El Mariel

Photo: Martha Williams

Luckily for taco fans, Chicago has no shortage of Mexican eateries. Likewise, Chinese, Thai, Indian and Italian options abound. But until recently, Cuban food has been few and far between. For whatever reason, the last year brought a handful of talented newcomers to the genre (most notably Cafecito and 90 Miles Cuban Cafe), and with El Mariel, we have yet another quick-serve option for feeding griddle-pressed Cubano sandwich cravings. We’d love to say the West Town newbie knocks the classic out of the park, but we’d be lying—it’s essentially a ham-heavy sandwich with a sliver of dry roast pork. What it does have going for it is excellent bread, perfectly crunchy, two fingers thick before split and subtly salty, subtly sweet. If you were to order a meal of El Mariel’s high points, the bread would be center stage, and the results would make for a curious lunch.

Freshly fried potato chips that accompany each sandwich (we also tried a mediocre turkey “panini” that suffered from tasteless meat) turn out to be another star of the show—in fact, El Mariel could sell its frying technique to Vintner’s and Potbelly would be forced to take it back. Presumably that same fryer is responsible for another highlight, rounds of savory plantains (a.k.a. tostones) that are greaseless, lightly salted things. While you’re building yourself one carbtastic meal, might as well throw in the final item that El Mariel does well: incredibly flaky housemade pastelitos filled with guava paste and cream cheese. True, this meal isn’t much of a “meal,” and it doesn’t make El Mariel much of a destination, but for a quick carry-out stop to round out a home-cooked meal, you could do worse.

1438 W Chicago Ave (312-226-0455). El: Blue to Chicago. Bus: X9, 9, 66. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Average sandwich: $4.

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