They plantain well. Oh, they plantain very well. This is one of those neighborhood gems you move to the city for. A small staff, beautiful presentation and true to roots heritage make this a hopping spot. I had the Machuca, a potent mix of plantain, fish, shrimp and curry, and it was fantastic. The rotating flan is not to be missed. We had coconut and pineapple and both hit the spot. read more

What have I been DOING that I haven't stopped into this cute spot in the YEARS I've lived down the street. Went here tonight with my friend and we had such a nice time. The food was excellent, service was friendly, and the vibes were great. Chill BYOB place with cozy tropical vibes. Generous portions, great flavor, lots of things I'd love to try the next time I'm in. Can't wait to return with a group! read more

Casa Yari - BBQ guava chicken - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Cute restaurant with a family feel. I really enjoyed the appetizer of plantains and mofongo (both of which I split with my sister) along with a salted caramel flan which was delightful! While I am a meat eater, I appreciate the many vegetarian and vegan options. Can't wait to go back! read more

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I came here for dinner with a few friends. Everything was great. The place is not very big and it does get packed pretty fast. Lots of metered street parking. Our waitress , Lys or Liz, very friendly and fast. It is a byob. The food was wonderful. I will definitely be back read more

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My vegetarian sister was in heaven. So many options, all with great flavor, texture and color! The owner creates dishes that draw from her Puerto Rican and Honduran heritage. Some typical meat substitutes but also straight veggie elements such as fried eggplant or jackfruit. Casa Yari does not disappoint! Everything we ordered hit and the service was good! Quirky but tasteful decor. It's BYOB, so next time I'd consider bringing some rum for my mocktail. read more

Casa Yari - Pinchos - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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4.5 Kitchen knows what it is doing. The meats are absurdly well prepared. And the sauce pairings are excellent. Also, passionfruit milkshake. read more

Unassuming storefront with a beautiful garden in the back and charming interior cafe space. Very fun and refreshing menu options (heavy veg-friendly), with hearty filling items to choose from. My friend got a French toast dish that was super enviable and I tried the funche dulce, a sweet cornmeal-based porridge with coconut milk. Puerto Rican and Honduran influences, bright welcoming colors and flavors. read more

Casa Yari - Funche dulce - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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A bad experience all around. First of all we made a reservation for six. Their provision for seating six was four at one table and two at another table a good two feet apart. No problem we thought, we'll just push the tables together. Our server objected, to do so would create a fire hazard in case of evacuation. That's right, two tables pushed together would violate some kind of mysterious city ordinance. I call BS. If you couldn't accommodate a party of six then just say so and let the customer know in advance. Seating us apart was unacceptable. Next, there was a placard on the table showing a meat special that looked substantial enough to share. At $32 we imagined this to be the case. The actual dish proved to be considerably smaller than the picture. Furthermore, the meat had substantial gristle, much of it was inedible. We pointed this out to our server who was less than sympathetic and helpful. Her reply was that there was nothing she could do because we ate a few pieces of the meal instead of calling attention to the matter up front. We saved the pile of gristle so she could see herself. Didn't matter, $32 down the drain. Both of us left hungry. I guess the server feels it's ok to be antagonistic to her customers rather than providing a reasonable level of service. What a terrible attitude all around! We will not return. read more

Really good! High quality vegan options that don't even taste vegan. The drinks were good to and cafe con leche was done right. Our server Mario was attentive and did a good job. The tres leche and guava French toast were amazing. If you ever wanted non eggy French toast or tres leche for the lactose intolerant you can do no wrong here! Will definitely return. read more

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My husband has not stopped recommending this place to everyone we talk to since our visit. They had been on my radar for a while due to some of their unique menu options, and we were finally able to make a weekend brunch date happen. They don't have a huge dining space, but there was a table in the back by the bar available. We did wait a bit for our order to be taken even though they didn't seem that busy, but the wait was worth it. We started with the Funche dulce ($5), Sweet creamy cornmeal made with coconut milk, topped with fresh banana, coconut chips & cinnamon. This was a simple but tasty dish. My husband had the Guava & cheese French toast ($15), Stuffed French toast with a guava & cheese mix, drizzled with guava sauce & whipped topping. Absolutely delicious - I stole a lot of his! But my dish was the one he couldn't stop raving about. I had the Breakfast mofongo ($16); the standard menu item is Mofongo made of green plantains mixed in with bacon, topped with our criollo sauce, eggs your style & pink aioli, but I had it vegan, so it came with vegan egg mix & Uptons naturals vegan bacon. I absolutely love how many vegan options they have, and I can't wait to return and try more of their menu - although something tells me it will be hard to convince my husband not to just order nothing but mofongo when we go there again. ;) read more

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I've returned to Casa Yari for my second visit after going plant-based, and what a revolution this spot has come for me and the vegan food scene here in Chicago. I'll be honest and say I had trouble recalling my first experience here 5 years ago until I started reading over my review. Now as a vegan, I find new appreciation in how nearly every item on the menu has a vegan option associated that is just as delicious as it's non-vegan counterpart. Now, I have to be honest and say that it did take a while for the food to come out. They specialize in preparing everything fresh so it may take 20-30 minutes, so please keep your expectations in place. They still so BYOB so popping down to the nearby Walgreens for a bottle of wine could help ease that wait, but it's worth it! My friends and I started with Sweet & Spicy Cauliflower ($13) and Vegan Pechuguitas ($13), drizzled with their house aioli (also vegan!). The cauliflower nuggets were fire for both taste and texture, and the tenders were very crispy. 5 out of 5 for each of these apps. For our mains, we tried the Caderas En Coco ($20) with mushrooms, Doblados ($16) with jackfruit, and their famous Machuca ($26) with eggplants. Every single item on our table was bursting with flavor and they did an amazing job with the portions, presentation, and making sure that these vegan friendly items were kept at the highest caliber. Absolutely fantastic! Our meal ended with a Berry Flan (vegan option!) which was the perfect sweet end to an amazing meal. We ended up dining here for over 2 hours - largely due to the wait in the kitchen, but we had a great time and never felt rushed. So glad to have rediscovered Casa Yari's menu especially through these plant-based eyes. I look forward to returning again someday. read more

Small space with 4 and 2 people table. They do not take reservations, so come early for dinner if you do not want to wait. Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable of food. They have a great selection of mocktails and juices. Tried tamarind juice and h mocktail. Both were good. Great place for vegetarians and vegan. There are so many options with great taste. Tried the sweet plantain and Nido de yuca vegan appetizer. Love the nico de yuca. The Pollo Con Tajadas vegan was really good. Vegan Dobladas was tasty. Vegan Jibarito Dinner with eggplant was not my fav dish. Vegan Caderas en coco was tasty and has meaty texture and season so good. Their sauces and vegan ailois are really good. I will visit them again to try other dishes with vegan seitan. read more

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I realize Casa Yari is currently closed, but I dream of the day they reopen. It is seriously one of the best restaurants in Chicago. Yari is amazing, creative, and just amazing. COME BACK SOON!!!! read more

The food here was so delicious and there are so many options. Great for folks who are vegetarian or vegan as most of their menu can be changed to accommodate. The inside itself is really cute and service was really fast! read more

Casa Yari - Seating area - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Chicago is one of many cities considered as a vegan food mecca. When visiting, there's never enough time to get to all the places I want to try. Casa Yari ended up high on my list because they sell something I wanted to try - locally, woman-owned, Planty Scoops, a vegan ice cream company. Casa Yari is a Latina owned restaurant, serving various Latin influenced cuisine. There are lots of plant based vegan options here. I loved this, as they use hearts of palms, banana blossoms, jackfruit, and other veggies, as opposed to relying solely on mock meats. I came here with their Cuban sandwich in mind, but they were sold out, so I had to go with plan B. Mimi's Bites - battered, deep-fried Brussels sprouts, drizzled in buffalo sauce. I'm impressed at how crispy and flavorful the coating was; I could eat it alone. I would've loved if the Brussels themselves had been roasted, or even a little more cooked, but they were still good. I would order these again. Vegan Empanadas - the vegan option changes frequently. When I went, the vegan empanadas were filled with stew shredded hearts of palm and veggies. They were delicious. I ordered a side of their vegan chipotle aioli as a dipping sauce, which made them even better. Vegan Pika Pika - crispy banana blossoms (which I find hella tricky to eat) covered in this amazing pika pika sauce. I was so in love with the sauce, I ordered more. Delicious! It came with a side of disappointing white rice, that tasted of box quality (i.e. Uncle Ben's). I would love to see them serve this with an island inspired homemade coconut rice. It also came with tostones, which were just ok by themselves. I prefer mine with a mango salsa, or something similar, which they didn't have. Pineapple Tajin Empanada Sundae - Warm pineapple empanadas, served with Planty Scoops pineapple tajin ice cream, and whipped cream. All vegan. I do wish the empanadas were sweeter, but it was still a very yummy dessert. The presentation was beautiful. As you can see in my photos, all of the dishes were beautifully plated. I wasn't impressed with the service. There were 3 young girls working and they had actually locked the front door 1 1/2 hours before closing time. I had to call to gain entry. I felt as if I was bothering them with my presence. I made sure to hurry up order, eat, and leave before closing time. I will no doubt return to try more of the vegan menu options, particularly their Cuban sandwich, when I return to the Chi. read more

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Casa Yari, where have you been all my life?! Truly, I had the most amazing meal here tonight and I am completely enamored. I cannot wait to come back to this charming BYOB in Logan Square! The interior is adorable and inviting (LOVE the plush blue banquettes). My friend and I were greeted warmly when we arrived and seated immediately, although we had no reservation. We ordered the platanos catrachos to start with, and as soon as I tasted the first bite, I knew we were in for a really special meal. The flavors here are absolutely unbelievable, and like nothing I've ever tasted. The entrees were even better than the appetizer: I had the pika pika, which was out of this world. My friend had the shrimp paella, which she adored. We split a multi-fruit flan for dessert, which was outstanding. Service was amazing the entire time, and including all our food and a few beverages, our bill was $60-some dollars total...an INCREDIBLE value. I seriously wish I could go back and eat more of everything right now and I will be craving this food until I return to Casa Yari, which could be as soon as tomorrow, LOL. Thanks for such a great experience! read more

Casa Yari - Pika pika and shrimp paella - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This restaurant is intimate and has cozy seats. I was lucky to have a large table seating four just for me. I felt bad that larger parties had to wait for a large table. But I was so tired and I just came back from a cheery candlelight Xmas concert at Stan's Mansion. The couch seat was comfy. The waitress gave me good suggestions. I tried the milk shake with passion fruit. It was okay. I do like the list of non alcoholic and mock drinks. I was impressed by the mountain of Honduras fried chicken on a bed of plantains. The salsa and sauce with lime with the chicken were tasty. The dish was a bit too salty for me. I liked it better the second day when I added low sodium potatoes and reheated the chicken. The service was not fast so don't be surprised. The staff were not wearing masks. read more

Casa Yari - Dining area - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great place for brunch! Friend and I stopped on a Sunday for some coffee, coffee and stayed for the food. I ordered scrambled eggs with the potatoes and bacon mixed together and it was very tasty. I definitely recommend this place. read more

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Was so excited to try this place but expectations were just not met. Service was rather slow and it was not busy when we arrived. We waited a while for the food to be brought to our table after ordering and then when it arrived the "egg" was cold so it was likely sitting for a bit before being brought out. The "chicken" was too salty for my taste and the cream cheese on the French toast was broken but the rest of the flavors for the French toast were good and it was plated beautifully! The vegan empanada was good but I thought the dough was a bit sweet for the savory filling. The last thing we noticed was the lid on the water had what appeared to be mold but at best was dirt on it. Maybe just caught them on an off day but with how slow it was it is hard to imagine things would have been better if it was busier at all. I likely would not return here myself - the beautiful plating of the food drew me in but the service and experience just missed my expectations. read more

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Great food, service, and atmosphere. They don't serve alcohol but you can bring your own. We are vegetarian and they had lots of options. read more

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Experience: I came here for Brunch on a Sunday at 1pm with a group of 6 with the 6th person running late because she was coming from out south during Lollapalooza weekend. The staff would not seat us until the party was complete so 5 of us waited. At 1:30 I asked the hostess if we could be seated considering there was only one table we would fit in. They refused. We asked if we could pre-order. They refused. I asked what was the latest time we could be seated. The hostess went back to the kitchen to ask and came back to tell us 2:30pm. A few minutes later she came back and said 2:15pm would be the latest. Luckily our friend arrived before that. Posted signage says they close at 3pm. Food: the food was a good balance of savory and sweet. I tried La Sopera, El Benedicto, and the Caribbean Toast. Everything was delicious. I should mention the server messed up one of the orders and brought out a regular chicken Benedict instead of a vegetarian chicken Benedict. They eventually brought out the vegetarian one but we paid for the mistaken plate anyway. Also asked for 2 cafes con leche- 1 with oat milk and they only sent out one. Overall: I would recommend for take out, but the dine in experience and service is truly lacking. read more

Casa Yari - La Sopera - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ehhh.... The food was good, but didn't necessarily live up to the hype. I enjoy my mushrooms to be charred and they felt kind of slimy with the sauce. But overall it's a cute place and the loaded fries were really good! Service was mediocre. This place wasn't packed, yet it took a long time for us to get our food (about an hour), and in the meantime we weren't offered anything to hold us over but water...I look forward to going back again for the Thursday special, I hear that's really good. read more

Great BYOB spot. Fried chicken dish is delicious, and I would definitely recommend the fried cauliflower appetizer. read more

Casa Yari - Fried cauliflower appetizer - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I loved the food except for the hair that was inside my jibarito... I was almost done with it when I noticed it. I brought it to the attention of Yari and she just looked at me. The space was pretty empty, which I liked. I just wish the owner had taken responsibility for leaving hair inside my jibarito... I want to go back, but I'm letting time pass until I forget to give it another chance. read more

We discovered this place on tiktok and had to try it. They have a vegan version of every item on the menu and I've never seen that before. The empanadas and Machuca Mofongo was so delicious! Just an FYI that they only serve mocktails but you can byob - we weren't aware of this prior to arriving. Service was slow but overall a good experience read more

Casa Yari - Machuca Mofongo - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We came here for dinner to celebrate my friend's 1 year in Chicago. The restaurant wasn't too crowded but we were seated at the same table with another couple, which we didn't mind because that's how it is back home where I'm from. The staff was very friendly and didn't rush us even though we spent a lot of time chatting before ordering. I love the ambiance of the restaurant, it is casual & romantic. We got Mr. H mocktail - the smoked rosemary smelled really nice with the pear flavour. We all loved how the drink tasted as is but since it's BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle [of alcohol]), my friend brought her favourite Hendrick's Gin to add to it. For entrees, we got the Machuga Mofongo, Shrimp Paella, and Fried Red Snapper to share among the 4 of us. Everything tasted so good and we loved the mofongo (fried plaintain). We were all so full in the end but we had to try the flan. I love the presentation of the food at Casa Yari. The flowers and microgreens on the food as well as those in the vases. Not only was my nose & tummy satisfied, my eyes were so pleased by the beautiful visuals. I brought the pansy on the flan home and put it in a frame with my other dried flowers / petals. My friends and I enjoyed our experience here that we think this is one of our favourite restaurants in Chicago and we cannot wait to return. read more

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Food was good. Wait was pretty long. We walked in right away which we thought was shocking for a Saturday. All the tables that were there prior to us still hadn't been served and people were looking a little irritated by that. The food was delicious and worth the wait though. Parking is off of the street, not too difficult to find. We had the tajadas con pollo. Fried Plantain with fried chicken covered in cabbage slaw, sour cream and Mayo ketchup. My friend had the tapado, he said it lacked a little bit of flavor. In my opinion the tajadas with chicken were pretty darn good. I would come back again. My friend who is originally from Honduras said it was average. Go figure. Ha! To me it was quite delicious! read more

Casa Yari - Tajadas con pollo. - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I absolutely loved my time at Casa Yari! It's a small restaurant with cute decor and there is street parking that was pretty easy to find. We started off with an appetizer- the empanadas which were delicious! They came with a salsa and an aioli. Both were great and overall had so much flavor to it. I got the Machuca mofongo which comes with a couple shrimps and two big slices of fish. The meal was pretty delicious, but even though I love coconut, it was a bit too coconutty. Still really good and the fish was fresh! Finally, we finished with of course some dessert. We got two different flans and these are a MUST! Some of the best flans I've had. The guava one was the winner here. Loved this spot. Great music and staff. I'll be back! Also it's BYOB so I'll have to experience their mock tails and bring in some rum to go with it. read more

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WOAH, I have never had food like this before...these flavors are just so fantastic and the plating is absolutely beautiful. I love that almost every dish on this menu has a vegan version which is made just as good as the non-vegan version. I've visited this place 3 times over the past year and have enjoyed their vegan Cubano sandwich, flan, vegan Churrasco steak, Piñon, and Machuca. My favorites were the cubano sandwich and the churrasco steak, one because they were dishes I had never gotten to try before and because they were stellar at mimicking the flavor and texture of meat. I just know that I want to try everything on this menu as I will be back to this place many many more times Stop by if you're around the Logan Square neighborhood read more

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Delicious food, cute ambiance, solid service, and perfect portion sizes. Great selection of gluten free items. Be sure to bring alcohol if you'd like to take advantage of their mocktail mixes. We will be back soon! read more

Our experience was not great unfortunately. Service not rude as reported by other diners, just incredibly slow. Took 15-20 mins before someone took our order--early on Friday night when most of the tables were empty. Also, I'm not happy paying $6 to serve/drink my own wine when it takes repeated requests for glasses and also a 15-20 minute wait. Food was very well prepared and many interesting options that make me think I'd go back, but the waiting around was ridiculous when hardly anyone else was there. It was weird. They need help with front of house. Not very good, sadly. read more

This may sound weird, but I think Covid might have made a change for the better at Casa Yari. We went to Casa Yari a few years back and we thought it was fine, but frankly not memorable. A few weeks ago we returned, this time to the patio, with friends and it blew us away. The first thing that caught my eye was that the menu is now so accessible to vegetarians and vegans, something I didn't recall from my last visit. The old menu wasn't unfriendly, but now there are so many more options. When we chatted with our server, she said that they reinvented their menu during Covid because of ingredient availability and now it changes a bit every week or so. Honestly, this move has been a game changer for them and has us looking forward to coming back. I'm also not sure they had a patio last time; while not huge, it's a great little secluded oasis. We started out with a few appetizers for the table - Papa Chulo, empanadas and maybe one other thing. I don't recall what the rest of the table ordered, but my husband got the Pastelon and tostones and I ordered the pescatarian-friendly mofongo. Both dishes were delicious. Overall, as another reviewer said Casa Yari is a diamond in the rough. And it's BYOB to boot! read more

The place is small, we had a big group so we had to wait a bit, yet it was worth it for me. I am vegetarian and I'm always exploring new places to visit... food was delicious. I ordered a jibarito with jackfruit, a flan and some maduros. It is a lil pricey but I don't eat out all the time. read more

Out of everything I hoped to order. I ordered the fried mushrooms and it was more fry than mushroom. The fresh juices all have added sugar. I really wanted to like this place but I just didn't. read more

Had a good time at this restaurant!!! Be back (San Antonio in the house)!!! The waitress was outstanding!!! read more

Sorta stumbled onto this place because there was a long wait elsewhere, and so happy we did! All of the food was wonderful. Great drinks and coffee. Cute place too! Want a great brunch? Run here. read more

Casa Yari - Berry Happy French Toast - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food is very good plentiful and good service. It is recommended to BYOB however as they do not serve any alcohol, but they do allow you to bring it in. read more

The food was definitely tasty but very pricey for the amount of food you get. My husband ordered the Churrasco for $26.00 and was still hungry. The empanadas were super small. Cute place but slow service. I'm glad we tried it, but it's not a place we would revisit. Chicago has so many other great places that are just as good, if not better, with bigger portions. For a few dollars more, you can get a real steak at a steakhouse. read more

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Worst place I've been to in my life!! Was all excited to order a drink or two in and food to go and I'm literally told that they discriminate against people by themselves and people ordering to go. I'm told that over an hour before they close it's too late and too busy for them to bother accommodating me at all. So I'd have to be with someone else. Two minutes later they just literally seated two people to serve. Because it was two people and not one. I then went back in asking to speak to a manager. They come out with a loud argumentative voice and talk over me misunderstanding and claiming it's not discrimination against a person by themselves when that's what I was told and refused service in the first place. They then just claimed they would serve me but not allow to go orders. But they were rude, yelling and told me that I'm just wasting their time. Then refused service because I wasn't happy with being told I'm just a waste of their time. Meanwhile the entire restaurant is hearing and they embarrass me in front of everyone who laughs at me. I'm humiliated and disgusted. Worse treatment I've ever received in my life. Don't go to this place!!!! read more

This place is a diamond in the rough when it comes to vegan food because for every meat entree they offer a vegan option that's just as good or better! I took a gamble on the vegan paella--seafood paella being one of my favorite dishes--and won! It was packed with flavor and the crispy mushroom strips and chimichurri sauce was great one-two combo. It's a bit heavy on the green peas though. If I could I would exclude those. The pineapple cucumber lemonade was worthy too. There was a curiously long wait for the food to come to the table, but I'll still definitely be back. read more

Casa Yari - vegan paella - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois