Chicago is known by many to be a fantastic food city. There are Michelin-starred restaurants and James Beard award-winning chefs offering delicious food options on just about every corner. You can find high-quality versions of just about any type of cuisine you’re looking for. It’s also known for originating a number of great offerings. The most popular include deep dish pizza, Italian beef, and the Chicago-style hot dog. One other fantastic dish that got its start in Chicago, Illinois, is far less known, but if you haven’t heard of the jibarito, you’re going to want to continue reading.

Borinquen Lounge is a small restaurant that offers traditional Puerto Rican food, seven days a week.
Fuzzy Gerdes/Flickr
It's located in the North Center neighborhood of the city, a popular area that has a wide variety of delicious food styles including American, German, Korean, and more.
Tripp/Flickr
The delicious jibarito got its start at Borinquen Restaurant, a sister location to Borinquen Lounge. Restaurateur Juan "Peter" Figueroa started serving it in 1996.
stu_spivak/Flickr

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The jibarito has typical fillings that usually include meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and aioli. What makes it stand apart is that flattened green plantains stand in for bread on the outside of the sandwich.
Borinquen Restaurant/Facebook
If the jibarito is not your cup of tea, they offer tons of other great Puerto Rican classics like tostones Rellenos, camaron con tostones, and mofongo.
Borinquen Restaurant/Facebook
The restaurant is a welcoming space where you can enjoy all kinds of delicious dishes -- but don't forget to sample the jibaritos!
Borinquen Restaurant/Facebook

 

For the most recent menu offerings and hours of availability, be sure to check out the Borinquen Lounge website. Their Facebook page is also an active space for helpful updates.

Have you ever tried the original jibarito at Borinquen Lounge? How did it stack up to other Illinois foods? Feel free to give your full opinion in the comments below.

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