Borinquen Lounge

Borinquen Lounge, formerly Borinquen Restaurant, is where the jibarito was adapted by Juan C. Figueroa in 1996 in Humboldt Park. For that, we are forever grateful. The “Home of the Jibarito” remains the standard, making it nearly impossible to decide between the original steak, lechón, grilled chicken, fried chicken, or vegetarian. It’s so nice, they had to do it twice, so they also serve the jibarita, which uses maduros instead of the savory green plantains used for the jibarito. Both come topped with a slightly creamy garlic oil that takes the already flavorful sandwich to another level. That’s with or without the side of accompanying arroz con gandules, which are comforting enough to be a meal on their own.