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.

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.

I got the PABELLÓN bowl with beef and it was so so yum!!!! The portion was generous. Very nice…read morepeople working and the food was great!! Would definitely come again. I also loved the decor.

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.

Pabellon Arepas: Shredded beef, black bean, sweet plantain, cilantro sauce, cheese. These are like…read morethe slider versions of regular-sized arepas; although small, they are deceptively filling. They have a fridge full of hot sauce bottles inside and I def rec grabbing a bottle and dousing that sauce on these. Tequeños: Fried cheese sticks with a green sauce (sauce was sweeter than the cilantro sauce that accompanied the Arepa. You can't convince me the outside isn't just mini pillsbury crescent rolls (I dig it) Also pictured: Passion fruit juice and Hibiscus Juice served in Chalices. It's a party on Fabio's corner every night. Between the flashing OPEN sign by the entrance and the colorful patio looking out towards Argyle street, it's a sensory overload in the best way. Immaculate presentation on the food and drink as well.

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.

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!

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.

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!

I went here with my best friend and my hubby to celebrate my birthday with a great birthday dinner…read more 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.