Great ambiance, the staff and servers were great and there was even some musical entertainment! The food was also good. We had a few tapas apps and then some paella. I left wanting to come back for more. read more

My first experience at Little Madrid was in June 2023. I found myself in the area again recently and was excited to return. Unfortunately, within the past year the quality and experience at this restaurant has significantly changed for the worse. If you are looking for AUTHENTIC Spanish tapas, keep looking... The obvious changes: restaurant has expanded, no longer sells alcohol (now BYOB), inattentive waitstaff (even with only a handful of other tables occupied - though, this could be considered a touch authentic to Spain... HA!) Previously, the restaurant was small, even a bit crowded. However, the atmosphere was truly reminiscent of an experience in Spain. While interacting, staff were welcoming, friendly, and fun - even bringing free sangria out to pour directly into patrons mouths. Truly a relaxing, non-rushed, party/community atmosphere. Now, the expanded space lacks the "European feel". Not without mention, has also led to completely inattentive waitstaff. Again, this is also typical in Spain, but rather than Americanizing the food (keep reading...) , how about Americanizing the service experience? Pan con Tomate: For $9, you receive 3 slices of untoasted sourdough bread drizzled with low quality olive oil and garnished with parsley, grated tomato, accompanied by a handful of olives and almonds. For such a simple dish, quality and application of ingredients is extremely important, and Little Madrid is lacking in both seasoning, preparation and quality. I was tempted to ask for salt (though, lack of attention from waitstaff would have made that impossible even if I had decided to). In Spain, this is served with crusty bread and grated tomato seasoned with salt, drizzled with HIGH QUALITY olive oil. Though this is a staple in Spain, I would pass on ordering this dish at Little Madrid. Not to mention, in Spain this dish is typically just 2-4 EUR. Albondigas (Meatballs): While the meatballs are tender and juicy, the dish is completely overshadowed by the unnecessary, and unwelcome addition of bacon bits all over the plate. Another dish I would recommend skipping if you are in the market for true, authentic Spanish flavors. Calamaris fritos: The breading is good, extremely crisp and not oily, but the calamari is overcooked and rubbery. Extremely hard to chew. Euro bacon: I'm unsure how this dish even made it to the menu. This is much better suited alongside other Hors d'oeuvres at a wedding cocktail hour. Overly sweet and full of bacon... which is most American's ideal. Not authentic. Patatas Bravioli: The aioli and brava salsa are delicious, however the potatoes in this dish were completely different from my first time at Little Madrid... the potatoes are now much too large - exterior is barely crisp, the interior texture is the same as a boiled potato. Again, a dish so simple needs to be well executed. In Spain, the potatoes are served in smaller, more crisp pieces. The expansion has negatively impacted the atmosphere and food quality. I am truly sad to say that I will not plan on returning after the disappointment of my latest visit. read more

Charming little place and very friendly service. Food was good but prices are really high for the portions.

A neighborhood gem! Really authentic and fantastic Tapas! We had wonderful and attentive service, and loved the low lighting with candles. Very romantic! Also, incredible happy hour specials. Cannot recommend enough. read more

When a restaurant experiences success to early, it is domed for failure. I had seen good reviews and decided to go. I tried calling for a reservation, but nobody answered. I decided to use open table, but it wasn't working for this restaurant. When I arrived I was told I should have used open table. I explained it wasn't working. The person told me if I could wait 20 minutes, I could get a table. W e waited, and patrons left and tables were not cleaned. Forty minutes later a friend of the restaurant arrived, she eas greeted, and without checking for her reservation, she was seated. I decided to leave. I don't recommend going unless you are a friend. read more

December 9, 2023. Little Madrid is every bit as good four months later as it was in August. My previous comments still stand. Take your own wine. A new feature that I do not recall from August is live music. We repeated the patatas bravas and the albondigas. Croquettas de Francisco were outstanding - delicately crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. Spanish Caprese salad was a nice riff on the Caprese theme. Everyone was so welcoming and kind. read more

TLDR: don't waste your money, over priced sweet food with some of the worst service I've ever had After living nearby for a while, a Friday evening when my partner was in town meant it was time to finally try this restaurant. We were sat quickly since there were open tables and given water and glasses for our wine promptly. A few minutes later we put in our first round of food orders, (first round is important here because I made it clear that we planned on ordering more.) Potatoes in a paprika sauce, and goat cheese in red sauce with some bread. Potatoes came out promptly, and they didn't look like anything special but I was hopeful nonetheless. The look was accurate, they had as much seasoning as their appearance indicated which was practically none. The paprika sauce was spicy, I enjoyed the consistency, but it was as bland as the potatoes themselves and strangely sweet and sugary. I have never asked for salt at a restaurant and this was the first time I considered it. Besides that a lot of the pieces were a bit too large. The size only matters because they were often only crispy on one side and that means that a large piece mostly just tasted and felt in your mouth like "boiled potato" It was probably about 10 minutes after the potatoes that the goat cheese and red sauce arrived. This was another miss for us, goat cheese has a natural sweetness to it so I think it accompanies salty/savory additions very well. Instead the red sauce it was in was notably and surprisingly sweet. We both commented that it actually seemed like sugar had been added to it. There wasn't much else to the sauce, no interesting seasoning or complexity to it. Then there was the bread, drizzled in balsamic. Had the red sauce been salty then maybe this all could have worked. Instead it was sweet cheese, sweet sauce, and sweet bread. Neither of us were overly thrilled but we still had four items that sounded promising we were looking forward to ordering. Unfortunately we never got the chance. The only times we saw our waiter after the initial order were when the food was dropped off. Even at that time we weren't asked if we were enjoying our food, which the ten plus minutes between the dishes would have allowed us time to have an opinion on at that point. So it ended up that after the goat cheese it was almost an hour later after never being checked in on that we decided it was time to move on. This wasn't an instance of our server being overwhelmed. As other tables were seated he walked by us plenty of times as he gave other guests their initial attention, and each time I was looking just waiting for a glance at me or acknowledgement of any kind. It did not happen. Not once. We did see him wrapping or working on silverware in some capacity. And standing around not really doing anything at other times. For the first time in my life I was in a position at a restaurant where I felt I had to speak to a manager. And that was only because at that point we wanted to leave and get food elsewhere. Because we were still hungry for that second (possibly third) round of orders I mentioned to our server at the very beginning. I walked back to the rear of the seating area and spoke to the employee that initially sat us, who turned out to be the manager. I asked him if we could get the check, and told him that I had to express my disappointment and what our experience had been like. I didn't even mention the food, that could be more about our tastes and at that point it was everything else that had ruined the experience and that was an afterthought. He came to our table with the device to take my card and check out right away. He said he was sorry but it wasn't a substantial or satisfying acknowledgement of what I had expressed to him. He showed me the itemized screen quickly and then swiped to where I would pay, and the amount was around $50 (slightly over I believe) and I just asked to see the previous screen once more. The amounts were fine, and there was a $10 corkage fee, I was just creating an opportunity for the manager to see what we were being charged and to possibly remove or comp something. That didn't happen, and then when I paid I saw that the fee we initially saw included the default 20% tip included already, so I had to adjust that as well as the lowest option I could select was 18% without manually entering an amount. So around $49 later we were out the door, still hungry, and heading down the street to Little Bad Wolf. 30 minutes after leaving Little Madrid we had already finished a delicious meal at LBW. I think it's worth noting that I have never left a restaurant a poor review and created a yelp account just to leave this one. read more

We tried this little place as a group of 4 around lunch time on a Sunday. It is BYOB and we brought some mimosa supplies. Pros: coffee is good (they didn't have lattes/capacinnos available ye, we got the sandwiches (excellent!), Tortilla (we agreed it was one of the best tortillas we have ever had, and we have tried a decent amount!), and some pastries (the chocolate croissant is a regular croissant with Nutella - still really good, but not what we expected) Cons: very small tables, so currently it is really hard to come here with more than 3/4 people. They have only been open for 10 days so this will probably change! The owner also explained they will be an art gallery so they are probably trying to keep floor space open. TLDR: worth a stop, come for some small plates. read more

Little Madrid Tapas Cafe - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This little spot just opened around the corner from us and, while they are still very much in the opening phase, I hope it is here to stay! Don't expect much from the atmosphere, but feel free to have high expectations of the food and service! The former rivals what we had in Spain. Salty jamon, mysteriously fresh tomato bread in December, creamy manchego, Spanish tortilla--all with a drizzle of the most aromatic olive oil you've ever had! This place is special, and I hope folks pick up on that soon! read more

Little Madrid Tapas Cafe - Fried potatoes, eggs, jamon - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went on Valentines Day. I was quite excited since this is the first indoor dining experience we've had in over 18 months due to Covid. Eatr recommend this as a "romantic" place. I really wanted to like this place. From the reviews I thought this may be something special. Unfortunately, it had not so good food and mediocre service. Upon arrival around 7 pm on Valentines Day we were greeted by: a pretty pathetic looking standing houseplant which either needs some severe TLC or more likely needs to be brought to the dumpster. Why was this here? The place was dark. Too dark to the point that everyone in the place seemed to be using a flashlight to read the tiny print on the menu... Ok, going further on the decor: The place is not romantic, it's tacky. The candles everywhere add a nice ambiance but upon closer inspection the flowers on the tables and walls are clearly cheap plastic. Please use real flowers or don't clutter the already small, cramped tables. There was no tablecloth, and the used wine bottles to hold them was just gross. Makes me think that all the used BYOB wine bottles that are being charged an $11 "corking fee" then become "table art". I know it's winter, but the windows up front were filthy. These should be cleaned every few weeks. The place just looks cheap. Do they even see the place when the lights are on? The food: We ordered we ordered the Euro Bacon ($14) Stuffed pitted dates stuffed with brie cheese, almonds and wrapped in bacon. Was luke-warm. Bacon was barely done and rubbery. No flavor. We then ordered the "Spanish Tortilla" ($7) described as Spanish onion and potato omelette. It was mild tasting and delicate but cool in the middle, not fully cooked and would have been better if crisped up a bit in a salamander. Skip it. Patatas Bravas ($7) Crispy potatoes topped with spicy paprika sauce. This was the best thing we ordered but there was so little sauce that it was just simply fried breakfast potatoes with minimal spice. Paella Mariscos ($30) Mussels, clams, calamar, gambas, green peas. Horrible dish. I have had paella many times at different places and I was apprehensive ordering this here since the seafood was likely frozen. My assessment was correct. Paella is supposed to have well-flavored, fluffy garlicky rice. This was just awful. There was minimal rice, less than 8 oz for two people. I didn't understand this at all since paella I've had in the past was plentiful, steaming hot and fluffy. Not this one. The rice was undercooked and hard. Seafood was over cooked and rubbery. There was so much salt it was nearly inedible. Dish was only luke-warm and had little flavor. Come on! Now let's talk about the service: I want to give them some credit since the waitress told us she was only one of two servers (on a busy Valentines Day?). I counted nearly 18 tables. 9 tables per server is too much. More than 4 is pushing it. She was trying to please us as best she could but seemed overwhelmed. There were other patrons who were a lot less patient than I that complained about the food and service and walked out, and she had to chase them down apologizing. She did make recommendations on the size of the plates and was absolutely correct, but it did understandably take 20 minutes to finally take our order after being seated. I did enjoy the chef's speech about mid-way through the meal. He introduced the guitar player from the Gypsy Kings that played fantastic Spanish guitar through the night. He seemed personable enough and brought smiles to the faces of the patrons. Unfortunately this was the only nice thing I truly enjoyed and the only reason I gave this review 2 stars and not 1. This place is a BYOB. We bought a bottle of wine to enjoy. The waitress brought us a corking key and left it on the table with two hazy, water-spot stained glasses. Only after we received the bill did we see that we were charged an $11 "corking fee". I joked with the waitress that I was the one who corked the bottle, and I never saw any price on BYOB on the very tiny printed menu. She said it's because the bottles are heavy and the need to be disposed of and that other fine-dining restaurants also charge this fee. First, this is NOT a fine-dining restaurant. Second, if that's the case why are those plastic flowers shoved in what seems to be used wine bottles? Third, I could have just taken the empty bottle home and thrown it in our recycle bin myself and still have my $11. Just tell us it's a service charge but don't lie to patrons. Chef, I like your attitude but what you have is tacky decor and not very good food. Clean it up. Put some tablecloths and linen napkins on the tables. Take away those awful used wine bottles and use some small vases. Remove the dead plant. I'd also suggest you taste your own food before serving it to your guests. It's terrible. You may want to try some of the other tapas restaurants in the city with fresh decor and fresh well-prepared food. read more

Well this was serendipity since originally I wanted to try tapas Barcelona but they close in between 2:00 and 3:00 after I came from lincolnwood mall to get my relaxation massages at Art of health I had a craving for Spanish food despite having a late lunch early dinner like setting at 3:41 p.m. the food was delicious however some dishes I'm not sure if it was true traditional Spanish and I have been to Spain in 1999? I especially had a craving for paella which I am very happy about because despite my travels in both the touristic part of Spain they kept serving the seafood paella which is popular there in here but read somewhere in an article that there is in history a paella where they use rabbit and snails which I haven't seen in any of the Spanish restaurants here in Chicago and the neighboring suburbs of Chicago on their menus. So far I give them a good rating because they have it and they do it the traditional way as they claim which I'm anticipating I shall take pictures as I am also writing reviews since I've never been here in andersonville for Spanish cuisine in Spain.. well had their Spanish paella brunch and it was delicious and unique than seafood paella. He used a lot of the eggs ham the Spanish expensive ham insured and chorizo. Only dislike is they didn't have the cured pickled salmon tapas. Otherwise it was by chance and accident since the other place I went to was closed between 2:30 and 5:00 and had a craving for Spanish food. I do recommend coming here but do be aware it feels more of a bar setting than a formal traditional Spanish restaurant because of the radio or stereo playing all this music other than that was worth the try. Beware parking is a first come first serve and you have to find parking and pay the meter they don't have a parking lot read more

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Very small portions and cold food! I came with a friend who really enjoyed Little Madrid in the past, but today's service, food, and ambience were all very subpar: Vegetarian paella: Covered in cheese (not vegan) and shamefully small for the $56 price tag. No socarrat and came out cold?! How is a paella cold, and what paella is loaded with cheese? Mussels: Unshelled and not fresh. $15 for 10 mussels. Lacking in flavor and served with potato chips. 3 servers for 20+ tables -- very understaffed and it took 15-20 minutes to track down our waiter every time. Ambience was noisy and lacked. read more

Great authentic tapas right in Andersonville! Tiny place that pumps out terrific food. BYOB with a small corkage fee ($11) so bring your good wine and friends for a great time. Friendly staff too. Next time we will try the paella Had: Bacon Wrapped Dates Churros Euro Bacon Patatas Bravas and more. read more

I made reservations for a 85th birthday celebration. They sat us by the door,which turned out to be good because we were close to the host since our waiter barely showed up. We ordered the sangria,it tasted watered down and hardly any fruit in it.the took our order.then we waited,and waited finished our sangria.We had to ask the host to get us a bottle of wine.The waiter brought it out and we asked why dinner was taking so long and he said the pallela takes 30 minutes to make he didn't mention that when we ordered.the porter brought my order before anyone else's order was done so I sent it back until the rest of the order was finished.Finally when we were all served the pallelea had no flavor, the prawns were tough.My dinner ok. The service was slow the menu limited the place is dark and we had to ask for a light on the table.We won't be going back over priced read more

Amazing place, food is just amazing !the service is aweosme, the ambience is so cozy and so European. Prices are cheaper the Spain ! Ay this time In Madrid or Bilbao is more expensiv, not sure how they can make that. amazing place read more

My wife and I had dinner at Little Madrid for the first time last evening. We live near the restaurant and have walked by it often. I regret not dining there sooner. It is a beautiful small restaurant with great atmosphere, excellent service, and, best of all, wonderful food. read more

If you need to scratch that travel itch, come here! It reminds me soooo much of small family owned tapas bars in Spain and in Europe, in general. The staff is small but they really want you to enjoy yourself and have a good time and that shows in the service and the food. Don't get up on your our high horse here... It is small and it is sincere. Relax a little, give them a chance and I think you'll have a good time. We had: Gambas al Ajillo - a little small but good, pretty much what I expected Spanish Caprese - nice twist and delicious Corte Little Madrid - really nice to start with, basically a Spanish charcuterie plate Calamares Fritos - our favorite! Albondigas - tasty but unexpectedly sweet read more

Excellent! Food was spectacular. Every thing we tried on the menu was terrific. The staff is attentive and while the restaurant is small it has a cozy feel to it. read more

Food was good not great. Did not finish most of it but it could have been me. I like to try new things and sometimes it's not to your liking. Service was very friendly but most likely won't go again but give them a try. They are very nice people and who are giving a lot of effort that you can tell read more

Absolutely love this place. We tried quite a few different tapas and all were delicious. Compares well to all my favorite places. Great service and sidewalk dining in the summer adds to the great overall experience. read more

Nice spot, good people, the food, however was just mediocre. Had read the reviews and expected more. Also, we got a little Valentine's Day surprise we were not expecting. When we made reservations, there was nothing on yelp or the Little Madrid website to indicate there would be anything other than the regular menu. When the owner confirmed our reservation, it was not mentioned by him either. So, we were a bit surprised when we showed up and were offered the only choice of a $160. tasting menu or a $180. tasting menu. When I told the hostess we were not aware of this menu change, with no mention on the website, she said "Sorry." We stayed and went with it; the food was average with nothing outstanding nor memorable, including some of the "stars" of the regular menu. read more

A new Tapas place on Clark that still trying to get into their groove. Francisco (the owner and chef) has wonderful passion and customer service which was fantastic to see in a new small business. This made up for the tapas which didn't live up to my expectations. Euro bacon was my favorite dish. Yet, the patatas bravas were not crispy enough and was a little heavy on the paprika. They were understaffed due to issues outside of their control. Overall I walked away with a great experience; however, more focus needs to be on making amazing small plates. Definitely willing to try Little Madrid in the future after some of the kinks are worked out read more

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It looks like a hole in the wall but the food is amazing! And the service is nice. I will definitely be back. It gave me the Spain feels I was looking for since I miss Spain so much! read more

The cafe very much feels like a little spot in Madrid. There is a nice variety of choices- Euro Bacon, Croquettes, and goat cheese were delicious. The service was fantastic and the food came out in a timely manner. Don't skip dessert, we tried them all and they were tasty. The cafe itself is dimly lit so bring your eyeglasses but added to them ambience. I will definitely go back! We were a table of 6 and made reservations online. read more

Small plays, very cozy environment but the most important thing is the food is delicious very authentic and attention to the public is the best. Very authentic Spanish cuisine along with the music. read more

food was excellent and very authentic Spanish food that will always leaving you wanting more and coming back. The ambiance really felt like a piece of Spain specifically the authentic Spanish music being played in the background. The service was excellent the waiter always asking how we were and suggested great dishes from the menu and patience with all of our questions read more

Little Madrid is as authentic as they come! The food is AH-MAZING and the atmosphere is great for a date or even a big group. After speaking with the owner, Francisco, I realized that he sources all of the ingredients from Spain AND they are a certified restaurant by Spain. I've never heard of a restaurant being certified from the country of origin, that's super impressive. It makes sense after tasting how great all of the food is. My favorites are the patatas bravas, euro bacon, torta de santiago, pulpo a la plantxa, and the morcilla. Fantastic! read more

Awesome! Food is fantastic and the team there are nice. We shared a charcuterie board and the cheeses and ham was delicious. Papas bravas, paella, albondigas, tortilla, it goes on. Really loved the place. read more

Food was Great! As was the service. The ambiance was especially great because several traditional customs were observed. We had fun and left smiling and full!!!!! We will definitely return read more

Love this gem in Andersonville!! Francisco has done something beautiful bringing Spain to this little spot in Chicago. Loved everything about this place. Queso de Cabra al Horno, fabulous! Croquetas de Pollo, fantastic Euro Bacon, wonderful with a surprise inside Gambas Al Ajillo, delightful with small bread to soak up the garlic sauce Patatas Bravioli, OMG Sooo flavorful!! As you can probably tell I love this place!! Francisco really transports you to Madrid! If you've ever been there you can certainly feel it! Only ask is to lower the corkage fee since it is a BYOB. 5.00??? Please??? read more

The best Spanish food in the city. We are of Spanish desent and are very particular about our paellas and tapas. We wanted to first picture post the fantástica seafood paella but when it arrived at our table, it smelled delicious and was visually beautiful so our senses took over, we dug in and forgot taking pictures. All tapas where excellent, dining room was charming and friendly staff. read more

The food is so good. We got the bacon wrapped dates, calamari sandwich, little madrid sandwich, and the juevos rotos. There is no way to pick a favorite, each one was fantastic. Pickup service was super easy and well done, order was correct and ready when they said it would be. Can't wait to go back, it's great. read more

This is an amazing food !!! same as Spain ! I can't believe how same it is ! I will def back !

I was blown away by this place. Walking in feels like you've been transported to Madrid. The food is authentic, the service is excellent, and the atmosphere is beautiful and intimate. I'm obsessed with their gambas al ajillo, pimientos de padrón, and croquetas de pollo. Definitely a great date spot. read more

Amazing food, dinner by candle light, and very friendly staff. Absolutely will come back. BYOB

Carryout might not be the way to experience this food. But it was tasteless, overpriced, greasy, and late. You can do a lot better in Andersonville. read more

Amazing tapas food with a very fresh taste. Loved the euro bacon and would highly recommend.

So, first odd, this is not what we're used to in the US when we think of tapas places, as it's a little cafe and not an elaborate bar/restaurant. But it IS what tapas is all about. And the tapas is INCREDIBLE. Go there, bring wine, be impressed. read more

This place is fantastic! The owners are super nice and friendly and we had the pleasure to chat with them a bit. The food is delicious. We had the tortilla de patatas, ensaladilla rusa which is one of my personal favorites. The quality was fantastic and the taste of everything was amazing. They are still new and getting into a groove but the food was so good and I can't wait to check out an art exhibition there, and their 3-6 happy hour and bring some wine. read more

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Delicious Spanish food. Our lunch had my husband and I feeling like we were back on our honeymoon in Madrid. The owner is warm and welcoming, and his mom (the chef) uses super fresh and authentic ingredients imported from Spain. The Madrid sandwich is a must-have. We also really enjoyed the patatas bravas. They are also doing pick up for everyone who is stuck in quarantine! read more