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Category: Latin American [Edit]
Neighborhood: Humboldt ParkMon-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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This place is da bomb!
My favorite P.R. place in the city (even if some say it's Dominican - whatevs - I don't care if it's Haitian, it's damn good). And what's best about it is that since it's a cafeteria style setup with the food sitting in large trays, you can eat immediately. Order the carne gizada (beef stew), which I think is their best offering. I like to get it with white rice and beans but the rice with pigeon peas is also delicious. The lechon, pork chops and papa rellena are my faves in the fried foods case and do try the passion fruit juice called parcha with your meal.
UPDATE:
I got violently sick from this meal as did my two dining partners. Called the restaurant to inform and they were gracious, apologetic and offered free meals but frankly, I'm not raring to go anytime soon given how sick we got.
Sigh. It was a wonderful meal. Too bad it ended this way.
This place is da bomb!
My favorite P.R. place in the city (even if some say it's Dominican - whatevs…
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I effin' love this Puerto Rican dive! Great rice beans and greasy delicious meat platters, probably not the best when you are trying to lose weight lol, but the lingering island taste will make it worth the extra pounds.
Very family oriented place, not the safest neighborhood, but they make up for it.
I left my scarf there once and they chased me out 2 blocks for it. Very amiable folks work there.
This is probably my favorite Puerto Rican food in the city. I last went there after game 4 of the Bulls/Celtics series (huge win!). I got my usual which is the beef stew. I love this stuff with either arroz con gandules or arroz blanco. Both work good cause the stew's juice is full of flavor. They gave some beans and bread to make the dish complete. Best beef stew around outside my mother in laws!
Another go to thing here is the papa rellenas. It is just potatoes with ground beef inside and crusted on the outside. Very good stuff and highly recommended.
Very good authentic Rican food! There's a section where you can just take whatever food you want and there's another section where you order. I have tried almost everything there and there hasn't been 1 thing that I haven't liked. The peopleare really nice and will explain what the menu items are if you don't know. If you go, make sure you get some fried chicken! You won't be disappointed!
I get bread now?!! Awesome... oh, they were actually nice to everyone while I was there too, it was a first for me.
I see you improving on that 'tude La Palma, and I'm loving it!
Overlook the weird set-up and keep your germ-a-phobe friends out of here, and you'll have a GREAT… Read more »
Delicious. Lechon! Pastelles! Jibarito! Carne Frita! Morcilla!
That pork gets salty as hell. I found myself chugging water all day after my many lunches here. Its also hard to get just a little food, I always stuffed myself far too much for a lunch, but this is true comfort food and it did my soul well.
I will say that I think the cucchifrita (pig ear stew) is much better at la bomba on armitage. I think palma wins on all other counts.
As others have said, they COULD be nicer to the gringo crowd, but as far as I'm concerned, "Mami" behind the counter could yell at me every time and I'd still go back for that goodness! I LOVE the garlicky tostones. That's how good La Palma is.
You know a restaurant is special when neighborhood folks brave sub-zero temperatures and plow through a foot of snow for a meal. This was my first experience at La Palma, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago.
La Palma's is the kind of place you envision in a crowded marketplace in Puerto Rico: complete indifference to comfort and design (meals are served cafeteria-style), offset by a rich variety of some of the best-loved Boricuan comfort food.
A quick glance around the restaurant will show that a lot of people go for the arroz con gandules, lechon and pasteles. Knowing how labor-intensive it is to cook pasteles (I used to help my grandmother make them for special occasions back home in Hawai'i), I immediately seized upon the last two pieces, as if rationing for supplies during a hurricane. These were full-bodied pasteles, seasoned perfectly with achiote and stuffed with tender strips of pork.
Though not a big fan of bacon, I tried a serving of carne frita, which was well proportioned with meat and fat, minimally spiced, and succulent with moisture. I finished my meal with some papas rellenos, or meat-filled potato dumplings, which were slightly overdone on the inside (though I would've probably loved it if I hadn't first experimented with the carne frita).
Alas, my feast had to come to an end. To savor the experience I ordered a plate of dishes [that I hadn't sampled] to go, before heading out into the bitter cold and making my way back to a hotel in the Loop.
La Palma has very good authentic Puerto Rican food. Beans - excellent Rib stew - Aww yummy Plantains, corn fritters - all good.
The staff need to be more friendly to non-Puerto Ricans though.
I love La Palma! When ever I hear friends talk about their favorote P.R. restaurants, and they say Boriquen or other places I ask WHY? Las Palma on Kimball is small storefront location, but its' perfect. Its like a cafeteria, P.R.Style. Full of options and Sabor (flavor). I had yellow aroz with habicheulas on top, with a chuleta and a Reyeno De Papa to go. They were all soo good. Probably the best rice an beans I've ever had. Most people seemed to go for takeout cause its so quick to order, but I had lunch there with my Mom and loved it.
Good Food, Big Portions, Fast and Kind Service, and Cheap Prices, what more could you ask for?
I was apartment hunting over here, and stumbled across this bastion of Puerto Rican bliss. Now, I love me some beans and rice, so I could easily make it in Puerto Rico, but this spot looked kind of suspect at first with the cafeteria-style tubs of food under the heat lamps. Then the lady of the house fixed my plate and I was like WHOA. There was enough food there to feed two or three folks. The decor ain't much, but who cares? I enjoyed my chicken, arroz con gandules and pinto beans with a couple of slices of french bread that she threw in for good measure. I had to box up my meal and take it home, and I was actually kind of upset because I just wanted to keep eating.
I don't know if they put crack in the pintos or what the deal is, but La Palma is hereby a staple for dinner in Chicago. My bill was $7 with a drink, and the service was superb - far better than what I usually get in swank establishments. For a minute, I almost felt like I was at home. Thank you La Palma!!!
Pretty darn good Boricua food! It's cafeteria-style, so you wanna go for lunch. Standard frituras (all kinds of Puerto Rican fried goodies), habichuelas, gandules (whatever a "Morro" is in PR), and you pay a flat price! Yum!!!
Must disclose: My friend's sister works here. So, yeah, I like it, ALTHOUGH I've had better. At my friend's house. :)
Absolutely wonderful!
I had planned a trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory last weekend and searched Yelp for cheap eats in the hood prior to starting my day. What a find La Palma was that fine afternoon!
The place is small and perfectly dive-y with a serve-yourself array of deep fried P.R. taste sensations. Behind the counter were selections that included an AMAZING banana stuffed w/pork entree that tasted nothing like one might imagine. The flavor was delicate and unique -- I highly suggest trying it even if you don't much care for bananas normally.
The rice and beans was some of the best I've ever had. The rice pudding, flan and guava pastry (that we took home as we were STUFFED and had doggie bags as well) were delicious too.
All this for $21.00! Unbelievable.
The place was filled with loud, happy, full people. Don't go for the atmosphere -- go for the fabulous eats and laughter.
Im a huge fan of hole in the wall spots. They always have the best food and this is no exception. Very small place with only 3 or 4 tables, more of a carry out location. The food cooked is done right in front of you as all the pots and pans are full of food being prepared as you go in. The only negative to this place in my opinion are the frituras (fried snacks). They arent as fresh as I wouldve liked, but you dont even notice that because of all the food you get when you order for a ridiculously cheap price. Music in the background and a friendly environment make this place a must.
Holy frijoles negro, this place puts my Puerto Rican grandmother to shame. Though im not a big fan of the cafeteria style setting, you cant deny the deliciousness of the food. I would recommend the jibarrito (a very tasty sandwich), and you'll leave with a smile.
This is where Puerto Ricans go to eat PR food. Snob that I am, I'd rather do take out than eat there, but people seem to love this place. I've had their arroz con gandules and yucca. I don't eat pasteles or lechon, but they seem to sell quite a bit of both.
1/2 Price Drink Specials!
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