Inside the unassuming brick building of Nellie's Restaurant, breakfasts and lunches become Puerto Rican feasts. Bright paintings and charming woodwork set the scene for Nellie's breakfast special, which hits all the highlights of this Humboldt Park spot—an open-faced omelet seasoned with sofrito and loaded with cheese, veggies, salchichon sausage, and sweet plantains, served alongside Nellie's signature coconut oatmeal and garlic bread. American breakfast standards such as egg sandwiches and buttermilk pancakes season plates with more familiar flavors. For lunch, chefs pair beefsteaks with sautéed onions, roast pork Puerto Rican style, and compose variations on mofongo, a traditional Puerto Rican dish made from fried plantains. Standard ham-and-cheese and roasted-pork sandwiches join a lineup of jibaritos, which sandwich savory steak or one of three other fillings between sliced fried plantains.

The sight of diners devouring traditional dishes and sipping malta has been a welcoming one for visitors who just parasailed in from Puerto Rico itself. According to Centerstage, "a governor of Puerto Rico and various state senators and congressmen have all enjoyed the affordable, homemade eats."