Galapagos Cafe

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  i love this place!  i was so sad when I saw that it closed (irving park rd) and ecstatic when I found out it wasn't really closed just relocated.  this place has the BEST carne asade that I've ever had.  I spread it with the spicy red sauce they have on the table and ask for extra avocados and mmmmmmm!  We love the sushi as well.  The service was a bit leisurely but I really didn't mind.  The waiter served us with smiles and was very welcoming.  the bananas tempura for dessert is to die for!!

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  Posted on 08.06.12 Lisa L.

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  The food here is AMAZING.  My family and myself are all from Ecuador and I really appreciate this place is around to give us a little taste of home.  We visit often.  The food here is authentically home-made.  Hence, this translates to waiting longer than you might expect but it's completely worth it!!  I have recently ordered "Camarones a la plancha".  So far, it's my favorite dish.  If you love seafood, I recommend it.  In general, if you love sea food and food prepared with great care, I recommend this place.

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  Posted on 05.15.12 Gabriela Xandra N.

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  The food was great - my wife and I shared the Galapagos Maki, which was fantastic, not to mention very large.  I also had the breaded fried chicken with fries and a basic lettuce salad, which was very tasty.  My wife enjoyed her steamed vegetable plate.
  
  We had no problems with the service as some of the others seemed to have.  Our waiter was attentive enough, kept our waters full and we received what we ordered.  As some of the others mentioned, the interior decor is plain, but clean.  
  
  I definitely would go back and recommend others to try the sushi - it is worth it, and is sold at a very reasonable price for such a large portion.  It was of similar quality to the specialty Japanese sushi restaurants.

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  Posted on 03.03.12 Keith A.

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  Hubby and I decided to try this place after finding our favorite Korean place across the street was closed for good, R.I.P. San Chae Dol Sot, you will be missed!
  
  We walked into the empty restaurant expecting to be warmly welcomed instead we found 2 workers sitting with their back to the door watching t.v., after standing there awkwardly for a minute they slowly stood up and went behind the counter, not really acknowledging us besides glancing at us oddly.
  
  Our waiter slowly got 2 menus for us and slowly walked over to us, I felt like apologizing for interrupting their TV time, that is how unenthusiastic they were to see us. He then mumbled, where did we want to sit. We picked a table and sat down, he gave us our menus and walked away, returning shortly with 2 glasses of water.
  
  Let me say this place has a very odd decor, some classy touches such as a couple fresh carnations in a nice tall vase on the table are nice. The tables are roomy and the place was clean. Other than that there is an odd mish mosh of things that don't really go together or make sense.
  
  We had a hard time deciding what to eat since half the menu is sushi and the other half is Ecuadorian food and it is hard to wrap your mind around this flavor combination. We were very wary of the sushi side because with no customers, there was a good chance the fish was not terribly fresh. So we were left with the Ecuadorian side, after 10 minutes our waiter came back and we asked the waiter what he recommended. Apparently he didn't speak English so he had to get the cook to come take our order. I then asked the cook what he recommended, he pointed out the 2 most expensive items on the menu and mentioned a Lobster dish that wasn't even on the menu,,,,hmmm...I am noticing a pattern here.
  
  Hubby asked about the Broiled Chicken breast, he said he wouldn't recommend it but that he could get the grilled chicken...also not on the menu....ok.
  
  At this point we were ready to leave so I told him we needed more time. He walked away and went to the back and we decided to just leave, as we got up we signaled to him that we were going to go and he smiled and said ok. I think he was relieved, I don't really know what to say but the water was great!

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  Posted on 01.26.12 Rebekah H.

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  Our visit to the Galapagos Cafe was kind of odd. Several of the food items I tried to order were not available (not a good sign). I ended up with a meat and mashed potato appetizer, whose name escapes me and a bowl of chicken soup. The appetizer was pretty good, but the chicken soup sucked canal water.
  
  Christopher had the carne asada and his meal was very good and nicely presented. We also enjoyed the plantain chips, but they were rather skimpy on the sauce they served with it.
  
  The decor is very stark. It was clean, but could use some pizazz. The long wall on the east side was decorated by two sword fish models that looked like they were intended to decorate Barbie's Dream House rather than a human sized store. They really need to decorate a bit.
  
  As we didn't try any sushi, I can't give too detailed a review.  We may come back sometime, but I can't  imagine why.

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  Posted on 09.27.11 Pam D.

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  I was very happy about this place!  The interior is clean and tidy and the service was just lovely.  I ordered the tilapia with coconut sauce and it was outstanding.  The fried plantain chips, empanadas and other appetizers were equally delicious.  This is a place just waiting to get discovered.  BYOB also!

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  Posted on 08.23.11 Kennen M.

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