On a snowy Friday evening in April, I had the opportunity to warm up with a delicious dinner at Javier’s Bistro. The Bistro is a Puerto Rican/American restaurant located on the south side of South Bend. The atmosphere was relaxed and open, with light music playing in the background and warm lighting filling the restaurant. The waitresses wore what seemed to be traditional black Puerto Rican dresses, and the friendly owner greeted customers with his chef cap on.
The menu is fairly simple—a two-sided page filled with appetizers, salads, traditional dishes, and specialty dishes. Detailed below are my thoughts on the items I ordered:
Mango Mimosa — $6: The mimosa flavors offered at Javier’s Bistro were new to me, as all I ever knew before was champagne and orange juice. I opted for the mango flavor and was not disappointed. The drink was delicious, full of fruity mango flavor. My one issue was that it was not as large as I would have expected for the price. Overall, it was a delicious drink, but unless it is a special occasion I do not see myself spending the money for such a small quantity.
Empanadas — $2.50: This appetizer of stuffed, fried bread is traditional in Latin American countries. I tried two different types of empanadas, including chicken and beef. Both were quite good, but the edge goes to the chicken, as it had more flavor in the actual meaty content of the empanada. The crust and consistency of both empanadas was tremendous and did not require any hot sauce or salsa. The empanadas were a great appetizer that got me excited to see what was in store for the rest of the meal. Be careful when biting in them—they are incredibly hot.
El Latino Burger — $8: What is the difference between a typical burger and the El Latino Burger? The latter is served with fresh homemade pico de gallo, house made guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion, Javier’s Bistro mayo, and cheddar and provolone cheeses. The burger was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and the toppings were distributed evenly. The balance in every bite was extraordinary, with the soft bun, beef, and toppings seamlessly integrated together. Bistro chips, or heavily seasoned fried potato slices, came on the side and surpassed most restaurants’ French fries. I was very pleased by this dish.
Milano Tripleta — $13: This dish was referred to as the Puerto Rican famous meat lovers delight on the menu, and that was a fair assessment. It comes with a combination of pork, grilled steak, and ham, topped with melted swiss cheese, shredded cabbage, Javier’s Bistro sauce, and pickles all stuffed into sandwich bread. It was too big to fit my mouth around, so I ate some of the internal contents before proceeding. The flavor of the meat was truly amazing. I do not know what spices they were using in the kitchen, but they brought out the flavor of all the meats. The sandwich was large yet well-balanced. The side provided here was also the bistro chips, which was a plus. Overall, the Milano Tripleta was the dish of the night.
I would give Javier’s Bistro a 7/10. The atmosphere was pleasant and the food was good, but the slow service and small quantities of some items detracted from the experience. I would recommend this to anyone who likes to try new places and enjoys supporting an owner who truly works hard every day to make people’s dining experiences great. Enjoy!
Bernie Floeder is a senior studying electrical engineering at Notre Dame and is excited to be trying out some of the finest cuisine near Northwestern University next year. Let him know if you have any suggestions at bfloeder@nd.edu.
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