Uhhh ohhh... Dominican food and I am here for it. I ordered the mangú, which is basically mashed plantains seasoned really well, and it definitely made up for my choice of rice. The bistec encebollado was cooked to perfection with grilled onions and that nice vinegar-based flavor that gives it the right kick. We also ordered arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) and carne guisada, and everything was very well seasoned. You can tell the food is made with care and real Dominican flavor. Now I'll be honest. Is this a fancy spot? Absolutely not. In fact, it reminds me of some of the little mom-and-pop places I've been to in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. There are only about three tables for four people and a couple of small tables. It's not the prettiest restaurant, but honestly that shouldn't matter because the food is the real winner here. The prices are very reasonable and completely worth it for the flavor you're getting. If you're looking for authentic Dominican food and don't mind a simple setting, you'll be very happy. I'm here for it, and I'll definitely be back. You won't be disappointed. read more

Punta Cana Restaurant - Mangu - Dominican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My lovely wife and I have been to Punta Cana twice now. No, not the city in the Dominican Republic, but the hole-in-the-wall restaurant at the corner of Kimball and Palmer. There is not much seating inside, but we have dined in both times for scrumptious lunches. Recently I tried mangu for the first time. This is a breakfast dish that real Dominicans really crave, and after having a plate of mangu I can see why. It's a hearty pile of mashed plantains served with eggs, fried cheese, onions, and sliced meat that is sort of like Spam. The jibaritos are delicious, whether the fillings are steak or even slices of gyros meat. The jibaritos are served with a side of rice to complete a meal. We have enjoyed a couple of the empanadas too. The service is pleasant and prompt, and the pricing seems reasonable enough. Take your taste buds on a yummy vacation to Punta Cana. read more

Food was AMAZING! Just like home. I love it. Coming back every time I can. The flavors are truly authentic, the portions are generous, and the atmosphere feels warm and welcoming. The service so homy and simple. Easily one of the best Dominican spots in Chicago--highly recommend! read more

Punta Cana Restaurant - Moro de Habichuela Negra, Pollo Frito, Ensalada y Tostones - Dominican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered the sweet plantains, pork chops, and rice and beans for take away. The portions are generous and everything was prepared very well. All of the food was fresh and delicious! read more

Went to Punta Cana and ordered their family combo which consisted of chicken, plantains, beans, rice and pigeon peas and a side salad for $40.00. The chicken was very favorable and juicy and the plantains were the best i've had. It's a great family combo and I will be back. Thank PC, my Sunday meal was plentiful and tasty! read more

Sometimes one makes a local discovery that wows in every way - this was me at Punta Cana! I have literally never had a better jibarito. Steak was our flavor of choice, and I couldn't believe that the edges were not hard like I have experienced with previous jibarito sandwiches. The jibarito was just perfect. My husband and I were looking to eat lightly, so we split the sandwich lunch and had two empanadas. Everything was great. We were there on a Saturday afternoon, and they were not too busy. Keep in mind that seating is somewhat limited, but definitely don't let that hold you back from checking out the great eats at Punta Cana! read more

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I've been wanting to try Punta Cana for a while now, they've always closed to early for me and especially now with the pandemic they close even earlier now. I finally made it happen and I'm glad I finally did. I've never tried Dominican food prior to Punta Cana, so I was starting to get anxious. After reading reviews and looking at pictures, it's evident that their Mangu is their most popular dish. I however didn't order their Mangu yet. I decided to try their family "Bistec Encebollado" combo that feeds about four people. It came with Steak with onions, sweet plantains, Arroz con gandules, beans and a salad. All for about $30. An amazing deal that's worth every penny. They unfortunately had ran out of their Arroz con gandules,(they didn't have enough to complete the full order) so I had requested that they give me the rest of what they had. Pretty much half white rice and half yellow rice. But instead of doing what as I requested, they gave me the full order of white rice and another side of their yellow rice for no charge! The beans were delicious, the sweet plantains fried perfectly, the rice was good but definitely not the best I've had, the salad...I'll be honest didn't even touch it. The bistec encebollado was delicious. The meat was seasoned perfectly and tasted amazing with the onions...full of flavor. Dominican food tasted very similar to Puerco Rican food, but with some Cuban flavors. My only complaint, is that they advertise a two liter pop with the order. Unfortunately, they don't offer their Dominican 2 liter with it. They also didn't have regular two liter pop so she offered us 4 pop cans instead. I had requested that they give us just two of their individual size Dominican drinks instead of the 4 cans, but they politely said she couldn't do that. It's all good. I'll definitely be returning shortly to try some other things of the menu. read more

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The BEST authentic Dominican food in Chicago. It's a mom and pop shop, small, but humble. Their Mangu is incredible. Pollo Guisado melts in your mouth, delicious rice and delicious empanadas. Their lemonade is interesting, but yummy. I'm now a frequent customer. A hidden GEM, where they consistently (been here 10+ times now) serve GOOD quality AUTHENTIC Dominican food. They're friendly too and quick too! What more could you want?? read more

Punta Cana Restaurant - Mangu, salami, onions, eggs - Dominican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good food at an affordable price! Their chivo stew is my favorite thing to order whenever I have a chance

My husband is Dominican and every time he gets a craving for authentic food from home we make the hike to Logan Square to Punta Cana Restaurant. It isn't the easiest place to get to if you don't have a car and aren't close enough to walk. DEFINITELY a takeout place (unless you want to squeeze in 1 of their 3, 2-person tables) but absolutely worth it! We order for a family of 4 when we go. Don't forget the passion fruit juice! I have yet to try their sancocho which is by far my favorite Dominican dish when we travel to the motherland but I am leary it just won't be as good. I will update this review when I do! read more

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I loved the food at Punta Cana! Had the amazing chicken jibarito sandwich with a side of yuca fries plus rice and peas. Literally had the perfectly cooked juicy chicken with mayo dribbling down my hand as I ate this massive sandwich! Perfection! Loved the down home vibe and counter service here too! Certainly one of my favorite sandwiches in Chicago! read more

Punta Cana Restaurant - Yuca fríes - Dominican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Loved the food. My people know how to cook! ¡La comida estuvo rica! Prices are reasonable. I just wish I'd be closer to them.

The food is very good it's a small place. They're polite. I order for my events they are punctual read more

I don't normally leave reviews but daaaaaaaaaang this food was absolutely deliciosos. I am now committed! Gracias familia a Punta Cana. The Chicken and rice is to die for! So tender!!! Your new Cuban friend. read more

I don't like to overuse the phrase but this is a total hole in the wall. Not a pretty place. But the food is delicious. My Gujarati friend tried to order some standard American diner stuff and of course was disappointed. What does she know, American breakfast is as "ethnic" to her as Dominican. Stick to the Dominican menu choices, especially mangu breakfast, and you'll be more than satisfied. Generous portion sizes so come hungry. They have that odd pinkish over sweet Dominican soda pop that I find oddly satisfying after overeating mangu with salami, egg and that scrumptious fried cheese. Don't forget to take your statin. read more

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We were craving Dominican food and heard about this place from a good Dominican friend of ours. The restaurant is small but the people are nice and the food is delicious. We took my aunt here who is not a foodie and not very adventurous. Even she said this place was really good! We ordered: garlic shrimp jibarito roasted chicken yuca The orders came with dominican rice which was super good. I wish this place were closer to downtown so I could visit it more! There is limited free parking in the area. read more

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Mangu oh how I love you!!!! No frills hole in the wall dishing out the real deal. I stop by whenever I'm in the neighborhood read more

Punta Cana Restaurant - Mangu oh how I love you. - Dominican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I found this restaurant searching for Latin food and let me tell you it's definitely worth it. I went with my mom and felt like be home, they were playing Dominican music. Service was also excellent, I felt like when you visit DR on a vacation. Since I bought an offer on Groupon me and my mom got sandwiches that comes with fries and both were delicious, I will definitely return here for some mangu or other more traditional Dominican food. read more

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With a great number of positive reviews this place may very well be fantastic, but I can only speak for my one experience here and fantastic it was not. Their menu is interesting. In addition to Dominican fare, they also serve Gyros, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Italian Beef, and Greek Salads. I came to try two things: their Sancocho and Steak Jibarito. Unfortunately they only offer the Sancocho on Thursdays and Sundays and I was not here on either day. Their Steak Jibarito wasn't bad, but I've had much better. The garlic sauce was pretty good, but they were skimpy with the steak, the cheese wasn't melted at all and the yellow rice was very bland. I don't want to say service was bad, but to say it was ok would be generous. I did like the small interior and there was a lot of good sunlight inside. Other than maybe returning one day to try their Sancocho and/or Mangú, there little from my visit to bring me back. read more

Punta Cana Restaurant - Steak Jibarito - meh - Dominican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The mangu reminded me of the mangu that a Dominican friend used to prepare for breakfast. I've never been a fan of my eggs sunny side up, but I didn't complain when they came that way with my mango and fried cheese. Went back a week after the first visit and didn't get in the door good before I noticed everyone had their heads down. They were all bent over individual bowls of sancocho. After I got my own bowl, I understood why. It was so good that it was wrong. read more

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The best steak sandwiches!!! Customer service is great!! I drive from 37th street just for a steak sandwich!!!!

The food is pure fire.... Good service great people kina small on inside but ull b allright

We just try this place for the first time. It was AMAZING!!! You must try their mangu and specially the tres golpes. What a amazing place. Thank you! read more

There's a Dominican breakfast dish called 'mangu' that the bf raves about. It's a plate of mashed plaintains, salami, fried egg and fried cheese. Sounds like a good combo, right? I thought so, too. Sadly, not that many restaurants offer it on their menu, so imagine how excited the bf was to find out that Punta Cana served it. Punta Cana is small, quaint and has this great family-like atmosphere. There was a large family taking up a majority of the seats, laughing and eating away. Although they were absorbed in their conversation, they were very quick to welcome us and offer us some of their unused seats. The menu is pretty diverse for a small, unassuming corner restaurant.. They have American breakfast offerings, gyros, pitas, burgers, but also jibaritos and ready-made Puerto Rican food. And of course...the mangu. It takes about 10-15 minutes to make, but it is definitely worth the wait. The mashed plantains and the fried cheese combo are so good together and the egg is just an added bonus. I was pretty full off this alone that I practically forgot about the salami, but one bite of it was all I really needed. The portion was so huge that I had enough to enjoy the next day. The bf definitely gave it his official sign of approval by devouring the plate. Ahh, comfort food. We've been back a couple times and this dish is made with tons of love every time. Great meal for $8.50? Put it on your to-do list for 2013! CC's accepted, ya'll! No minimums! read more

I've wanted to come here and try the mangu breakfast for a long time now and I finally had the chance! It was so good and the service was so friendly, I had to write my review immediately. I'm literally still eating the restaurant now. Can't wait to come again to try something else! read more

This is my second time here and the first time I was super hungry and wished the service was faster but when I got my food I could taste the freshness and this time was no exception the food was amazing and made to order for the most part I went with a friend this time and it was amazing the daily specials fill you up and leave you with leftovers to boot. I will be coming back when my sister is in town and I know she will love the oxtail stew read more

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When I'm craving some Dominican Breakfast, this is the spot!!!! Mangú, Queso Frito, Salami, con huevos... OMG! Put you in a food coma after breakfast. I love it on a Sunny Sunday read more

I called during a time the website said they were open. No answer Sent them a message through fb and again no answer. Requested a refund for my Groupon since I was not able to use. read more

Great local cuisine and friendly staff. This is a great neighborhood shop with the largest menu known to man. By recommendation of Yelp I tried the Jibarito Gyro. It's a sandwich with fried smashed plantains as the bun, Greek tzacki sauce, gyro meat, onions, lettuce, and tomato. It was quite delicious and came with rice and beans for only $5. I also picked up some frozen lemonade which was delicious. My friend got the pork and chicken Jibaritos as well and liked them equally as much. The staff was super friendly and it is clearly a family run business. It was somewhat busy and clearly a fun neighborhood hangout for family's and individuals alike. Overall if you are willing to try something a bit outside of American comfort food, this is a great spot to do it! read more

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Wow. Just wow! Reminds me of my time growing up I the Dominican Republic. A variety of foods on the changing menu. Got the Pernil (Roasted Pork, ask for limes), Pollo guisado (stewed chicken), w. Rice (One morro, one white), beans, tostones w. fried cheese and salami, sweet plantains, Morrir sonando and the chinola (passion fruit) juice. Roasted pork - think dry rub pulled pork very good a little cold but great portion - 4/5 - the limes add a great flavor that cut through the fat. Pollo guisado - 5/5, perfect balance of savory flavors (pro-tip: ask them to put some of the stew sauce on your rice, DELISH) Rices- definitely opt for the morro although the white rice w. the beans reminded me of my mother's Tostones- YES! You won't regret. Great crunchiness to go along w. the salami, cheese, and they're HUGE. 5/5 Sweet plantains- a great balance to all the savory get it w. meal 5/5 Morrir sonando/ Passion fruit - not too sweet very refreshing and you can tell it's homemade. Overall, if you've never had Dominican food this is your shot to try some great food. They do a phenomenal job. Got family platter to go for only $25 and I cant wait to have it for dinner. Get you some! read more

This spot was very disappointing. First the CoViD-19 news. People without masks. Not even the ones at the tables but people milling about, entering and exiting. Not that it matters that much as the space is so small and cramped it shouldn't be allowed to be open during a pandemic at all. The menu was pretty uninspired, cheap ingredients poorly assembled. Average to below average food. Roaches, not the kind you smoke. Never a good sign. In general the service was blasé. They don't really care if you're there or not. At their price point that's not so terrible but coupled with mediocre food, cleanliness problems and CoViD-19 safety issues it really becomes why bother? There are lots of sandwich places. read more

This hole in the wall is a gem!!! My friend invited me out for breakfast and brought me here. I can't even tell you how many times I passed this place and never stopped in. We both had the mangu with fried eggs and fried cheese. It was absolutely delicious. Cafe con leche was amazing. Again this is a hole in the wall so dont expect a five star atmosphere but expect absolutely delicious food! Cant wait to go back! read more

Punta Cana Restaurant - Mangu con queso frito y huevos - Dominican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Friend of mine brought me to this gem. Mom and pop style Dominican restaurant. Small place with genuine welcoming customer service. Delicious home-cooked food and affordable prices. Gracias read more

Places like this are what I Yelp/live for! Desperately hungover and in need of something to soak up the vodka in my system, I found Punta Cana was only a short walk from our Airbnb in Logan Square. After reading a few reviews, I opted for the popular mangu with fried cheese and two eggs ($6.95) to-go, and it literally saved me. If you've eaten Puerto Rican food before, mangu can be compared to mofongo - basically mashed cooked plantains and spices. It. was. perfection. The mangu was chunky, mildly flavored and paired well with the yolk from the eggs and pickled onions on top. Oh, and the cheese! A huge rectangle of salty, chewy cheese put it over the top. My only request is... can you please open up another location in Seattle? read more

Thought it would have been better based off reviews. It was decent for the price but I know other hole In the wall restaurants like this that are 10 x better. Service was okay not great. Overall 3/5 they could do better if they wanted. read more

I lived in the Dominican Republic for a couple of years and loved the food, people, and the culture. This place is as authentic as it gets and it makes me so happy/ grateful that it's here. I've been in the Chicagoland area now for 3 years (10 years since living in the DR) and I stop by this place as often as I can. My favorite dish = The Mangu plate with advocado and a papaya shake...que rico! When I had it the first time here I literally teared up - it was so good and brought back a lot of memories. I could eat here every day (and if I lived in the area, I probably would). read more

The mangú is pretty good. It's a small place so don't expect to ever get a seat inside of the restaurant. They're usually pretty quick given what they are making. It's decent sized portions as well. I like the fried cheese texture with the salami. It's so good. They have a small selection of Caribbean/DR drinks too. Stop by here. It's pretty good. read more

Punta Cana Restaurant - Dominican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ordered beef and chicken empanadas and sweet plantains to go! Both were delicious and fast for pick up. Would return!

Ive had four of the sandwiches here... steak, chicken, cuban and jibarito. All of them were hot, flavorful and satisying. The jibarito was the most special for me as it is served on plantains instead of bread and the plaintains do not get soggy or slippery. The rice it came with was excellent. All prices are beyond reasonable. read more

I have been wanting to try this place for at least a year. I looked at the reviews & pics on Yelp. I recently got an itch to try this Dominican spot. I really wanted to love this place. However, it was just meh. The service was great, variety of food and prices were spot on. However, I was underwhelmed and so was my boyfriend. We went in for breakfast on a Saturday morning and it was empty. The mangu was gummy and needed more flavor... Maybe butter and garlic? Even the chicharrones lacked flavor. The eggs were decent and sausage was good but nothing to write home about. It wasn't terrible but not great. It merits 2.5 stars. If I go out to eat, ESPECIALLY for breakfast, I want to be blown away. At the very least, I want the food to taste as good as when I cook at home. read more