La Cocina Boricua de la Familia Galarza

The wonderful and warm staff at La Cocina Boricua made my birthday evening a night I will not forget.

My party of 24 (!) and I enjoyed the cozy ambiance, great homemade food and impeccable service last Saturday night. Patty and her family put together a menu to suit our taste buds and my finances and delivered impeccably.

Half-way through the dinner, Patty called the restaurant to make sure we were having a good evening since she couldn't be there. You won't get that kind of personal service at generic Lettuce Entertain You restaurants, that's for sure.

Chicago needs more restaurants and restaurant owners like this. And Chicagoans need to support and enjoy establishments like this.

Will definitely be back!

First service ask what we wanted to drink and before hearing the answer walked away.

It went downhill from there.

After each menu item it is stated clearly: served with rice and soup

Ours were not delivered to the table.

When we ask about it, we were given attitude - and even after that, our table service was not checked on.

I've been to Puerto Rico, and you know how like Waffle House is a kinda low budget interpretation of quality home cooked diner food in the US - well this place's food was  like that to Puerto Rican food.  Throwing a couple slices of tomato in some half mashed avocado is a SAD excuse for guacamole, wherever you are in the world.  Serving crap between two fried plantains does not make it authentic, or good.

When presented with the bill, after cutting items out of the table service - we were not offered a discount, but simply more disrespectful attitude by the host and dishwasher...upon sitting back down at the table, I questioned myself about my communication ability; and they speak english just find, and I understand slow spanish....so no that wasn't it.  

You know those places that Gordon Ramsey goes in "Kitchen Nightmares" - yea, this is like one of those places.  A place that could be great - but has lost all vision for it - or maybe once was great and got their head big over it.

A wonderful ending to our visit was being followed out the door and told to 'don't come back' after writing a note on my receipt about the service.  I guess you're not allowed to provide feedback to la Familia Galarza, still would love to see Gordon get out a few f bombs.

This is the best Puerto Rican food in the city hands down. They make awesome everything but I don't know what anything is called. The soup they start the meal with is great.

It has chicken in it.

Would it be much of a stretch to call it chicken soup?

I also like the steak sandwich. I'm sure its called something cooler. So i will call it el carne sandwichet. Is that close? Don't stab me.

The atmosphere is nice, the decor is kind of cheese but i really only come in here for the food. I don't understand why restaurants like Kumas get all sorts of coverage but nothing for this place. Or else there has been and I'm out of the loop. Shit I'm nowhere near the loop. I live in Aurora.

Aurora for you city folks is out west. Not quite to California but the way people never visit me you would think its that far away.

So come eat here. Its BYOB. Don't drink mine though.