Jibaro Restaurant — Restaurant in Muscatine

I can not stress how much you need to go eat here. The minute you step through the door it smells like home cooking. The food outstanding. My only complaint is they are so far away (we drove from LeClaire), I guess that's for the best because if they were local I'd go daily. Already looking forward to our next visit.

We ordered several apps and entrees. Alcapurria Empanadilla de carne Papas de rellenos (this is the only thing that was not cooked to perfection so to be fair I will mention that.. but it was opening night, they were super busy, I can only assume that they probably ran out of the potato and were trying to make them as quick as possible and didn't have time to let the potato sit overnight)

Jibaro Sandwich Lechon Asado (basically pernil) Pollo Guisado All phenomenal Came with your choice of rice - obv got arroz con gandules...(The only crime with no olives! But maybe that's a regional thing?) Rice is served in the CUTEST mini Caldero too.

We did also get dessert to go Budin de pasas which I haven't had since childhood! And of course flan. (Vanilla)

The waitress was super kind and as attentive as possible with the heavy volume of people all on opening night. Looking around - all of the wait staff were doing great. Just an all around...

If you haven’t been to Jibaro in Muscatine yet, stop what you’re doing and go. This family-owned Puerto Rican restaurant is exactly the kind of place we need more of—amazing food, warm hospitality, and flavors you won’t find anywhere else around here.

The service is top-notch—it’s family-run, so they make recommendations based on what they personally love, and trust me, they know what they’re talking about. I took their advice and went with the Lechón Asado, and wow. Tender, perfectly seasoned roasted pork that melts in your mouth. Absolutely phenomenal.

I also tried the Jibaro sandwich, which was packed with flavor and a great first introduction to fried plantains (why have I never had these before?!). But the real showstopper? The empanadilla de pollo. Take a bite, add a little of the house hot sauce on the table, and BOOM—pure magic. A total chef’s kiss moment.

If you love great food and supporting local businesses, this is your spot. Let’s make sure they stay, because Muscatine needs more of this! Go try it—you...

I took my mom and daughter her mid Nov 2024. We won’t be back. We each had something different from the menu. Non fried food choices are very limited. A lot of pork. Our biggest collective complaint was hot TASTELESS all the food was. Calling it “bland” is an understatement. The rice was different from any I have experienced - and not in a good way. Plates came with chopped lettuce on them (as if to only add some color to distract from the overwhelming fried browns). I had a side of “stew” but had to ask for a spoon. They got our $60 but that’s that. We all said the same thing - we wouldn’t eat here again if the food was free. Sorry - wish I could be more positive. I love all sorts of different cultures food - maybe this is authentic to Puerto Rico - if so, there probably a reason you don’t see many Puerto Rican restaurants. I have German decent and I don’t seek out German restaurants either for the same reason. Good luck. I give...