I said, I'm going to give this place another chance. And another. And probably another. All the elements are there - they just need to come together. And I'm willing to bet that they will. read more

I have lived 3 blocks away from this place for 3 years now and never knew it was a Puerto Rican restaurant until a friend told me about it last week. When I walk my dog along Chicago Ave, I've often smelled the enticing aroma of Latino food but I could never figure out where it was coming from. I thought maybe Flo or Havana Libre. I'm sure now that it's always been Cafe Central. I love Puerto Rican food. So I was in heaven last night when our very friendly, if not shy, waitress placed my food before me: very thin piece of perfectly seasoned steak topped with sauteed onions, accompanied with tostones and The Rice. Oh the rice. The best thing about Puerto Rican food is the arroz con gandules. You must try. And Cafe Central's is as good as any other that I've had! The menu is a little confusingly written/laid out and not very descriptive, but my guess is that most people who come here don't need a menu, they come here knowing what they want. This place lacks any kind of ambiance, but that's normal for Puerto Rican places in my experience, much like Filipino restaurants. (I think both cuisines are overlooked, and wish someone would do something about that. But that's another story. I'll save that rant for my review of Mariegold at a later date.) read more

I was craving a Jibarito, but the place I wanted to try was closed. I strolled on over to Café Central and this place cured by craving. Upon arrival we were told to seat ourselves. Our waitress was really friendly and the service was fast. Me and my family all went with the steak Jibarito and it had great flavor. Very filling sandwich. If a restaurant has plantains though I can't leave without ordering a side. I'm glad I did! The plantains had just the right amount of sweetness and I left satisfied :) Also have to mention this place is very affordable. read more

Cafe Central - Steak Jiberito - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Wonderful, affordable place! This is not the place to take a first date to - it's certainly not as romantic as you would want. Flourescent lights, small older booths, awkward lay out... but what it lacks in decor/ambiance is made up a thousand times over by food. DELICIOUS AND AFFORDABLE! The only downside is that they only take cash but that's all right! I haven't eaten there but I live close enough to order for pick-up several times a month. Full meals for cheap - my friend and I ordered all this food that lasted us two meals for around $30.00 (including tip). My usual suspects are the pastelillos and their other appetizers... but the roasted chicken is awesome. The portions are huge! read more

How have I never been here before? Wow. It was great. Just from outside it smells so wonderful. I have never had Puerto Rican food before, and at first I was a little confused by the menu, but then it all made sense (English on the right side of the menu). I had the hiberro which is the same as a hiberito, but regardless it was super delicious. The steak was tender without any fat on it, and the flavor was outta site. We also had the stuffed sweet plantain stuffed with ground meat, which was fried to perfection along with the green plantain, and they were simply perfect. The service was awesome, everyone was so nice, and this will be a regular answer when asked the question, "Where should we go for lunch?" read more

Outstanding service... Great Puerto Rican Food! :)

Good simple restaurant. My friend had a "mixta". A puertorrican dish of rice and beans and a protein, in this case pork. His dish was actually really good. My other friend ordered the octopus in a tomatoe garlic and capers sauce. Pretty decent. I had the asopao de pollo with tostones. Just ok. Too watery. Asopao is a more dense, full of flavor dish. This was mediocre. May try them again, but not for the asopao. read more

I used to come here a lot when I was younger and the food was delicious. Very authentic. I went in yesterday and was 100% disappointed. I had an alcapurria, fried chicken, arroz con gandules, and tostones The alcapurria was alright tasted like it was sitting out for a while though. The fried chicken looked horrible and was tough and very dry. My arroz had no gandules. The tostones were the blandest I have ever tasted. There was no salt or garlic salt on them. I paid about $11 which wasn't bad. I don't know what happened to this old diamond in the ruff...it has definately lost its shine. read more

This little gem is conveniently located about a half mile away from my apartment so when I'm craving a good home-cooked meal, I walk over to Cafe Central. Cafe Central is the definition of "whole in the wall" place: the restaurant resembles a vintage diner complete with a small counter surrounded by stools. Ok, I'll be real - it's not the nicest place, but the food is delicious. The waitresses and staff are very friendly and usually chit chat with me in Spanish for a bit. Although I'm not Puerto Rican, many of the dishes are similar to meals I had growing up. This last visit, I ordered the carne gizada with rice and beans - so good. The chunks of beef are cooked in a tomato based sauce (not spicy) and paired perfectly with the rice and beans. The portions are usually very generous and not expensive at all. I usually order the flan for the road home and to this day, it has not disappointed. I highly recommend it - great $10 (or less) you'll spend. read more

I've worked near this place for the past 5yrs and finally walked in. 1st I have to say I love this place. It reminds me of the old school Puerto Rican restaurants you saw on division or armitage in the 80s. The food is good and the atmosphere is great. The lunch counter is definitely a plus. read more

Cafe Central - Lunch counter waiting for my grub having a cola champagne. - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Jibarito! Mofongo! Kola Champagne! Game Over. O Happy Days! (Clap) I woke up with a hunger in my tummy for a Jibarito. Found this place was a short bus ride near so, When we walked in we were greeted with warm smile and hello, It was lunch time and most of the tables were occupado, So my wife and I grab a seat at the counter and got some menus, napkins, spoon, knife and fork, ordered Mofongo, and 2 Jibarito, 1 Steak and 1 Roast Pork, To drink we got 2 Kola Champagnes, Its like cream soda and goes perfect with the plantains, Waitress came by with some fresh bread and we wondered what this green sauce could be, Asked her and she said it was made with jalapeno and actually gave me the recipe, She said 'now you can make it yourself at home,' And I knew from that kindness it would set the tone, So when the Mofongo came out I loved that is was kept separate from the broth, Cause you just take a spoonful and dip it in the sauce, A flavor explosion with tiny bits of Pork Cracklin', I could barely think, Had my singing 'God must have spent a little more time on you' like a member of N'Sync, Then the Jibarito made its triumphant debut, My wife and I shared as the sandwiches are split in 2, Jibarito was nice and hot and the veggies tasted fresh, Then I took that green sauce and mixed it with the meat and it was literally the best, Feeling Full, Sassy and glad we took a Chance, We walked home as we saw the our afternoon Shadows danced, Took a flan to go and it was tasty we ate it in a hurry, Shout out to you if you got the reference to Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey read more

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This was the worst meal I've ever had. My friends and I met up down the street at Lush to buy wine, and then we considered the 3 BYOB options right at that corner - Shaman, Habana Libre, and Cafe Central. The first two were packed, so we tried Cafe Central, because the reviews are (I have no idea why, now) decent on Yelp. First, there was no one in this place. One family at a table near the door, and my group of 4 at the back. That's it for patrons - it should have indicated the quality of the food, but we convinced ourselves that perhaps it was just a little gem we'd found. Wrong. The food was by far the worst I've ever had. The fish was painfully dry. It was like eating corrugated cardboard. Absolutely tasteless and a horrible, brittle, dry texture. The fried chicken was similarly dry. The shrimp creole, which costs like $13, had like 3 pieces of shrimp in it and was not good. I even tried the Mofungo as a side, which someone mentioned on here was "finger licking good." Not even close. I couldn't get past one bite of it, let alone eat enough to cause me to lick my fingers. One of my friends tried a bite as well, and couldn't even finish the amount she had on her fork. It was just that gross. We also had side salads. How on earth do they manage to make even a SALAD dry?! It's made out of vegetables, for crying out loud, so it almost takes effort to make it that bad. They didn't bring it out with ANY dressing, and when we all started looking around in confusion, the server asked us, "Do you want dressing?" Yes, of course we do. What kind of dressing did she bring out? Bottles of Wishbone or Newman's Own. Straight to the table. It was like being at a freaking backyard barbeque, except that I would have been ashamed to be friends with anyone who could make food this awful. In short... don't go here. Just don't. It's not worth your time or money, and it's a cruel thing to do to your taste buds. Just deal with the wait at any other place on this street. read more

So being Puerto Rican myself, I think I know whats authentic tasting. I came here with a co worker for lunch we ordered a few different things a pastel, arroz con gandules, jibarito & a lechon sandwhich and all of these items were salty salty salty! The pastel had a grainy taste to it (which is not normal) and everything else was just extremely salty! There was no real flavor as authentic Puerto Rican food does. Then, the icing on the cake is the bill $27! This place is way overpriced for less then mediocre food read more

After spending $60 the day before for brunch and not having had the time to hit the grocery store yet, we wanted something cheap and filling for brunch. Hello Cafe Central! Had the roast pork mixta. The pork was wonderfully tasty, the yellow rice and pigeon peas were so good, and the beans were too. Avocado mixed in made it a wonderful meal. Husbo had the goat stew and it was scrumptious. $20.52 for two huge filling meals, coffee, Goya peach nectar, and 1/2 an avocado. Cafe Central proves you can have great food for a great price. read more

Had the steak sandwich, and wow it blew me away. What comes out appearing to be basic is far from it.

I can't believe this place as four stars. We had the Steak Jibarito, Mofongo, Roast Chicken, Pastilletes (sp?), Pionono. Jibarito was actually the best thing we had. Chicken was OK, pretty tender, but could be more flavorful, Mofongo was a shame. SO dry and flavorless, definitely not what I remember from having it in San Juan. Pastillete and Pionono were cold and hard and chewy - not good at all. Service was horrible. 5PM on a weekday, two servers and near empty, and yet they got our order wrong three times and definitely met with apathetic faces. Not going back. Will try somewhere else for some nostalgia. read more

**Warning review from a Pregnant woman craving Flan -Dont get the flan. lol Sorry but it was like cinamon tasting custard. I am Puerto Rican myself and If I had the time would have made it myself. This was about two weeks ago, I finally decided to create a Yelp account and review the few places I visit. Small mom and Pops looking shop been in the area for over 50+ years so they get two stars for that. The RIce is pretty good except for some reason they charge for the gandulez a different price when everyone know puerto rican rice should have gandules. The sandwich was bland. Overall dont eat flan here and make sure to specify your rice selection. read more

The food was plenty and very flavorful! We liked the service as well. You feel welcomed. the mofongo and chuletas fritas were finger licking! We will definitely come back .. and bring friends too! read more

I have never seen this place in my life until yesterday when I was emaciated from hunger. Looks like a hole in the wall. I entered the all brick, one-3x3-window building keeping an open mind. We found seats immediately and was greeted by a very nice waitress. The menu has a decent amount of options, which I was pleasantly surprised about. At first, I actually thought they gave my friend and I different language menus since his appeared in English and mine in Spanish, and I thought to myself... "man, I must be looking extra ethnic today or something," but then we realized it came in both. I was hungry, man. Don't judge me. We were feeling indecisive, and stared at the menu for 5 minutes. The waitress asked us and brought another lady to see if we needed "some splainin", but we were thankful, and ordered the jibaritos. They offered some bread and this jalapeno spread as a starter. Food was good and service was efficient. As I'm gobbling up my jibarito like a zombie, I hear the smoky voice of an unhappy female patron piercing the air and silencing the 90s music playing in the background. "I'm suing you and telling the neighborhood that you are racist against me...blah blah blah racist...blah blah blah I will blog about you"...and something about $50. Now, I'm not sure if she is truly a reliable source since this woman appeared to be intoxicated on something and probably couldn't find her way on around a mousepad, but it was definitely awkwardly entertaining. I thought the waitress kept her composure very well throughout the whole ordeal. Overall, I'd go back and try other items since I read some of the other reviews, but might be cautious dining in unless you're into disruptive crackheads on a soapbox. read more

Cafe Central is by far my favorite Puerto Rican restaurant! The food is authentic, delicious, and the service is efficient. It is worth always asking for the special of the day. My favorites from Cafe Central are the mixed dishes of your choice of rice and meat. Their Lechon and guisado de carne are my top choices. I also love their caldo (soup) because it is extremely flavorful and hearty. No matter what I order, I always make sure to drink their hot chocolate and guava juice. It is a tasty treat for me and I'm never disappointed. :-) If you want to experience quality Puerto Rican food with very reasonable prices in a quaint and pleasant atmosphere, visit Cafe Central! read more

The one of the BEST Puerto Rican cuisine I've ever tried in Chicago! So few of my friends are over for a conference in downtown and they were feeling adventerous. They weren't into some fancy 5 star restaurants so we head out to Cafe Central for good ol' Puerto Rican comfort food. Mind you, all of my friends are Korean and they have NEVER tried Puerto Rican food before. We ordered Alcapurria, lechon and morcialla for apps and steak sandwiches. They brought us some bread and butter which were ok but let me tell you. Their Alcapurria and morcialla is probably one of the best I've eaten in my life. Nice and crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside... mmmmmmmmmm... and the sandwich? good old steak on toasted bread with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes... sweet LORD! Hits the spot just right. mouth is watering again thinking about the wonderful food. Only thing that was missing from our table was some beers. We left fat and happy, rubbing our bellies and feeling the cold wind hitting our face after sweating from all the madness trying to DEVOUR the food that was on our table. This is a hidden gem! Go and try it out! read more

Amazing food been coming here since a kid and the food still taste the same I love there steak sandwich and there shrimp soup also love there steak with rice it's so good. read more

LOVE this place. My favorite thing to get ( - to the extent that I haven't branched out and tried as much as the menu as I should) is the pork sandwich on plantains. As in - the plantains ARE the bread for the sandwich. YUM. It is a far cry from a low calorie meal - I will warn you - but sooooo delish. It's called the Hee-bah-roh or something like that. (that is, at least, how I pronounce it). I would not mess with the ingredients - maybe you could take off the mayo and it would still be good - but try it first, as is. And for you VERY caucasian people out there (like myself), you may step in there and be concerned about not speaking Spanish - but no need. Their menu starts out in Spanish, but has an English section on it - and their servers speak English, so no worries. Oh also, this is BYOB, but don't expect any glassware brought to you beyond styrofoam :) read more

After stumbling across an episode of "Check Please"....combined with a description of authentic Puerto Rican food while in a training class...I asked the wife and daughter out for an impromptu lunch date. Decor is not overly eccentric, but is definitely homey. You can tell this is a no nonsense restaurant, and can imagine regular visits. The menu, in both English and Spanish, was diverse enough to inspire return visits all by itself. I went with a Jibarito, as did my wife (sans plaintains...she regretted not copying my order after 1 bite)...and we got a basic Chicken and Rice plate for the midget. Needless to say...the food was satisfying enough to knock out the ENTIRE family, the staff was friendly and welcoming...and I will be back. I'm no authority, so I can't speak on the restaurant's authenticity in regards to Puerto Rico...but I DO know "TASTE'S GOOD" pretty well...and this place is definitely a "TASTE'S GOOD" staple. read more

THIS PLACE IS FANTASTIC! Had a friend come visit from out of town and wanted to explore the Puerto Rican scene. We decided to go to Cafe Central and so glad we did! First of all, the staff were so kind and accommodating - we came fifteen minutes before closing and asked for jibaritos. Even though they totally could have turned us down since their kitchen was closing down, they made the food for us. We got the pork and the steak jibaritos and AHHH IT WAS AMAZING! The soft fried plantains as the "bread" of the sandwich, the beautifully melted cheese laying on the perfectly cooked meat, the tomato and pickle added to give some balance to the richness of the flavors.... it was divine. Plus, it's a family owned restaurant, which is so precious, and you have a feel of being in the home go a friend! Loved this place and can't wait to try more of their menu! read more

Cafe Central - Divine jibarito goodness - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Run don't walk to this little gem. Authentic Puerto Rican cooking at its finest. For appetizers get the alcapurria (plaintain fritter stuffed with ground beef) and relleno de papa (potato stuffed with ground beef). For dinner try the fried pork chops, the beef stew (or goat if you're feeling adventurous) and of course the yellow rice with pigeon peas and stewed beans on the side The soups are also fantastic, lots of flavor and very hearty. There's also a great non menu item called a pastelles. It is kind of a Puerto Rican tamale. Instead of masa, the outside is made of plantain and they're stuffed with pork and little olives. Make sure to ask if they have any available. My only caveat is don't expect quick service. The wait staff is friendly but move at a pace that can best be described as leisurely. At least they put some bread and butter on the table. This helps quell the hunger pangs the smell wafting from the kitchen will no doubt bring on. read more

For a $ restaurant, this restaurant definitely deserves 5 stars. We happened to be in the area, so we decided to pop in and give it a try, and we're so glad we did! One side of the menu was in spanish, and the other in English. We did feel a bit like foreigners admist all the families chattering away in Spanish, but the waitress was so nice and helpful! We started with two appetizers- the fried green plaintains with creamy garlic sauce (2.50) and an alcapurria (1.90) which is a fried plaintain stuffed with ground pork. We were starting to feel full after the appetizers, but were still excited for our two entrées! We ordered the much recommended roast pork jibarito (5.95) which was delicious! Tender and juicy pork sandwiched between two fried plantains with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Make sure you come Thursday-Sunday because that's when this sandwich is offered! The waitress brought it out cut in half on two plates without asking, which was by thoughtful, as we had told her we would be sharing everything. We also got the goat stew mixtas with yellow rice and pigeon peas. It was pretty good, but we got most of it wrapped up to go since we wanted to save some room for dessert. I love vanilla flan, so when I saw it on the menu for 2.50, I couldn't resist. Thankfully, it was as tasty as I had hoped! A perfect portion for sharing. We also got the guava shells with white cheese, also for 2.50. It was interesting, but we probably wouldn't get it again. I was hoping for fresh guavas (do they even have those in Chicago?) but they were canned. Overall, we got two side dishes, two entrees, and two desserts, all for $28 after tip and tax! What a great deal. Other notables: BYOB, and the restroom was extremely clean. Parking is difficult, but you may get lucky like us! read more

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Have never actually had Puerto Rican food before so I have nothing to compare it to - but I liked the vibe at this place. I was super casual and felt like a family run, neighborhood diner. I had a steak jibarito which was tasty but under-seasoned. That sounds like a complaint, but it's not because I would rather have to add salt to a dish than get something too salty. The bill for two was $18 for 2 sandwiches, side of fries, and a flan. LOVE that. Will be back for sure. read more

The food was fresh, not greasy at all...But was lacking salt and flavor. I didn't like that the jibarito was $8.50 and did not include rice and peas...Most places do. The tostones were not crispy. Had no salt or anything on them. The steak was not skirt steak, it was like that frozen steak. And the American cheese slice was so thick and just ugh. I did wind up ordering the rice, but forgot to try it. They charged $1.25 for a CAN of pop. Damn that's pricey. I gave them 3 stars because the woman who took my order, Sandra, was really sweet...and the food was fresh, even though it didn't taste all that great. read more

The food here is excelent! It is one of the oldest Puerto Rican restaurants in the City of Chicago. excellent

Probably the best Puerto Rican restaurant in the city. I lived in that neighborhood almost all my life in this restaurant has been around since I was a kid. I love their food and I absolutely love their pork chops. So juicy and big. In my opinion the best and the waitress Esperanza, she's also the best. She makes you feel like you're part of the family. She's been working there since I was a kid. read more

Café Central is my absolute favorite restaurant in Chicago. The food is always fantastic and no matter what I order I am always delighted with my meal! Pork Jibarito was very tasty. Staff is very friendly and welcoming. Can't wait to return and wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for somewhere to eat Puerto Rican food in Chicago. read more

Very nice. My friend took me to this place a couple years ago claiming that it was a place that served authentic Puerto Rican food. I can't really tell if it is authentic or not, but I know it tastes fantastic. I'll just take her word on the authentic part. The service was nice. Oh, but go easy on that green hot sauce on the table, it will light you up. Just a little goes a long way in flavoring your food and giving it that extra kick. Personally, I'm all for it, but I also like when food cause my lips to burn and my nose to run. So take it easy. Great food at a nice price and chances are you'll go home with tomorrow's lunch. read more