Established 1990 (1990) State Illinois Country United States Founded 1990 Postal code/zip 60647 | Street address 1865 N. Milwaukee Postal/ZIP code 60647 City Chicago Food type Costa Rican cuisine | |
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Current owner(s) Henry and Miriam Cerdas Profiles | ||
Irazu Costa Rican Restaurant is a Latin American restaurant in Chicago, Illinois that opened in 1990. It is cash only and BYOB. Irazu is located on the storied Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago) in the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood on Chicago's north side. The name Irazu refers to a volcano in Costa Rica.
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Menu
The menu is known for Costa Rican sandwiches, traditional dishes, burritos, and its non-alcoholic drinks, especially milkshakes. Owner Henry Cerdas described it as "Latin soul cuisine-an overlap of Mexican and South American food," and intended to be a casual, non-pretentious atmosphere suitable for kids.
Decor
Anna Maria Barry-Jester of Five Thirty Eight's Life blog described the decor as, "A beautiful outdoor patio strung with lights and murals of volcanic scenes at indoor tables are the superficial draw....A chalkboard next to my table listed the top 10 sites to visit in Costa Rica, and the tables were covered in a particular red plastic that had me wondering if I’d been magically transported to Central America."
National Best Burritos
Irazu was one of three Chicago restaurants to make The Daily Meal's top 35 best burritos in America list.
Secret Life of Milkshakes (Food Network)
Irazu was profiled on "The Secret Life of Milkshakes" with Jim O'Connor on Food Network.
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (Food Network)
Irazu was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri visiting and sampling the chicharron with pico de gallo and a pepito sandwich with steak and black beans. The TV videos are located at http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/chicharron-at-irazu-0173487.embed.html and http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/irazus-pepito-sandwich-0173488.embed.html>.
Check Please!
Irazu was featured on the PBS TV food show Check, Please!.
Five Thirty Eight's Burrito Bracket
The popular Five Thirty Eight website of Nate Silver, owned by ESPN, profiled Irazu's burritos in its Burrito Bracket national competition. The blog noted the irony that burritos are not a Costa Rican food. Barry-Jester wrote, "It serves a popular burrito, but that’s not why people go there to eat."