Bolivar & Lincoln Venezuelan Cafe

First time visit and we loved it! Such a cute little spot in the neighborhood with great patio and ambiance. We had Tequeños and empanadas for food, so tasty and crunchy but also SOOO well made with that irresistible and unique taste of home. Very friendly and attentive service. Didn't took pictures but we will be back for sure.

I looove arepas and they never disappoint here. I've tried a few of the combos they offer on the menu, and I've also done the build your own. The ingredients are good quality and the flavors hiiit, especially with the creamy green garlic sauce!

The service here is top notch as well. The staff is very chatty and smiley, so it's a great environment for dining in (but they do offer takeout too). Awesome lil spot, def check it out!

Food: AMAZING. Highly recommend the Pabellon arepas and mandocas appetizer. The beef was amazingly seasoned and plantains perfectly tender. The mandocas were the perfect touch of sweetness and cheese on top was the perfect accompaniment. The strawberry juice with milk was a delicious refreshing smoothie. I would pass on the pineapple juice without milk however.
Service: such kind and very informative servers. Quick service too!
Ambiance: space is small, so I would recommend a reservation! There are about 9 or 10 tables and an outdoor patio area with another handful.

The food was so amazing we cleaned our plates :)

I walk by here all the time and decided that it was finally time to get some empanadas. Luckily for me, they're 100% worth it. They're pretty big, crispy on the outside, and full of deliciousness on the inside. Weirdly, when you're inside you feel like you've been transported out of Chicago. The city moves on outside but inside Bolivar & Lincoln you're in a whole different world and it feels good to escape, even if only for a short while.

Everything here was very good. The service was great and they were very helpful. The platter for an appetizer was great. The burger was good, as was the arepa and cachappa. The only complaint I would have is that the beef was very chewy.

This place was cute. The staff was attentive and nice. Food came out quickly.

I had the cowboy arepa, my friend had the blondie arepa, and we split the mandocas. All of the food was good portions and very tasty. Definitely will recommend!

Landed in Chicago to visit some friends and needed lunch asap. My friend took us to this neighborhood spot and I'm sooo glad she did. I mean just look at how absolutely STACKED this arepa is!! I got the veggie arepa which came with black beans, plantains, and avocado (which came with a side of an incredible green sauce). The beans were more than just beans but seasoned to perfection and seemed to be mixed with tomatoes and onions. The plantains were sweet and juicy and the corn arepa itself was delicious and tender. So glad I got to try out this spot and definitely hope to be back!

Bolivar & Lincoln is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. Everything is homemade, fresh and they take pride of the food.

The service is beyond amazing. Everyone is so nice, thoughtful and attentive. The arepas are soooo good. Perfectly season and cooked. The meat is juicy and the arepa is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This is a must visit esp if you're in Wrigleyville! And if you're not, still go, it's worth it!

On a typical Wednesday evening where I didn't feel like cooking, my boyfriend stumbled upon Bolivar & Lincoln online when looking for somewhere to eat that was more casual. We haven't experienced a lot of true Venezuelan meals, but are familiar with Arepas and I love plantains. I had seen the excellent reviews and was a little worried it wouldn't quite live up to the hype but we throughly enjoyed our meal! It looks like normally they take orders at the counter but we sat down with menus to decide what we wanted and an employee offered us full sit down service.

We started off with the tequenos, which I can only describe as a MUCH better bosco stick (if you went to any public school in the late 2000s, they were quite the staple). They were soft without the cheese pouring out and weren't overly greasy. The garlic and fancy peppers sauce was like an elevated garlic aioli with almost a chimmichuri kick? We both tried each of our two areas and I really enjoyed the Pabellon with the meat offering a delicious but mild flavor and the plantains offering a subtle sweetness to the dish. The cowboy had well cooked steak with really fresh avocado and tomato on there, adding a freshness to the arepa.

I highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area. We live nearby and this will become a staple for us.

The pabellon arepa with the green garlic sauce was absolutely worth five stars. Filling and everything was cooked so well. Tablemates also got the cowboy arepa and the steak sandwich. Would rate those 4 stars- steak wasn't cooked nearly as well/as flavorful as the meat in the pabellon. If you get the plate definitely ask for the green sauce on the side- completes the dish. Very friendly atmosphere and service.