Haven't seen many Puerto Rican restaurants on the south side, and this one is the only one in the McKinley Park area. If you're looking for Puerto Rican food and in the area, it's a decent spot which is why it gets 4 stars. The Jibaritos were tasty and so was the arroz con gandules! I think the restaurant is a unique concept: it's a combination of a small Christian book store and a home-like cafe combined with a Puerto Rican restaurant. The menu is small. The servers are kind and bring the food quickly. read more

Cafe El Meson - Jibarito and Arroz con gandules - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Jibaritos, empanadas are good. pina colada and mango smoothies are great! Good place to study and work

I have been passing by this spot for years so today was the day to try them. The outside is average, a few items indicating it's a Puerto Rican spot. It looks like a converted 2 flat or home. Upon entering I was stunned it was a Christian bookstore and in the back was a restaurant. Ok now. Nicely decorated, a piano and a few tables with items to purchase. The order taker stated they have been there for 16 years and they had an upstairs which I checked out after ordering. Upstairs is a chill area where u can drink your coffee and read, use wi-fi. The decor again was nice. There were 2 cooks. I ordered the chicken jibarito and my guest ordered the steak jobarito plus a chicken and beef empanada. The chicken jibarito was tasty, not as much meat as another jibarito spot I go to. The rice was delish, no pork. The chicken empanada was ok, not much meat. They enclosed their chipotle sauce which tasted more like regular mustard, not a fan. Would I come again? Sure...I want to try their other items including the coffee. It would be nice if they had more books in English. read more

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Always great food and kind, welcoming people / service! I wish I had a job so I could go more often.

Wow!!! Just stopped by for lunch for the first time... my mouth is still watering even after eating. The steak jibarito was absolutely delicious, one of the best things I've eaten! I wasn't sure about the plantains as bread but it was so good, and added such a great texture. The steak was so tender and flavorful. Sometimes, food is so good that you have to share it. I had to stop myself from eating all of it so I can bring some home to my boyfriend. I cannot wait to come back, which will be very soon! FYI, when you walk in, you might not notice there is a staircase to the left near the bathroom. I think there must be a cute seating area up there, don't miss it! read more

Cafe El Meson - El Jibarito Steak Sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

El Jibarito (steak) sandwich and the el Meson latte were only outdone by the service. The owner took extra good care of us and made our meal extra special! read more

Cafe El Meson - Half El Jibarito Steak Sandwich...we split it between the two of us and it was very filling ! - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great owners and great food and coffee. The sandwiches are very creative and fresh. 10/10 customer service too. The ambiance of the cafe is great too. read more

Happened to find this place and decided to pop in for some coffee. Super pleasantly surprised to find the nicest owners and delicious coffee! We really enjoyed our choices but also the little gift shop was lovely. We will be back to this place. read more

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This cafe/bookstore is super cute and cozy! It literally looks like a house on the outside and is super nice and spacious on the inside. The staff were all really friendly and helpful as well. I definitely enjoyed my coffee, didn't get the chance to try the food but definitely will get some if I'm back in the area. read more

Went with my family and it is so nice. Many books to read. The owner greets everyone as family. Great Christian collection and music. Love the Puerto Rican food, sandwiches and desserts . Great place for gatherings. It's hard to find a place that fells like home . I highly recommend this gem! read more

Cafe El Meson - Jibarito with steak - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My oldest son, Tony, and I went out to celebrate his birthday at Café El Mesón in Brighton Park,. Chicago. It's a Christian bookstore and café with delicious Puerto Rican food. The atmosphere is peaceful and the place is beautiful. The owner and his family radiate Christian love. Did I forget to mention how delicious the food is? The owner said his place has been there for 16 years. I can't believe I just discovered this gem! read more

Cafe El Meson - Upstairs at Café El Meson - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Amazing cafe with great atmosphere! The food and service there are awesome. It is also family owned and run!!!

Beautiful place to hang out and study. I ended up here by accident and ended up loving the place. This place reminds me of my church cafeteria. Nice quiet place and great food! read more

Cafe El Meson - the interior of a restaurant - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Cozy study cafe and amazing service. The family who owns it is very friendly and hospitable. We enjoyed the El Meson panini and steak el jibarito. Highly recommend supporting the small business! read more

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The Cocolatte and the guava cheese bread are so delicious. The owners is such a pleasure to speak to each time. I've been coming to this place for years and it never fails to disappoint. I've been able to study there during my undergrad and now law school. I'm so incredibly grateful for this hidden gem. read more

Cafe El Meson - Cocolatte - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was searching for a place to work and came across this coffee shop. I had their breakfast croissant and it was delicious! My latte was also great. Def recommend :) read more

Best food around. It's hard in that area to stand out as having excellent Mexican/latin quinine. They certainly do. They may take a little longer on some orders but it's worth the wait. They always want to make sure it's fresh and perfect. I ordered for an office the other day and everyone was raving about it. I'm an outside rep and my wife jokes I'm a "professional lunch getter." So when I do lunch 3-5 times a week and have a place really stand out, it really stands out. You can tell the immense pride they take in their food with every bite. Don't be a fool, if you can eat here do it! read more

Used to come here when I was in college for some late night coffee and snacks with my fiancé to help us study. Hadn't stopped by in a few years, Glad we stopped by and it's still open. Owner Juan is awesome, makes great food and coffee and is a genuinely great guy. Highly recommended, definitely will coming back more often. read more

Cafe El Meson - the interior of a coffee shop - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Friendly staff, the food, prices and overall environment were pretty great. I'm definitely going to go there again!

This place is so relaxing as soon as soon as you walk in. The shakes and piña colada are so good!!

This is a very cute family owned restaurant and we must support. They have many drinks, from coffee, teas, sodas and milkshakes. They are somewhat of a Puerto Rican cafe and they have my favorite sandwiches jibaritos. I order the steak jibaritos and they were amazing and big in portions too. I tried their mocha and it was just as I like it. The sandwiches you get are big and are reasonable price, not just the sandwich but everything that they sell too. This place is not only a cafe but also a book shop, you can find many books about religion, life and many other things. It's very clean and very nice inside with a patio in the back and front of the building, and it has a second floor where people can go an enjoy their food and drinks. I will definitely will be coming back read more

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Wonderful find!! Delicious food - we had the croissantwich, quesadilla, milkshake and go green smoothie. Everything was fresh and tasty. Even better it's Christian and we felt the spirit in the store. Delightful little patio in the back as well. read more

Cafe El Meson - Croissantwich Quesadilla Sandwich Green Smoothie, Milkshake - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The upstairs is my favorite place to study! Ample space, lots of tables, lots of outlets, bathroom, smooth jazz, and couches if you need a break. Plus there's so many delicious food options downstairs if you need a little pick-me-up. Everyone who works here is SUPER nice and welcoming. The caramellato and the green smoothie are delicious. The "el mesonero" sandwich is pretty good too! read more

Cafe El Meson - Study space - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was in the area after dropping off somebody at the airport and this place popped up on my yelp search. Went in and ordered an avena (Oatmeal) smoothie and it was fantastic! Great flavor and not overly sweet, just what I was looking for. I also had a delightful conversation with the person working behind the counter. Would highly recommend this place and I will definitely be back to try the food! read more

Love this beautiful sanctuary! awesome food and service. Best jibarito/arroz con gandules, not to mention their quesitos and outstanding coffee! read more

This place is so cute and cozy. The first floor is the cafe/gift shop. Upstairs is warm and comfortable-- super befitting for studying. The cider has an authentic taste in terms of bitterness. Honestly though I'm coming back for their sandwiches. The ingredients were fresh, and the bread/meat was toasted. Thxx read more

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Amazing place! Love coming here to work or study for school. Amazing service and such good food!

The most delicious and authentic Puerto Rican sandwiches you will find in the city. I highly recommend the agua frescas as well, they are bursting with flavor. read more

So incredibly delicious, this place NEVER fails to satisfy with every item in their menu. Excellent customer service, but mostly very tasty, great flavor, very homey. read more

Hidden gem in Brighton Park. Got a frappe de avena y frappe de cocoa and it was yum yum yum!!! The lady working was also so sweet, I highly recommend visiting this place. read more

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This place is absolutely BEAUTIFUL with such a great ambiance. Peaceful, friendly, and clean. This is the best and favorite cafe without a doubt. Not only was the place GREAT, the food was DELICIOUS!!! To add, they had juego de Maracuya, which is rare to find. Let me tell you, it was phenomenal. Great food, ambiance, and the owner is very passionate about customer service. This is a gold of mine. read more

I've been living in the area for a while, but never stopped in until today. Let me tell you this is the cutest little cafe. Service was incredible and the food was wonderful! I highly recommend the El Meson and Wepa sandwiches. We also got an iced mocha, which was great as well. I will definitely be stopping in again soon. read more

Cafe El Meson - Iced Mocha & Wepa Sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Nice establishment that offers different types of drinks and coffees as well as delicious sandwiches. Folks that work there are really nice

I love this place... I used to pass by it everyday on my way to work. I never knew what it was. Then I just decided to stop in and I'm glad I did! Great espresso, cappuccino, add a little Nutella ... Homemade empanadas, pastries, and great sandwiches. Just a diamond in the rough. Don't pass it by, it's kind of easy to miss! read more

Such an amazing cute place to just come and relax. The owner juan at the counter was so friendly and made us feel at home. I wish he had a restaurant in my city. The food was very good and he suggested Nutella coco which is Nutella in coconut milk which hot the spot. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone. Upstairs was so nice and quiet and much needed for me and my sister. read more

Cafe El Meson - Scenerary - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cute cafe! I'm so glad you we chose this place in our Google search for eatery! It's a cute little book shop with tables. Their foods are WOW! Does not taste like it came from a box. The guy behind counter was so nice to make sure my food isn't spicy. And his pina colada is DELICIOUS, reminds me of Cuba pina colada, we ordered another. I love how Christian appropriate this place is. I want to ask the owner if he can move closer to my home then I'd come every week for lunch. *updated- after our meal, I found my daughter talking for long time with the man behind the counter. At first, I thought they were having a good dialogue but I later learned he questioned her faith. He believes his mission is to evangelize but we are Catholics, we are already Christians. We may have differing views but really you shouldn't have to insist that your way made more sense. I am sorry you do not like our beliefs. We trust the man who began the Eucharist, the man who found our church and that is, Jesus Christ, himself. He chose His apostles to continue their leaderships. We may or may not like certain things but we will not leave His church just because we do not like certain parts. We will do His will, not yours, not ours. Please keep your cafe slash bookstore faith-filled with Jesus (it's so lovely!) but do not use the opportunity to compare our differing practices- maybe best to do it when the priests visit and they may be be able to explain why we do what we do. May your cafe be filled with Holy Spirit to continue being a place of comradeship. read more

best service. best drinks. amazing empanadas. my favorite drink is the pina colada i dream about it every night!!!!!!!!!! read more

Cafe El Meson - walking in to get a pina colada - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love everything I have ever ordered from this place. Super delicious foods and Frappe. Ambiance is very calm and welcoming which is a plus. read more

BEST place to study very quiet, great smoothies, the owner is so sweet and makes you feel at home! Bought a smoothie, but before I did he let me try it! Definitely coming back to study and smoothies! read more

Cafe El Meson - BEST place to study very quiet! - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I bookmarked this place some time ago, but I wasn't able to precisely pin-point where that was with my knowledge of Chicago streets. My friend and I were thrift-shopping, and I suggested that we stopped in to get coffee. The guy, who appeared to be the owner of this cafe, had a nice conversation with us. The coffee items were very reasonably-priced. For a 12 oz. latte or mocha, it costs under $3. We both tried the amorelatta (I believe I've mis-spelt this word...I apologize if I have). Since we were the first-timers, there was a yelp check-in offer: 10% off, available and I was able to use it. The guy upgraded our drinks to a 16 oz. with no additional cost and invited us to come back. I don't necessarily travel much on the south side of Chicago, but this place is cozy, clean, and godly! There are many Christian books, albums, and spiritual merchandize for sale inside of the shop as well. There are two (2) floors, with a piano on the first floor. The building looks like a house that was converted for commercial purposes. By the way, I could tell that the owner took his time and salted the pave way leading to the cafe:) They also have smoothies, sandwiches, and other food and drink items. I need to come back and try the piña colada. It's one of my top favorite crafted drinks, yet I just didn't feel to have a cold beverage tonight. I wish such place exists in my hood in Albany Park on the north side, within close proximity to my apartment. read more