Nellie’s Restaurant

2458 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622, USA

About Nellie’s Restaurant

4.4 / 5

from reviews

Is this your business?

    Steven Caputo
    -
    January 26, 2025

    Great place. Great food. Friendly staff! Just a small bit. Please fix your tables and chairs. It was kinda like eating on a teeter-totter

    Edward
    -
    October 19, 2024

    4.4 stars, hmmm... How did that happen? Surely it can't be from Puerto Ricans. I had high hopes. Service was good. Minus my wife having to wait just to bite into cold steak. My wife ordered the Bistec Encebollado and the Jibarito steak. The rice with the Bistec was plain. Not only was the steak cold, it was also bland with very little onions. It was not the best. Best meaning the steak that falls apart with ease, yummy. I'll tell you where to go for that. I've been there before I became a vegan, probably 8 years ago. Now to the Jibarito steak. The steak was shredded and didn't fill the sandwich. There should've been a slab of steak instead. Oh boy, was my wife disappointed. She's from the Islands, so yeah. I purchased some white rice, beans, and vegetarian sausage. $5 for the rice. $5 for the beans. $4.50 for the vegetarian sausage. For the price of $14.50 I was expecting some good portions, not even close. I was served a child size teacup of beans, a small bowl of rice, and 2 sausage. The sausage tasted like morning star spicy sausage. At walmart they are $4.58 and comes with 6. The rice had no salt, butter, or oil like my wife's. I rarely take pictures of my food, but I had to so you can understand how small the servings I had were. I left there still hungry. I always tip for good food. Not there especially considering I was a victim of highway robbery. I surprised treated my wife to something different. It's been some years since she ate at a Puerto Ricans restaurant. She was so excited until she wasn't. She's still grateful that I though to take her somewhere different. Back to what I said earlier about letting you know where to go for the best Bistec Encebollado (white rice and steak) and likely the Jibarito. I actually went there right after leaving Nellie's I told my wife that I was still hungry and that I'm going to grab some rice only since I don't meat anymore for old time sake. When I got there I told them how terrible Nellie's food was and how I left there still hungry. After that placed my order for a large rice and a couple things my wife wanted. The owner's team said we got you. I didn't even pay for the. That rice and I love some white, was on point. I ate the entire cup plain. It's the right amount of salt and oil/butter. I believe it's steamed unlike Nellies which appeared to be boiled. Dining in, the rice at LA BOMBA is $2.50 as well as the beans. I don't know the portions, but I'll leave it on a future review for LA BOMBA the next time I dine in again. I used a fork so you can see how small my servings were at Nellie's. The cup is from LA BOMBA after I finished my rice.

    LeeLee C
    -
    December 11, 2024

    Everything is delicious! The avena de coco, breakfast jibaritos, jibaritos , rice … it’s all good. They do have a buffet.

    M
    -
    January 04, 2025

    The food was solid with hearty portions, but the flavors were blander / more mild than expected. Despite having a reservation for Friday brunch, we waited a pretty long time to get seated; the service was very friendly but slow overall. The interior has a nice vibe and feels very homey. Prices are not bad and pretty standard for brunch food (came out to ~$22 per person + tax/tip). I'd want to come back to try their weekend breakfast buffet! Food I tried: - Avena de Coco (Coconut Oatmeal): Sweet with a pretty strong cinnamon flavor; the coconut flavor was mostly at the bottom. I love oatmeal and thought it was pretty good. - Jibarito Bowl with Steak: The steak was tender and flavorful, the rice and sauce were delicious, and the portion was generous. I wish it were more garlicky though, to really capture to jibarito flavor. - Nellie's Breakfast Special: Probably my least favorite of everything we ordered... The eggs were pretty bland and slightly overcooked. I really liked the toasted bread though-- it had a soft pillowy interior and crunchy exterior. It barely contained any plantains, but I wish it had more for a sweeter flavor. - Mofongo Relleno Con Caldito de Pollo: This was a dense and filling dish of stuffed mashed plantains. I liked the texture, but found the flavor a bit lacking-- the garlic flavor was much more mild than I would've hoped / liked.

    Dalinda Nieves
    -
    January 05, 2025

    I was especially impressed by their willingness to accommodate a vegan diet. I tried their Vegetarian Jibarito, which was made vegan by omitting the cheese and mayo, it was executed perfectly. The plantains were crispy and flavorful, serving as the perfect “bread” for the sandwich, which was generously filled with fresh avocado. I paired it with a side of arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), which is naturally meatless—a pleasant surprise. Additionally, Nellie’s takes extra care to fry vegetarian items in separate oil, ensuring no cross-contamination with meat products. For someone like me, who is vegan for health reasons, this attention to detail is incredibly important and much appreciated. While I wish there were more vegan options, the care and thoughtfulness put into making this single option delicious and accessible made my visit worthwhile. If you’re vegan or vegetarian and craving a taste of Puerto Rican cuisine, Nellie’s is definitely worth checking out.

    Nellie’s Restaurant

    Our Address

    2458 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622, USA

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