Ever heard of a jibarito, much less had one? I had never heard of them and was unfamiliar with Puerto Rican food until the Chicago Redditors suggested tourists try it out. Boy, did the hype not disappoint at The Jibarito Stop. LOGISTICS As a tourist staying downtown near Millennium Park, this was easy to get to via the Pink Loop CTA line. The shop is super close to the stop and they have a good amount of seating indoors, though larger groups may struggle with getting seats together. You order at the front, but they will bring your food to the table. Drinking water is available for free. FOOD True to its name... they have Jibaritos here, which are Puerto Rican sandwiches where fried plantain are used instead of bread with a protein choice. The name also seems specific to Chicago as they are not part of typical Puerto Rican cuisine, but nonetheless they are DELICIOUS. All Jibarito options come with the choice of rice (red beans and rice or yellow rice). They also come in a "full" and "half size"... if I'm being honest the "full size" is really just two separate "half size" sandwiches. A half sandwich is plenty with a lot of protein. If you can share with someone else and order a "full" jibarito, it should still come as 2 separate sandwiches and then you have room to try another time in the menu. Steak Jibarito (Full Portion) w/ Yellow Rice: This was my favorite thing I ate during my Chicago visit, it was a good balance of sweet and savory. The steak is thinly sliced, not too chewy, and goes well with the creamy garlic sauce they put on it. The greens also made it refreshing. The plantains are also thin with a little crisp and chew and add a little bit of sweetness. However you need to really grab onto the sandwich with both hands to ensure it doesn't fall apart. Yellow rice was also really good with some beans in it for extra protein. I think it's cooked with a broth since it was flavorful on its own. Fritter Sampler: This was a great mix of fried goodies to taste. First the dough on the empanadas was light and crisp in texture. Fillings were generous on all of them - very flavorful with a variety of spices. My favorite was the shrimp one that had a bit of kick, and I think it was filled with either pumpkin/squash or a potato? Although it came with one of each, every fritter was really big and easily shareable between 2 people. I struggled to finish my half, especially with that large potato ball filled ground beef. Fritters also came with 2 sauces... an orange-ish spicy sauce and cilanto cirtus salsa that was delicious. Be sure to pour them onto the fritters as you eat them! OVERALL Great food for the price and portions! My partner and I were stuffed between the fritter sampler and full size portion of Jibarito. I am really happy I ventured out of the main downtown area to check this place out. As a tourist and first timer when it came to Puerto Rican food... this place was amazing! Jibaritos have become my new food obsession and I will be planning on coming back for more next time I'm in Chicago. Skip the hot dogs and pizzas, do not sleep on Puerto Rican food and The Jibarito Stop delivers on flavor!

usually not a fan of jibaritos but i was willing to give it a second chance, and it did not disappoint! i got the vegan jibarito and the filling had so much flavor and was extremely delicious, it was really rich and the sauce on it was so good, i dont know what was in it but it was really creamy and flavorful. the plantain was hard which is something i was hoping for, instead it as sturdy enough to hold the fillings together but not too hard to chew. it doesn't really reheat well so i'd probably get a half instead of full one next time. i also tried the arroz con gandules from a friend's plate and it was really flavorful plus not too salty and tastes just right. additionally the white rice i was given was not plain! it was slightly seasoned so it was a step above plain rice. finally we had the parcha, which was the perfect sweetness, although i wish it was a little more tart! although you have to order at the front before sitting down, they do bring your food to your table and we're super kind. the store itself is pretty small but it seems like they mainly get delivery orders so there is likely always a place to sit.

my first time ever trying puerto rican food, specifically JIBARITOS, and it did not disappoint!!!! i was researching what kind of food to try in chicago during our weekend there and saw a lot of people recommend jibaritos. we also went to sky deck and saw that jibaritos were basically born here and obviously after seeing a picture of it and seeing that it was a sandwich that uses flattened crispy plantains as buns (note: i LOVE plantains....) so i HAD to try it THAT DAY LOL we decided to go to the jibarito stop because it was in the area that we were exploring that day and i had heard good things about this place (unfortunately the other place ppl recommended was too out of the way) but thats okay because this place was DELICIOUS and i loved that they offered a half portion of the sandwich which was the perfect size for me (and so i could try other things like the yucca fries i see people rave about lol) there was plenty of street parking when we got there and there was a good deal of people already eating there. we ordered on the ordering tablet they have (but you can also order at the register) and you get a number for your table for them to deliver the food to you we got the steak jibarito, pulled pork plate with plantains, and yucca fries and everything was delicious!! the food didnt take too long to come out and we got to sit on their patio on such a beautiful day which made it all the more better. my steak jibarito came with rice (i chose the yellow one) and i opted for no mayo on mine but it was still amazing! it comes with a lot of sliced beef and the plantains maintained their crispiness the entire time i was eating the sandwich. the lettuce and tomato also offered a nice refreshing crisp which i always appreciate in a sandwich. they also spread a bit of garlic on top which really took it to another level. this was also my first time trying puerto rican rice and it was good!! well seasoned & cooked and had some veggies in it which was nice. my bf got the pulled pork plate and thought it was good but A LOT of food. he said the pork was a bit dry but it was still pretty good. he wishes he also got the jibarito though after seeing it and getting a little taste of mine hahah the yucca fries were already really good!! they were super duper crispy and fantastic with the garlic oil and sauce that came with it. there were some strands of yucca that were difficult to eat and i wouldve liked it to be cooked slightly longer so the insides are softer & more pillowy but it was still a great first time trying it! overall 10/10!!!! i love jibaritos so much, they might be one of my favorite foods along with tacos now. so now i have to find a place to rival that of chicago's in la!

This has been one of my FAVORITE Puerto Rican restaurants for YEARS, but recently they added a VEGAN MENU!!!! Yes - VEGAN PUERTO RICAN FOOD and it's SO GOOD!!! Since I don't eat pork or beef, I tend to miss out on some of my Puerto Rican foods that I used to love but what they offer?!? I forgot that I wasn't eating meat! The STK Mofongo was heavenly! Those plantain mash with all the flavors and seasonings, all the garlic - my goodness!!!! The vegan appetizers were super good too!!! The empanada was my favorite- cheese, sweet plantains and "beef." I could eat a whole basket of them! And of course I had to get a chicken jibarito bc it's one of my favorite foods! Their chicken is so well seasoned and moist! If you want AUTHENTIC Puerto Rican food with some CRAZY GOOD VEGAN PUERTO RICAN FOOD options - get here and tell em that Bri from Planes and Plates sent you!

The Jibarito Stop is AH-MAZING! Get to this place pronto if you want delicious authentic Puerto Rican food! I had their steak jibarito which was PHENOMENAL! Also enjoyed their fritter place with all their empanadas, their relleno was outstanding! This cute little spot is intimate, but has a decent amount of seating if you would like to dine in. The service was great, I was greeted with a smile and my food came out relatively quickly! Definitely would highly recommend!

4.5 stars. This space has tons of character that a taco bell does not even contemplate on a wet dream(see pics). Let's start with the great tasting rice infused with the broth it was boiled in - excellent! The guava drink is both sweet and not sour with the guava flavor coming out just right. As for the Jibarito, it's like a premium burger because it's steak vs ground beef but I've had better(thus the 4.5 stars). The plantain(as opposed to bread) means you can eat without feeling guilty. Portions here are large with a real chill staff. Overall a great value proposition.

The food here seems to always be good. Short line, place order and grab a table number. Super efficient. I'm honest I have limited my options of trying here only because the roast pork was my first love. So I think outside of that I've only tried the empanadas. Good good good. Give 'em a try.

Fantastic Puerto Rican place that offers flavors new to my American palate! This was the pork stew. I love the cheese beef bake. I also recommend the chicken rice and of course the jibaritos!