This is a great place for tapas! We got the white wine sangria (mango and white peach) which were both good but definitely liked the white peach better! For tapas, we got the chorizo wrapped date which was such a good combination of sweet and savory and had to add some more to our order! The brussel sprout salad also had a great flavor and was decently sized for a tapa. The goat cheese in tomato sauce with garlic bread was a great flavor as well and the bread was nice and crunchy. The grilled iberico pork was a little bit burnt in places but had a nice flavor and wasnt too hard to chew. Really enjoyed this place and would definitely come back for more tapas! read more

I heard such good things about this place and I can see why!! Everything we got was SO GOOD!! The dates, goat cheese, and steak were our favorites but seriously cannot go wrong with anything. Couldn't say better things about this place! read more

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

After hearing about this place for such a long time and trying to come many times I FINALLY MADE IT. Stopped by the day after Thanksgiving to have lunch with my family. The four of us ordered squash soup ($5), brussel sprouts salad ($7), the cheese plate($10), garlic shrimp ($9.50), squid ($11), beef empanada (6.50), hanger steak ($13), lamb skewer ($9), and we two desserts - chocolate truffle and Spanish affogato. There's free dessert with your yelp check-in! While all of the dishes we got were absolutely delicious, my three favorites were the garlic shrimp, squid, and the hanger steak. The shrimp was cooked to perfection and was a blast of flavor the moment you put it in your mouth, yet not overwhelming. I'm not the biggest fan of garlic, but the combination with lemon and the pepper flakes gave it the perfect kick of spice and tang. The same went with the squid, which was chewy and tender. While this seems simple, many places serve it way too chewy making it hard to tear apart and swallow. The hanger steak - nice and medium rare, tender, and full of flavor. I loved that the portions were just right. We left feeling full but not bloated. 8 dishes, two desserts for the price wasn't bad at all! Without a doubt, I would return again and will definitely be recommending it to friends and visitors! read more

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Not really coming for the paella, but loving the tapas! Do yourself a favor and order the seared cana de cabra, this was out of this world, perfectly balanced flavorful! Plato de la casa and papas bravas are good to start it off. Manchego mushrooms are a MUST, even tho they are not selected as house favorites. Get them, no regrets. Not a sangria lover myself but I heard is really tasty. The sausage platter, yummy as well Ambiance is beautiful, reservation is always sugested read more

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From the moment you enter the place, you already have an idea that it will be a great timing for you. I've dined in here many times and never been disappointed. The food and service are always great but my experience with their take out was phenomenal. Very cool ambiance. Those times when I was there with a group of friends that was an amazing times and I mentioned that just to give you an advice that, try to visit here grouply cuz you may enjoy it much more. Or you could have a date here it'll work too. read more

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Heard so many amazing things about this place, and it definitely lives up to the hype! I came for happy hour on a weekday and was seated immediately. They have distanced indoor seating available during COVID. The bar area is dimly lit but has a cozy, intimate feel. The staff were very friendly and gave great recommendations! My only complaint is that the dishes are on the pricier side but more reasonable at happy hour. The roasted dates, carpaccio toast, and croquetas were my favorites and I would definitely get them again! The dates were the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The Wagyu carpaccio and ricotta just melted in my mouth. The croquetas were little nuggets of crunchiness smoothed out with savory aioli. I didn't get to try their sangria this time (had work afterwards) but will try it next time when I come back to sample the rest of the happy hour menu! read more

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When one becomes a very powerful yelper like me, the power can really go to your head. Such was the feeling I had after the manager of Ba-Ba-Reeba reached out to me after I posted a 4 star review of this very good restaurant. He asked what they could do better and my honest answer was nothing; four stars is pretty darn good and from service to ambiance to food Ba-Ba-Reba is a 4 star concept. And that's great because sometimes a 4 star experience is exactly what one wants. My most recent experience here confirmed this take. Service is personable and to-the-point, atmosphere is convivial, benefits from great natural light until the sun goes down when it becomes warm and cozy. It's a biggish property so the kitchen is made to crank out bites to satisfy the high volume. There is no chef giving painstaking detail to anything, and it shows. Which is fine because it's not a 5 star place. The patatas bravas are cooked and seasoned ahead of time and warmed to serve with a healthy slather of spicy aioli. The whole tapas menu is more or less the same: prepped ingredients slapped together and delivered piping hot. The exception to this is the paella. Made to order? Yes. The best paella you'll ever have? Hope not! Tasty? Sure! Will I be back? Well after this second epic 4 star review we'll see if they let me through the door read more

Have been to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba multiple times and the food is always great and ambience is inviting. Patatas bravas is a must order and grab a spot at the bar for happy hour if you can make it! read more

I'm tap dancing over these tapas! (Hehehe cheesy, I know! ) but the tapas here are amazing! The place is very popular, so making a reservation is highly recommended. There is an app where you can track your wait. Now let me list the must: the scallops, the croquettas de bacalou, the shrimp, the chicken peri-peri, the steak with blue cheese, the goat cheese with tomato sauce, and the Brussels sprouts salad. Avoid: the octopus and lamb skewers. The scallops were amazing! Served on a squash purée, with candied pumpkin seeds. This was definitely a winner for me. Perfectly cooked and paired perfectly with the squash, this is a great fall dish. I love cod, so the croquettas are a must. Plus, the aioli makes for a delicious experience, every bite. Brussels sprouts salad was so refreshing, I'd actually suggest ending with that as you can lighten the tasted buds at the end. Also for dessert, the butterscotch custard and the natilla flan with saffron are a must! Red sangria pitchers are also a necessity! The service is also excellent here! And you don't have to wait long as food starts coming out as soon as you order. read more

I've only been for happy hour but it is probably one of, if not my favorite, happy hours in the city! Came here with a group of six and we all loved their happy hour tapas and sangria. At $16 a pitcher, there was enough for about six glasses so one for each of us (what an awesome deal!). We went down the list and tried all of here happy hour tapas, which were all delicious. The empanada was fresh, crispy, and meaty. The creamy garlic sauce (aioli?) it came with was just fantastic as well. While the garlic potato salad was great, my favorite were the patatas bravas, which were so crispy but fluffy inside, seasoned perfectly, and complimented the garlic aioli so well. The seasoned chickpeas were tasty and filling, and the meatballs were so juicy and delicious, with a mild but tasty tomato sauce. For $2-3, we were very pleased with the food and the super affordable sangria pitchers, and service was always prompt. I can't wait to come back for another happy hour or to try their full dinner menu! read more

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Always great food and service here! The sangria is wonderful and I can never get enough of the quest de cabra or the patatas bravado!

Always a good time here. Food is always great. Parking isn't always available. I have been here repeatedly- would definitely recommend!

this was my second timing coming to cafe ba ba reeba and it was just as great as the first! the atmosphere is cozy and easy to talk, and a great night out with the girls. plus, the sangrias are delicious! my favorite is the peach. the food is tapas style, and you have to go for a paella! the paellas take about 40 minutes to come out, but they tell you that ahead of time and you don't even notice as your other tapas are staggered. this last time, for 2, we had 1 paella, the pork meatballs, and the croquetas! read more

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The tortilla de patatas or as they call it (tortilla española) was very dry. This dish is not meant to be like this. Any tortilla de patatas you have in Spain, and in Barcelona (where I lived for a year) will be more moist. Additionally, the paella was extremely bland. I know these dishes are hard to pull off, however making a bland paella isn't what I would think a restaurant awarded with "restaurants from Spain" certified would do. The only good thing I had was the Chorizo-wrapped date. I have seen many good reviews but I don't understand how a restaurant could have such variance in its dishes to where some are reviewed as excellent while these were extremely bland and not made properly. Finally, this place is big, and I believe this contributes to the food quality being stretched as service is stretched. To make this type of food, and to make it well, you need focus and less stretching of the staff. read more

Service was slow and the food was just ok. The atmosphere was loud & crowded. The experience was not worth the expense. read more

This is our favorite tapas place in the area, we used to go for brunch tapas and LOVED it! Service was always great and it was super kid friendly -- they gave the best bendable wax things to kiddos to play with while waiting for food. We got takeout/pickup over the weekend and I wasn't sure if tapas would be a good carryout food. We ordered the chicken paella, wrapped dates (the single ones--they were MASSIVE and wrapped in ham which we didn't remember from our dining in days but would order again), and patatas bravas. Just those items were A TON of food for 2 adults and we had paired down our order. We even had leftover paella. Additionally we got the red sangria which we loved getting it when we dined in pre-pandemic, and it tasted the EXACT same. Overall, a good experience and we will order again! read more

I am from a long line of Spanish people and have spent a lot of my life eating Spanish food, and let me tell you, this place is the best tapas place I've had outside of the "homeland"! Literally writing this review right now is making my mouth water (and I just finished eating). This food is as great as my abuelita would make, but make it trendier. The carpaccio, spicy potatoes, and green peppers were amazing! The sauces on all these dishes take it from traditional to the next level of delicious. Octopus and croquetas have always been my favorite growing up. Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba did not disappoint! Do NOT skip on the sangria. We got a pitcher of the special lychee sangria and wow. Also it was 6 drinks for $30 - talk about value! If you're in Chicago, this is a must visit place! read more

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First time here with families. We had Fried Calamari, Patatas Bravas, Garlic Shrimp, Catalan Style Crystal Bread, Hanger Steak, Chicken Paella (30mins wait) and virgin Sangria. All dishes are quite delicious and tapas were served fast. We sit at the bar and didn't wait. Regular table may have a wait time up to 1.5 hours, best to come with reservation for a big group. Kid-friendly. My daughter enjoyed the Fried Calamari and Paella. read more

Delicious tapas!!! Love the name of this place too haha. The service is here is impECCABLE. Our server kept checking up on us and refilling our drinks. He was super friendly and helpful. Don't forget to check-in for a free dessert tapa! Loved the decor and vibes here. We started with a pitcher for Cava Sangria between 3 people. It was basically the perfect amount. About 3 drinks per person. It was fruity and delicious. We got Spicy Potatoes with Tomato Aioli, Spinach & Manchego-Stuffed Mushrooms, Serrano ham, salchichon, chorizo & manchego platter, and Grilled Octopus with mojo verde, potatoes, olives, migas. Everything was delicious and quite filling even tho they were small plates. I like how they indicate the popular items in red on the menu. For dessert, we got Caramelized Banana, Chocolate Truffle Cake, and Butterscotch Custard. Honestly, you can't go wrong with anything here especially the popular (red) items. read more

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! - free dessert tapas when you check in! Chocolate Truffle Cake, Caramelized Banana and Butterscotch Custard - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had a great time at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba. We are big fans of tapas so we can try all kinds of new dishes and flavors. My children joined my wife and me for this outing, and having two teenagers at a tapas place means it all goes away too fast, but it was still delicious! The service was amazing--great team style service where whoever was around the table would be looking and checking that we were good. I'm also a huge fan of the open kitchen, where you walk past and see the wonders being created as they hit the trays and get brought to the tables. My wife and I had a couple of cocktails to start. I tried the "New Fashioned," which was a fantastic and refreshing twist on an OF. She had a fancy gin and tonic with grapefruit juice that was very good (she actually ordered a second because I may have tasted her drink more than once). Some of our favorites were the shaved Brussels sprouts, the garbanzo beans, and the peri peri chicken. The goat cheese is a must-try. It is almost like an eggless shakshuka with goat cheese instead of the egg. Everything we ordered disappeared. Would love to go back with adults so we can take our time and enjoy it without the kids inhaling the food and asking when we can go. :) read more

One of Chicago's best tapas bar great portion sizes great staff very consistent have been eating there for more that 10 years quality has only gotten better read more

Ok hands down my favorite restaurant in Chicago!! A must try. First of all, the restaurant has a great COVID protocol. They scan your temp when you walk in, masks on everytime someone comes by the table, and the tables are pretty spaced out. Food wise - delicious. Hands down delicious. We had the lychee sangria - so good! Literally tastes like juice. For our tapas, we had the waffle battered chicken (amazing), the garlic shrimp (pretty decent), chorizo wrapped date (AMAZING MUST HAVE), wagyu carpaccio (pretty good), and stuffed mushrooms (so good). Honestly can't wait until I can go back. read more

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! - Shrimp wIth Garlic, Olive Oil, Red Pepper Flakes Sangria Del Dia - Lychee - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is an AMAZING tapas place. There is a seating area with adorable mood lighting and plants which gives the place a great ambiance. Service has always been prompt. The food is incredible. Every time my friends from out of town visit, I always take them here because it's always guaranteed to have delicious food! It is really nice to be able to taste a variety of dishes, as you can order multiple tapas dishes and share with your guests. This place is definitely a treat for your tastebuds! read more

I can't count the times I have ben to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! Each time was great - we love the food (chicken empanadas and stuffed mushrooms topping the list but closely followed by garlic shrimp). Yes, they can make a good drink but I simply can't go there are not have the Sangria. It's delicious. Service is always very good and we like how the divide the vast dining space into cozier, smaller spaces, each a little different from another. People are always there celebrating birthdays so that says it all! read more

Love coming to this place and getting their red sangria! Came with my best friends and luckily found a reservation at 6pm last minute. They get booked really quickly so plan ahead of time! I ordered off the restaurant week menu and ordered the seared morcilla sausage, deviled egg, roasted bacon wrapped dates, grilled iberico pork, and butterscotch custard. All of the food we ordered came at different times which got a little confusing, but the food was still delicious. I highly recommend trying their grilled iberico pork with red chimichurri sauce! The total of the bill including tip & tax was $173. You are also only allowed to stay for a little over an hour to dine which can feel a little rushed. But overall had a great time as usual with their amazing drinks and food. read more

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Came here on a Friday evening for a happy hour drink. The front bar was packed so somebody directed us to the bar in the back. It was about 10 minutes before the back bar opened (530) but we were glad to have a seat. We ordered the happy hour sangria pitcher (16 dollars) and several of the tapas. The bacon wrapped dates were AMAZING! Other items were good as well but get the dates. We also had a dessert tapa which is how all desserts should be served. Also saw you can get a free dessert tapa for checking in on yelp which I didn't see but definitely will next time! With the pitcher, 4 tapas plus the dessert tapa (and free bread) our total with tip was around 40 dollars which is a great happy hour value in an amazing building. Can't wait to return read more

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Tasty tasty. Heard about this place from a close friend and decided to check it out. Definitely don't regret coming here. My friend and I happened to arrive during happy hour so we sat by the bar. Happy hour options are more limited. Pitcher of red sangria is $20. I heard a lot about the white peach sangria so I had to order one. SO GOOD ITS DANGEROUS. I recommend this drink 100%. Smooth, sweet, and tangy. For tapas, we ordered quite a few including the Garlic Potato Salad, Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup with Espelette, Spicy Potatoes with Tomato Aioli, Fried Calamari w/ Tomato Crudo + Jalapeño Aioli, Shrimp with Garlic+Olive Oil+Red Pepper Flakes, and Housemade Tomato Bread. I throughly enjoyed each and every tapa option. However, my favorites were Spicy Potatoes with Tomato Aioli and the Shrimp with Garlic+Olive Oil+Red Pepper Flakes. These two are a must. Potatoes were perfectly crisp. The aioli was heavenly. Not too spicy, just the right kick. Shrimps were perfectly cooked. The garlic sauce was amazing. Not too overpowering. I also really enjoyed the tomato bread. Flavor was pretty unique. Freshly baked. No complaints here. I just recommended it to a close friend to celebrate her birthday! read more

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I unfortunately didn't get photos as I was on a first date (they have photos on their menu next to each item), BUT.... we sat at the bar and it was lovely. The server was sweet, the ambiance was loud enough without being hard to hear or quiet enough that it was awkward. We got 1/2 a pitcher of red sangria which was perfect for two people. Not super sweet which I loved. We went a little overboard (or so I thought) but it was a decent amount of food to be able to bring just a little home. We had: bacon wrapped dates, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, octopus, beef empanada, and seafood paella. The mushrooms (stuffed with cheese, greens and heaven with crunchy breadcrumbs), octopus (literally the most supple I've ever had and I use that word as sparingly as possible), and paella (flavor burst) were my favorites. We also couldn't resist and got a chocolate truffle, butterscotch custard, and flan for dessert. Loved that they were smaller sized and affordably priced so we could have a few trials. The butterscotch was creamy without being over powerfully sweet and I will be dreaming about it for days. Overall, I can't wait to come back for another round and sit in one of the cute window seats! read more

I have two absolute favorite tapas places is this is one of them. The food never disappoints, the staff is always accommodating and vibe is impecable. Also awesome to be able to get Lettuce Entertain you perks while dining. read more

Food is always outstanding. We had a business meeting and this location and the service was great excellent. It was a bit noisy for a meeting, but for the purposes of dinner with friends, it would be perfect. read more

This place is incredible. I think we got 10 dishes and literally every single one was great. The place is huge and they do a nice job of spacing the tables out so you don't feel to close to anyone. Our servers were super friendly and very attentive. Cannot say enough nice things about the food. The best we've had in Chicago by far! I could literally eat 30 of the chorizo wrapped dates. Highly recommend! read more

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Awesome food terrific service and always a great time Highly recommend this for groups of people everyone will find some items they like read more

Well it's been a long time since I ate at Cafe ba ba reeba. I really had a craving for Spanish cuisine since after Thanksgiving and I was going to go to tapas Barcelona up in Evanston but due to the fact that I've been traveling around near Chicago and they close at 2:30 pm until they open at 6:00 pm I really wanted spanish cuisine for lunch. Cafe ba ba Reeba was near the vicinity and didn't want to go to downtown to have tapas valenciana. They're not too expensive compared to the other Spanish restaurants I know in Chicago land which is the same with a compass Barcelona. I started off with court orders of hot topas which is chorizo wrapped in dates very delicious compared to other Spanish places and not too expensive at $3.50 each. Also just had one glass of red traditional classic Spanish sangria. The big star of why I was craving was paella usually I get seafood paella valenciana but they were serving a breakfast paella in the afternoon this paella has garbanzo beans raisins and chorizo traditionally with saffron and paella Spanish Bomba rice. I decided to go for this one in the menu and do not regret. Very delicious and just the way they make it in Spain. I ended it with a dessert since I still had room with a Spanish natilla flan. The flying was pretty firm syrupy but not to sugary sweet and delicious. Overall I had a good experience the only reason why four out of five stars was that they were really packed and I had to eat at the bar. I prefer to eat in a table and chair or dining Booth but they were really jam-packed with people. Other than that I would be dining again like last time and order My traditional paella with seafood but I would do this in the location if I was sitting or not chair and table and not at a bar stool read more

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A massive space and always packed. If you visit, you'll see why. While it is not the most upscale restaurant, the prices reflect this, and you will enjoy a reasonably priced, delicious meal. My personal preference would be to include more French and new world wines on the menu, but that is entirely preference and their wine selection with a Spanish focus is solid and reasonably priced. Love the value here, Cafe BaBaReeba will always be a great choice for individuals looking for a great night out! I also found the staff lovely, they are kind and attentive. It was also evident they all enjoyed their work, which I think is an important indicator of the quality of management of the restaurant!! read more

A friend from chicago recommended this place and I had to try after seeing photos of their paella. My husband and I went with a friend for lunch and the service was quick, as well as the lining up for lunch. It's definitely a popular spot and the restaurant has a lot of seating - but would recommend a reservation if coming after work hours. The menu was very convenient and tapas style- every item had a photo to go along with it, so it was nice to be able to visualize what the food was. The food itself was really good! The portion sizes to the prices were pretty good and some of the dishes are definitely worth sharing. The paella, spicy potatoes, and burrata were my favorite dishes and definitely a would get again!! Definitely want to come back next time we are in town! read more

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is such a fun vibe for a date night or group dinner! I have been here many times and have never been disappointed! The happy hour is really great if you can get a spot at the bar! You can try a lot of different items! My favorite is the brusslesprout salad and the dates! The sangria is very good too! You can't go wrong with the red or the white sangria! They are very accommodating for parties and have great service even with a bigger group! read more

Good food , great variety, excellent service friendly crew Very comfortable location, I recommend 100% read more

A Chicago classic, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is perfect for a casual or festive night out with friends or a romantic date night. The ambiance of the restaurant is cozy and inviting, with a lively atmosphere. We ordered a pitcher of the classic red sangria, four tapas and a paella to share among four of us, and it was the perfect amount of food. The patatas bravas are definitely a staple, and they were fried perfectly with just the right amount of spice. The brussel sprout salad was fresh and flavorful and the bacon-wrapped dates were savory and delicious. The fried shishito peppers were a bit on the spicier side, which I enjoyed but they're not for everyone. The real highlight was the paella, which is an absolute must-try in my opinion. Overall, I highly recommend Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba for anyone looking for a fun and delicious night out in Chicago. read more

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You don't need me to tell you that the food at Ba-Ba-Reeba because your coworkers or your hair stylist probably already recommended it. My eyes rolled over in Joy when I had their spicy potatoes with tomato aioli, I highly recommend that. Their sangria flavors (and in flight!) is also a must-do for brunch with friends! read more

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Always a great time at Ba Ba Reeba! Second time here, this time with a larger group and it knocked it out of the park yet again. We all just threw in 2-3 tapas and had plenty of food to go around, and many new favorites!! We also went with a couple pitchers of sangria which hit the spot. Must try: Beef skewer with horseradish Stuffed mushrooms Iberico ham croquettes Piri piri chicken Strongly recommend: Bacon wrapped dates Burrata & avocado toast Crispy Potatoes Goat cheese baked in tomato sauce Skippable: Seared Txistorra Sausage Bacalao Cod croquettes read more

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