Irazu Costa Rican Restaurant

Lore & Background

Irazú was founded on August 20, 1990, by Miriam and Gerardo Cerdas. The restaurant's name comes from the Irazú volcano in Costa Rica. Owner Henry Cerdas described the cuisine as 'an overlap of Mexican and South American food.' The restaurant serves sandwiches, traditional dishes, burritos, non-alcoholic drinks, and milkshakes.

Reader's Guide

Irazu Costa Rican Restaurant has been a fixture in Chicago's Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood since 1990, offering Costa Rican cuisine. Its media appearances include the 2011 Diners, Drive-ins and Dives episode 'Latin Street Food,' which featured its chifrijo and pepito sandwich. Food Network also profiled Irazú in The Secret Life of Milkshakes. The restaurant appeared in a 2008 episode of WTTW's Check, Please!. In 2014, The Daily Meal included Irazú in its '35 Best Burritos in America' list, and FiveThirtyEight covered the restaurant in a 2014 Burrito Bracket article. The Chicago City Council's 2025 resolution during Hispanic Heritage Month underscores its local cultural significance.

Founding & Neighborhood Roots

Irazu Costa Rican Restaurant first opened its doors on August 20, 1990, when Miriam and Gerardo Cerdas established their Latin American eatery on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago's Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood on the city's north side. The couple chose a name drawn from one of Costa Rica's most recognizable natural landmarks—the Irazú volcano—giving the establishment an immediate geographic and cultural anchor to the country whose cuisine they intended to showcase. Situated in a vibrant, arts-oriented district known for its independent businesses, the restaurant carved out a space as a dedicated Costa Rican dining option in a city where broader Latin American food was common but a specifically Costa Rican identity was rare. Over three and a half decades, the Cerdas family has maintained the restaurant as a fixture of the neighborhood, evolving from a new arrival in the early 1990s into a long-standing community institution recognized well beyond its immediate surroundings.

Culinary Identity & Signature Dishes

The menu at Irazu centers on Costa Rican cuisine, though owner Henry Cerdas has characterized the overall offering as an overlap of Mexican and South American food, acknowledging the natural cross-pollination among Latin American culinary traditions. Patrons can find traditional Costa Rican dishes alongside familiar formats like sandwiches and burritos, complemented by non-alcoholic beverages and a notable selection of milkshakes. Two items have gained particular recognition: the chifrijo, a classic Costa Rican preparation, and the pepito sandwich, both of which were highlighted when Food Network featured the restaurant. The restaurant's approach to food reflects a family-driven philosophy rather than a strictly formal one, with the Cerdas family shaping the menu around dishes that feel both authentic to their heritage and accessible to a broad Chicago audience. This blend of specificity, rooted in one Central American country's foodways, with a welcoming neighborhood-friendly presentation has helped Irazu stand out in a city saturated with Latin American dining options.

Media Appearances & National Recognition

Irazu's profile in popular food media began building in the late 2000s and accelerated through the 2010s. In 2008, WTTW's Check Please! featured the restaurant, introducing it to a local television audience. The following wave of national attention came when Food Network included Irazu in two separate programs: a 2011 episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives titled Latin Street Food, which showcased the restaurant's chifrijo and pepito sandwich, and a segment on The Secret Life of Milkshakes that spotlighted the establishment's shake offerings. The restaurant's burritos earned particular acclaim in 2014, when The Daily Meal placed Irazu on its 35 Best Burritos in America list and FiveThirtyEight included it in a widely shared Burrito Bracket article. These appearances collectively positioned Irazu not merely as a neighborhood favorite but as a nationally recognized destination for authentic Latin American street food, drawing food enthusiasts from across the country to Milwaukee Avenue.

Civic Honor & Lasting Legacy

In September 2025, the Chicago City Council passed a formal resolution honoring Irazu Costa Rican Restaurant and the Cerdas family during Hispanic Heritage Month. This civic recognition came more than three decades after Miriam and Gerardo Cerdas first opened the restaurant in 1990, marking the culmination of a long period during which the family business became woven into the social fabric of Bucktown/Wicker Park and the broader north side. The resolution acknowledged not only the restaurant's culinary contributions but also the Cerdas family's sustained presence and service to the community over 35 years. For a family-run establishment in a city known for its restaurant turnover, such an official acknowledgment from city government underscores the depth of Irazu's roots. The honor during Hispanic Heritage Month also highlighted the restaurant's role in representing Costa Rican culture within Chicago's diverse Latin American landscape, distinguishing it from the many Mexican-focused eateries that dominate the city's dining scene.

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