$50 for fake Puerto Rican food the community deserves better"…read moreI need to write this review because people in Elgin deserve to know the truth, especially those who may not be familiar with authentic Puerto Rican cuisine. Let me start with the Papas Rellenas potato balls that are supposed to be made with real mashed potatoes, seasoned properly, and filled with well-seasoned meat. What I got was clearly made with INSTANT mashed potatoes. You can taste the difference immediately. It was bland, gummy, and honestly embarrassing to call Puerto Rican food. Then the Alcapurrias which should be packed with flavorful, well-seasoned meat filling. Instead, mine were stuffed almost entirely with green banana (guineo) and barely any meat at all. The only thing that had any flavor WAS the little bit of meat in there, which tells you the issue the base itself had zero seasoning. Eating an alcapurria that tastes like a plain pound of banana is not it. I spent $50 on this meal. FIFTY DOLLARS. As a Puerto Rican, this is a disgrace. This is one of only two Puerto Rican restaurants in Elgin, which means people are counting on places like this to represent our food and culture and this is what they're getting? Authentic Puerto Rican food is rich, flavorful, and made with love and the RIGHT ingredients. This was none of that. Do better. The community deserves authentic food, not a watered-down imitation at premium prices. Not recommended.

I recently tried a Puerto Rican spot out in Elgin and had really high hopes going in…read more I ordered a jibarito with a side of rice, plus an alcapurria and a pastel to try a little bit of everything. Starting with the jibarito, it was honestly a bit of a letdown. The meat was a little chewy and the overall sandwich felt dry, which took away from what should've been a really flavorful dish. The rice also missed the mark for me. It lacked flavor and had a bit of an odd aftertaste, which made it hard to enjoy. For the pricing, I was a little surprised $15 for a small jibarito and $5 for a small side of rice didn't quite match the quality or portion size. That said, not everything was a miss. The alcapurria was definitely the highlight fresh, well-made, and full of flavor. I'd absolutely order that again. The pastel was just okay in my opinion there were a lot of potatoes and not as much meat as I would've liked, so the balance felt a bit off. Overall, it was a mixed experience. There are some strong items on the menu, but between the inconsistency and the pricing, I'm not sure I'd rush back.

Tried their bowls today. Should have ordered them before!!! This is what chipotle wants to be when…read morethey grow old. Flavor wise, outstanding. Then much bigger. Note. Their jalapeños are not from a can. These are grilled and spicy. I've been coming to this place for a while and to be honest this place one of the best kept secrets of the area. Check the pics.

I loved everything about this place. It was nice and open and very clean. The service was patient…read moreand very nice. The food had so much flavor. I ordered the steak jabrito with beans and white rice. I also had their coquito cupcake which hit the spot. Those beans were fantastic. I could eat a large bowl of the jabrito had a good flavor and everything was balanced. I had my hands full and they helped me get everything to my car. I also ordered the pistachio cheesecake which was a bit fence for me but the subtle flavor is what I like.

Been here a few times, it's my new favorite compared to other big name PR spots on Fullerton…read more Small, authentic, genuine.. will be going back soon

I like this lil spot.. I was just driving pass hungry one day and decided to stop in. Kinda small…read morelocation but they make the best of it.. i ordered tostones which are fried plantains and fried pork belly...which is exactly what it sounds like. I was a huge fan of the tostones, it was crispy and crunchy and fried to perfection. They put tooo much garlic oil on mines but still edible. I was not a huge fan of the fried pork belly.. it was like I liked it bc I was hungry but I didn't like it enough to come back and order it again.. I think it was the seasoning and it was overly salty for me... besides that it was cooked to perfection. Maybe I need to come back and try something else on the menu but for now it's not a place I would rush back to and eat at.. I'm sorry I hate being mean but I have to be honest.

I would say that this place is a tasty secret to a lot of people who never make it over herre to…read moreDivision or Puerto Rico... We parked in the neighborhood and walked around a bit and I like how the people really celebrate their culture here, with all of the flags, decorations, huge murals, etc... There is an exodus of the younger generation leaving the island to go elsewhere, mainly the US mainland...So, when you find a place like Papa's, which is very authentic, come back here, again and again...I think the mainly Puerto Rican clientele shows how legit their flavors are. We started off with the following: - chicken salad, which was full Of flavor and very meaty - the steak Jibarito with garlic butter sauce was incredibly great, this was an awesome sandwich and I'll probably order double meat next time - Maduros - very sweet plantains and could be a dessert - pollo chon (chicken lechon), flavored just right, juicy, tasty and pretty huge The service was inviting and thank you Pana, who was talking with us as we were waiting for them to open their doors for lunch.... Hope to make it to Puerto Rico one day!!

This is the best Puerto Rican food in Chicago. Our server was busy yet still fast onbher feet. The…read moreart in the restaurant is also great.

Stopped in for lunch. We ordered a steak jibarito, relleno de papa, ground beef empanadas, arroz…read morecon gandules and maduros. Everything was delicious! The relleno and empanadas were bursting with flavorful meat. The steak melted your mouth. I highly recommend and can't wait to return!

I ordered their Puerto Rican style smash burger, and I thought it was both creative and innovative…read more Instead of using traditional burger buns, they replaced them with crispy fried plantains, giving the burger a unique twist. The beef patty was well seasoned, and the mayoketchup sauce complemented every bite perfectly, tying all the flavors together.

This place doesn't scream CLEAN but the service is super sweet and the food is so much better than…read moreokay. We ordered an horchata which was AhMazing. The Pastelillo which was okay and the Colombian Arepa. This arepa was super delicious. Like. Really good. Makes me drool to think of it now. My husband got the Lechon Jibarito Dinner. He enjoyed it. And I got the Asopado de Camaron. Also delicious. It was served with fried plantains. Omgoodness. Slap yo mama so good. I hope I spelled everything correctly. I really did try my best. There's street parking.

The food was delicious and the service was excellent! Small restaurant but the food speaks for…read moreitself! Please stop by and have a taste of some of the best Latin cuisine in East Chicago.

Tuesday nights are Taco Tuesday night the tacos are outstanding the people that work here are…read moreawesome Friday nights and Saturday nights it could be a little crowded it's a hit or a miss you won't go wrong with the service or the food

First time here - perfect for date night, girls night, or night out with family. The menu has a lot…read moreon it and we ordered 2 tapas and some ala carte tacos - every bite was amazing. Also the sangria comes in a generous portion and is awesome. New favorite place

Food was amazing! Customer service was excellent. Restaurant Felt nice and homey. I highly…read morerecommend it.

First time there. 11:45am. I ordered a steak Jibarito, tostones, rice and 2x beef pastellilo. I was…read moretold they were out of tostones, which was a bummer after driving so far and being within an hour of opening. The gentleman at the front was a nice guy. I'm not dissing this dude. He must have been on the phone with his dad or mom because he said he had a customer and ended with an "I love you". All good. But I stood there long enough to hear that all play out, waiting to order haha. Anyway the funnier thing was he said "I'll have it to you in under 20". Which I thought was a funny way to phrase when my food would be ready. Like this could be a comedy bit almost. Usually you try to instill confidence that food will be out right away, not establish an upper limit for the time frame haha. Whatever, it was a kid. Also it took 21 minutes (per my receipt time stamp vs watch) The serious part tho... food review. 1. Jibarito was 7/10. Decent flavor on the steak but lacked a bit more. I wont blame the sogginess on the restaurant, it was a long drive home. I put it in the air fryer later. 2. The rice was salty - and I usually like salty. Also more wet and compounded, while also being a little dry like it was from the bottom of the pot? It's hard to explain, but I didn't love it. I wish it had more peas and maybe some pork and less seasoning TBH. 3. Maduros was my side - it was good. 4. Beef pastelilos - 7/10. They were the puffy kind, but more hollow than I'd like - i.e. meat to air ratio. But they were overcooked. I could taste the burned-ness of the dough and it didn't sit well. 5. No tostones - they were out. but a funny story is about 5 mins into my waiting another worker came in, so I could hear them talking in the back. The prior kid said something to the effect of "oh we are out of tostones".. "but I can figure something out". Like it was possible to make... the tostones... which weren't available to me at the time of my ordering... I kind of had a "hell naw" moment, but decided to suppress it. Net net, I ate half my jibarito because it was big. I could not eat anymore rice because it was too salty. And I had one pastelilo because now I'm full. One suggestion - make some pique. I asked for some hot sauce as I received my order and all they could offer were generic packets of what is probably louisiana style hot sauce. I want that habanero pique!!! I think it'll help, at least cut through some of the salty TBH. Also work on the service and timing. 20 mins is too long for 1 jibarito and sides. Thanks!