Puerto Rican cuisine is similar to Spanish, Cuban and Mexican cuisine but can have African and American influences. Native Puerto Ricans call their cuisine "cocina criolla" which means Creole cooking. Puerto Rican culture and cuisine in Chicago is seen most in the neighborhood of Humboldt Park, located on Chicago's North Side. Not all Puerto Rican restaurants are in this area, but it is a great area to get an authentic Puerto Rican dining experience.
Sabor Latino is a family restaurant that opens early for breakfast every day and offers homemade Puerto Rican bread daily. Special dishes include Puerto Rican tamales, stuffed plantains with fried pork, shrimp with rice and breaded shrimp. Dinner options include beef stew, fried fish, steak with onions, blood sausage, pig ears and roast pork. Dessert options include flan de leche, coconut pudding, guava pastry and bread pudding. Sabor Latino has also participated in Chicago's annual Taste of Chicago festival.
Sabor Latino Restaurant
3810 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
773-227-5254
saborlatinotoday.com
The Coco Restaurant offers traditional authentic and modern Puerto Rican cuisine. The restaurant has an upscale look without the upscale prices, and serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Begin your experience with the house sampler that comes with meat-filled turnovers, round-root vegetable fritters and coconut-crusted shrimp. Entrees include the "Lomo de Cerdo," or pork loin in a Papaya Don Q Rum reduction served with rice, beans, peppers, onions and smoked ham; "Escudo Boricua," which is lamb chops in a zesty papaya sauce with plantains; or the "San Juan Filet Mignon," cooked with a red wine reduction.
Coco Restaurant
2723 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622
773-384-4811
cocochicago.com
El Vigia Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday except Mondays. Enjoy items such as chicken stew, cod fish with Puerto Rican vegetables, burritos, frituras, tacos, egg sandwiches, Cuban ham sandwiches, Mondongo soup--only served on Saturday and Sunday--or Farmer Sausage soup. El Vigia has a children's menu offering typical American favorites such as hamburgers, chicken nuggets and hot dogs.
El Vigia Restaurant
4124 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL 60639
773-252-1799
elvigiarestaurant.com
Papa's Cache Sabroso is a family-run BYOB restaurant with a small dining room and reasonable prices. One of the restaurant's popular items is the jibarito, a sandwich filled with stead or garlic-chicken resting on deep-fried plantain slices instead of bread. The name "papas cache" actually describes how the chicken is prepared; it means chicken with the flavor of pork. A typical side dish customers get with their meal is the rice and pigeon peas.
Papa's Cache Sabroso
2517 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622
773-862-8313
