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El Cubanito

4.5 (425 reviews)
InexpensiveCuban, Sandwiches
Open 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

Order El Cubanito Takeout or Delivery

El Cubanito Photos

Business Info

EL CUBANITO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - El Cubanito

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Cuban sandwich
Mara D.

I love el cubanito! I love their Cuban sandwich! It has Sliced pork and ham INGREDIENTS: cheese, pickles, mustard. So good! I have tried most of their empanadas but my favorite is the steak ones service is always friendly. The place is nice and clean they always have good music playing which can be pretty relaxing after a long day of work! And their prices are reasonable! Don't forget to get the delicious sauce to pour it on the Cuban and your empanada!

Cubanito Steak Sandwich and a cold Cola champagne
Kristan M.

I order from here every time I'm in Chicago. 10/10 for taste and quality. Fast service, usually busy, but the line moves quickly.

I loved this poster.
Gladis I.

Although I was born in Cuba, I really don't visit many Cuban restaurants here in the city or anywhere else. This is a restaurant my sister loves this place, I bought a Cuban sandwich that was good but needed more dressing like the mustard. The place was nicely decorated by Cuban artifacts, and they played Latin music. The lady that took the order was super nice. I would go again to try other dishes and perhaps give them a much nicer review.

This this café con Leche and I love you ham egg and cheese sandwiches every food that they have in there is amazing I love this place

Best Cuben Place ever Hands Down Love the Food Service and Owners and Family, They Are All Beautiful Souls and Have Such Great Hearts Love Them. They Always make sure you're okay, So Friendly and Caring to Everyone, Best Positive Place to be and they have a great place to rent out for party's Love it!!

Cuban sandwich
Ana V.

The Cuban sandwiches here are really cheesy, like really cheesy, the bread is nicely toasted and has a good amount of meat.

Sweet plantains

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Sandwiches are eggcellent, cafe con leche is amazing, as long as they are open I would patronize this business over and over again!

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3 years ago

Sandwiches coffee and empanadas are all fire!!!!!! Customer service is great and they always take care of us with smile and speed

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10 years ago

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4 years ago

This a staple for cubanito sandwiches. As long as they have been around they continue to stay top notch. You will never be dissapointed.

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

I absolutely Love the food and the people. The best Cuban and empanadas. Always consistent.

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5 years ago

great food comes out in a timely manner. its like stepping into a restaurant in cuba. empanadas are a hit!!!!

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10 years ago

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Page 2 of 11

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Cafecito - Steak Chimichurri Sandwich

Cafecito

4.2(1k reviews)
5.8 miStreeterville, Near North Side
$$

After a day shopping on Magnificent Mile north of the river in Chicago, we stopped at nearby…read moreCafecito on Chestnut. It was early Sunday afternoon, and we were too large a group to arrive without calling ahead. You walk up a lovely old half-flight of stairs under an ornate ceiling. After a short wait, half of our party went elsewhere, and the remaining four of us were quickly seated. The front area is mainly a café, with maybe 10 seats at tables for two. Farther back is a hallway and a larger room with seating in booths and at high-tops for maybe 40, and maybe 6 more at a small bar. The staff is quick and friendly. The food is delicious and fresh and hot! And the music is loud and festive :-) We had the thin-cut savory palomillo steak, a generous serving, pounded to tenderness, served with classic wet black-beans and white rice, sweet soft platanos maduros plantain pieces, and some greens and tomato. We had a lovely colorful medium-sized Mojo Shrimp in tart garlic citrus mojo sauce, with sateed red onion crescents, tomato chunks, and parsley. And we had the huge slow-cooked tender shredded-beef Ropa Vieja pressed sandwich, sauced lightly with slightly-tangy creole sauce, served with platanos maduros and black beans. All of their food delightfully authentic. We liked it so much, a few days later we ate at their South Loop location, too!

Cafecito had my favorite sandwiches in the city - all time favorite is the ropa vieja. It's meaty…read morefrom the steak and slightly sweet from the plantains - so delicious. Their shrimp and guava-q sandwiches are also other go-to sandwiches for me. The one on wells is perfect for a lunch in the loop. If you want sit down service, the gol coast location is decent. The location on Fullerton kinda sucks - service is just really slow there so if I get sandwiches from there, I exclusively go the take out route. But all in all, the sandwiches are amazing!! And the yucca fries are good too. Oo and the guava cheese pastry is nice if you want a sweet treat after.

Photos
Cafecito
Cafecito - Tres Leches and Cafe con Leche

Tres Leches and Cafe con Leche

Cafecito - Cross section of Cubano

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Cross section of Cubano

Cafecito - Steak Chimichurri sandwich

Cafecito

4.2(2.1k reviews)
5.7 miThe Loop
$$

I'd never had Cuban food before until I came here. I got a fried tilapia platter which came with…read morerice and a spinach salad. I genuinely cleaned this plate off. The spinach had a kind of sauce with it that when mixed with the rice and fish tasted absolutely divine. The plantains were perfectly fried. My friend got the pork sandwich which she also enjoyed. We also got two vanilla lattes which were very good. This place has both indoor and outdoor seating. We opted for outdoor because the weather was nice but the vibes were good inside as well. They have a pastry counter indoors that looked good. I would highly recommend making a reservation because the place was packed on a Thursday morning! In the future I would bring friends and family here.

I saw this place was close to my hotel, so I decided to give it a shot. I noticed they had a lot of…read moregood options, but I decided to stick with the pollo chimichurri. My food was ready within minutes and while I was hoping for a mouthful of flavors, I got anything but. The chicken wasn't really seasoned. In fact, it was lukewarm and bland. The plate could have gone without the tomato's as it made the maduros mushy. The plate itself was rather meh and I was pretty disappointed. Also, I was expecting the chimichurri to already be on the chicken and not for me to have to add it myself, especially considering I didn't get very much. Maybe they had an off day or I just chose the wrong dish.

Photos
Cafecito - Seating area

Seating area

Cafecito - Still on point.....steak, eggs annnnnd coffee

Still on point.....steak, eggs annnnnd coffee

Cafecito

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Bayan Ko Diner - Baby bangus silog

Bayan Ko Diner

4.3(122 reviews)
3.5 miRavenswood, Lakeview

BBQ Skewers: tender chicken thighs and the perfect amount of sweet glaze…read more Lumpia Shanghai: the crispiness was perfection and the sauce was so good, it was like a slightly sweet vinaigrette Lechon Kawali: so crispy on the outside and the pork was juicy and tender inside, the sauce helps give flavor and softens the crispiness of the the pork Ropa Vieja: the shredded beef brisket was cooked to perfection but was very salty, eat it with the sweet plantains and rice and it reduces the saltiness taste, sweet plantains are black but not burnt, garlic rice is tasty Adobo wings: messy but worth it, delicious Saffron cream cheese flan: very sweet, but also had salt on top, texture is thick and smooth and melts in your mouth Halo Halo Banana Split: pandan ice cream is so good, loved the shredded coconut and the rice crispies to add the crunch, the fried banana lumpia was so good Hibiscus ginger cooler: slightly sweet and so refreshing, can def taste the hibiscus Pandan Mojito: slightly sweet and has like an aloe after taste Table reservations are for 90 minutes only and they give you a 20 min warning. Order quickly! You can sit at the bar if your time is up and still want to hang out afterwards. Highly recommend getting the $30 prix fixe menu (reasonably priced) and ordering one more dish from the menu for two people. We left feeling very full and satisfied if you're super hungry. Love the decor inside and very tropical with its palm leaves wallpaper. Latin music gives an upbeat atmosphere. There are two locations for Bayan Ko. One is a diner and the other place is for a more private tasting menu. I accidentally went in there instead of the diner place.

Had a quick yet nice and relaxing Sunday lunch here. We really enjoyed the tocino plate - very…read morebalanced, comforting, and flavorful. The tocino was perfectly seasoned and cooked, and paired so well with the garlic rice. We also tried the lumpias and pork belly adobo. Maybe not the best versions we've ever had, but still definitely tasty and satisfying. They also offer sweeter brunch-style dishes like ube pancakes, which looked fun and unique. Overall, we liked this cute, bright neighborhood spot and would happily come back again.

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Bayan Ko Diner - Open and airy with color and style!

Open and airy with color and style!

Bayan Ko Diner - Sisig shishito hash and drinks

Sisig shishito hash and drinks

Bayan Ko Diner - Ropa vieja, black beans, maduros, garlic rice

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Ropa vieja, black beans, maduros, garlic rice

Marinas Bistro & Rum Bar - Plantain, cilantro soup (soup of the day, get it when you can !)

Marinas Bistro & Rum Bar

4.5(128 reviews)
4.2 miUptown

My goal is to try 50 new Chicago restaurants in 2025!…read moreRestaurant: 51/50 Month tried: September Favorite dish: Pollo Al Ajillo Marinas is an unassuming spot in a strip mall that packs big flavors and cheerful service. Was so happy to discover this place. I tried to go back on a random Friday night recently, and they were completely booked up for the night, so definitely make a reservation!! Drink: La Playita - yummmm House Starter: Yucca fries and I believe some kind of guava dip? - This was SO good. I need to know exactly what that dip was and how I can get a jar of it. Starter: Queso Frito con Tamarindo - Fried cheese, how can you not love it?? Entree: Pollo Al Ajillo with rice and beans - This was so simple but SO flavorful. And a HUGE portion, perfect for lunch leftovers. I truly cannot stop thinking about this perfectly executed plate. Dessert: Flan - I have never in my life enjoyed flan, but they brought it for my friend's birthday, and I really liked it! Did Marinas make me a flan fan?? It took a bit of time to get our check. I had the feeling they wanted us to sit and enjoy more drinks. Next time I think I will do just that :)

We made a reservation since there were six of us. It is very small inside so plan ahead. My friends…read moretried to eat here on Sunday night, but they were told the restaurant had run out of food. So we tried again on Friday. The service was exceptional. We loved our waitress. Everyone enjoyed their food. The craft cocktails were also good. If you are looking for authentic Puerto Rican food, you should try this spot.

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Marinas Bistro & Rum Bar - Dining room, small bar

Dining room, small bar

Marinas Bistro & Rum Bar - Lechon Asada with majado (mashed taro)

Lechon Asada with majado (mashed taro)

Marinas Bistro & Rum Bar - Booth area

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Booth area

Omarcitos Latin Cafe - Steak Sandwich or Steak Jibarito

Omarcitos Latin Cafe

4.9(119 reviews)
0.3 miLogan Square
$$

Had a great lunch with friends here yesterday . The spot is a little confusing when you first walk…read morein... there's a patio with a food truck and outdoor seating . You can sit outside or grab a menu and go inside . The inside has about 8 tables that fit 4 people each . Inside there is a table with utensils and water glasses as well for help yourself service . You order at the food truck window and grab a seat. They brought our food inside to us on a tray. We ordered the rope vieja, steak jibaritos, and flautas . Everything was very good but I especially loved the flautas with the consome. It was absolutely delicious and very unique, I drank the leftover consome because it was that good . Just poor everything in one big bowl . The flautas keep their crisp even when swimming in the broth . I liked the shredded Munster cheese on the jibarito and loved the green sauce . Sooo good!! The restaurant is byob and we brought mixes for bloody Mary's and some beers. It was nice to enjoy the meal and not feel rushed . I really enjoyed the experience, good music playing and kind service . Definitely recommend

I had such an amazing experience at Omarcitos today…read more I stumbled across an IG reel of this food spot, and I immediately knew I had to check them out. The cafe has such an interesting set up. You order from what appears to be a food truck, and there is an outdoor (open concept) and indoor seating. We ordered the steak sandwich and ropa vieja plate. The steak sandwich was DELICIOUS. The bread was crispy, and the meat was flavorful and juicy. The sandwich also paired so well with their garlic side sauces. The Ropa vieja was also so insanely yummy. The beef was so juicy and savory. The garlic rice was also so yummy. I'm not a huge fan of plantains, but the plantains were actually pretty decent! Overall, I had an excellent experience at Omarcitos. I cannot wait to come back once it gets warmer!!

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Omarcitos Latin Cafe - Best Coconut café con leche

Best Coconut café con leche

Omarcitos Latin Cafe - Steak Sandwich or Steak Jibarito

Steak Sandwich or Steak Jibarito

Omarcitos Latin Cafe - Eye catching local art

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Eye catching local art

Bayan Ko - ADOBONG PUGITA

Bayan Ko

4.4(234 reviews)
3.5 miRavenswood, Lakeview
$$

I celebrated my 50th birthday here, and the experience was more than I had dared hope for…read more Delicious food, excellent service, and a comfortable atmosphere. We had the 7-course tasting menu. It was varied, filling, and memorable. My partner is not usually a fan of octopus, and she still talks about how incredible that course was. We did the wine pairing, which was generously poured and perfect for the dishes. Alfredo is a masterful server who facilitated our experience like clockwork. I would not hesitate to return here. Phenomenal for a special occasion or just a nice night out.

Tasting menu: 1. Prawn Kinilaw - coconut, thai chili, yuzu…read more2. Duck Croqueta - foie gras, guava sweet & sour 3. Arroz Caldo - black rice, lobster, calamansi, quail egg 4. Adobong Pugita - octopus, potato, black garlic emulsion 5. Lechon Asado - iberico pork collar, sour orange, yuca con mojo 6. Ropa Vieja - wagyu brisket, plantain, olive sofrito, congri 7. Chocoflan - coconut flan, chocolate bibingka, passion fruit, miso, white chocolate caramel, black truffle Well worth the price for the service, flavor/presentation/texture execution, and portions. My few criticism are prawn was a tad overcooked and black rice was too buttery for my personal taste. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole tasting menu. Service was good and ambience was simple and relaxing. Highly recommend this place for foodies and special occasions.

Photos
Bayan Ko - Interior

Interior

Bayan Ko - ARROZ CALDO

ARROZ CALDO

Bayan Ko - Cubano Fried Rice. Uncle Ritchie Ricardo approved

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Cubano Fried Rice. Uncle Ritchie Ricardo approved

El Cubanito - cuban - Updated May 2026

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