For the most part I am a true Puerto Rican prince, well that's what my mama use to tell me. But seriously, one thing I love in life is Puerto Rican cuisine. With the hint of adobo and the taste of homemade sofrito, now that what I'm talking about! Now if I do venture off to eat Puerto Rican meals anywhere in the world, best believe that they better rock my socks off! I am a snob I guess when it comes to PR food. I truly enjoy the hot dishes and I will call anyone out when it comes to taste and flavor, because that is one thing PR food should never be, is tasteless. Not saying that Café Rosa's was tasteless, but I am not accustomed to rice that is dry and definitely not accustomed to adding salt to any of my foods. Unfortunately that day I asked for an acapurila (plantain smashed and fried with meat inside), and of course for the second time, I was told by the waitress that they didn't have any at this time. Although I have to say that making them at home is a chore, so this may be the reason I like to eat them whenever I can. I was so disappointed and for the second time I was done! None of the foods that I had that afternoon stuck me as anything that I would return a third time for, and that's hard to say because I do enjoy helping out local businesses, especially a Puerto Rican one since most of the time you have to travel to Humboldt Park up north for a good one, but I digress. I so wanted to like the food here, but I can't seem to give it my all since it was my second time and it didn't strike me up. Sorry Café Rosa's but either you pick it up, or you won't make it on the south side. I'm not saying they are bad, but for me its not good enough to return and pay the prices (they are high) that they are asking for. Maybe I'll try them again in the near future, but for now, mediocre at best. read more

No air conditioning. I ordered the biotechnology ensebollada and it looked like steak fajitas. Taste good, but not authentic like Cafe Central. Music was too loud I could hardly hear my friend speak. read more

Not sure why this place only has 3.5 starts. The food is delicious. We were looking for a place to have lunch and decided to come here since we were close by. The food and service were great. We had empanadas, pollo guisado, pincho, chuleta con tostones and flan. read more

We celebrated a birthday dinner at Cafe Rosa and what a great experience! Tasty food and wonderful attention from the staff. Top pics in our group were the steak jibarito and stewed beef with potatoes. Reasonable prices and the portions were substantial. Looking forward to our next visit. read more

Omg!!! Hadn't been there in several months, definitely now I know what I was missing!!! Had steak jibarito with the works white rice and habichuelas piping hot soooo good great "i cant believe I ate the whole thing" had mofongo xtra garlic. An alcapurria was a little cold but very tasty. My husband had a steak jibarito with arroz con gandules it was perfect!!! The consistency of the rice the flavor. The ambiance was great nice music selection at a nice volume where you can have a good conversation going on and can hear it. The only problem is that the service is slow, it needs to improve we got menus as soon as we arrived but had to wait 15 minutes to order because two of the servers were having a conversation at the cash register and our waitress got list in the kitchen. Food was served and had to wave someone down to get water refill don't get me wrong they were all very polite and caring but not very attentive. The wait is worth the food read more

Amazing Portorican food, generous portions. Quick service. Good café con leche. Good music.

I am Puerto Rican and wanted to see if this place is worth it. The food is great! I am bringing food home to my family and will be back! Delicioso and worth the drive! read more

Cafe Rosa - I had a pastel, arroz con gandules, tostones and homemade parcha. - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Finally got to try food from this restaurant. Ordered through UberEats. Empanadas were good though a tad stale. Pork chops were awesome. Puerto Rican rice was excellent. Seasoned perfectly and moist but not sticky. Beans were a little salty but still delicious. Also had some maduros. They were yummy! We will be ordering again soon! read more

The food is very tasty. The Lechon was juicy i've tried plenty of dishes and they're all delicious and the owner is also cool Try it out for yourself. you will definitely enjoy it. read more

Amazing quality PR food on the south side of Chicago super convenient for me since the north side is even further for me. This was a very nice addition to the neighborhood in my opinion. I loved the papa rellena so filling with meat & my jibarito had so much flavor! My new go to PR spot. Lots of food options read more

Cafe Rosa - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food is good but the customer service it terrible. We sat at a table for 15 minutes and no one came to take our order nor offer drinks/water. We walked out because the customers time is also valuable. read more

Great food, lechon dinner. Pulled pork. Menu is 100% Spanish so I had to have part of it translated. Waitress did not seem interested to help. No silverware or napkins when the meal was brought, had to ask. 4 stars food, 2 stars service. 3 stars average read more

First things first: YES!!! I love jibaritos and Chicago is the only place to find them!!!!!!! I was surprised to find a place on the south side as most PR places are in and around Humbolt Park. Overall, I enjoyed dining here. My server spoke mostly Spanish but we made it work (my skills are lackluster). The rellena de paper was only $2 and good, albeit not my favorite version of it. But definitely try it - mashed potatoes stuffed with ground beef and fried, yay! The jibarito came with arroz con grandules (rice with pigeon peas). Definitely get the jibarito!! It's basically two tostones used as the bread of the sandwich (plantains mashed and then flattened and dried). I got mine with bistec (steak). For dessert I got maduros. That's fried sweet plantains. They....fried it in something strange. Different from what I'm used to. They came out very light and normally mine are very brown. The flavor reminded me of alcohol which is weird. I actually couldn't finish them. Overall, yes to the rice and jibaritos! read more

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Love the food, plus the drinks! Food is always made to order. Wait time is a little long on weekends. read more

Cafe Rosa - Jivarito w Arroz Con Gandules & Mojito de Parcha con Coco - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Everything was WONDERFUL! (the Jibaritos in particular) Service was friendly and attentive. read more

Hi everyone a good friend and I came to this restaurant a couple of years ago. I really was disappointed then but we came back on Sunday after church 11/6/22 and the food was great. They remolded the place looks very nice. (Different management) I say give it a chance I am glad I did. read more

I love this place, order about once a week. Jibarito & chuletas are my favorite. And a decent chicken sandwich! The chile for empanadas is sooo fire. read more

Translation was amiss but food was excellent! I will be returning. Prices are reasonable

Don't place takeout orders through the Grubhub on Yelp! I placed an order with special instructions on the steak jibarito - no cheese. When I got the home, my jibarito had cheese. I chalked it up to an honest mistake. I placed an order again a month later but this time I checked my meal before leaving the restaurant and again it had cheese. I let them know that I had indicated no cheese. The lady at the counter gave me a lot of attitude and said that I didn't include no cheese. I showed her my order from my phone where I indicated no cheese. She proceeded to tell me that I would have to wait 30 min AND pay again for the jibarito order! Wow! read more

We tried Cafe Rosa for the first time today and it did not disappoint in the least! We got the jibarito, the appetizer mix, and the pollo frito. The pollo frito was the best fried chicken I've had in a long time. The outside was amazingly crispy and the chicken was cooked perfect-not at all dry. The jibarito was delicious! The rice was also soo good and we were glad we got an extra side order of it. The appetizer mix was also really good! It was a great way to try a bunch of different appetizers and was perfect for sharing. No pictures because we couldn't wait to dig in after smelling the food in the car ride home. We will definitely order from here again! read more

YESSSS FINALLY SOME PUERTO RICAN FOOD ON THE SOUTHSIDE!! I was tired of having to go drive all the way to the Northside to get some decent Puerto Rican food.. while I know how to cook it I have the fried food smell in the house but cafe Rosa brought that home made Puerto Rican food home! It was so good, everything was super fresh. I can't wait to go back! read more

Womp-womp, the cafe was closed for renovations for a couple months this year. When they reopened I was jumping for joy and visited for a sit down dinner. Unfortunately although the place looks beautiful the staff and food quality has changed. I'm not sure if it's new owners but after three strikes I am out. The morcia sausage is the only thing that stayed the same, I'm assuming they purchase it elsewhere. The jibaritos are skinny, dry and sad. The lechon tastes like bad carnitas from the corner store and the arroz gondulas is awful with strange bits of polish sausage?? I guess it's back to the north side for good Puerto Rican food. Oh well. read more

Food was very delicious! Seating is a bit uncomfortable if u it on the stools and they had no A/C. Only fans going. overall a good place to eat with a family or a date night read more

Ordered via UberEats: Steak Jibbarito w/ Rice: Man, I love Puerto Rican food and this place had such great reviews. I was ready to go! The Jibbarito was delicious but rather VERY salty. So, I went on to try the rice. Also, VERY salty. I definitely just felt like I was eating salt. I'm not mad because the flavor was great overall (steak, sauce, plaintain) but the salt was overbearing. read more

Definitivamente el mejor servicio que he visto en mi vida. Llame último momento y comoquiera tomaron mi orden, le había prometido comida Boricua a la familia. By far number 1! read more

The food is good but the service is terrible. Twice, TWICE within the last month I called to place an order and they said "please hold." I waited for 15 minutes as I made my way there. I walked right up to the counter and told them they had me on hold, and subjecting me to the worst classical music ever. They said sorry. They are busy but yet I walked right up to the counter/call taker who was doing nothing but waiting for more orders. How does that make sense? read more

Update: Since it closed for a bit due to remodeling, I hadn't been back. Returned today and I can report that this is still some of the tastiest Puerto Rican food I have had anywhere in the city. The jibarito is perfect: spiced well, tender meat and fresh ingredients! Maduros and carne frita for appetizers. The only thing I could possibly say is maybe the carne frita could be a little more tender, but that is literally the only complaint I have. Great service just makes it even sweeter! This is one of my favorite spots...still. Been there multiple times now with family and out of town guests. We have not had a single complaint. Food has been flavorful and delicious ev. They could be a little friendlier when you first walk in but they are very attentive. I am happy to have a neighborhood Puerto Rican restaurant! read more

Very odd walking in during a busy time, 3-4 PM, and not be greeted. Only to be stared at oddly by this lady behind the register eating a tamale with their bare hands. Then to only turn around and walk away after I say hello. I was picking up my order I had placed over the phone. The food is still good. Just found it unsanitary and rude to stuff your mouth in front of everyone in the dining area, especially as I was approaching her at the register. The service was very unprofessional from the group there. read more

Having tried Puerto Rican restaurants all over the Northside of Chicago I can say it's sometimes hard to find one that meets the mark on the Southside but Cafe Rosa definitely does not disappoint. I've been to Cafe Rosa's several times now and have been thoroughly pleased with all of entrees, appetizers and beverages. Not only is the food worth the visit but the ambiance and friendly service is why we'll keep going back. So far I've tried the alcapurria, papa rellena, empanadas, pastel, steak jibarrito, PR rice, the parcha and a cafe con leche....all flavorfully made. I can't wait to go back to try more of the entrees. I love my jibarrito with yellow cheese and they don't offer yellow cheese which is why I gave 4 stars and not 5. :-) read more

I happened to be driving through the neighborhood, and decided to do a quick check of what kind of food was in the area. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to eat, I saw that this place served both American and Puerto Rican food and figured it would be perfect. When I drove up I saw the huge PR flag in the front window, but then also quickly noticed that the place seemed a little dark and empty which caused a little hesitation. After walking in, I snapped a few pictures to take in the scenery and proceeded to the counter. I was greeted by a woman behind the bar, and I asked if I could see a take out menu. Noticing a little hesitation in her voice, I asked whether she preferred to speak English or Spanish at which point she took a sigh of relief and said Spanish haha. After a quick look at the menu I decided that I would keep things simple and order a steak jibarito with arroz con gandules. While waiting for the food, I talked more with the waitress and learned that she was from the Dominican Republic and had recently moved to the USA.  Not too long after, the food was ready and I was on my way! When I got home I opened the container and immediately noticed that the tostones had a soft look to them instead of the crunchy texture I was used to. After a bite of the sandwich I quickly realized that they had used frozen tostones instead of frying fresh ones. No thanks!!! Haha. The meat portions were also a little skimpy but at least added some flavor to the dull tostones.  The rice had good flavor and was plentiful. Overall I probably wouldn't come back for anything besides the rice or to chat with the waitress haha, but maybe in the future I'll try another dish to see how it turns out read more

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To start off with the appetizers: Papa relleno was great ! Very flavorful and good portion of meat. Not too crunchy or dry on the outside. The Pionono. The plantains were very good, sweet, and had a great texture. The meat was very well seasoned. The steak jibarito was good. The meat was tender and they gave a nice portion of meat. They're definitely not stingy with the meat ! The plantains were nice, thin, and crunchy. They were not falling apart and smooshed. The rice had a perfect moist texture. Flavor of everything was 10/10! Tastes like an authentic/ home made Puerto Rican meal. read more

Cafe Rosa - Steak jibarito with arroz con gandules - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wao very good food and the alcapurias off the hook very good service and great food, best and only Puertorican food in the south read more

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Went to this place based on Yelp reviews... moment you walk in it smells like home cooking.... service was great, atmosphere was welcoming, the place is kinda small and limited parking. I order plantain fritters (alcapurria) and beef empanada and they were very nice to make those to order... those were outstanding and none stingy with the meet. Arroz con gandulees (pigeons peas) and lechón (pork) and chicken dish were ok, the beans were really good. I would go back for the fritters. read more

Apparently good PR food can be found on the southwest side. Cafe Rosa's didn't disappoint. The empanada was delicious along with the "jivaritos". Try the homemade parcha, it was so good! read more

Cafe Rosa - "Jivaritos" con lechon and extra garlic topping made for a beautiful disaster while eating. - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is soooooo good!!!! We stumbled upon it a few visits to Chicago ago. This visit we went when we 1st got into town an went back again the same night for the SAME thing. Their mofungo and jibbarito are delectable. The service is consistently good and friendly. The food is fresh so it really is best to call ahead. If not u might wait a little bit but they have benches inside tht provide for social distance. There is steer parking and a gas station across the street. An the costs of things are very reasonable. We will definitely be back! read more

Food was ok, had the jibarito w/arroz, papa rellena, pollo frito & pinchos. I'm not gonna lie, the jibarito & pollo frito was fire but the rest was just ok, not enough to deal with the immense heat! They had ran out of ice and had nothing but warm cans of refreshments to top it off. Everyone dining in was wiping sweat of their foreheads, one mom fanning her child with napkins. It was so uncomfortable eating there. I kept having to walk up the counter to get service as well. Next time, I'm ordering for pick up, but only for the jibaritos. read more

I tried this spot for the first time 10/4/2020 and I was so dissapointed, I ordered Arroz con Gandules (was salty and very oily), Bistec Encebollada was overcooked and it tasted like it had Sazon on it, I did not taste the vinegar or garlic and it did not look the way Bistec Encebollada is supposed to look and this is a must for a PR Restaurant to know how to cook this. They do not have Carne Guisada (I was surprised) and the Empanadas were mediocore at best so that was about $14 bucks down the drain. I did not see any guidelines for COVID and the cashier (lady) was not friendly at all not once did she say hello or give me eye contact so I will definitely not return to a place like this. read more

Food is good. Usually get same. Jibarito de bistek. But their times are HORRIBLE!!!!! They say 20 minutes but always ends up being 40-50 min kinda ridiculous. Other than that food is good. Would recommend calling almost an hour ahead read more

Finally, a Puerto Rican restaurant on the south side! I am a south side newbie who has been suffering withdrawals from my favorite food spots on the north side. But mostly my PR food! This place is delicious and the staff was super sweet. I would have given them 5 stars but it was very warm and it took away from enjoying my food in comfort. I will recommend it to all my neighbors. read more

The food is always good. The prices are always fair. Do yourself a favor. Order the Mofongo with Lechón. Great place to order Takeout from read more