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.

Was looking for Puerto Rican food and came upon the reviews of El Mofonguito…read more Parking is a little tough but we came early and were able to find street parking. We were greeted with a smile and guided to choose our own table. A basket of bread and butter was brought over promptly. I ordered appetizers, tostones rellenos de lechón and carne frita. They came out at the same time as the entrees. It only took about 10 minutes! We ordered a volcan with steak in red sauce (mofongo relleno de bistec en salsa), breaded chicken breast and lechón with arroz con gandules. The food was spectacular! Everything was very well seasoned and reminded me of home (born and raised in PR, moved here as an adult). I would definitely recommend that anyone come here for authentic Puerto Rican food. Be mindful that they are very generous with their portion sizes. We ended up taking about half of it home. There are worse problems one can have. :-)

I will give it a zero star but l wasn't able to , it was the worse dinner l had . I'm a true Puerto…read moreRican and l know how food should look and taste and this was the worse l ever had the rice was soggy and l had a bacalito and it look like thin Pancake and it even had no taste so it's a place l will never come back to .and the service was horrible so this place l wouldn't recommend..

Overall giving this place a 4/5! It's hard to find good Puerto Rican food so was really happy to…read moresee one and the menu looked good!! The pork was really flavorful and the rice was wonderful too. Really large portions which I can't be mad about lol. Loveeeee the tostones, some of the best I ever had and the creama dip was the icing on the cake. I had to take off 1 star because unfortunately my Habichuelas were missing....like there was rarely any beans in the bowl :( which makes me sad because I loveeeee them so much. Note - i ordered from Uber eats and did not visit the restaurant in person.

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!!

Papa is the best. The food is always on point and a great staff to make you feel welcome.read more

Best food I've had outside of the island!!! 10/10 recommend the arroz con gandules were greatread more

So today after many month of wanting to try this restaurant in our next-door neighborhood we…read morefinally went today and OMG it was the best northside Puerto Rican Restaurant we have have visited actually the only one in the north side of Chicago. Thr atmosphere and ambiance was amazing beautifully decorated in the place is small but cozy and you literally feel at home, the owner chef and his bartender hostest greet you like if your family. The owner Eric is so sweet and down to earth he makes you feel like an old friend visiting from the homeland. Katie was supper sweet and very informative on all the menu and drinks. I decided to try the Entre Las Sabanas made with Bacardi & Conac it was so good I asked for a second one. My wife had Tamarindo non alcohol because she was driving, we also asked for the Hummus de Gandules that was so different and so yummy served with plantain chips. For dinner I had shrimps with arroz blanco and pink beans my dinner was so good. My wife had vistec encebollado with rice and beans, she loved it. Our dessert was pudding de pan. It's a must restaurant to visit if you like Puerto Rican food. I highly recommend this restaurant and on weekends it's highly recommend to make reservations. I will certainly return again.

We had a large group & Borinquen provided excellent service. Food was outstanding. Tostones are…read morethin & crispy.

The vibes were off here. The staff was polite yet I somehow did not feel welcome. The sandwiches…read morewere tasty, and I enjoyed the appetizers. The flavors were good, but the food was dry. I asked for any sauces for my sandwich, and we were given hot sauce and the mayo catsup mixture in a bottle. All in all, it was a relaxing time. I would hate to be there if it were busy. It's a smaller space. I would eat here again, but I am not rushing to come back.

My boyfriend ordered food from here when he was homesick at Thanksgiving, and wanted to take my mom…read morehere when she was in town. Their mofongo was good (although I didn't like the pork that came with it and found it underwhelming) and I also really liked their frituras (you definitely feel the oil though). The bacalito was delicious and I do love frituras. Parking is also not hard to find.

All of the food we ordered was perfectly cooked. We had pescado frito - the fry on it was…read moreexcellent. We also had the parche and it was tasty and refreshing. The main disappointment on the parche was that they said they were out of the large so we had to order the small. For something not pre-packaged, that means they were out of large cups. That seems like a major and easily avoidable mistep for a restaurant. The octopus and shrimp salad with mofongo was a delight. The pescado frito we got came with Maduros and a salad. We wouldn't get the salad again for our other side based on the fact that it was just iceberg with some sliced tomatoes on top. The main knock on this place is that the service was incredibly slow. It took several minutes just to get parche after we ordered it and they were far from busy -like three or four whole tables the entire time we were there. Everything took a while even our waters at first.

Best Puerto Rican food in town Great customer service they only need pictures to get more Customer…read moreso people can know what they're ordering but other than that, the food is great

This was definitely one of my favorite meals during my trip to Chicago! I really like that this is…read morea fast-food restaurant with fast-food prices, but the food is still delicious. I ordered the 1/2 Jibarito with chicken, and in my opinion, the sandwich was quite large. It also comes with a side of rice, and they give you a whole chicken thigh in the sandwich. The sandwich was absolutely delicious! Just be aware that there is a lot of garlic in the sandwich. So, if you're heading straight to the theatre afterward like I was, you might want to bring some mints or gum!

Sinking my teeth into the lechon jibarrito def satisfied my craving!! Just look how perfectly…read morestructured this sandwich is nestled against the comforting arroz con gandules! Heavenly! & the flan was incredibly rich! You can tell their food is truly made with warmth and love! Perfect meal for a cold winter's night! Looking forward to visiting again to try their trembleque & cafe con leche! Mike, your hospitality was unmatched! You are too kind! Thank you for everything!

It looks like an old bar but don't be fooled by the aesthetics because this place has great food…read more They have a wide range of Puerto Rican food. I would definitely recommend getting things to share. We went here on a Saturday afternoon at 1. There were 5 of us and we were able to be sat upon walking in. There are table and counter options. We got the Alcapurrias, which were sweet and savory, mofongo, and for my main meal Plato Vegetariano. My meal was great. A friend got the steak sandwich, he loved it. This place is kid friendly, we got my child French fries and a Jugo de parcha. Which was passion fruit, and while my kid didn't enjoy it, I did. Highly recommend.