Absolutely loved the shrimp and chicken mofongos! The mint mojitos were $7 and awesome. We came here after getting nostalgic about the food and atmosphere during our recent vacation in old San juan.
Warning: mofongo is not on the menu but don't be disappointed- they'll make it for you.
This is a new place trying to establish itself so it may not be too bustling on weekdays ( we went on a tuesday and were the only diners) but definitely the food is worth is. Service was great- the cook himself came to ask several times & were very attentive to everything.
The décor is nice and with the liquor licence they just obtained, this place is going to be bustling soon hopefully.
Drive is not too bad because it is close to I 94 and there is street parking right in front of the restaurant or on side streets.
This is a great place! I arranged a birthday dinner here with a small group of friends and everyone agreed that the food was delicious. Lots of flavor and very reasonably priced. We were greeted by the owner when we sat down and he right away ordered shots for birthday boy as well as the rest of the table. They had a DJ spinning great Spanish music. The only bad thing I would say was there weren't many people in the place (which could be a good thing to some). If they could get more bodies in, this restaurant has potential to be a pretty dope spot!
Review Source:We decided this was the worst restaurant we have been at in 20 years in Chicago. No one in the place on a Saturday and 3 TV's blaring. When I asked to sit somewhere else so I didn't have to try to talk over the TV's , the waitress was really put out. And the food was BAD, mofongo fried pork all dried out, and tasteless dried rice. I went because of buying a coupon online and then they didn't want to honor it because it was a summer promotion (this is September and I bought it in June), no expiration date on coupon. Totally rude service, terrible food. Only good thing was a nice interior decor. Â Avoid this place at all costs, don't waste your money.
Review Source:For different reasons, I had high hopes for this place. But Cafe 787 and I got off on the wrong foot from the get go. First off, they offer delivery through Grubhub. The first two times I attempt to order, I get a call 30 mins later to find out they weren't delivering that day. Finally, the third time I call they can deliver, but don't have one of the items I want. I still decide to try it out. I ordered the Chuletas Kan Kan (this is a savage of a plate, it's pork chops with belly fat attached) This was a HUGE disappointment. First off, Rican pork chops are usually simmered in the spices then fried. All I tasted was black pepper. So just slapping some pepper on pork and frying it does no justice to this dish. And second of all, it was undercooked. Not so to the point it was pink, but when you serve a pork chop with attached fat, it should be basically cooked until crispy, like a pork skin. So half the chop was inedible. The soup beans were ok, but kind of bland and the meat tasted like something that would be used in canned chili. And the shrimp empanadas were disappointing as well, no real taste either. I can't even really acknowledge this meal as Puerto Rican as I didn't even taste a hint of any flavorful Caribbean spices that are supposed to be used. With Ponce down the street and even the mediocre Rican joints available which are better, I can't see myself ordering here again. Granted, I'm a tough critic being of Puerto Rican descent and all, but if the basic meals are mediocre, I can't see the more complex meals being up to par.
Review Source:Service was horrible. Â Waiter took about 15-20 minutes to take the food order, when we were the only people in the restaurant on Saturday night about 8pm. Â Then the waiter kept going outside to smoke. Â She was the only waiter so we had to wait for her to come in to be able to order a drink. Â About the food it was ok. Â Very nice decor but thats about it. Â Oh also, how can you have a waiter dress with short jeans a tank top and gym shoe in such a nice place WOW. Â What happen to Black pants and white blouse ...you can never go wrong with that dress code.
Review Source:A couple girlfriends and I made the drive "up yonder" to enjoy some tastey Puerto Rican fare based on Johnny T's raving review. Indeed, the food/service did not disappoint.
Of course, what struck us as odd was the fact that the restaurant was completely empty on a Saturday night. But on a high note, we had the full attention of our waiter, Thomas.
The shrimp appetizers were swell, as was the jibarita sandwich, which is the traditional jibarito sandwiched with maduros (sweet plaintains)instead of tostenes (the firmer unsweetened plaintains). I even thought the arroz con gandules was made just right. Hands down, I think I had a mojito that rivals the mojitos of Carnivale. Soooo good.
The decor was simple with exposed brick, charming acrylic paintings of Puerto Rican beach scenery and hard wood floors ripe for salsa dancing--except there weren't people there to dance.
We inquired about where the dance crowd was after we'd finished our meal which was nearly eleven o'clock. "Oh, it gets packed! They're coming." We sat there for another couple of hours anticipating getting in some good dancing and actually watched Hustle and Flow  from the overhead flatscreen tvs on mute.
The DJ was playing some good salsa music and a couple people trickled in. The dance floor was only serviced by one couple--mostly the woman, who galloped around doing a crazy medley of Mexican hat dance-flamenco-stripper antics. SHE was our entertainment for the evening, bless her heart.
By midnight, the band was tuning up. Seriously? And still, there were only people at four booths! In efforts to make up for the lack of a dance partner, I'd put in a call to a fellow dancer to come, but he didn't make it. I left in a huff. Hearing good Latin music without dancing disturbs me. I'd rather have not heard any at all.
Four stars fully based on the food and service. It definitely was worth the trip for the food, even for great Latin music, but not for dancing unless you bring your own partner.
Well I have to drop this place a star. Â I took a group of people here for my birthday and it got mixed reviews. Â Mostly disappointment.
At the end I will say this. Â The more tradition Puerto Rican food is good, especially "El Pastelon de 787," but the steak is not that great. Â I personally would not come here for steak; you go to a Puerto Rican restaurant to experience a real traditional meal, and I just don't find steak to be traditional.
Service was horrible. Â Waited about 45 minutes for food when we were the only people in the restaurant WITH reservations! Â I had the rotisserie chicken and it wasn't even thoroughly cooked. :( Â The only seasoning I tasted was salt! :(
I'm sorry my friends who love this place, I'd never come back unless it was a special event.
Very unassuming place that I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for Johnny T's rave reviews. Parking didn't seem plentiful but we happened to find a spot right away. We entered and the place was damn near empty except for one table. I felt pretty good because I assumed this meant we would get extra attention...we got the exact opposite.
A guy came over and said I'll give you a few minutes and then I'll be back to get your drink orders. Nothing out of the ordinary their. Fast forward 15 minutes and we're still sans water and haven't seen any staff since we sat down. I notice what I assume to be family members walking back and forth, upstairs and down, chatting on cell phones and back to the kitchen but no one is working...umm, ok. Finally I spot the server but she stops at the one other table and takes their order. She finally comes over to us and we ask for water and she says she will bring it with bread. Fast forward 10 minutes and she finally reappears with bread...no water! We order our food and ask for water again. A while later she stops at the other table to give them drinks and finally brings us water. a ridiculous amount of time passes and she brings out our entrees. I specified white meat and she asks me "you still want white meat or is this [dark meat] ok?
NO..I want what I ordered. By this point it's hard to hide my annoyance and i'm about to pop a gasket. 10 minutes later my chicken arrives.
The chicken was very flavorful and the best part of the meal, arroz con gandules was off and can you believe they didn't give us the beans that were supposed to come with the meal? My friend said the pork was good but agreed with me about the rice. Pricing was reasonable but I would gladly pay more for better service. Cool looking little place and I wanted to like it but I can honestly say that I won't be returning.
COME HERE!! If you think you'll find better Puerto Rican food in Chicago, you are one crazy MOFOngo. Seriously, hands down, THE best Puerto Rican fare I have had in the Second City. Cafe 787 hits on all points.
Yes, it's a drive. Â No, it's not in Humboldt Park. Yes, you will come here again and again. I was not ready for this jelly. Â Cafe 787 was too Boricua-licious for me. Â My friend had been fiending for some mofongo. Â Y'see, I'd taken her to a recommended Southside Rican spot - for mofongo. Â We were served matzah balls and told it was mofongo. Â We were unamused. Â After we set it off in there (and went on the run to avoid prosecution), we decided to give the search another try. Â We made the long drive west on Fullerton and found a parking spot right in front.
Visually, this place is awesome. Â Hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, Puerto Rican masks, paintings of Puerto Rico, mounted tvs, black wood seats, comfy & plush booths - the place is decorated really nicely. Â Even the bathrooms are nice - Kohler faucets, high tech hand dryers, sparkly black tile floor... Â I was in a good mood from sight alone. Â
My friends and I ascended to the second level, settled in and got to the business of ordering. Â Champagne cola, mango juice, Malta, aranitas (with garlic bread & sauce already mixed), el trio (maduros topped with creole chicken and bbq pork - OFF THE FREAKING CHAIN good), three orders of mofongo (two pork, one chicken; ask for it because it's not currently on the menu) and three orders of arroz con gandules. Â Our waitress repeated the order as though to verify we knew what we were ordering. Â Yep! Â We weren't scurred. Â We wanted to eat like we were chillin' with Don Omar in Old San Juan as we plotted to backhand that f00l, Daddy Yankee. Â
Seeing we weren't playing around, she put in the order.  The owner came out to chat us up and he found out we were for real when a member of my party made some bioluminescence from Vieques  magically appear in her Malta.  Impressed, he went back to the kitchen to make sure our food was on point.
How good was it? Â We didn't speak for nearly twenty minutes after the food came out. Â We barely used utensils and managed only to grunt for hot sauce for the pork and mofongo. Â Unbelievably good. Â The maduros were sweet and huge & the meat on top served as perfect savory compliments to every bite. Â The aranitas were crunchy, filling and nicely seasoned. Â My Cola Champagne on ice was the nectar of kings. Â And the mofongo...oh me oh my. Â It was HUGE. Â Gigantic portion of the plantain delight (full of cracklins) Â and the pork and chicken that accompanied it could have fed two people each. Â Add to this: salad AND three orders of arroz con gandules? Â Wow. Â I'm flashing back to the eating and I am both ashamed and proud of myself. Â We took so much food down that Kobiyashi bowed down to us and took notes. Â
After we gorged ourselves and stretched out to lie down (you think I'm kidding; we had grease on our mouths & fingers and in our hair and our bellies were distended), the owner and waitress came out to have a conversation. Â We found out that they've been open about a year. Â A liquor license is a couple of weeks away and they have plans to keep the place open to 2 on the weekends with live music and dancing. Â All this food AND Puerto Rican Rum AND booty shaking? Â It's about to be on & poppin' - literally! Â Even though we didn't have room for dessert, the owner gave my friend a huge container of freshly made sofrito just because it came up in conversation. Â And, oh yeah, tax & tip came out to $30 a person. Â That's right.
There is no other place in Chicago one should go for Puerto Rican food. Â Great decor, nice music, friendly service, COOL owner and fantastic food. Â Â Man, I am getting hungry again just thinking about it. Â Come here and bring me along. Â Think of it as a finder's fee.
A really nice addition to the neighborhood .Really good Jibbarito sandwiches (Sandwhiches with plantain instead of bread ) The lechon (pork) was perfectly seasoned and tender  .Service was friendly and prompt .The location is very roomy and nicely decorated with Puerto Rican Art everywhere and spacy booths .Prices and portions  are pretty good .Nice to know next time i get a P.rican food craving I dont have to drive all the way to Humboldt Park to get my Fix .
Review Source:I came here to eat after visiting my friend's church which is nearby. Sunday morning with no one there the service was terrible. Unequivocally, I'm not going to try to sugar coat it. We were the only people there and the waitress came didn't come by at all except to drop things off or take our order. The worst part is that she was literally no more then 10 feet from us wrapping silverware. Hello? can I get a table touch? see if we need anything? Especially since it took over an hour for our food to start showing up. Eventually others came in but left just as quickly, mostly because they waited up front but didn't get seated. I would give this place 2 stars because the food wasn't bad-although I was extremely hungry after waiting for so long that I'm sure I would have eaten anything, but they also charge for refills on soft drinks. That's a definite no-no, and drops this place down more so than it was already.
Review Source:I really like this place. The food is good. When looking for a nice sit down Puerto Rican restaurant your options are limited. You get tired of the same restaurants you've been going to so you need a bit of change. Cafe 787 offers that  bit of change in their menu and ambiance. Don't get me wrong the place isn't upscale but it's cute. The decor is contemporary with Puerto Rican art displayed. I ordered the Jibarita which is a sandwich comprised of Platano maduro (ripe plantians) in place of bread and your choice of meat. One thing I love that they use in place of regular mayo is this spread which taste much like catalina dressing. I know sounds weird but it's awesome!
Overall the food is good and the ambiance is casual. I would definitely recommend the place.
Wonderful place that calls itself "pan-boriquen" - which I think means Puertorican fusion? Â Whatever it is, the food is wonderful. Â We went really early on a Saturday evening (like 5:30) and were the only people in there, but I hear that it gets busy later when the music starts.
We had some tostones with seasoned chicken and guacamole that were delicious to start. Â (And HUGE!). Â I got the garlic shrimp with rice and beans and sweet plantains and my husband had the house special "lasagna" - plantains, cheese and seasoned beef. Â Everything was really good and the price was very reasonable.
The only thing I would suggest they improve on is service - they are friendly, but slow and I got mango juice instead of pineapple that I ordered. Â I am hoping this place sticks around because you can never go wrong with roasted chicken and tasty plantains in my book! Â They also do brunch on the weekends, which we will definitely be back for.
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