Absolutely outstanding. I cannot say enough about this food. It was fresh, beautiful presentation,…read morewonderful portion, and absolutely delicious. I forgot the name, but it has grilled steak and avocado. Soooooo good. I also had the ham and cheese as well as the chicken empanadas. These were tasty, and huge.

One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. It's a Venezuelan place that specializes in Arepas, and…read moreit is my go to place when my friend is family is visiting Chicago. The Bolivar Lincoln Platter, which includes Tequenos, Mandocas, Tajadas and Tostones with cheese are very delicious, especially if you enjoy plantains. The Pabellon, Cowboy, Hairy, Galipan Arepas were soooo good and flavorful, along with the sauces as well. The arepa itself is so fragrant (smelled like corn) and crispy, the beans are flavorful and homey, and the meat is always so well marinated. It is the perfect bite (if your jaw is big enough), and as all of my friends say when they first visit: this is the best arepa I have had. We have also tried the Blondie, Party Animal, Divina. They're all very good and well made. 10/10 recommend this place! I have gatekept this place for more than 2 years but now I'll let this secret out

This fabulous Arepa Bar, located just down the street from the Art Institute of Chicago, was a…read moregreat place for a quick lunch before heading to the museum. We both had Pabellon Arepas, which were quite delicious and very filling. There were lots of patrons, primarily local office workers and take-away orders, which is always a good sign, but nonetheless only a short wait for our food. Highly recommended.

For arepas, I do think the menu is a tad overpriced, but at least mine was packed with tons of…read moreshredded beef. Though I have to highlight their lunch special and their Wednesday special, both are major deals in comparison to dinner. My food was fine, however I don't see myself returning in the future. My beef I think was cooked longer than needed and was lacking in favor.

This is the OG Rica Arepa spot and a must have when I come to Chi-town. I have had the classic,…read moreVegan 1+2 options the Criolla and the Pabellon. Every time I go I try a different one but I have never been disappointed with the taste. The setting is simple, but the food and service make up for it, food comes out quick too!

Delicioso todo lo que probamos. The shredded beef is very good! La empanada y el pabellón…read morerecomendados.

Food was excellent and plentiful Mixed grill for 2 would…read moreprobably feed 4 Sorry I just don't like yuca fries the potato fries were fine The green sauce gave a great zing to everything not spicey just tasty I will absolutely return

Unreal meal it was so flavorful and delicious with great portion! They have good brunch menu and a…read morereally nice heated patio on the inner building as well as a patio at the front with a few more tables - dog friendly to both! Very nice people also! Will go back.

A true Venezuelan gem in the heart of Chicago's Loop!…read more As a Venezuelan, finding a place like Bien Me Sabe right in the middle of Chicago's financial district honestly blew my mind. Surrounded by office buildings and big companies, this spot brings a real taste of Venezuela to the Loop and people know it. I saw so many non-Venezuelans coming in for lunch, which says a lot about how good this place is. They serve arepas with huge, flavorful fillings, cachapas, and Venezuelan bowls that look and taste amazing. Everything was fresh, and the service was super fast and friendly. The empanaditas come in orders of three, same with the tequeños, and they're perfectly stuffed, small enough to try different flavors, which I loved. They also have natural juices. I had a passion fruit one and it was delicious, perfectly sweet, super cold, and really refreshing. They even sell Frescolita, Malta, and all those drinks that make Venezuelans instantly nostalgic. There's plenty of space to sit, and the location couldn't be more convenient. Honestly, this place is a 10 out of 10. Whether you're grabbing something quick or sitting down for lunch, it's perfect. The portions are generous, the food is complete, protein, carbs, flavor, everything you need in one plate. It's not the cheapest spot in town, but that's just how Venezuelan food is, and trust me, it's absolutely worth every dollar. If you're in Chicago, especially around the Loop, and want something truly Venezuelan, Bien Me Sabe is the place to go.

My colleague kept saying to me about trying arepas. We both made a plan on a day off to drive to…read moreBienMeSabe and try out different things. We got seated in a corner table with nice sunlight. My colleague helped me to order items - we ordered a sampler of apps and I got guava juice which was so refreshing. Our server was also very sweet. I ate a lot and I started experiencing food coma a couple of hours later.

Cero recomendable, un servicio patético. Pedí comida navideña para mi familia por teléfono y la…read morepersona que me atendió la orden no me cobró por teléfono. Al llegar al restaurante, la misma persona me informó que le dio mi comida a otra persona porque la comida no estaba paga. Mi pregunta fue por qué no me cobró la comida por teléfono, y lo que me respondió fue "¿pero cómo te voy a cobrar por teléfono?", una práctica que es totalmente normal, cobrarle al cliente por teléfono. Lo que es aún peor, manejé 30 minutos para recoger la comida y ni una disculpa me ofrecieron por su falta de profesionalismo. En otras instancias, el deber del personal de un restaurante es cobrar el pedido por teléfono o devolverme la llamada para confirmar que el pedido será recogido. Por todas estas fallas, además del bajo nivel de profesionalismo al no disculparse por el error cometido, no recomiendo el Ricón de Fabio y, por mi parte, no volveré a este restaurante. READ IN ENGLISH BELOW Not recommended at all, a pathetic service. I ordered Christmas food for my family by phone and the person who took my order did not charge me over the phone. When I arrived at the restaurant, the same person informed me that they gave my food to someone else because the food was not paid for. My question was why they did not charge me for the food over the phone, and what they responded was, "but how am I going to charge you over the phone?", a practice that is totally normal, charging the customer over the phone. What is even worse, I drove 30 minutes to pick up the food and they did not even offer me an apology for their lack of professionalism. In other instances, the duty of restaurant staff is to charge for the order over the phone or call me back to confirm that the order will be picked up. For all these failures, in addition to the low level of professionalism shown by not apologizing for the mistake made, I do not recommend El Rincón de Fabio and, on my part, I will not return to this restaurant.

The arepas were amazing! We especially loved the green dipping sauce, it was a balanced mix of…read moregarlicky and sweet. We also got cheese stick appetizers which were also really good in the green sauce. The meal was really filling. They also happened to be giving away free donuts when we were there :) It's order at the counter and the employee was super gracious and helpful. We had a great meal and experience. Highly recommend!

Chill vibe as soon as I walked in, pero como de esperaba para los Latinos…read more Cuisine: 5/5. Casado de pollo. First time ordering this dish and I'll order again when I have the chance. The menu says it's the national dish of Costa Rica. Pollo, gallo pinto, sweet plantains, cabbage, salad, over-easy egg. Hella filling and definitely tasty and filling. Service: 5/5. Friendly and attentive. Ambiance: 5/5. Chill, feels like I'm back home in SoCal/L.A. Buen provecho.

This was our first having Costa Rican food, and it definitely did not disappoint! We got the…read morechifrijo, beef and potato empanada, and the skirt steak casado. The chifrijo had crispy pork and so much flavor from the veggies; we loved pairing it with the chips. The empanada was flaky and crispy, and I would definitely want to try the other flavors. The skirt steak casado was so tasty with the rice/beans, egg, salad, jalapeños, plantains, and skirt steak. It was a mixture of flavors, but it paired so well together! The service was perfect since the waiter was recommending us dishes; he was very kind and made sure to give us good recommendations. He also gave us complimentary chips and salsa when we asked! The ambiance was very nice and liked how it was themed off of Costa Rica. I would definitely come back again!

Got an ice chai, it was very yummy!…read more Staff was very nice and answered all my questions about the menu. Very esthetic menu with chalk art all over. Some rrally fun flavor options. Will definitely be back again!

This is an amazing sandwich shop. We all LOVED each of our sandwiches…read more Highly recommend Pelua Beef, plantains, Gouda cheese and garlic cilantro sauce. My sons loved Pabellon Beef, plantains, black beans, Caribbean cheese and garlic cilantro sauce. My husband wanted something simple and thought the Porkie breakfast sandwich was great!

I went here for with my best friend and my hubby to celebrate my birthday with a great birthday…read moredinner. We were in the Chi already visiting Atlas Stationary as a self-proclaimed station and fountain pen freak so we figured why not?!? I had heard great things about Carnivale prior to so please note that prior reservations were already made but regardless, it was all our first times there and we were stoked to finally try this place out. When we first got there, the outside was very unassuming. Some awesome graffiti on the wall (yes, angel wings included) and lots of color which made me so happy! As we entered, we were greeted by lots of colored flora on the walls and the floor. It led to a beautiful lounge where we checked in. The hostess was quite kind and they escorted us to another room that had multiple floors, two I believe. We were sitting in the main dining area where dining tables were set up and the ceiling lights and decorations were super-duper colorful. It was brightly lit and festive. Seriously, the colors alone could make anyone happy and do a serious dopamine overload which was fine with me. We sat down, was introduced to our server, Oscar and then given menu's. I genuinely thought that this place was pretty small initially because it looked small from the outside but boy was I wrong! This place was MASSIVE. But! I digress, now that we had our menu's-- Let the party begin!! We started with the ceviche tasting which included four types of ceviche; shrimp, Yucatan style hamachi, salmon and tuna. All were really good with their own really distinct flavors but our top favorites were the salmon and the tuna. The salmon had a kick while the tuna had a great balance of heat and sweetness. Great way to start of this dinner! My bestie ordered coconut shrimp and smoked mushroom croquettes for her main meal. My hubs ordered the carne asado while I ordered the lechon asada. I also want to add that we ordered Mexican street corn on the side alongside mashed potatoes and Peruvian Jalea. Ah and before I forget, we also ordered our drinks which consisted of a: sangria, margarita, Cotton Candy Cosmo and Salva Honduran Pilsner. All were spectacular and made the night that more enjoyable as well! When we received our food. We were all really enjoyed it as we all shared our bites amongst one another. The coconut shrimp was well breaded and you tasted the coconut as well. The shrimps were large and juicy. The smoked mushroom croquettes were good with a smokey flavor and good breading, however, the breading may have a been a little thick because you couldn't really taste the mushroom,m unfortunately. The carne asado was the star of the show. Well seasoned steak, cooked medium rare which was juicy and succulent. The lechon asado was good. Although I'm not used to eating lechon asado that is covered in sauce, the sauce was super tasty so I didn't mind the tender, juicy pork that was covered in it. I really enjoyed it. I think the only thing that I wish was different with regards to my lechon asado is that I wish it were hotter because it was luke warm when I received it. Other than that, it was....*chef's kiss*. The Mexican street corn was alright, it honestly just tasted like regular corn with mayonaise in it with some cheese. Didn't add anything significant to the meal. The mashed potatoes were soft but not too soft and buttery. They were really good and then the Purvian Jalea was another favorite, super good! The calamari, fish and shrimp with the Purvian Jalea were absolutely delicious; fresh, tasty and well breaded. It was absolutely yummalicious. To top the night off, they gave me a little birthday treat of cotton candy and carmel popcorn. We also had some tres leches which was so yummy because the fruit was fresh and you could taste the milk in the tender cake and then we had the chocolate cigar. The chocolate cigar was also really good, everything except the label was edible, It was smokey, chocolately and delectable. It's presentation was also so creative. We all loved it. Overall, this restaurant is SUPER PRICY but SUPER WORTH IT. I am so glad that I was able to go there to celebrate a special occasion because it would not be a place that I could go to on a regular basis but as much as I wish I was, ya girl ain't rich like that. The service was superb, the employees were kind, the food was fire and drinks were scrumptious. If you're looking for a fun, Latin cuisine inspired, creative, yummy way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion with a fun Latin twist--look no further, that is it! Check it out and you won't be disappointed. Now, I'm sorry for my novel and you may now go back to your normal programming schedule. If you do end up coming here and loving it -- i told ya so ;)

I'm not sure how long it was when I first visited Cranivale but it was definitely before yelp…read morereviews and it definitely wasn't this big so fast forward to maybe 20 years it's definitely more beautiful. Very nice and what a great entrance it has. The rooms and the different feeling each one gives is pretty awesome. The upstairs is where we were invited to attend the party bc of the invite and it was very lounging and nice. There's a Latin room where we wanted to go but next time we will. Then there a bigger room with lots of dinner tables and another upstairs.

Venezuelan food is new to me but I've been having it a lot lately. I decided to go try it in a…read morerestaurant and I don't remember what this was called but it was essentially surf and turf and it was incredible. We tried a few different things and everything was good. I already have a list of what I will try next. Also I don't speak any Spanish and I didn't prevent me from getting what I wanted. It is a nice ambiance with a lot of people going in and out rotating tables. Very busy place but even still there was no wait. If you have not tried Venezuelan food you are missing out. Go try this place. Happy Fooding!!

This place was great, I don't know what some of the reviewers are complaining about! I always like…read moreto try Venezuelan food whenever I have the chance to. I tried numerous little items from this place, including the mandocas or corn fritters, pastelitos de queso or cheese pastelitos, and the shredded beef empanada. Everything was really quite good flavor wise, very cheap, and overall just gave a nice street food kind of vibe. The corn fritters were really good. Fried crispy on the outside and a bit oily, but not in a bad way. They were surprisingly quite sweet and fluffy in the inside. Cheap and delicious. The beef empanada came in a large portion, and I really enjoyed it. The beef was well seasoned, flavorful, and had a fantastic texture. It wasn't too bready. I loved the green and slightly creamy sauce they served with the empanada. Great. The cheese pastelitos were probably my least favorite of the few items I tried, I thought they weren't all that flavorful, but definitely weren't bad by any means. Filling was decent with a good amount of cheese, but just not a ton of flavor to them. All in all, a very nice place to get street food type of items and more substantial items too, like cachapas and arepas. I'd definitely recommend this spot.