Cafecito, Chicago

Though it serves a mean cafe con leche and cortadito, Cafecito's main claim to fame is its Cuban sandwich. Top Chicago food reviewers—including the Hungry Hound himself, Steve Dolinsky—have praised it as the best Cuban sandwich in the city, and the Chicago Tribune went so far as to call it, "the perfect combination of roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard." Still, it's hard not to be swayed by the other tempting creations being whipped up in the kitchen: sandwiches include the Ropa Vieja, topped with slow-roasted skirt steak, sweet plantains, black beans, and tomato Creole sauce, as well as the Elvees—a tropical twist on the classic Elvis sandwich, which swaps bananas for plantains, and adds a touch of guava jam. Meanwhile, platters of roasted pork emerge slathered in grilled onions, lime juice, and house-made mojo sauce sate larger appetites, while the cafe kicks out its signature Cuban coffees alongside rich, Cuban milkshakes in a lineup of daily-changing flavors.