Señor Pan Café

1327.83 MILES TO HAVANA!

I can't legally go there but I can visit Cuba through Mexico or Canada.  So instead of making our government mad I have to go to Senor Pan, in order to get my fill on Cuban food.  The best part is that I do not need a passport or have to clear customs to have some of the best cuban food around.

This is there second location and I am so happy about this because it saves me from having to drive to the Northwest side of Chicago.  The only downside is that this location does not have a parking lot like the original location.  The upside is that they both have the same amazing food.

My wife and I have lived in Miami for a couple of short stints and we loved our Cuban food.  Chicago was severely lacking any good Cuban food but that has changed over the last  couple of years.  This is quickly becoming one of our favorites because the food is delicious and they do not charge you an arm and a leg to buy it.

On our most recent visit I decided to try the Ropa vieja empanada and I was blown away.  My wife who is not an empanada fan tried taking it on me but I put a good move on her and was able to pull it away without much of a scene.  It was honestly one of the best empanandas I have ever had.  I am also a huge fan of ropa veija and it is very hard to find a good one in Chicago.

I also always love starting with a Large Cafe con Leche.  It is my favorite coffee and it is very hard to find in Chicago unless you do go to a Cuban Restaurant.  I loved how in Miami all of the old Cuban men will walk up and get there coffee from the window and then stand around outside drinking and talking.  It reminds me of every espresso bar in Sicily.  This was the original coffee shops.  People actually stood around and mingled...they didn't sit in a coffee shop typing on there smart device sucking up the free wifi.  Give me an old world experience over coffee any day.  My only complaint here is how HOT the Cafe con Leche is.  I typically can finally start drinking it on the ride home...luckily they serve it in a togo cup even if your eating in.

You are probably going to laugh at me but my favorite Cuban item is the Cubano Sandwich.  I just love it.  It is like the first toasted sandwich I think I ever had as a kid a long long time ago and it is one of those memories I will have forever.  Now in the past, finding a good one in Chicago was a very difficult task.  This location knows how to make a delicious one.  I must also say that the roasted pork and smoked ham are amazing.  They are juicy and break away so easy with every bite.  I hate it when the pork is fatty and I have experienced that with other restaurants in Chicago but not here.  The sandwich also comes in two sizes too.  I always get the large one because I can take the other half home and eat it the next day.  Yum yum Cuban food two days in a row for me.

My wife loves the flat thin grilled chicken steak with onions.  I also love it too.  This is probably my second favorite dish but I never have to order it because my wife can never finish hers, so I can come in and clean up the leftovers.  The dish also comes with black beans and rice, which I love to mix together.  The rice is also really good here too.  The dish also comes with Plantains. On our most recent visit the Plantains were not very good.  We told the manager and she went in back and apologized because the plantains were not ripe yet.  She offered to make us more but we told her no.  She handed us a container on our way out with freshly made plantains.  It was a nice gesture from the manager but unfortunately they still were not right when we tried the at home.  I can not give them bad marks for this because the plantains were always really good on previous visits and the manager tried to fix it.

This is one of my favorite Cuban restaurants in Chicago and I love that they have two locations to serve me.  The food and cafe con leche are always amazing and I can hardly wait to come back for more!

Sandwiches are Delicious!

I finally used my Yelp deal. This is a nice little spot. The prices are reasonable.  You can eat in or pick up. The young lady who served me was nice and helpful. I started with the empanadas trio: chicken , shredded beef and ground beef- I thoroughly enjoyed them all. Also: Boliche, which is roast eye of round Cuban style with gravy with a side of yellow rice and fried green plantains-pretty good. The meat was very tender. It was just a tad bit on the salty side. To be fair, I really limit my salt intake so I'm probably more sensitive to it. I washed this down with a champagne cola which I was told is just Cuban soda. It tasted like a cream soda . I finished with the star of my visit: guava cheesecake. Very creamy and quite tasty. I really really enjoyed the cheesecake. Soo, I'm sure I'll be making my way back over here.