My heart is broken. I stumbled upon Estacion by accident. I was looking for additional bites after a disappointing meal nearby, and was warmly invited inside by the bartender. He informed me that the restaurant would be closing in less than a week. (By the way, HUGE bonus points for this kind of service when the restaurant is literally counting its days.) The superb, friendly, knowledgeable, and fast service continued through the visit. To eat, I started with the Bacalao. While I wasn't sure a cod fritter would fit the spot, these did! The fish was high quality, well seasoned, and the fritters themselves were breaded and fried to perfection! The dab of jalapeno mayo up top added some savory notes along with a little heat. While I'd ordinarily say I'd have liked more, but here this wasn't the case. As for the salad, it was bright, fresh, and dressed lightly and perfectly. Then we come to the ceviche. While I am not typically a fan of mango, I loved the way Estacion integrated it here. The mango added sweet and savory notes, while not overwhelming anything else the dish had going on. The fish was fresh and high quality, and the veggies added freshness and brightness. Even the avocado served a purpose in adding some fatty notes. Finally, let me tell you about the Flan de Queso. This was described as flan meets cheesecake. The sweetness was light, the flavor divine, and texture velvety perfection. Looking back, I am realizing what a fool I was for not ordering a second helping. Not to leave you hanging, the Caipirinha was good. Nothing mind-blowing, but a pleasant, mild drink. Final verdict: If I had known about this place earlier, you can bet I'd be a tried and true regular. This becomes a case of "don't be sad it's over, be happy it happened," or whatever the phraseology is.Still, as I said at the start, my heart is broken. read more

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One of my new favorite Puerto Rican restaurants in the city! The place is charming, with beautiful artwork and plenty of tables and space. I tried the Ropa Vieja--sofrito-braised beef served with fried plantains and rice. Everything was incredibly fresh and flavorful. The Pescado Criollo, featuring branzino with a rich tomato-caper sauce and white rice, was equally delicious--savory and perfectly balanced. The service was outstanding. Arturo was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable, sharing how the restaurant prides itself on using only fresh ingredients. I highly recommend this spot to everyone in the area! read more

Estacion - Pescado Criollo - Soul Food Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Cute place. Love how the music outside draws attention but you can't hear it inside. Service was great and attentive. Cocktails were on the pricey side but worth it. I had the Jamaica and if you like sweet, this is for you. I took a sip of my friend's margarita and it was tasty. Food always tastes better with a well made cocktail. All the food was well presented and tasted great. I liked the Bacaloa and the Bistec con Mofongo. Serving size was just right which unfortunately meant no leftovers. But I left satisfied so that's a plus. read more

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Absolutely loved the food, drinks, service and ambiance. Very cute Latin spot, w/ dim lighting, cool art, and good music - perfect place for a fun lunch/dinner with friends or family. I got a mojito, the queso frito, and ropa vieja... and I would it all both again! From one Latina foodie to a newly discovered Latin restaurant- this place is deliciously authentic ! PS they have an arrangement for free parking w/ Popeyes. Park there for free read more

I came with my family for brunch. We were excited for a Puerto Rican restaurant near us. Surprisingly, the restaurant was basically empty. Our waiter was super attentive and friendly. He informed us that they are testing their brunch menu and have been offering brunch for only a few weeks so far and that they are typically busy during dinner hours. I ordered the sofrito hash for myself. The dish was yummy but it felt like the needed something more. It had brisket, huge chunks of potatoes, and onions, topped with fried egg. I think some bell peppers would help with flavor and even the appearance of the dish. My kids shared a desayuno plate that came with bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast. The toast is so good! My husband ordered a peril with arroz con gandules with a side of maduros. He enjoyed his meal a lot. We ended our meal with their flan de queso which is to die for! We plan to try their dinner menu soon. read more

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Excellent place! Our meals were creative, tasty, fresh. Overall a memorable experience. Perfect stop for seafood. Loved the Caribbean flare. Service was attentive, but our guy screwed up numerous times, bringing the wrong thing or just forgetting stuff. This could be the one thing that keeps me away, but I'll glove them another chance - for the sake of good eats! read more

Finally tried this place and it did not disappoint!! The food was absolutely delicious, it's such a cute place, and the service was impeccable. I didn't get a picture of the empanadas, but my friend and I tried those as well and they were incredible. It was our first time stopping in and they gave us a little complimentary flan to try. I feel like it's easy to mess up flan and this was was so good!!! I need to go back and get a full size one:) read more

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Omg, this place should be packed! The drinks were so inventive and fresh. I had a hibiscus margarita. The menu is amazing, not too big so every dish is done perfectly. We had the ribs and ceviche first the ropas and pescado for secundo. They gave us a delicious flan to thank us for trying them. We absolutely will be back. read more

Adorable restaurant with a great ambience, good drinks and even better food! Everything was above my expectations. The portions and flavors of the food were perfect. My favorite cocktail was the hibiscus mojito! They also have some beautiful artwork on the walls to enjoy. Next time I'm in Evanston again I'll be sure to pop in here. Service was fast & friendly. read more

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We had an amazing night here. The food was so carefully prepared and it was full of flavor. The Brazilian cocktail was something I'd never tried before and was a new favorite. The server was attentive, but not intrusive. The noise was not too much--so it was a cozy, fun evening. read more

Stop driving to whatever restaurant you had picked out and head to Estacion. The most amazing everything. Service? Felt like a queen. Food? Had me planning on buying a whole second round to take home. Vibe? Immaculate. Any rate below a 5 star is a salty liar. Go here. DO IT!!! read more

Estacion - Soul Food Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Went here on a Friday night for dinner. We made a reservation ahead but it wasn't too busy. We ordered the pulpo appetizer to share and then the arroz con pollo and pescado (grilled tuna) for entrees. I absolutely LOVED the arroz con pollo. There wasn't just chicken on top of the dish, but shredded chicken mixed in with the rice, and it was so flavorful! read more

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Had a really great dinner at Estacion! Had the pulpa, bacalao, costillas, maduros, and a couple of cocktails. The pulpa was really incredible -- octopus has a tendency to overcook very easily, but this was expertly done. Served with some potatoes -- fried crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside -- with a lightly spicy sauce. So good! The service was also excellent -- very attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. read more

We had a great meal at Estación last night. We were told about it when we were dining at Libertad a few months ago. There wasn't any signage at the entrance other than the street number so you have to look carefully to find it. The area it was located in Evanston was very nice and had some other great looking restaurants nearby. This made parking a little tricky, so give yourself extra time. Estación was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday night but I think that people are just learning about it. We started out with guacamole with tostones, which was different but delicious. Dipping with the tostone was almost like dipping with a potato latke, but it was really good! We also had the queso frito which came with a halloumi-like cheese that you put on toasted bread with red pepper salsa. For drinks, I had their sangria which was made with white wine and was excellent. My husband and daughter had the Casa Humilde Guyaba Dabba Do, which was a locally brewed beer made with guava that they both enjoyed a lot. For our main entrees, I got the arroz con pollo with delicious maduros on top. My daughter got the skirt steak with chimichurri and crispy French fries and she devoured it. My vegetarian husband went with the impossible meatballs with rice and maduros. I will say that that was really the only vegetarian/vegan option for the entrees. The portion sizes were big and we had plenty to take home. Overall, we had a great meal, with great service and a serene and cool vibe atmosphere! read more

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Estacion on Howard Street. So good!! Finally stopped in and oh my. Everything is so flavorful. Great presentation, flavor combinations, and taste. Can't wait to come back. Their old Fashiined Caribe took me back to beach vacations. The food was so fresh and hit the spot. Loved the guava chipotle sauce and the dessertserts -best flan ever! Reccomend you try coming here!! read more

We called in traveling more than an hour for the brunch we had passed the time and owner Senor Arturo was more than kind and generous to extend the brunch for us and made us feel more at home than anything food 10/10 felt like home desert was perfect went well after the meal will visit again and recommend anyone visiting the city to stop by trust me you will be back again! Muchos gracias senor Arturo for making the brunch memorable!! read more

Estacion - Coconut and rice dessert - Soul Food Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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I'm bummed we didn't try this restaurant earlier. I had the branzino and my husband had the ropa vieja. The portions were filling and fresh. I had a great cocktail as well. We topped it off with some flan. The staff and atmosphere was really friendly. It was nice to be in a restaurant without TVs as well. We will be back. read more

Estacion - Caipirinha - Soul Food Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Had a good time for lunch. Food was fresh and tasty. Drinks were very refreshing. Atmosphere was luxuriously casual. Staff was very accommodating. read more

excellent food, super friendly. We absolutely loved the flan dessert. We would definitely plan to go back again!

Great food, great ambience, great service! We came for brunch and the salmon and brisket hash was very yummy! read more

Estacion - Salmon - Soul Food Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Very good food and service! The pork shoulder is both tasty and crispy, which works perfectly with the rice.

We googled Evanston restaurants that we haven't tried which have good reviews and so glad we came across Estacion. We brought our kids for our anniversary dinner and had a great time. The special cocktail with Pisco was so delicious. I had the braised beef (Ropa Vieja) and my hubbie got the ceviche and ribs. We loved all of it. Our server who seemed to do it all was super nice and attentive even as our kids got more hyper by the end of dinner. We look forward to coming back! read more

This is a very good restaurant with excellent food and drinks and very attentive staff. Cocktails are also very good. Prices are a reasonable to good value. It's still in a somewhat out of the way location but that corridor of Howard west of the L is growing. Overall a really good spot that I would recommend highly. read more

Terrific spot. Great food and truly welcoming, gracious service. Will be going there again.

Love the environment of this place. The food is Delicious! Don't forget to try the drinks, service is a + read more

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We love Libertad, so we decided to give Estacion a try, but it didn't live up to our expectations. The dishes didn't taste balanced.

Estacion has been our go-to place when we want fresh, tasty food and great cocktails. The menu changes seasonally and we love discovering new dishes amonst our favorites ones. The atmosphere is pleasant and you can actually carry on a conversation with your dinner partners - how rare and delightful! Service is attentive and cheerful. I will be hosting my birthday party at Estacion and we all look forward to anothr great evening! read more

Service was great. Small menu but well cooked food. I believe the menu changes. Great cocktails. Parking lot is great because it's hard to find parking in that area. Clean bathrooms and nice atmosphere. read more

We live only a few blocks from Estacion so we walked there. Howard Avenue is not known for excellent cuisine to say the least. Estacion, however, can compete with the best restaurants in Chicago. The menu offerings are creative and the execution of them is extraordinary. Everything is fresh and cooked to order. The steak and fish are served to your specifications. Add to that, Estacion is relatively inexpensive for gourmet quality food and the service is attentive and friendly without being officious and this resaurant is an absolute find. I'd give six stars if I could! read more

Great food and drinks! Servers were super friendly. The portion on the fish was a little small but tasty.

We went last night and loved it! It's a total makeover of the space from when it was a cafe! The drinks were delicious and food was as well! Wait staff was super friendly and responsive. We were already talking about what we are going to get next time. We live a block away so we walked over and can't wait to go back. It's definitely not cheap, but it's high quality and we love supporting local businesses! read more

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What a great experience! A party of eight, we were accommodated with such a welcoming attitude! Arturo was so gracious, leading us through the menu and recommending specialty cocktails which turned out to be delicious. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu, we sampled a lot. But the Ropa Viejas and the pernil were outstanding. The ribs were to die for. Between the service and the delicious offerings, this is a great place to grab lunch or dinner! Arturo even offered a gratis tasting of Pisco, since there was some confusion as to what it was. Let's keep this place hopping, it's a gem! read more

Such nice people in a laid back environment. I could tell they really cared about us and their food. The servers wanted us to enjoy their carribean culture of hospitality and delicious flavors. And we did! Best dishes were the arroz con pollo and pernil. Loved the tamarind margaritas. ¡Eso! read more

Excellent, friendly service! Had a special drinks - hibiscus and Peruvian rum! Food was amazing - waiter helped us navigate and adapt menu for vegetarians. read more

Seriously - get in your car and come here. Exceptional food and service. Everything we ate was delicious - ceviche, mofongo, sancocho, and the star of the show - caldo santo. Will be back. read more

Estacion - Caldo Santo - Soul Food Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

What a great addition to the neighborhood! I was surprised to learn the restaurant has been open nearly 2 years -- it was new to me, and now it is a new favorite. We had dinner there last night, and everyone in my group was delighted with their dishes. I had the pernil (roasted pork shoulder) and WOW that was so delicious. The others enjoyed ropa vieja and bistec. Do yourself a favor and visit Estacion soon -- you won't be sorry. read more

Absolutely fabulous experience. Service was on point and friendly. Cocktails were amazing and every food item we had- from crab tostones starter to branzino to ropa vieja was super flavorful. Highly recommend! read more

Had great meal here! The staff was super friendly and you can tell they are passionate about what they do! The entire meal was wonderful and thoughtful! Can't wait to come back! read more

What a great place to get Mexican/Puerto Rican food. Really fresh. Great atmosphere and service. The food is fantastic!!! read more

Absolutely delicious food and cocktails. Loved the cangrejo, pulpo, and sancocho. Can't wait to return!