90 Miles Cuban Cafe

We went to celebrate my friend’s birthday at the new location. We started out with a pitcher of sangria, choripan, empanadas, and yuca rellena. Before we received our appetizers, we also placed our entrée order. 30 minutes went by, and we still had not received our appetizers. All 5 of us overheard our waiter tell a staff member that he forgot to put our order in. 15 minutes later, when I asked if our appetizers were coming, he said that the kitchen told him our order was coming up next. We watched several tables around us receive food, and finally a manager brought our appetizers, and told us they would be on the house.
Our entrees came out about 10 minutes later, and every single entrée came out wrong. One of my friend’s ordered a couple of appetizers as an entrée, and only one came out. Another 20 minutes went by before she received the remaining part of her meal.
We really made an attempt to not let the bad service affect us, and we made the best of our time.
When the birthday dessert was delivered, we ordered a coconut flan and a tres leches cake. When the manager brought the flan, we were told they ran out of tres leches cake, and again, told us all the desserts would be on the house.
The icing on the cake? When the server brought us our check, all the appetizers and desserts were still on the bill. How did they manage to screw this part up?!
From now on, we will only be going to the Armitage location.
My friends decided that our server didn’t deserve a 20% tip, but since we split the bill, I still left a 20% tip (I was a server for years, and I just can’t help but to leave 20%)
We watched the waiter 5 feet from us read over his tips, and he comes over to our group as we are leaving, yelling at us about his tip. I was honest with him and told him that we weren’t happy with our service. He continued yelling at us and causing a scene in the middle of the restaurant, so I walked to the front to speak to a manager. He followed me and told me «I am friends with the owner and the manager, let me get them for you!»
When I was explaining to the manager what had just happened, and how it was unprofessional and unacceptable to be treated like that, the manager couldn’t even take the smirk off his face, which only meant that they couldn’t care less about my continued business.
Needless to say, I won’t be returning to this location.

90 miles is definitely on the top of my faves list. Service is great and food is superb. I came with a party of 17 and each person truly enjoyed their meal. The churrasco topped with a garlic chimichirri sauce was so tender and delicious that I had trouble putting down my fork. I kept wanting more. It comes with yellow rice and yuca which complemented the steak well. The guajirito sandwich tasted just as good and having some veggies (lettuce and tomato) was a bonus for my healthy side. The tres leches cake was very moist, but it was a bit on the too sweet side, so sharing it with 10+ others with everyone getting a bite or two was just perfect. The mojito could of used more sugar and liquor, so wasn’t too tasty. But their café con leche is the best coffee I’ve ever had. It was the perfect end to an incredible meal. They also had a live band playing throughout the meal which made the experience even more enjoyable. We’ll definitely become regulars here quick.

Food was OK but pricey, we had 1 app, 2 drinks and 2 sandwiches and the bill was $ 70 with tip, my advice: go to the one on Armitage, this one’s too expensive!

This is my first review ever. I am happy to write one for 90 Miles Cuban Café. I was super surprised to see the restaurant in the mall after not visiting the mall in a couple years, but it is perfect after a long day of shopping.
The ambiance of the restaurant makes me feel like I’m at a warm Cuban restaurant even though it’s snowing out. The Cuban music, the décor all worked together to make an enjoyable experience. The service was superb as well.
I ordered the Fricase de Pollo. The stew and chicken were bursting with flavor. And its presentation was beautiful as well. The sides of black beans, white rice and plantains were delicious too. I would definitely order it again, though I would also like to try another dish too!

Great Cuban food! I’ve been to one of their other locations on Armitage and was eagerly awaiting the opening of this restaurant. I started with the papa rellena (ground beef stuffed potato) and empanadas (beef, chicken & chorizo). Both were delicious and good for sharing. Then I ate the Churrasco — marinated and grilled one pound skirt steak served with yellow rice, chimichurri and yuca con mojo. I shared the Churrasco since I knew I couldn’t finish it. The steak had great flavor! I would definitely order that dish again. I also tried the sopa de pollo and ropa vieja. Both were good and served in cute metal pots. I ended the meal with a café con leche. It was very strong and satisfying. My friend raved about her lechon sandwich so I’ll definitely have to come back and try that. A great addition to the Lincolnwood Town Center!

Food was tasty but came short of expectations. Appetizer excellent with flavor. Sandwiches were the disappointment. Priced too high for value.

Been to the original 90 miles and would be going back to that one. Tried this one because it’s closer to home but it doesn’t have the same food. The taste and flavored are no where close. We ordered the empanadas to start and the Frita Cubana sandwich and my wife had the Fricase de Pollo. Service wasn’t really that good. It seemed as if my waiter was struggling and kept asking the other staff to help him out.

The oxtail dish here is succulent, tender and drenched in yummy sauce. For $ 23 I think I’d rather go to a Jamaican restaurant on the west side of Chicago for oxtail because for half the price you get much more food and same quality.
However, 90 Miles has a great sandwich (forgot the name) that uses fried plantains instead of bread which is so bomb and less than $ 15. The beef is so succulent and Delicious.
Definitely grab a cocktail or coffee while you’re here! Both are strong and worth it

Ordering four dishes during a not so busy night should go well. Miraculously three dishes ended up on our table. «Enjoy» the very kind waiter told us after placing it on our table. Okay, you don’t have to be a genius to be a waiter but you should be able to do this simple math.
Anyhow, I brought it up to him, and he was very apologetic. Fair enough: Things happen.
So now, this is the deal breaker. I ordered the Ox tail. And believe it or not: I got ‘naked’ bone. You know, the one with no meat on it. Should I be paying $ 23 for that? I wish I checked first before taking it home. And not to sound funny, but if it is a Cuban habit to suck on Ox tail bone, than I apologize. Perhaps management reads this. I’m curious. But I have to say, the food that was on our table was great! No doubt.

The good:
environment is lively and welcoming, good mall food alternative, the food that was done well was equal quality to their original location.
The bad:
Dinner party of 4 was there for 3 hours from start to finish, most of it spent waiting on food. We waited 15 minutes to be seated although the restaurant was not even a third full. Sangria pitchers overpriced at $ 35 per pitcher (with lots of ice… drinking glasses also with lots of ice…). Appetizers were good but after seeing how long they took to come out we hurried to order entrees to avoid a longer wait.
About an hour and twenty mins passed and still no food, no waiter, no explanation. 3 tables around us who had seated after us were already eating or finishing up. We finally flagged down a worker who informed us the kitchen was so backed up even the manager was on bartending duty (again, the restaurant was about a third full). We waited additional 15 minutes for half our order to come out at which point we were informed the manager would stop by. The other 2 orders were still missing. 20 minutes later, they informed us our 2 missing orders would be out next as they had to make a new batch of ropa vieja since they had run out (wouldnt this be something to inform us about in the first place and not after?) First 2 plates were finished by the time the 2 missing ropa vieja plates were out, not fully cooked. Manager still hadnt come by and we requested to speak to him. Once done we had to request manager yet again as he still had not shown to our table (there were maybe 8 active tables left at this point). During this time our water glasses also went empty as no one had passed by to refill. When bringing the bill they informed us 2 ropa vieja plates were taken off for the inconvenience. Upon finally speaking to manager he apologized and comped the entire meal, which is the reason for bumping the experience up to 2 stars.
Given the premium prices of this place (3x$ 11 empanadas… roscoe location is 3x$ 9), i would have expected more better service and communication with the customer. It just doesnt make sense that a restaurant that isnt even halfway full is backstaffed, nor that there be a wait on seating. This place could have potential if they get organized but in the meantime i will stick to their 2 other locations.

Kevin did a great job! Even though they were very busy they attended to us and made sure that we were well taken care of. Some unruly customers didn’t stop them! Keep up the good work and the Cubano sandwiches are absolutely amazing!

Went to Lincolnwood mall one day after a long time and noticed what used to be a Ruby Tuesday is now another location of the infamous «90 Miles Café». At first I was suspect, this hugely successful restaurant decides to open up in a mall? It had to be someone else, but nope it is the original. Once your inside you will quickly forget your in a mall, they did a really good job in the look of this place. There is a really good vibe in there. We started with drinks, sangria and a mojito. They both were disappointing in flavor and value. And for $ 10 the glasses were pretty skinny. We got the choripan and goat cheese empanadas, both really good. Our entrees were pretty solid as well, the puerco rostizado, and churrasco (skirt steak). Overall the this is a great addition to Lincolnwood!

Pros: The ambience of the place is nice. Service is great.
Cons: Food lacks flavor.
Other: If you are looking for steak try Las tablas or Tangu Sur.

I ordered a chicken tamale and when I was almost done with it, I noticed a piece of metal sticking out of it. When I told the waitress about it she laughed and then said she would take it off my check. Why are you laughing when there’s metal in your customer’s food? The food was okay but I don’t plan on returning.

Made a reservations for a Friday night, go up there, no host available, finally came around after a waiter saw us. I continued to watch as other guests arrived and the host was always elsewhere. I think this place could of been better but our server was never attentive nor available, al though when I would see her around she was always talking to other waiters. Asked us the first time for drinks and then that was it, had to ask another waiter to get a re fill on just water. When the musicians are playing, it is very loud to where you can’t really talk or hear one another. Ordered the chicken, beef and goat cheese empanadas which were good, wish they gave more of the sauce for such big empanadas. By husband had the puerco rostizado which was good and way more flavorful then my dish. I had the fricase de pollo, I added in more salt and pepper to get more flavoring. Ordered a tres leches to go, for $ 12 not worth it, I’ve had plenty of these and it wasn’t a true milky tres leches, more like just cake with more cream on the top. This place is pricey and not byob like the one in the city. Would not come back to this location but would like to compare the one in the city one day.

I am so happy that they opened up a location near West Rogers Park. Though it may seem odd for this restaurant to pop up in a mall in Lincolnwood, I’m happy to see that they are hopping. It isn’t exactly mall dining court food, which is great if you are expecting something much better. If you haven’t had Cuban food before, I’d research the menu first before walking in. Their new location is huge, so even without a reservation on a weekend night that’s packed, we didn’t even have to wait to be seated. They have a huge bar, plenty of roomy seating, and even a private party room in the back.
The service was quick and friendly, but where this restaurant really shines is their meat dishes! Guy Fieri has a favorite on the menu, so that should tell you something about how big and flavorful the dishes are. Ropa Vieja and Puerco Rostizado are my favorites. On the latter dish, there are just so many rich, complex flavors of savory and sweetness. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. The prunes don’t play a huge role, but they do add that hint of sweetness that goes really well with the bacon and guava. It all blends with the pork so well that even if you aren’t a fan of any of the ingredients on their own, the dish as a whole tastes amazing. The Ropa Vieja dish gives you a more smokey and peppery taste. If you are a fan of savory beef dishes, go with Ropa Vieja. The black beans and rice round out the generous portions.
I’ve been to other location, which is small, cramped, and always pretty busy. Finally, they have a location that has a huge parking lot for suburbanites or northsiders who don’t want to wait half an hour for delicious Cuban food. I haven’t had Cuban food this delicious since I went to Miami! Now you can get it at a restaurant in a mall!

A suburban outpost of a popular city restaurant. The feel of the place is amazing. If you don’t look out the windows, you can surely imagine yourself in some south Florida Cuban restaurant.
Be sure to try the blended fruit drinks which are amazing. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize the fruit choices — be adventurous.
All the Cuban/​South Florida classics are represented here — Cuban sandwiches (not actually from Cuba!), ropa vieja, plaintains, black beans, etc.
The flavors are also very true to the South Florida experience. so you won’t be disappointed.
The restaurant has their own separate entrance so that they can stay open later than the mall. I believe they have live music (and possibly dancing) some nights. If not, they should definitely start as I can see this place being a big Friday/​Saturday night social destination for the Lincolnwood/​Skokie area.

Came here on Halloween and our server was Marcus (he went as a jaded hipster :) Service was excellent!!! Super attentive and friendly.
The food — WOW! My husband had the oxtail entrée which was to die for and I decided to sample a variety of appetizers including the grouper soup and empanada. The soup was great! The empanada could use some work but that was our only (minor) gripe.
The prices are super reasonable and we’ll definitely be back.

Whoever decided to open this place, I love you. At the dismay of my Dominican parents, I am a big time Cuban foodie. Something about those black beans just gets to me.
I’ve been to the location in Logan Square and didn’t like it. The servers were all American and I didn’t feel a latin connection besides the decorations on the wall.
This location truly feels like a Cuban restaurant. Everything about it is amazing. Okay, I lied it has one fault but it isn’t the food so I’ll let it slide. (See bathroom pic.)
I ordered the Baca Frita with white rice, black beans, and maduros and some croquetas to go.
Usually to go food isn’t that great but the food was on point. The sauce that comes with the croquetas must be a legal form of crack because I practically inhaled it. The Baca Frita was 1000 kinds of wonderful. The rice was perfectly salted and the right balance of soft & sticky.
Food wise, the only place for improvement is the beans. Traditional black beans come in a thicker sauce and usually have a bay leaf or two inside. The flavor was good but it fell short of how great everything else was.
If they get the beans down, they’re going to have to get a restraining order against me because I will seriously be there day and night.

Absolutely delicious! I’m so happy they opened up this new location … PLEASE OPEN ANOTHER ONE MORE NORTH NEAR NW Suburbs (:(:(: for those of us who love in this area!
We will come visit you again Lincolnwood!
I will refer my friends to come here!