Stopped here for brunch and it was great. They have plenty of options for lunch and breakfast. I walked in on a Friday morning, and it was not busy at all, so I image weekends being a little more packed. It's a simple restaurant, but they have nice music playing in the background. I will definitely be checking out their other dishes when I am in town again. read more

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Hidden away on this dark corner adjacent to Lincoln Park is this amazing Cuban restaurant that I've walked by 50 times and never knew it was there? Leave it to my wife to have the radar I don't, to notice this little gem. I've loved Cuban food since I took my first trip to Miami. We both ordered their Cubano sandwiche with - Roasted pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, mustard. Wow!!!!! Was it terrific! This place has a lovely bar with bongo drums as their centerpiece; very cute. The outdoor seating is serene and delightful. Back to this damn sandwich: It'll bring me back a whole lot of times. read more

Cafecito - The menu - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing service, my waitress Grace suggested the Saltado and it's a new favorite of mine. This was my first time trying the Cubano as well and it was so good! Crisp bread, tender meat, and a good cheese pull! I'll be back again soon! read more

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Haven't been to cafecito for years, so we stopped here for a quick Friday lunch. There are quite many tables already and we got our food pretty quickly. Warm sandwiches are always great, but somehow it wasn't as good as how I remembered. Maybe the meat was a bit dry or maybe my personal presence changed. The appetizer, plantain nachos, is interesting. First time having plantain this way. I like it but it feels heavier compared to regular nachos somehow. read more

Cafecito - Nachos Cubanos, cuban sandwich, and ceviche sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped in here with wife for dinner. We grabbed a couple of cold beers. Got the ropa vieja and the steak chimichurri which stole the show. The location sits little back from a busy intersection and delivers a mix of laid‑back neighborhood charm and serious flavors. read more

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Cafecito is such a welcoming spot! The atmosphere feels warm and inviting, and the staff couldn't have been friendlier--they were attentive and helpful. We ordered the Ropa Vieja and the steak chimichurri, and both were absolutely delicious. This place delivers authentic flavors with great service, making it a must-visit for anyone craving Cuban food. read more

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The food was not hot when it a brought out. There were only 4 tables so it's not like the place was crowded. The sandwich was good, but luke warm and no sides came with the sandwich. $14 for just a sandwich?! My friend's food was also barely warm. First and last time. The staff that we dealt with were nice. I just feel that $60 for two sandwiches, one entree and there were no appetizers or sides, was just too much. read more

I've been eating at the loop one for many years. Stopped in here today for a pollo arugula sandwich. It was incredible. They have so many great sandwiches, soups, salads. read more

Great food, nice ambiance, and plenty of wonderful vegan options. The servers were friendly as well. I first tried this place in Los Angeles. I'm happy to see that they have restaurants in Chicago. Don't forget to try the coffee! read more

Cafecito is a modest restaurant with an open layout. They have a bunch of sandwich options and the prices are pretty good. It took awhile for a waitress to come and unfortunately even longer for the our food - about 40 minutes. The pobrecito was a decent sized plate and the bread and plantains were really good. It seems to be a good place for a snack or light meal as the proportions aren't gigantic. read more

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Walked in on a Sunday and it seemed kind of busy. Didn't know how it worked being my first time so we asked up front and they told us to just wait and we would get seated. Overall decor was nice the vibe was there. It was just really really warm inside. Got seated and took a bit to get helped. Got some waters and I ordered an iced chai tea. It was really good. Our server came back after 10 minutes and got our order for food. She really wasn't enthusiastic at all or anything just seemed pissed if anything. Food: Cubano 5/10, the meat had fat pieces and wasn't too enjoyable, they could do better if they're known for these sandwiches. Yucca Frites 10/10 really enjoyed the bite sized pieces and the dip they had. The yucca itself had some really good seasoning. Margarita 8/10 would have enjoyed a little more basil and balsamic. Also was confused as to why it look 50 minutes to make my basic sandwhich and some cubano but who knows. Overall: Not sure if i'll be back, the waiter was really not it. She didn't come and refill waters nor ask us how we're doing like it's not my job I feel like if you want people to come back obviously the food brings them back but also customer appreciation is a big part of it. When we were ready for the check she just kind of tossed it and was saying something as she was walking away. Someone's got a talk to her. read more

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I usually never give 1 star reviews but my experience here was absurd. There was a wait to be seated but that's normal, but the issue was that it took a waitress 20 minutes to come for the first time with to ask about drinks and probably another 10 minutes to bring them and didn't bring lemons . She also did not greet us and had an extremely rude attitude. She didn't come back for a long time to one person from our party went up to ask her and she looked at him and ignored him by walking away after he asked her in which he asked again. At this point where were already waiting an hour for our food to come. At no point in time did she come to check in if we needed more drinks or to apologize for the wait or anything. When the food finally came, she put down the plates and never checked on us if we needed anything like condiments or napkins. The food was okay for the price. Majority of the food was under seasoned and the Cubano sandwich had a very distinct meal smell and taste and we didn't eat it. The only good dishes were the guava chicken and the yucca fries. The fries had a good sauce. read more

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I was so excited to try this place after a long day of walking around the zoo, but the experience was disappointing due to what appears to be lack of sanitary food preparation practices. My son's sandwich had a long black hair in it and almost immediately after leaving the restaurant he began to feel nauseous. By the evening, he and my other son who had eaten the milanesa were both sick. I wish I could say it was worth it but the food was just okay and the restaurant seemed run down and dirty. However, the staff were very kind and hospitable. We did not complain about the hair in the moment but hope they take kitchen sanitation seriously. From reading the reviews it seems like it's not the first time. read more

I like el cafecito but my last two experiences were not good at the Fullerton avenue venue . They give the wrong sandwich in my first experience. However I understand mistakes can happen. On my second experience, customer service was not good. Waited for the waitress to come to take at least my coffee order while waiting for my friend . 10 minutes. I explained to the manager and she just did not want to hear my story hurrying me to place my order . I am still a fan of el cafecito and still will go there. And hoping for the manager to listen to their customer when complaining about bad service read more

I'm struggling for a description of Capecito on Fullerton. So I'll call it like a grotto.; a pleasant almost subterranean get away; the ground floor of a high rise building. It's old, dark and cafe like; not a spot for formal dining but a fine place to go for an informal dining good time. It's a total Cubano menu. I've been there for breakfast, lunch and dinner and can recommend all three. The Cubano sandwich is excellent. I can also recommend the shrimp ceviche salad. Unexpectedly, the roast pork dishes are really good; tender and lightly flavored to perfection. Also a great selection of pressed sandwiches. And, plenty of combo platters. And last but not least; this is a very mild to moderately priced oasis in a pretty high priced neighborhood. Plenty of neighborhood regulars make their way to Capecito for good reason! read more

4.5. Best cup of coffee so far in Chicago--get the cafe latte--and great food. Really; the kitchen pretty much rocks everything they touch. The dining room doesn't quite work and the bathroom your correspondent used was a bit dingy and not quite sparkling. But the kitchen's work overcomes most of that. Service is helpful and pleasant, if not hyper quick. A very worthwhile choice. read more

Ordered the guava-a chicken plate and it was delicious. The plate was big enough to be two portions and they gave a lot of meat. The sauce had good flavor and was nice and sweet. It came with a bunch of sides which was also delicious. Prices were pretty good given the portion sizes. read more

Ambiance and food was great. Service was slow and did not pay attention to us. We went to ask for the check because serves would not come to the table, not even to refill the water. read more

Cafecito - Lechon Platillo, guava - GuavaQ Chicken Platillo, Cubano - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was slow to get seated even though there were many tables available. It just didn't seem like anyone was in charge of seating people. After that, the food was good and the cafecito was delicious! Atmosphere was cute and the outside dining area was full. read more

I visited another location last year and thought their vegan breakfast sandwich was one of the best I'd ever had. I don't usually rave about such things, but it left an impression on me. So I decided to check out this location. I ordered their vegan Le Playa Sandwich, a decadent breakfast sandwich with Beyond sausage, spinach, red pepper, chimichurri, mojo, and vegan provolone. Something about this combination just works amazingly well, and a shout out to whatever vegan provolone they're using, as it's exquisite. Phenomenal stuff. read more

Cafecito - Le Playa Sandwich (vegan) - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cafecito has been my new go to. I recently moved from south Florida so I've been missing colada and croquetas until I came across this gem! The coffee is amazing & their sandwhiches are delicious! They have a patio which I also love! Highly recommend read more

Good food and friendly service. Very delicious pressed sandwiches. Definitely will be back!

We had lunch here because I have a never ending craving for Cuban food. Yummy and delicious is my official vote. We started with yucca frite y maduros and thoroughly enjoyed them. There's plenty to share around a table with both of those starters. I ordered the Guava Q chicken and almost bit my lip it was so good! Spicy and sweet but not too sweet. I think I may have cleaned my plate? And the mojito was mixed well too, perfect compliment to my dish. My friends ordered the cafe con leche and loved it, I can't drink coffee in the afternoon but if I could I'd order it here, such a generous mug of creamy perfection. I highly recommend sitting outside on the patio when you visit! They play great music too! read more

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My favorite breakfast dish Gringo Breakfast. The bacon is so crisp it melts in your mouth. Great soups and desserts. Very affordable as well read more

Cafecito - Gringo Breakfast - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ordered takeout from here but they were kind enough to let us eat inside. Got the tostones, steak chimichurri snadiwch, guava chicken sandwich, and cafe con leche. If you like spicy ask for their spicy guava side as dip!! 8/10 Food - the tostone was crispy and amazingly huge portions (think palm size x4) & came with the chimichurri sauce on the side for dip. The steak chimichurri was on the greasier side but the chimichurri & guava sauce that I poured on it saved the day. The guava chicken sandwich was more flavorful so would be getting that next time. Cafe con leche could've used more coffee but I liked how it was creamy but not too sweet. 8/10 Service - they let us eat out to go food inside but forgot some of our order. We showed them our receipt and they immoderately brought out what was missing. Bathrooms are nice and clean in the back. 8/10 Ambience - they were playing club music at 2pm lol it wasn't disruptive just a bit odd & funny! Overall our meal was ~$30 & for the price point ~$3 a drink and ~$10 sandwiches I would come back to try more items!! read more

Cafecito - Steak Chimichurri Sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Recently visited this location with my wife We often come to this location specifically and this time around we had a terrible experience Our server/s where not so friendly When we asked for a specific sauce one of them gave me a rude answer and said it's just oil When it was exactly mojo sauce When we paid our total the server waited and pressured me to give a tip I wasent going to leave a good tip due to the reason that today service was very bad almost like they didn't want us there it was only two girls One with glasses specifically She eyeballed my cash as I counted to pay and waited there starring at me after I paid waiting for a tip a costumer even called her over and she turned around and said wait to them I didn't like the fact I felt obligated to tip her even after bad service Definitely will not be back when they are both there read more

I was super excited to try Cafecito after reading their positive reviews and seeing pictures of their delicious food! We arrived around noon on a Saturday and needed to sit on the patio because my husband and I had our pup with us - so happy the patio is dog friendly! We found a table for 2 on the patio, but it only had one chair. Since it was super busy we decided to take the table and wait for a chair at a different table to become available. It was an awkward 10ish minutes waiting for a chair and no one from the restaurant checked in on us or even came by during that time. When we finally got a second chair it took another 10ish minutes for someone to come by to take our order. Because we had been there for about 20 minutes, we were ready to order right away. I had a mangosa and steak chimichurri sandwich and my husband ordered the pollo chipotle sandwich. The sandwiches came out fairly quickly and they were both delicious! Once we finished our meal it took another 5-10 minutes to get our check and pay. I think it would've been a more enjoyable meal had we had proper seating from the beginning and faster service. I don't want to fault the servers though - it seemed like they were working as quickly as they could and they were just understaffed. Also a side note regarding the patio and temperature - we were in the shade the entire time and even though it was about 75 degrees out I got a little chilly with the wind. read more

Cafecito - Pollo Chipotle Pressed Sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Food was great! Service was good! Was not too busy when I went. The guava-que sandwich is something I am still thinking about to this day. read more

Cafecito - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was amazing! great vegan options, I wish there was a location in my hometown!

This is one of the best places I ate on my recent trip to Chicago. I am a picky eater and breakfast is the hardest meal to find, I spend hours reading menus and trying to find a place that will make my partner and I both happy. It's extra hard to find a place with the right hours, open on the right days and close enough to some sort of public transportation. Choosing to dine here is the result of that and I admit that I loved it so much that I tried to go to another location to recreate the whole experience a few short days later. This was not successful, this is the best location of the 2 I tried. If you are like me and do not know Chicago or Cafecito know that there are 4 locations, they all seem semi easy to access, have mostly similar hours and share a fairly similar menu minus a few things. This location is the full meal deal, sit down type location with a full bar and everything. The one we tried second was not. It was good too, but much more take out oriented and casual. This location is where I would come for a meet up meal with friends or to sit and scroll my phone while I ate. This is a great place for a leisurely meal, full menu is available early. You can have caffeine or an adult beverage. It's not too loud or crowded, but has a steady stream of people coming in and others grabbing take out. My partner and I both loved our Cortadito, Cuban espresso on this visit, they were nice enough to allow me to do mine with non dairy milk. What brought me to this restaurant though was the huge section of the menu labeled vegan specialties. There were so many things to choose from, I had such a problem deciding, also why I opted to visit another location a couple days later. I ended up getting Salsichon Platillo and was so happy with this choice. It was a huge meal and I ate it all. I loved the rice and beans so much more than other rice and beans I have eaten in recent memory. It's so nice to find a place with fake meat and cheese options trying to adapt them for me to traditional dishes. If I lived here I would try the whole menu, this would be a real life goal of mine and I would make it happen. We both enjoyed the hot sauce and the chimichurri as well. I can't remember what my partner had, but he liked his enough that he agreed to humor me by taking me to a different location while in a new city with a million other choices. read more

*Never given a 1 Star Review before.... Anyway, the menu looked good and interesting and we were excited to give it a try. Guess what? First bad restaurant experience in Chicago. By far.... Popped in on moderately busy Saturday. We waited a bit to get seated for a 2 top inside and then NEVER had contact with a server or staff member again. Yup. NUNCA. After 15-20 mins of of being totally ignored, we got up and left. On the way out we let the hostess know (she couldn't have cared less). We're about the lowest maintenance customers you can have. We have restaurant experience ourselves. We get it when staff is busy. All the 4 and 5 tops around us we're enjoying their and we we're getting zero attention. Not even a nod or hello from a server that acknowledged our presence. Apparently we now know what it's like to have the superpower of invisibility. A short time later, we made telephone contact with a woman and she basically brushed us off. Told me they'd been busy and the manager an/or owner weren't available. Literally told me to "Leave a bad review". Seriously? OK, you got it. Anyway, we won't be back and Cafecito is free from us bothering them while they serve other customers. They'll be less busy and everyone's happy. Problem solved. Have a nice day! read more

Can't believe it took me so long to try Cafecito! Came by with some friends for brunch. The place was fairly empty at 10am but got very busy by the time we were leaving at noon. The interior is cozy but very casual, with a cafe/bakery section at the front attached to a bar and some seating. The menu is so big and filled with Cuban and Latin America dishes to try! There are sandwiches, platters, and a very extensive vegan / veg section using beyond meat. This is definitely a must try if you like flavorful veg friendly options. I had the Ropa Vieja sandwich which was super flavorful and a great deal for just $9. The brunch dishes all looked very solid as well. They have a drinks menu with $5 mimosas on the weekends and other weekly specials. Service was very prompt and orders came out very quickly. I would definitely recommend Cafecito to try out in Lincoln park. read more

Cafecito - Ropa Vieja Pressed Sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Have been at both Fullerton and chestnut locations and have to say their food is great. I have had the chicken arugula sandwich and the jerk chicken. Chicken in both were tender. The jerk was a little messy to eat but it was really tasty. I also had their shrimp ceviche salad which was really refreshing. They are pretty busy at both locations and have a lot of take out orders. And I feel considering their locations their prices are reasonable! Service has always been friendly! read more

Food 10/10. Service great. Ambiance great. I have nothing else to say. Just absolutely amazing and great!

After arriving in Chicago for a recent visit, my better half and our friend decided to head somewhere local for a bite to eat. After perusing Yelp in the area, we decided on Cafecito for something filling and delicious. Despite the brunch hour on a Saturday, we were able to be seated within 10 minutes. The hostess brought us menus, and we pored over our options -- everything sounded delicious! To start, we all decided on a Mojito to start (No-jito for me). Although an alcohol-free Mojito wasn't on the menu, when I asked our server if she could make one, she shrugged and said, "Sure!" I was not disappointed. It had all of the delicious taste of a "real" mojito and hadn't been made too sweet to compensate for the lack of rum. For my entree I got the Palomilla platter, and it really hit the spot. Delicious flavors of marinated steak with sweet grilled onions, and a side of black beans and rice and fried plantains; even the simple side items complemented the flavors of the main meal perfectly. The place was hopping at lunch, and I didn't see too many servers, so ours was kept running. At times it was hard to flag her down when we needed something, which was the only negative that we had on our visit. Still, with such an amazing menu of savory Cuban food, I would return to and recommend Cafecito without reservation! read more

Cafecito - Palomilla Platter - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is a simple appreciation review for Cafecito. I have had their delicious sandwiches from multiple locations for several years. You can't go wrong with any option (I have yet to try their vegan options, but that is on my list for next time). Please get the Chivito sandwich (steak, ham, bacon, fried egg, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onion, citrus mayo). It still hits the spot. A true staple to not miss in Chicago, read more

Cafecito - Cuban Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is always delicious. I like going for the Nachos because they're made with plantain chips with mango pico de gallo. Plus the classic Cuban sandwich. It's a casual spot with nice staff and good food. read more

Beautiful, cozy Cuban restaurant the atmosphere is warm and inviting; the staff was super nice (we got there very hungry on a very cold morning and we were greeted like old customers @ 8:30 in the morning? We decided to sit at the bar the. other cliente came in and also set at the bar and we all ended up talking and joking AND the food SUPER delicioso!'!!! We had Cuban breakfast sandwiches, croquetas and pastelitos de guayaba y queso everything tasted wonderful and fresh Thr priced r super reasonable and no doubt I'll b there very soon! read more

We had a platter of steak and shrimp with plantains, beans, and rice that we shared. Monday is $20 bottle of wine day. It was so good! In seeing some bad reviews here I have to say we don't dine out on weekends. This lovely restaurant is not the problem. Weekends are the problem. read more

This is one of my favorite places for lunch. The sandwiches are very good and filling. I also really love their cafe con leche. The coffee with a sandwich is a winning combination. read more