Jibarito appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Jibarito · Chicago
A Chicago invention: fried green-plantain slices used as bread, stuffed with garlicky steak or chicken, lettuce, tomato, mayo and a thin slice of white American cheese.
The jibarito was invented in 1996 by Juan 'Pete' Figueroa at Borinquen Restaurant in Humboldt Park, the Puerto Rican spine of Chicago. Figueroa adapted a recipe described in the San Juan newspaper El Vocero, swapping bread for twice-fried, flattened green plantain. The sandwich spread fast through the Paseo Boricua corridor on Division Street, then onto Latin-American menus across the city. Borinquen closed in 2018; Borinquen Lounge on California Avenue carries the family recipe, and a dozen other Humboldt Park kitchens serve their own. The seasoning (a Puerto Rican mojo of garlic, oregano, olive oil and lime) is what separates a good jibarito from a passable one.
Where to eat in Chicago:
- Papa's Cache Sabroso
- La Bomba
- Borinquen Lounge