Everyone knows about Chicago's Italian beef and deep dish. Fewer people know the city also invented one of the best sandwiches in the country: the jibarito (hee-bah-REE-toe).
What it is
Take a green plantain, slice it lengthwise, fry it, smash it flat, and fry it again until it's crisp. Use two of those slabs as the bread. Fill them with thin-sliced steak, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a generous amount of garlic mayo.
The result is crunchy, salty, garlicky and very filling. It's one sandwich that doesn't need fries.
Where it came from
The jibarito was invented in 1996 at a Puerto Rican restaurant in Chicago's Humboldt Park, inspired by a plantain sandwich from Puerto Rico. The name comes from jíbaro, a word for a rural Puerto Rican countryman. It spread across the city's Puerto Rican and Latino neighborhoods, and today you'll find versions everywhere from Paseo Boricua to the Loop.
How to order
- Start with the classic steak. Most places also offer chicken, pork (lechón) or ham.
- Add a side of arroz con gandules, rice with pigeon peas, for the full meal.
- Eat it right away. Plantains are best when they're hot and crisp.
Where to get one
- Borinquen Lounge: run by the family of the jibarito's inventor. This is the source.
- Jibaritos y Más: the biggest jibarito menu in town and a crowd favorite. Try the skirt-steak churrasco version.
- Omarcito's Latin Cafe: often ranked the best in the city, with perfectly seasoned steak and vinegary onions.
- The Jibarito Stop: the most convenient jibarito downtown, in the Loop.
- Smash Jibarito: a modern twist on Paseo Boricua that puts a smash burger between the plantains.
- Cafe Central: a long-running Puerto Rican diner close to downtown, with a crisp-edged version.
Make a day of it
Paseo Boricua, the stretch of Division Street in Humboldt Park framed by two giant steel Puerto Rican flags, is the heart of Puerto Rican Chicago. Walk it, then head to nearby Logan Square for dessert at Margie's Candies.
The jibarito is #6 on our list of 20 foods to eat in your first year in Chicago. Thinking about moving to Humboldt Park or Logan Square? ChicagoApartmentBuildings.com covers apartment buildings on that side of town.