Puesto Sandwich Stand is two blocks south of Wrigley Field, but it might as well be in another city. It remains pleasantly indifferent to both the Cubs madness that takes over the rest of the neighborhood—on game day, jazz plays over the sound system and a Nina Simone documentary runs on the TV—and the fierce battles over tacos that have recently preoccupied Chicago’s Latin American-food aficionados. The menu, in fact, ignores tortillas altogether.
The sandwich holder of choice here is the arepa, a griddled corn cake of Venezuelan origin, and Puesto offers an array of sweet and savory fillings. The chilaquiles-stuffed arepa with scrambled eggs, salsa verde, bacon, and avocado is a masterpiece of balanced sandwich construction: sweet and salty, hot and cool, crisp and creamy. Puesto also serves more substantial sandwich meals on bolillo rolls.The best of these is the Cuban sandwich, packed with juicy pork, smoky ham, and lots of melty Swiss cheese, with a swish of astringent mustard. Eat it outside on the pleasant little patio, or stay inside and nurse an excellent cup of cafe con leche and imagine you’re off in Miami. Puesto’s the next best thing—which is worth remembering once it gets cold again.
Puesto Sandwich Stand, 3349 N. Sheffield, 773-661-2490, puestosandwiches.com.