El Paraiso, the Latin American restaurant located in Broadway Food Hall, has mofonogo on the menu ($11.50). Mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish of mashed green plantains, and it’s among one of my most favorite dishes. (Other Caribbean cuisines have something similar to mofongo, which, of course, vary depending on location, tradition, and available ingredients.) In the decade-plus I’ve lived in C-U, I’ve never encountered it in a restaurant here.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see it on El Paraiso’s menu, and had to order it for lunch. I ordered it with chicken (it’s also available with beef or chicharrones). It was delicious: flavorful, rich, well seasoned. The chicken was outstanding, tender and — dare I say — moist . It was a large lunch and I brought home the leftovers for dinner.
El Paraiso proudly displays the flags of Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico, and you can find other Caribbean and Latin American dishes on the menu (like jibaritos and arepas). If you haven’t had mofongo before, do yourself a favor and give this one a try.
Are there any other places in C-U serving mofongo and other Caribbean dishes (outside of Caribbean Grill, of course). Send us your favorites via email or let us know in the comments section of our social media pages.
El Paraiso
401 N Broadway Ave
Urbana
T-F 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sa+Su 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Top image by Jessica Hammie.