La Cocina Boricua de la Familia Galarza

There is not enough amazing things to say about this place… from the moment you walk in the hospitality blows you away… whether you are Puerto Rican or not the sense of being home overwhelms you… then once the food comes it’s just another ace in the hand… delicious and flavorful you can tell the main ingredient is love. Its one of the plenty of reasons I keep coming back for more!
If you love Puerto Rican food… Caribbean food or just want to step into something new… this is the place to eat!

Hella tasty. This was my first time eating inside here and they treaded me like I had been coming for years. Ordered sandwiches and appetizers and its about the best puerto rican food you can get outide of the island itself. Definetely recommend, ⁵⁄₅ stars, will eat again.

Muy Sabroso! La Cocina Boricua de la Familia Galarza is one of the most legit Puerto Rican restaurants around. As many have said, it is family-​owned and, as a result, is very homestyle, cozy, and comforting.
Stopped by here the other day with my S.O. As soon as we arrive, there is a full table of 10 unvested, on-​duty Chicago PD detectives and police officers. All of them packing heat and staring intensely at us. If that ain’t true Chicago-​style, I don’t know what is. You know the food is good when all the cops roll up to eat at the joint.
And NO DUH… The food is good here, dummy. Their jibaritos — a Puerto Rican x Chicago sandwich made of two pieces of flattened, fried green plaintains as the bread with some type of meat filling, sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise, melted white American cheese, and lettuce — is seriously so darn juicy and honestly almost flawless. Not too greasy, not too salty, not too anything. The arroz con gandules (aka P.R. Rice), that comes with it, is a perfect blend of rice, sofrito, tomato sauce, Sazon, and pigeon peas. If I can get real for a second, I will say that I like it even better than the one at the original source, Borinquen Restaurant (now El Nuevo Borinquen) on California ave.
We also shared one alcapurria and one pastel as an appetizer. Both of them had a nice, well-​seasoned, not-​too-​dry chicken filling. I’ve never had an alcapurria before, but theirs was pretty good. It was like a large, green plaintain-​based croquetta. And the pastel? Damn… I love me some pasteles. Theirs was flavored with the banana leaves they wrapped it in, and the mashed green plaintains that made up the masa base was soooo mouth-​melting soft. I often wish that pasteles would be available at other times other than Christmas. But if you come here, you don’t gotta wait. You can have it year-​round, baby!
Note: The only bummer was that they seemed to have taken the mofongo off their menu. C’mon! Where is my mofongo? Bring that back!

Used Unilocal to find a good Puerto Rican restaurant other than the few in the area I’ve been to, and found this place! The owner is amazing! She is super welcoming and bubbly. The environment is homey and honestly tasted like a home made meal. You can definitely tell the difference between their meat and style of cooking, as oppose to the near by restaurants.
My fiancé and I ordered 4 different appetizers and two Jibaritos and coconut custard for dessert. They were all delicious! This is my new spot and excited to return for more!

Going here is like having your mom hug you plus you get a sandwich (maybe this happens to you when you hug your mom but mine is always like — make you’re own sandwich you’re an adult — ugh). All of the people who work here are literally the nicest. Their jibarito’s are rly good steak sandwiches but better because who even needs bread when you have plantains. Also you get this crazy delicious soup with your meal and the warm feelings of not being surrounded by hipsters.

If you ever around Fullerton and western you’ll find this small but delish! Puerto Rican restaurant mmmmm it’s so good I feel I’m in San Juan in someone’s kitchen mmmmm The Carne Gisada and Arroz con gandules it’s out of this world I going in a Trans/​climax mmm. The enpanadas are we enchanting please do your self a favor and stop in the Hidden Gem.

Hands down the best Jibarito in Chicago. Portion size is a lot but I love it because I can always take it home for the next day! I’ve tried their: yuca, tostones, platanos maduros, arroz con condulez, pasteles, papa relleno, they’re coffee (which is better than anything Starbucks has to offer), and it’s all phenom! When I’m in need of homemade comfort food, this is the spot I go to!

Patty who is one of the owner which I would of never have known due to her impeccable hospitality. She made us feel at home once we arrived there. Now about the food. As a Puertorican, I find it very hard to find authentic Puertorican food that I grew accustomed to having as a child outside of my home. Well this Puertorican cuisine brought me back home again. From the soup in the beginning along with some appetizers (tostones and empanadas) to the bistec jabaritos and pork chops I was in awe with complete satisfaction. The price is a bargain, especially when I ate at Swift and Son and paid $ 180 bill last week compared to my bill tonight which was only $ 44 (at this place) and the food was a million times better hands down. If you’re looking for a great Puertorican place with byob, then look no further. Thank you Patty for your hospitality, can’t wait to come back again!!!

Riquisimo, chicos. I ate and ate and ate. I couldn’t stop. The food was so good here. I had the chicken with rice and sweet plantains. The chicken was so tender and seasoned lightly. The rice and pigeon peas… OMG. I could eat it in shovels. And the plantains. I thought I was in heaven when I was eating them. The restaurant is simply decorated and not over the top. Seems like a nice neighborhood restaurant. Food is so NOM NOM NOM.

I love the food here, and love that it’s a family owned place! I got the pork jibarito, and was NOT expecting it to be as big as it was — two sandwiches are in the full portion, so if you’re not that hungry, try the half portion.
We ordered:
–lechon plate: My partner was a HUGE fan of this — it’s a pile of tasty roast pork, with rice and tostones. What’s not to love?
— pork jibarito: As I already mentioned, it was a LOT of food! Very tasty, though. I’ll get the half portion next time. I also enjoyed the rice and pigeon peas.
— alcapurria — really tasty fritter patty, and at the price, easily a quick and cheap meal on its own.
— tostones — Obviously delicious and crisp, but we shouldn’t have ordered it, given our main dishes. I love the mojo that came with it.
Next time I really want to get the guachitos! Tostones, guac and sausage? Yes, please.

Oh my gosh — SO GOOD. I had a co-​worker bring this for everyone to try at work one day and loved it so much I couldn’t wait to try it fresh. I’m a vegetarian and so I ordered the avocado jibarito with a side of rice and beans. The waitress even had the kindness to ask if I was vegetarian, warning me the Puerto Rican rice had a bit of meat in it. I took her advice and had the white rice. The jibarito was perfectly cooked and so delicious. The white rice isn’t just a bland side of blah rice, it had some sort of mild seasoning (maybe it was the oil) that tasted delicious. The meal came with a side of garlic to spice it up. Overall — this is a deliciously authentic tasting restaurant with friendly staff and a «homey» vibe. You should definitely try it!

I was headed to a friend’s potluck and thought fish mofongo would be the perfect side dish. Earlier this year the friend and I visited San Juan, PR and had authentic mofongo and love it! However, the mofongo I ordered from La Boricua was different than I remember and did not contain fish or prawns. It was a take out order placed over the phone, so it may not have been exactly clear what I wanted. I may have to try this spot again next time I am in town. It was slightly overpriced for Bucktown.
When I arrived to pick up the order, the restaurant had a family owned vibe with a few customers enjoying their food. There is limited street parking outside the establishment.

Came in with a few friends of mine and our kids. We immediately felt like we were at home. It is so cozy there and the family was so welcoming. We ordered empanadas to start, which were great, and our jibaritos came with soup. The soup was delicious! It was a sopa de pollo with a twist. It definitely wasn’t your typical PR chicken soup, which was really refreshing to me. We were so happy to find out that we could actually eat the arroz con gandules. Being a no pork eater, many Puerto Rican dishes end up being off limit. They use Turkey in their arroz con gandules. SCOOOOOOOOORE!!! The jibaritos were good. I wouldn’t say they were the best I’ve ever had. But they were good. The portion was definitely enough for two. Really, the owners here were just so sweet, makes you want to come in every day. Highly recommend.

One of my favorite restaurants! The steak jibarito is my favorite and I get it almost every time. The Mofongo is a close second, and I also love the guachitos, their chips and salsa and this yummy potato stuffed with meat (can’t remember the name)! I love that it’s BYOB. Patty, the owner, makes me feel like I am at home every time I go. We recently had a party with 20 people and they were so accommodating and entertaining. I LOVE IT HERE!

Great customer service! Family oriented. Great tasting food. Family business. I tried different plates and all of them were delicious. Would come back to visit.

As a nuyorican, I had high hopes for this place. After reviewing several photos and reviews online I was drooling for a fish jibarito — a classic of Chicago. Sadly, they didn’t have any fish jibaritos and I would up with the bacalao guisado which was just ok. The bacalao was slightly over cooked but the rice and beans hit the spot. The platanos — mouthwatering. For a hint of comida Boricua in the Midwest, this isn’t a terrible first try, but I know there is more to explore. (Hopefully, with more veg friendly options!)

I have to say that the place has changed. Once upon a time it was an establishment that seemed to of been taken very seriously, but for some reason it has downgraded with not only service, but more importantly food. I am not a fan of food that is reheated and sits at the counter for more than ten minutes before coming to the table, especially when there are only about 5 patrons in the whole restaurant.
I was once a regular here but know for a fact that since owners have changed, the downgrade is evident. What ever happened to down home cooking and just plain and simple howdy you do when you come into an establishment. I just think that the aura of the place has changed. Mind you, the food at best was mediocre compared to what it use to be. Did they change chefs and/​or since the other people working here are no longer here, did it just completely change altogether? I would hope that it would stay the same but alas, it is most indubitably different. (Insert sad face here)
Chicago has always been welcoming to the Latin cuisine and for that I am happy due to my culture always being represented with food and seasonings, but this time around I can’t say it is so. The change is evident and the food has suffered tremendously. I shutter to the fact that although it was not crowded, it took forever to even get a glass of water (and did I mention the glass of water had pink lipstick stains, heck I don’t use that shade of pink).
I think that was definitely the last time I come here due to the fact that there are way more Latin inspired restaurants to try instead of coming to a place that has since lost its fizzle. Oz has spoken and well, good luck.

The best jibarito in town is at this restaurant! I’m consistently blown away by this place! The food is always delicious! Service is amazing. Ambience is cute and PR country. Feels like you are at grandmas house for lunch or dinner.
The alcapurria here is the best I have ever tasted (don’t tell my grandma). The arroz blanco y habichuelas is amazing as well as the arroz con gandules.
Get the steak jibarito, and try some fried appetizers like the alcapurria, maduros, y tostones. You won’t regret it!
The prices are amazing here! Everything under 11.50!
It is also BYOB! :)

Finally found a place somewhat close to LP for our Boricua food fix! There are a good number of Latin restaurants, but this one is amazing that is not in Humboldt Park and is strictly Puerto Rican.
We sat ourselves and we instantly felt like we were at Abuelita Elena’s. If you don’t feel the love in a Puerto Rican or most Latin restaurants, then it is not legit.
We get complimentary cups of chicken noodle soup and bread. That soup was delish and could have had so much more of it! Seriously heartwarming.
Being newbies to the restaurant, the boo and I ordered everything, so we know for next time. We got two pasteles, a mofongo, a lechon jibarito and a chicken guisado (both with arroz con gandules) and a side of yuca al mojo.
The pasteles were pretty good and definitely satisfied my craving. These are similar to tamales and had pork in them. The mofongo was quite good as well, as the accompanied sauce worked well with the garlicky pork plantain mash. I also enjoyed the jibarito (plantain sandwich) and this was pretty massive. We had to take half of it home. The arroz con gandules was very satisfying. The flavors were definitely there. The rice was just a touch over. The chicken guisado was definitely one of the highlights of the night. The sauce was a little different from what I’m used to but it was amazingly tasty. The chicken was super juicy and falling off the bone. Portion was also very satisfying. The mojo sauce was addicting and could eat that with everything. I asked for a plastic container to bottle up the remaining mojo, but the lady brought over two mojo filled containers instead. Score!
The owner stopped by and chatted us for a bit. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. Didn’t have to wait too long for anything.
Definitely coming back and trying some other dishes, in addition to some favorites.
Nothing compares to grandma’s home cooking, but this is a close second.

Delicious Puerto Rican food! Service is friendly and fast. You can sit wherever you want when you enter, and they immediately bring out water, and complimentary bread and soup. The bread is nothing special but the soup is delicious and will definitely whet your appetite.
I highly recommend the pork jibarito. You get two small ones, which is perfect for sharing. They do not skimp on the meat and I actually had so much that it was falling out of my sandwich!
For the steak with sauce, the steak was cooked very well and was tender. The sauce was amazing and the onions and red peppers almost melted in my mouth. The rice and beans were okay.
Easy street parking (pay to park) and plenty of seating inside! Plus, it is BYOB.