Tropicuba - Chicago

A charming local Cuban restaurant! I ordered the rabo encendido, and it was incredibly tender and hearty. The croquettes were also delightful. Additionally, they treated us to some complimentary empanadas, which were among the best we’ve ever tasted.

The menu is extensive and of high quality, but I must mention that the yucca fries are the best I've ever had in the city! Everything is made fresh to order, so it does take a little time to get your food, but I wouldn't want it any other way. It's definitely one of my favorite spots when I'm in the area.

Delicious food! The service was a bit slow, but definitely worth the wait. I highly recommend the cheese and guava empanadas as well as the carne guisado. I also suggest placing your order in advance. The only reason I didn't give this place 5 stars is because of the parking situation. They really need a parking lot, as it can be tough to find parking in the surrounding neighborhood—I had to park a block away.

I want to give a special shout out to the owner of this establishment. I placed an order through uber eats. On my jibarito order I had to chose a cheese, it was required. Otherwise, I couldn 't add it to my cart. My daughter has a dairy allergy and can 't have cheese. So I made sure to put in the notes section of the jibarito and in the notes sections for the overall order "No Cheese Please...I had to choose a cheese to add it but No Cheese. Once the restaurant accepted the order, I called them to confirm they saw the notes regarding No cheese. The young woman confirmed and said there would be no cheese. Well, when we received our order there was cheese on it. I called back and spoke to the young woman again. She sincerely apologized and said I could come pick up a new one. I explained I am 5 miles away and have no vehicle at the moment. She took my number and called the owner. 3 minutes later she called asking for my address and said he would drive it to me and offered another sincere apology. Sure enough he delivered my daughter 's jibarito made the correct way in a thunder and lightening storm. I was irritated that after making sure they saw the notes that her sandwich still had cheese but he more than made up for it. Thank you very much for the great customer service in resolving this issue.

For my money, Chicago’s Cuban eateries provide some of the best value meals in town. On this visit, I stopped in at Tropicuba with my daughter, who lives nearby. We were in search of a quick breakfast before heading to a morning class we had booked. Tropicuba hit the mark with a super tasty, affordable and substantial bacon and egg sandwich and a delicious cafe con leche to get me going. Service was prompt and attentive. Definitely looking forward to going back when I’m not in a rush to try a Cuban sandwich and some of the many tempting sides on offer.