If you want really tasty authentic Puerto Rican food in Chicago this is the place to come. Â I've had the alcapurrias, the mofogo w/shrimp, rice/beans/bistec, all of which are well made and full of flavor. Â It's probably better to call ahead for the food order as the place is small and it does get crowded. Â
I'm hooked.
Fan of pollo guisado? Â Come to Ponce!
Ponce serves up the BEST pollo guisao that I've ever had (flavorful sauce, lots of chicken and yummy potatoes). Â It's also served with either rice and beans or the yellow rice. Â At $7, this is a STEAL.
My bf has been a fan of their steak jibaritos since forever. (Like...since high school.) They're also a steal at $4 and, even though they don't come with rice, you can add an order for less than $2, I think. Â They also have an assortment of $1 "appetizers" like relleno de papa (meat stuffed potato ball), empandas and alcapurria (fried plantain ball filled with meat). Â
And passion fruit juice. Â Don't forget that.
Food comes out fast! Â Even though it's usually crowded in here, you never have to wait long for food! Â Great home-y atmosphere with friendly waitresses. Â This is one of my favs!
I introduced my boyfriend to this place a couple of months ago and ever since, he ALWAYS wants to go there. Honestly the BEST puerto Rican food I have ever tasted. The jibbaritos are on POINT! They have so much flavor to their food you would definitely be surprised. Only problem is its very small, and when it gets busy the wait on your order takes about 45 mins BUT on the bright side your food is freshly cooked and super Hot. I can't complain it's an overall amazing place and the employees there already know who we are and what we want to eat haha.
Review Source:Okay, so I don't eat much of my own food and everyone talks poop about it. I usually go to one place when I crave Puerto Rican food but I'm not too fond of that place anymore. Today I came here, not my first time might I add. I ordered octopus salad which only one other restaurant I know carries that. It was so yummy! The octopus was tender not over cooked which is a trick not everyone can master. This place has amazing pasteles. They are full of meat, flavor, and just the right tenderness, only place I'll eat them from. Sorullos were delicious, sweet to the right degree :-) Â Lechon sandwich was mouth watering. Morcilla has a good spice to it. My son loves their arroz con gandules, he inhaled it!! (He's 5) he loves his own food yet I dont know how to make it :-( Â jibarito de bistec is yummy but I'll always prefer my mothers.
So yes, if you want real authentic Puerto Rican food it HAS to be from here! No lie. They even have bacalao con verdura! SHUT UP!
I'm going to take a nap now because this food had given me food coma.
Goodnight
Wow! Look at all of those 5-star reviews! I feel kinda bad breaking that streak... but I've got to tell the truth. My experience wasn't all that.
Ponce is a small space, largely occupied by a counter. The outside door opens and allows gusts of chilly winter air throughout the entire restaurant (I know because I sat as far back as I possibly could). I kept my winter coat on the entire time.
My friend recommended Ponce because she said that the prices for jibaritos (my favorite!!!) were less expensive than Borinquen. She was right... and she was wrong. The thing is, their jibaritos are $4, but that's all you get. No rice or beans. You have to pay extra for every side. Borinquen might be more pricey, but you get a whole meal.
We placed our order at the counter and then went to sit down. Our food was brought to us a few minutes later. When we finished, we went up to the counter and paid. We weren't given a bill at the table.
Their system was a bit unusual and some direction would have been nice. For example, I would have liked for them to tell me, "You can go sit down and we'll bring your food to you." Then, when they brought the food, they should have given me the bill so that I could pay it when I finished.
The food wasn't that great. I prefer the jibaritos at Borinquen. There wasn't enough mayonnaise and the garlic was on the outside of the plantains. It made my hands greasy and garlicky as I ate. I didn't like that at all.
This is my #1 choice for puerto rican restaurants in Chicago!
Love, love, love!
The morcilla is awesome, lechon and bistec too. The rice is good. Alcapurrias and relleno de papa r always hot and fresh.
Everything tastes just how it's supposed to, in my opinion.
The ladies behind the counter are very nice but it gets packed in here easily bc it's tiny inside. (I'd say 10 or less tables in the entire restaurant)
Ponce is the #1 thing I missed when I moved :-(
Don't waste your time @ sabor Latino or borinquen, ponce is better, cleaner and much cheaper!
We've been going to this place for years. Their food is the best! We only take out, so I cannot comment on the dine in experience.
With our change of diet to healthier foods, we don't eat here as often, but tend to go when the kids desperately want to eat some rice and beans. It's very affordable, and we don't mind cheating by eating their mixtas.
My family and I went on a Sunday and it was packed. This location is very small and has few tables but it is work the wait. My sister and I split an acapurria and it was very flavorful. We all ordered a jibarito with either arroz con habichulas or guandules. It was all great food but unfortunately they do not accept credit cards. The sign for cash only is super small and I literally had to scan the entire place to find it. The price was less then $10 a person but unlike many of the other PR restaurants you had to order the rice and beans separate.
*There is a ATM at the laundry mat. When you walk out of the Restaurant go left and you will see a small ATM sign down the block*
Call ahead if you want to dine in. Cause if you go and order to dine in it will take over an hour to get your food.
We waited close to 45 min to get our food to come out. Its a small shack, I think the best thing to do is order to go. The food was ok, wish they had maduros like we wanted, or piononos or the sorullo with cheese.... I mean come on. It was only like 1pm too its not like we came in at closing time.
I know its a small location, and I'm not really sure how long they have been there, and it was my first visit.
** Chuletas did taste good **
My husband and I went here for lunch one day. We'd never had Puerto Rican food and we were dying to try it. We both had jibaritos and we had some fried appetizers to start. The appetizers were good, but the jibarito was my favorite part! It was so delicous. The deep fried plaintains and the mayo and cheese oozing out of the sandwich. So good! Defiintely not healthy, but extremely delicious nonetheless. Everyone was so helpful when we were ordering too...definitely had a very welcoming vibe. A lot of the regulars were ordering some sort of soup that they only have on the weekends, so my husband ordered some soup to go. It was a potato and maybe pork tendon type soup. My husband said it was pretty tasty. If we're ever in the neighborhood again, I'd definitely go back to have another jibarito. Yum!
Review Source:We went here with a friend on her recommendation. I've had PR food before and this place really hits the spot. The cafe con leche was delicious - that's how the coffee comes so if you want it black you have to ask. We had a variety of appetizers including the meat pie and yuca stuffed with meat. All three of us had the Steak Jabirito. It was very good. Meat was tender, well seasoned and plenty of garlic. The rice was also delicious. This is not a place to go if you're going to worry about fat, everything is fried and greasy but soooo good. I did not realize it was cash only - luckily I had cash.
Review Source:Ponce has delicious food. I give it that 100%.
The alcapurrias and pasteles? Probably the best thing that could ever happen to my tummy. BUT WHY are they now such small portions! They used to be regular sized and now they are definitely smaller disappointing portions.
Minus a star because they only take cash (the sign for this was on the side of the counter behind the CD case with the lingerie girls in thongs on the album covers) and because they told me I can get cash from an ATM at the gas station (which was a lie, I had to go to 3 different places).
But again, the food is delish and I recommend it to anyone, just make sure you order plenty and pay cash $$$!!!
Tried this place as I saw a couple of fellow yelpers raved about the authenticity of the food here. And all the reviews are definitely on point. I had flashback's to the 80's eating at Abuela's house every weekend. The appetizers are the best i've ever had at a PR restaurant. The alcapurrias were hot out of the oil and the pork was tasty and plentiful and the shell was crispy and light. The relleno de papa was also fresh and the potato coating was perfect as well and had a good beef filling. And the platters didn't disappoint either. I had the pork chops in salsa and the chops were a good size, cooked to perfection, and the salsa was perfect, not too salty, not too bland. And the arroz con habichuelas were great, the rice was perfect and the soup beans were also crackalicious. My guest had the steak jibarito and the arroz con gandules. I had a sample of both and they were also winners. And it's ridiculously cheap as well, for 3 alcapurrias, 2 relleno de papa, the 2 platters, and 3 cokes it was all $26 bucks! As one other yelper said, this is the closest you'll get to eating on the island, And I do have a picky pallet when it comes to my native cuisine.
Review Source:Ponce is my favorite Puerto Rican restaurant in Chicago! Â Anytime I am anywhere close to this neighborhood, I always stop in for their Arroz Con Gandules and a Pastelillos (think big Beef Empanada)! I live 30 minutes away and am more than willing to drive over there when I or my teenage boys are craving their yummy comfort food. The prices are also the lowest too. $1 for a huge empanada - most places on the North side charge $3-5 for 2 little ones that are dry and tasteless compared with Ponce's Pastelillos.
Review Source:Ponce is a cozy, friendly place with delicious food at astonishingly low prices. Â My wife and I had heard about the jibaritos, but the alcapurria is my fantastic find of the week! It is kind of like a pork empanada, but the wrapper is green plantain... I think. I'm not 100% clear on this. What is crystal clear is that it was the most delicious $1 I've spent in a long time!
The $4 jibaritos were good, but not as good as the alcapurria. Â They came to the table with a blast of garlic, so it was a bit surprising that they tasted a bit bland. Â I wanted more garlic, more seasoning o th steak, maybe some lime. Â But, come on! Â Indexed for price, this was a great sandwich. Â I'm being too picky, I know.
Some other reviewers are blasting the interior design. Â The counter does make Ponce look like a no-tables late night hangover mitigating grease dive. Â But once you get past the counter, there are some nice little unpretentious-but-cute tables, surrounded by a nice shade of orange on the walls.
this is my favorite puerto rican restaurant in chicago!!!!!! Â anytime i am anywhere close to this neighborhood, i always stop in for their arroz con gandules and an alcapurria! Â also love their relleno de papas. Â great prices and mmmmm, so good! Â i want to stop in right now... :)
i should mention that this is not the best place to get a great jibarito (steak sandwich with plantains for the "bread" portion)...that would be borinquen. Â but everything else is amazing here! Â don't forget that it's cash only here and great for take-out!
looking for puerto rican food thats authentic, cheap and great? This is it ..very tiny spot with a handful of tables that only takes cash and closes relatively early, but man if u can deal with all of that (and its not such a big deal to deal with it, after all) u are in for a treat!  The jibarito (steak sandwich on platano) is terrific.. perfectly seasoned  and only $4! There is a medium sized variety of other things on the menu -some more expensive but hey, they have $1 alcupurria (stuffed banana dumplings) and papa rellenos (stuffed potato balls)  Not a take your folks out for dinner to a snazzy joint kind of place, but if u want good food -cheap- here ya go
Review Source:This is a real crappy place (look wise), well they did remodel it...not that big of a difference, but the service is slow, I eat there sometimes, there appitizers are good, acapuria, relleno de papa etc. (sorry if i didnt spell them right) but those are good, there meals are so so. I ordered a jibarito and it was hard!! i mean like a rock! the meat was gummy and they put too much garlic..!! $7.00 down the drain! but the appitizers...mmmmm so good!
Review Source:This is one of my favorite weekend lunch places. The ride is about 30 minutes, since I live on the south side. The ride is totally worth it. I always have a jibarito with rice and a soda. The jibarito is four dollars, and it's delicious! The restaurant is nothing beautiful. It's just a small place, but the food is what counts. Just writing this review is making me extremely hungry! I really recommend this restaurant if you want authentic P.R food.
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