LOGAN SQUARE — Getting jibaritos from Jibaritos y Mas, the hugely popular Puerto Rican restaurant at Fullerton and Kimball avenues, just got a lot easier.
A little more than a week ago Jibaritos y Mas opened a dine-in spot at 3406 W. Fullerton Ave., just steps from the original restaurant at 3400 W. Fullerton Ave.
The restaurant for overflow customers is already a huge success, said co-owner Betsy Gonzalez.
The first day, Jan. 3, was “crazy” busy and business continues to exceed expectations, she said.
“We were blown away,” she said.
RELATED: This Logan Square Jibarito Spot Is So Popular The Owner Is Opening Another Restaurant Next Door
Yelitza Rivera opened the original Jibaritos y Mas in 2016 after nearly 20 years of cooking in other peoples’ Puerto Rican restaurants. Rivera is originally from Venezuela, but her husband is Puerto Rican.
“Since the first day I arrived to this country, I started working with Puerto Rican food,” Rivera told Block Club last year.
In just a few years, Jibaritos y Mas has become one of the city’s go-to spots for Puerto Rican food. The small corner restaurant is often jam-packed with lines out the door.
Rivera brought in Gonzalez, a close friend, to help open a dine-in restaurant next door to accommodate for the crush of customers. The new spot features its own kitchen.
The only difference between the dine-in spot and the original restaurant is the waitstaff.
“It’s the same prices, the same food, just more space,” Gonzalez said.
The dine-in spot is Rivera’s third location. She opened a second location at Harlem and Belmont avenues after the original restaurant took off.
Jibaritos y Mas serves authentic Puerto Rican food made with fresh ingredients. The traditional jibarito, a sandwich that is believed to have originated in Chicago, is the star.
Regulars say the restaurant’s appeal is simple: The food “tastes like your grandma made it.”
The dine-in spot, Gonzalez said, isn’t just attracting regulars, though.
“It’s not just overflow like we thought. It’s been new clientele, a lot of new faces,” Gonzalez said.
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