Amira’s Trio

I was driving down Cicero when hunger pains almost forced me to stop the car. Needed sustenance asap, I pulled out my trusty Unilocal app, monocled the surrounding environs and settled on Amira’s. The vibe is very homey. I like that. I usually get annoyed when people try to fancy up home food (complete with price gouging and insane décor). You come here to eat familiar food in a comfortable environment. Period. They get that. The owner (Amira?) was pleasant, funny and charming. I asked a stupid question and got a stupid answer — with a smile. I can appreciate that. Her sons were working the front and back of the house and it dawned on me that this would make an excellent reality show (already coming with an excellent name). Amira, if you get picked up by a channel, I want half of the proceeds. Everyone was cool. I placed my order (chicken jibarito — which is not on the menu — and arroz con gandules), grabbed a cola champagne (I will be drinking these exclusively in San Juan) and took a seat.
I don’t spend much time in Cragin. It was cool to stare out the window and contemplate a side of a Chicago I don’t see on the regular. It even took my eye off SEC football. That’s saying something. One of the sons brought me my grub and some garlic & hot sauce and I dug in. The jibarito was good. It had a bit too much mayo on it for my tastes (which made it pretty messy), but the chicken was nicely seasoned and the plantains were sturdy and crispy. The sauces added a lot to the sandwich… which isn’t a great thing in my book. As much as I like to drizzle the garlic oil over tostones, I prefer my jibarito’s to stand on their own. Again, this was serviceable but, by no means the best I’ve ever had. And, at risk of getting roughed up… the arroz con gandules were pretty dry and a little bland. They needed a lot of hot sauce. I know. :(
Amira’s was a pleasant stop in on a busy stretch of Cicero on the NW side… but it’s not a destination for me. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop in for some home cooked food in a homey environment. But, I’d be surprised if it takes the mantle away from your go-​to jibarito spot. I will never leave you, Mama Galarza!

Aaaah yesss! Amira’s Trio. Probably the best and most authentic Cuban-​Rican cuisine. The place is nicely decorated and feels quite like home. I myself am a Latina and feel like I’m walking into my grandmothers house. I’ve been here quite a few times, and the food is ALWAYS freshly made and delicious.
The Ropa Vieja is my favorite Cuban dish, and the lady who cooks it does wonders. The Empanadas are amazing, the pastry she uses is scratch made. The Alcapurrias are enormous, they are a meal on their own. The prices are on point for the quality and quantity of food you are getting. I find it a bit disappointing that they are rarely ever busy. My sister and I are usually the only customers dining in on a weekday evening. «The lady» (I should really ask her name) whom I keep referring to is very sweet, funny, and loves a good conversation. She’s usually the only one there, taking our order, prepping and cooking the food, aswell as serving it. TRY THIS PLACE OUT! YOUR TASTEBUDS & YOUR TUMMY WILL SURELY SURELY THANK YOU.

I will agree with the rest that the portions are insane at this joint. Yes the fried appetizers are twice as much than at other places, but they are arguably 2 – 3 times the size here so I can’t knock em for that. Had the Alcapurria and the Papa Rellena. My problem is I compare every place to Ponce on fullerton. While I say the taste is a notch below Ponce, it’s still pretty darn good. Then I got the Cubi-​Rican Jibarito, jeez was this ginormous! I only ate less than half and my fat ass was STUFFED. This monster had pork, steak, and ham complete with sauce and veggies. This is by far the best Jibarito ive had as it was cooked to perfection. Comparable to back in the day when Borinquen used to be good. Yes I will be back, just writing this makes me want a jibarito, DAMN!

The food portions are amazingly HUGE! Very tasty food, very well marinated and not too salty! The Cuban-​Rican sandwich is really good: if you order it, please, share it with someone else (maybe a third person) as it is really big sandwich. The service is good. They are very friendly with you and they are prompt with your food. They will gladly add /​change anything in your order if you would like too.
It’s a very nice place!

OUTSTANDING!!! One of my husband’s co-​worker turned him on to this place about a month ago and he’s been talking about it ever since. Sometimes the hubby exaggerates about how good something tastes, for example: he says my tuna salad is «delicious», my rice & beans are «delicious» and my fruit smoothies are «delicious». I’m no Giada in the kitchen, but I’m no Rachel Ray either so when he says something is «delicious» I’m a little skeptical. Well, he did not exaggerate this time.
We got the appetizer sampler that includes 2 jibarito, 2 Cuban sandwiches, and 2 empanadas… all for $ 15. The portions are HUGE. We split the sandwiches and 1 empanada and have left overs for dinner tonight. What makes the food so great is that everything is prepared after you order it. Nothing is sitting under a heat lamp and nothing is microwaved. The majority of their customers are people that live in the neighborhood and word-​of-​mouth. Anyone AND everyone reading this review must go NOW… before it’s too late!!! Seriously, the food is great and you won’t be disappointed.

As a person who have traveled the world and tasted different things, this was the first time i’ve tasted Cuban-​Rican food for the first time. And i have to admit, it was INSANELY good. Me and couple of co-​workers went in for a lunch and to honest, i don’t really remember what i ordered, (steak with sauteed onions, rice, and other things) and the owner was nice enough to not charge us any CORKING fee for our beers. Food took a while but that is expected at mom and pop store. She even bet us $ 100 dollars that her empanada is the best any of us eaten and i’m glad to say I didn’t bet her any money. I will definitely go back to this place. I wished they had one of them Rican style blood sausages, they are orgasmic!

It’s very much like homestyle cooking, they are very friendly and nice. They didn’t have anything veggie on the menu, but they made me a vegetarian sandwich. It was very good, although a tad bit oily. I also love the sweet plantains with sauce, this is a really sweet sauce though, almost like frosting, so maybe it’s best as a dessert. They also do delivery if you live/​work in the area.

This PLace is beyond GREAT! i stumbled upon Amira’s Trio this summer when I was looking at car dealerships in the area. It was getting close to lunchtime and a guy recommended this place. I went and basically couldn’t get enough and had 4 courses. Amira made me feel welcome and relaxed.
the empanadas with the chimichurri sauce is outstanding, the flan melts in your mouth and every entrée and sandwich are unique, flavorful and authentic. I loved this place so much I came back the next day, then i brought friends the following week and and so on and so on. Everyone has nothing but rave reviews to say about this place and Amira is the best. come and enjoy a little of Cuba and puerto rico :)

Certain weeks the only thing that gets me to Friday is knowing that if I survive a jibarito from Amira’s Trio will be in my mouth at noon.
The jibarito is the best I’ve ever had and I will consider it my favorite (non burger, non Bacon topped) sandwich on this very planet. The Cuban-​Rican is the Voltron of sandwiches and is also the perfect cure for a raging meat craving. Papas Rellenos are so light that I forget that they have been deep fried. Serious chimichurri and DOUBLE SERIOUS red sauce are so good on everything that I even consider consuming the styrofoam containers.
Amira’s is probably my favorite place to eat around my office and I would go out of my way to eat here even if I didn’t work a block away. The warm smile of ex Chicago Cub Henry ‘Hank White’ Blanco illuminates the dining room and makes me feel safe under his ginormous head.

The owner is a character. Since it was our first time, she brought us each a delicious warm, soft empanada just out of the oven. They were equally tasty with or without the different homemade sauces on the side. The salad that came with the meal was made much better than the usual limp, pale boricua vegetables by the addition of super tasty home-​pickled onions. My girl said her Cuban sandwich was really good. Come hungry; you will get a lot of food.

If I had any problem with the service, it was the opposite problem that Diana C. had: it was practically stifling. The owner of this place is known to be gregarious and very outgoing and I knew that going in so I probably shouldn’t complain at all. But I really would have preferred to be left alone to eat my meal in peace.
Food: It won’t bend any culinary paradigms but it’s still really good. The menu has some interesting creations, particularly the «Cuban-​Rican» sandwich which is a mutant hybrid of a Cubano sandwich and a jibarito: ham, lechon, cheese, mustard, pickles, steak, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo served on your choice of pressed bread (Cubano style) or fried plantains (jibarito style). The empanadas are among the best in town. This is home-​style cooking at its best.
As for the corkage fee mentioned by another reviewer, I agree that $ 5 per person is kind of steep for a place that doesn’t even serve alcohol. Nonetheless, corkage fees are common at BYOB places — even those that don’t serve their own alcohol. If in doubt, call first.

I have to say that while the food was delicious, the service was definitely lacking.
We took our own wine in, having read the «Save This Restaurant» review in Time Out Chicago listing the restaurant as a BYOB. Entering the restaurant we were told to «sit anywhere». We chose a booth and a few minutes later, someone came out with an ice bucket as well as a corkscrew and two wine glasses for us. When we refused the ice bucket (we were drinking red wine), we were given a puzzled look.
We uncorked and poured our own wine and chatted for a while — still no server showed up (the person with our «wine supplies» had emerged from the open kitchen). We looked into the kitchen and both ladies appeared to be busy. Finally, tired of waiting, I got up to get our own menus.
It was not until we saw the menu that we realized the wine had a $ 5 per person corkage fee. This seemed excessive considering several factors (1) I am sitting in a converted storefront with most of the menu advertised on the front window; (2) most entrees were under $ 9; (3) let’s face it, when fine dining restaurants like Schwa charge $ 5 *per table*, then $ 5 per person at someplace where I am set up to expect home cooking was a bit of a surprise.
The owner finally came out of the kitchen to take our order several minutes later, and when I asked about the corkage fee she became very defensive, challenging me to name specific restaurants in town that have a lower corkage fee.
The conversation kind of digressed, culminating in her tale of needing a Jr. Whopper after dining at Charlie Trotter’s (my opinion: if tasting menus aren’t your thing, don’t go!). This would have not been a big deal except that she seemed to have a huge chip on her shoulder about it for some reason. She did mention that her son worked at Charlie Trotter’s, but again, I’m not sure why she was comparing a clearly homestyle cooking storefront with Charlie Trotter’s which, like it or not, is one of the most renowned fine dining establishments in the city.
The food came and it was wonderful. The Empanadas were great, and the Papa Rellena was tasty though in need of more filling. Entrees we ordered were Lechon and Bistec Encebollado; both were delicious and portions were ample.
At the end though, we went back to issues with the service. After waiting over 15 minutes after our plates had been cleared, I finally got up and asked for our check. There were no apologies for that or for having to get my own menu at the beginning.
If you grew up in a Hispanic household, this was a lot like going to eat at your Aunt’s place, the one who can cook but has a bit of an abrasive personality. And like that aunt, you just hope you can enjoy your dinner and get out, without the nasty confrontation.
If I ever go back, it will be takeout for sure.

I found out about this restaurant a couple of months ago, and I have to say it’s delicious! The staff is very friendly and the fact that this is a BYOB place makes it even better. I went on a Thursday night, which is karaōke and it was a good time. I would definitely visit this place again!