Super casual spot where you order through a QR code and they bring everything to your table…read more The Blondie Arepa (8.5/10) was packed with shredded chicken and Gouda, with a crispy shell and great flavor. My only complaint is that all the filling was toward the front, so the end was basically just arepa. Still, it wasn't oily despite being fried. The Pabellon Empanada (9/10) was the standout. The crispy shell was perfect, and the combination of shredded beef, black beans, cheese, and sweet plantains worked so well together. The plantain added the perfect sweetness. Both were surprisingly light and not too greasy. Definitely a spot I'd come back to when I'm craving Venezuelan food.

Delicious arepas! Lots of great flavors to try from - we loved the Pabellon and eggs & sausage…read moreespecially. These are huge - bring your appetite! Great for those of us who need gluten free as well. The arepas are gf.

I liked Bienmesabe years ago when I first went here and have been here a few times since, although…read morethere's been a gap between my most recent visit and the one before that. I'm happy to report that when I went recently, we still really enjoyed it. It was my boyfriend's first time and he is now a fan and we both recommended it to our friend who lives in the area. You can also make reservations if you'd like although the times I've been, walking in is also fine. Last time we got the Bienmesabe Sampler, which is enough appetizers to share with four people lol. Our ranking of the items in the sampler were the tostones (soooo good), tequeño (my boyfriend loved), mandioca, and then the empanadas. The empanadas are my least favorite - I'd prob see if I could sub it out for something else in the future. I do like that they provide an assortment of empanadas. Then we got a cachapa with chicken - the cachapa itself was so good although next time we would try a different protein. Lots of delicious cheeses to be found - lactose-intolerant people should prepare accordingly.

I love this restaurant! Their patio is big and since they built the walls up, you can't even tell…read morethe road is right there. They have a huge menu include many gluten free and vegan dishes. It was so nice to have so many options! The servers were very nice and although we had a reservation, we probably didn't need one. I tried the passion fruit drink - yummm! It was very refreshing on a hot day. I also got the vegan patacones, which here is almost like a sandwich (like a jibarito) and it was SO good. The portion sizes are huge and all the food came out fairly quick. I'll definitely be coming here more often!

Always solid the food, my favorite dish to order always are the burguers and tequeños, you never…read moreget wrong with those. The people are amazing over there, and also on summer the patio is great to hang around and enjoy the weather.

We wanted some good food after enjoying some drinks at the nearby Right Bee Cidery. We know a good…read morearepa, so we were eager to try and they did not disappoint! We got a vegan 2 arepa (yes, they have vegan and vegetarian ones) and a ham & cheese empanada and both were delicious! The music / vibe was great too, and the staff was very kind and helpful. We loved this place and would highly recommend!

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.

Highly recommend the best arepas on Chicago I got the pabellón arepa great food gcostumer service,…read moredefinitely I will coming back

I didn't see any White Sox players (that I know of) but I did see a messy, filling, and quite tasty…read morelunch. We ordered the Pabellon and the Tropical arepas. I balked slightly at the prices but stopped complaining as soon as I saw the size of the arepas. Both were stuffed to exploding and were very, very good. I'm full enough that I may not need dinner. The restaurant is small with limited seating and no public restrooms. It's reasonably clean and nicely decorated. It's quick serve - order at the counter and your meal is brought to you fairly quickly. Since this is the Loop they're not open late but there is a $9.99 Arepa Night promotion on Wednesdays. Get extra napkins.

My son and I ordered through door dash and he picked it up. This was our first time trying…read moreVenezuelan food. We ordered the plate with rice, beans, brisket and plantains, salchipapas, yuca fries with cheese and two strawberry drinks. The food was delicious and the drinks were refreshing because it wasn't overly sweetened and that's how we like it! I highly recommend this spot located in Argyle! They are very festive with the decor and you won't miss this spot. I'm glad they are located here because it gives the neighborhood something different and unique.

We got the la puerca arepas (shredded pork) and the sampler plate. The arepas were just as tasty…read moreand stuffed with filling as I remember. I love the hint of sweetness of the green sauce, it goes well with everything. My favorite from the sampler plate was the plantains. The tamarindo we got was also huge and so refreshing. So good and filling. The staff are also great. The only minus for me was that the strobe light inside was a bit distracting. But overall, I highly recommend this spot.

Delicious! I had never been to a Costa Rican restaurant in the U.S. before so always exciting to…read moretry something new. Larger than it looked from the outside which made a walk in dinner easy. Casual friendly atmosphere, the patio was lovely. A friend and I split a skirt steak pepito and the casado, the national dish of Costa Rica, with coconut shrimp. The pepito was my favorite, everything about it was perfect. We had a lot of leftovers of the casado - so much food! Had never had that combination of items in a dish before and loved the combination of flavors and textures. I don't live in Chicago but have several friends that live walking distance from Irazu so I'd been wanting to try it for so long. worth the wait and I'm looking forward to coming back and trying more on the menu!

Irazu was one place I really wanted to be good, but unfortunately, it was a disappointment. I…read moreordered the platter, which came with chicken, egg, avocado, plantains, and rice. There was definitely a lot of food, but unfortunately, none of it had much flavor or seasoning. I'm not sure if it was because I went close to closing, but the food just didn't live up to my expectations. The wait staff was extremely nice and provided great service, so that was definitely a plus. Unfortunately, based on my experience, I wouldn't revisit. I really wanted to enjoy this place, but the lack of seasoning made it difficult to do so.

Really delicious breakfast spot! Authentic classic Venezuelan arepas (taste tested by my Venezuelan…read morefriend!) and fresh takes too. I got the Santa Monica and really enjoyed it, very tasty and filling! This is a small place where you walk up to the counter and order of the menu posted on the wall. They've got tea/coffee/refrigerated drinks too. Not too much space to sit but there are a few tables inside and the arepas and drinks came out steaming hot and pretty quick! I went with a group of 6 and they all came out within 10 minutes of each other. Really really enjoyed this place, reasonable prices, I will definitely be coming back!

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!

Such a coolly decorated place!…read more Had a work dinner event and happy hour place and was blown away when I walked in. The design is very in your face, with bright colors and large fixtures. Super cool. Staff was amazing, both the bartenders and servers. Very attentive and out of their way to accommodate. We had a coursed dinner. Apps were good. Shrimp ceviche was not my fav, but the smoked mushroom croquettes were flavorful and good. Carnivale Salad was great with little cheese bites and great dressing. I got the filet. Didn't ask for temp, but the crust was flavorful. Not a cake person, but the chocolate dulce de leche cake was one of my favorite things. Would come back for a drink, salad and dessert.

Stopped by Carnivale on my last trip to Chicago. When you arrive parking can be a bit difficult as…read morethis restaurant is located in the West Loop. You'll need to either street park or find your taking in a nearby garage. When you walk in you'll feel like your transported to a festival like, bright, and colorful atmosphere. Several people had mentioned that you need to stop by Carnivale if you ever visit Chicago. It felt like there were different themes in each room with different people murals/themes and a great spot for taking instagram photos. I ordered the Gaucho Steak (12 oz. 45-Day Dry-Aged Creekstone Farms Ribeye, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Chimichurri) which was excellent and packed with flavor. The restaurant is so beautiful, definitely recommend exploring the different rooms if you stop in.

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.