Some of the best Puerto Rican food you can find in the suburbs. Everything is made fresh to order and the quality is top notch.

$50 for fake Puerto Rican food the community deserves better" I 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. read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - The relleno de papa instant potato ball - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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I recently tried a Puerto Rican spot out in Elgin and had really high hopes going in. 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. read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Jibarito Delicia (steak, chicken, veggie or pork) Alcapurrias De Guineo - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Great food at this Puerto rican restaurant!! I just love the varieties they serve here. My favourite is the chicken jaberitos!! Service is quick and the people working here are really sweet. Typical Puerto Rican Ambiance:) read more

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The breadcrumbs had a pleasant spice and herb flavor, and the chicken was incredibly crispy. read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

I honestly like the place, sometimes the staff is a bit rude and sassy. But their Cuban sandwich is not matched with the ingredients.

I'm "generously" giving this a two and the only reason why it's not a one is because I had to "fix" what I could fix at home to make it taste sort of edible AND the empanadas were good (according to the kids). I wanted to love this. Couldn't wait to eat some delicious PR food and we were left SO disappointed. There is no way this is authentic PR food. NO WAY! The meat was square, flat and tough AS NAILS with hardly any flavor and the onions weren't even cooked. Trying to cut the meat with a super sharp knife was difficult. The next day, I tried doctoring it up and even after trying to sauté the meat, it still tasted like cardboard. What kind of meat is this????? And the plantains were dry and tough. The rice hardly had any flavor. Rice? Come on. PR rice with no flavor?!!?! I'm being so damn serious when I tell you, the meat/steak was unrecognizable. I'm so disappointed. Truly, I am. I had such high hopes for this place instead of driving into the city for PR food but there's no way I can come back here. read more

A staple in our family especially around birthday and holidays. The food is delicious. The Puerto Rican rice, maduros and pork roast is a huge hit and requested by my family. read more

Best Cubano and Jibarito for 20 miles in any direction. Whenever I am in Elgin I try to make it in for lunch.

Whenever we crave steak jibaritos, this is the place we pick up from. So flavorful, along with their PR rice. My husband enjoys their shrimp mofongo while I like to get a side of their amarillos aka sweet plantains with my sandwich- I don't think you can ever have too many plantains. We've never eaten at the place, but ordering has always been seamless. Our food is always ready when they say it will be and and being able the pay with Apple Pay is a plus (especially when my husband forgot his wallet last time he went and was craving a jibarito bad). read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Jibarito and rice - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Wow! This spot has been on my radar for a good long while now and today I finally got to try it. Everything b was piping hot and super delicious! Loved how fresh the food was and the portions of everything were more than generous. Prices are super competitive and we definitely got our money worth and had a ton of left overs! The jibarito was tasty, but the real star for me was the tripleta. Those meats are ridiculously tender and marinated perfectly-- so so good! I guess my only knock would be on the Puerto Rican rice. Could've used a bit of salt, but that's neither here nor there. Will definitely be back soon to try some of the other bang menu items. read more

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Great food and great service!!! We came from a memorial and we had 5 families with us and not only did they accommodate us all we all got our food super quick and it was delicious 10/10 recommend! read more

Friendly service, great food. I saw their menu had so much I wanted to try, I said, screw it, and tried a little of almost everything. I asked for Yucca el mojo since I didn't see it on the menu, and they hooked me up. Their mojo sauce was a garlic aioli. I haven't had that before with this, it was very good. The chimichurri steak sandwich was great. Loved their beef empanada. Everything here tasty, good service, what's not to like read more

This place is a hidden gem that is tucked into a very established neighborhood. Not much decoration throughout the place but who cares because the food is unbelievable!! The steak Jibarito and rice and handles is like walking into restaurants on the island. If you have been then you would understand. We will see you again my friends!! read more

Omg I'm not 100 % sure if they are Puerto Rican but it looked like a Mexican ran place the food was surprisingly amazing they were friendly and again the food was great they also had our pastries and the quesitos were amazing read more

Only place where you can get a jibarito Food is consistently good Service kind of slow I'll be back read more

Authentic Puerto Rican food from the Island. You won't be disappointed by the rich flavors and fresh foods. Start with my favorite appetizers... alcapurrias, arañitas and piononos. It takes me back you my childhood. Then the classic, arroz blando habichuelas con calabaza y bistec encebollado with a side of mofongo with carne frita. To end things... dessert, for that you have a few options but if you follow my lead... get the flan de queso. Ah! To drink, jugo de parcha or Malta India. So if you want great food and happen to be in the area.... even if you have no idea what to order just ask for what I place here and you will not be disappointed. Or ping me and I would drive 1 hour from home just to get a taste and guide you on other options. :) read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Quesitos! - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

I was very surprised and happy with the food in this little place,the Staff is extremely good and the restaurant is very clean plus the practice COVID rules okay down to the food it cook to order so it piping hot when you receive it we start with appetizers we had the Bander half portion which was hot and good my husband had the bacalaitos and he enjoyed it a lot not greasy or cold ,we also ordered alcapurrias ,rellenos de papá were nice an hot not greasy this a must stop we will be back read more

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When I walked in the smell of garlic was very strong. The food also had a lot of garlic. It was not overpowering, just delicious. The staff helped us through the menu and we enjoyed every bite. read more

Got the scrawniest chicken pieces EVER in a pollo guisado. Wack AF! They were from a fragile weak AF chicken cuz there were broken bones in the stew all over the place! DANGER!!! Chew your food really good or you might choke on a bone. Also had some other stuff, bread with cheese but Venezuelans do it better. There are far better Puerto Rican restaurants in Aurora like Chupacabra and the other supposedly more genuine Puerto Rican Boriken read more

Absolutely delicious and authentic Puerto Rican food. Clean restaurant with friendly service. A coworker came with me who's never had Puerto Rican cuisine. We had pasteles and alcaparro as for appetizers. He had roasted pork with rice/beans and tostones. I had the lobster stuffed mofongo. Everything was amazing. Absolutely plan to come back multiple times when I'm in town!! read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Mofongo relleno de langosta. - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

This place used to be good way back in the day when it first opened. The rice with gandules doesn't taste like anything. The empanadas were very undercooked. The carne frita was too overdone. The tostones with garlic was undercooked. Last time I had the mofongo, the caldo was colored water and the plantain had so much garlic, it was spicy. I've gone back several times over the years to see if it is what is used to be and NOPE! read more

Excellent food and reasonably priced-one of my favorite restaurants. Try the Pernil with Puerto Rican rice!!!!

Got the appetizer sampler to try the variety of items. All very good and nice way to sample the variety of items. Pastetillo de Carne was very good! I could just eat several of those LOL. Shrimp mofongo was good, definitely something different but just not my favorite but my spouse loved it. read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Shrimp mofongo - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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Always great food. Delicious sandwiches, rice, tostones. I only wish they were open late night read more

I'm going to start this review by saying that I don't have enough experience with Puerto Rican food to tell the difference between great and the greatest. I can tell the difference between good and bad; unpalatable and incredibly delicious, so that is how I am rating this restaurant. Not against other restaurants - against my tastebuds alone. I had the Jibarito (pork sandwich, between to fried plantain patties), it was served with lettuce, tomatoes and a special sauce (that tasted like fry sauce). It came with rice and beans. Additionally, I had a ground beef and plantain empanada (not what it was called on the menu, but for simplicity's sake that's what I'll call it). All of this was very, very good. I am not going to attempt to describe the flavors, but I can say DEFINITIVELY that every bite was incredibly delicious. When I first arrived, the place was reasonably busy which is not surprising for a Saturday night, but when I left there was a wait for a table. The location might leave a little to be desired. It is surrounded on two sides by a motel and the cafe itself could accurately be described as nondescript. It is easy to miss. The prices are very, very reasonable. The service was good. The real kicker was the Tembleque (coconut custard w/ cinnamon). This is a contender for best dessert I've ever paid less than $7 (and considerably less at that). I will definitely return with friends, family, significant others...anyone who will go with me. read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Jibarito and a ground beef and plantain empanada. - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Up top is a steak jibarito with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and cheese paired with Puerto Rican rice and topped with garlic oil. On the bottom is the Tripleta sandwich with lechon (pork), ham, and pastrami! The sandwich is on pressed french bread with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and Swiss cheese. We arrived close to closing and they were so nice and the food quality was still amazing! The decor is not much to look at but the food and service is great! read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - On top is a Steak Jibarito and on the bottom is the Tripleta sandwich with lechon (pork), ham, and pastrami! - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

The Ambiance could be a little better, but the service was good and the food was excellent. We had the bistec and the mofongo- YUM. One of the few places I know of in the suburbs to get authentic pasteles. read more

After frequenting this place a number of times over the past year I'm upping them to 5-star status! Everything from my original review still holds & their food has consistently been excellent no matter what we have ordered. Their staff is always friendly & helpful as well. Most recently we tried their Mofongo (we had the one with the shrimp) and WOW...we are now huge mofongo fans...so delicious. As I said, everything we've tried here has been great. Our favorite sandwich is the Tripleta which is their take on a Cuban sandwich and the twice-fried plantain sandwich is our second fave sammie (where the fried plantain serves as the bun & it had a breaded pork cutlet in between along with toppings). Their sandwiches are pretty big so we often share one along with a couple sides or if we order two sammies we usually end up saving half to have the next day. I'm not normally a big fan of rice but theirs is delicious, seasoned well & cooked just right. Also they use kidney beans with lots of delicious seasoned bean broth which is wonderful mixed with the rice to soak up all the tasty liquid. read more

Because it's the only Puerto Rican restaurant nearby I gave it two stars. The wait time is ridiculous and it seems like they never have food ready. The place is small, parking isn't the best either. Not 100% authentic Puerto Rican food but it gets by. read more

If you want some delicious Puerto Rican food this is the place to go great service absolutely delicious food and that rice don't get me started!!! Mmmmmmmmmm yummy!!! read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Cubano and rice!! - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Food was good. Rice was kinda cold though. Had a yelp check in deal for jibarito but the refused to honor it!! Really? Gotta get it together and either take the special down ot honor it as long as it's up. So buyer beware the Jibarito special fir check in is not honored. read more

While I wasn't super impressed with the guava juice, I really enjoyed the food! I got three different small items so I could try several things - fried plantains, pastelillo de queso, and a ground beef-mashed potato fritura. My favorite was the cheese pastelillo! Service was a little slow but the people were very kind - I'd go back if I was in the area! read more

My husband and I can't stop talking about how delicious the food is at Delicia. We ordered a few items off the menu to test this place out and so glad we did. The flavors were amazing and we are already plotting our next meal. read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Jibaito sandwich with arrow con gandulas - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Let me just say that, I think its amazing they deliver to my house which is over 15 min away! Their steak Jibarito is really good and so is their pastelillos are delicious and full of meat! I wish the Jibarito came with rice like the picture advertised but it's not that big of a deal. I am very excited to try the other dishes from this Puerto Rican restaurant! read more

Pretty good food got some empanadas, mufongo and fried pork but a little pricer than what I'm used too! read more

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Service is okay. Most items I've tried are pretty good but the mofongo relleno de camarones (shrimp mofongo) is excellent! So moist and juicy!! Order with a side of their awesome arroz con gandules! Will return simply for this dish. It's easily the best mofongo I've had in the states read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Mofongo Relleno De Camarones (shrimp), PR Rice, alcapurria (banana dumpling) - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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NEGATIVE ONE STAR! I ordered A dozen alcapurias... & My mother took 2 bites and felt something weird in her mouth, & when she took a piece of meat out her mouth, there was a long piece of hair entangled in the meat and the inside of the alcapuria. Gross! We had to throw the rest of the bunch away. I was so hungry.. & I seem to swallow my food more that I chew it.. hmmm.. wonder how many hairs I swallowed?! Oh! & Ms. Lady at the counter you r rude! And lack personality! U r the 1st face everyone sees when they enter the restaurant, try to be personable. Thats the least u can offer! Ugh! Never going back 4 sure! read more

Delicia Tropical Cafe - Hair attached to the food - Latin American Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

I called this place at 6:45 and they did not answer the phone!! If you are supposed to close at 7 answer the phone. Or change your website to say you close at 6:45 !!! Don't avoid customers read more

10/10 Pastelillo de Carne is a must (I could eat those all day). Also the Arroz con Gandules! read more