CHIReview
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
El Rincón De Fabio
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You're at El Rincón de Fabio for some of Chicago's best arepas. And if you decide to focus on anything else while you're here, there’s also a fluffy cachapa, and a patacon that deserves an Oscar for best performance in textures. In fact, the Venezuelan food at this charming Uptown spot is so compelling, you’ll look past any potential sensory overload.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by El Rincón’s flashing neon lights, butterfly decals, TVs playing concerts, and the variety of dishes on the long menu—including tacos, bowls, and Venezuelan snacks. Instead, just focus on the house specials and arepas. All the arepas come on thick, grilled dough and have plenty of fillings to choose from. But the standouts are the la veguera stuffed with pieces of steak, and the pabellón criollo, which is Venezuela’s national dish in arepa form. Regardless of what you order, the combination of fillings, cheeses, and homemade sauces that El Rincón has curated will distract you from thinking about the time you ended a work call with "love you."
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
The arepas aren’t the only options capable of instigating an existential crisis. It’s possible to spend seven minutes debating the merits of forgoing the cachapa for a patacon, and whether you need a side order of tequeños (you do). But count on getting some help from the people who work at El Rincón. They’ll provide as much guidance as necessary and even throw in some tips on the best way to reheat your leftovers. FYI, an air fryer or oven is acceptable, using a microwave is blasphemy.
El Rincón’s food should be eaten right away for optimum enjoyment, so our only complaint is that the small dining room (there’s just a handful of card tables and folding chairs) doesn’t always guarantee a seat. And make sure to ask for extra napkins because mess is unavoidable—whether from hastily gobbling down the cachapa, or because of the pulled pork juice running out of the serving basket. Either way, you won’t care. The food is too good and the service too friendly to be upset about anything.
Food Rundown
Chicken Empanada
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Tequeños
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Pork Patacon
photo credit: Kim Kovacik