Media Noche Cafe — Restaurant in Berwyn

When in need of some Cuban food after work, I looked at this place and wondered to myself "Let me try it."

So I walked into the restaurant and saw the decor. It was all nice to see. I let the person up front know I'm eating here and they graciously gave me a menu and let me find a table to sit. I sat by the window so I can see the Metra, Amtrak, and long trains pass by while enjoying my food.

The menu is small but has all the options I like. They have sandwiches, bowls, apps, sides, deserts, and even jibaritos which is a nice Puerto Rican touch (I'm Puerto Rican btw). The place also plays Puerto Rican music and that adds points in my book.

Being a meat eater I ask for the Miami sandwich which has roasted pork, ham, and bacon. I'm a picky eater so no veggies for me. One fear I had was that they make it dairy products. Especially since it has cheese in it. For context, I can't eat dairy. So I let them know that info and and they let me know they can cook it without dairy products. I was grateful because I wanted to try their sandwich without worrying about my stomach crying. I also ordered maduros (yellow plantain) and fries because every sandwich needs some fries next to it.

The food is cooked by the owner of the establishment and that already adds points in my book because she cares about what food goes to her customers. She also came to me to talk about my dietary preferences and that is another point added. Michelle is nice and fun person to talk to and puts love into her craft.

The food didn't take long and the front person delivered the food to me. The smells that came out of the food made my mouth water as my eyes fixed on the meal in front of me waiting for me to devour them. There was cheese on the sandwich that I told her about and she fixed it right away which is another point added. The sandwich came back perfect. Just writing this review makes me want to go back for another one. The fry basket was a good size that wasn't small. The only thing that I would say is that the maduros could've been more softer but it's more of personal preference on maduros.

I ate the fries first and they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside like a fry should be. Not greasy at all. The maduros were delicious and made me forget about the softness issue. Now to the sandwich waiting for me. The mayo and mustard gave the sandwich the flavors that made it a Cuban sandwich. The meat was juicy, the way I like it, and dripped juices with each bite and I used the sandwich to absorb the escaped drops of flavor. Safe to say I swallowed everything.

I finished my food and paid only $23 and it filled me up. Imma tell y'all now, come eat here. It's cozy and the food is good. I'll definitely be coming back for another sandwich, fries, and maduros. Hope to see...

I’ve driven past this spot a few times and I finally decided to stop by. I ordered a few things to try. Just to be clear, this was a take out order, maybe dining in would make a difference. The young woman at the register was really nice and inviting. The service was great, no issues there. I ordered a steak jibarito, the steak was chewy and tough, it lacked flavor; it tasted like it was only seasoned with pepper. I had the media Luna sandwich (I think I have the name correct), even though the sandwich has mustard and what I think is mayonnaise, the overall sandwich was dry. The bread is dense and doesn’t seem to hold moisture. The bread does have a nice slight sweet flavor like Cuban breads usually have, it’s just too dense. I ordered a papa rellena, it was tangy. I want to think that the tang comes from the same filling as the beef empanadas because it almost tasted like olive juice. I ordered the beef empanadas, they lacked flavor and the dough has a taste that I can’t put my finger on, I’m not sure if it’s the type of oil that is used, but I didn’t like it. A ropa vieja empanada would even be better with their type of crust, in my opinion. They also had a chicken, I’ll try that one next time. I had their ropa Vieja bowl, and again, dry. The ropa Vieja lacked flavor for MY taste. If the beans weren’t as dry, I think the rice would’ve tasted better as well, it would’ve soaked up some flavor. I had a sweet bread that had guava in/on it that looked very good, but it was hard when I bit into it. Next time I will try their flan.

I will give this spot another shot in the future. Always support small businesses and if you’re reading this, give them a try for yourself. Maybe I caught them on a bad day… I see other reviews where folks really enjoyed their meal.

I did have some Cuban food a few days before this spot, so maybe my taste buds were probably bias. Overall, this spot has a lot of potential for growth. It’s cute, welcoming, and clean....

Geographically, I did the reverse of what many people aim to do in life - I was born and grew up in the Miami area, and settled in Chicago after meeting my wife in college (a native of Garfield Ridge). My grandmother was originally from Camguey in central Cuba, and I spent many childhood days at her little apartment in Hialeah living on Moros y Cristianos, Cuban bread, arroz con pollo, etc. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find that there was a Cuban restaurant in Berwyn, not far from my house and decided earlier this week to give it a shot. I ordered a sampling of what I would have had back in the day: croquettes, papa rellena, chicken soup, an empanada, and a dulce de leche pasetlito for my daughter. The staff was very nice and attentive. I loved the decor of the place, a vibrant Cuban aesthetic with images of Celia Cruz (who actually lived down the street from my grandmother years ago in Cuba, before she became famous). Now onto the food itself -- Take it from someone who was raised eating Cuban food as a kid in South Florida, my little sampling was great, and pretty darned authentic. The picadillo at the center of the papa rellena was right on target, as were the croquettes and the beef empanada, which my wife loved in particular. The excellent chicken rice soup was reminiscent of the "soupy" version of arroz con pollo and loaded with flavor. If you want something in the Berwyn/Stickney/ Garfield Ridge area that's a bit of a departure from the ubiquity of Mexican cuisine but has all the pop that's expected of Latin American flavoring, this is your ticket. My next trip will be for their namesake (a...