This place is amazing esp. the staff are very friendly! I can always get my customized dish such as chicken with whisky sauce! Sangria is amazing and the salmon is a must-try! go give it a try and you wont regret it! read more

Tapas Barcelona - Spanish Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

We recently dined here and got there shortly after opening (5PM). The minute we walked in I was overcome by a wet, moldy rag smell. I don't know if it was because they had just mopped the floor or something but it was gross. And the smell kept wafting through throughout our meal. Sangria I eventually got over the smell and ordered a glass of white sangria. Nothing special - just white wine with a couple of pieces of fruit. But for $4, can't really complain. Tapas To start off, I ordered a few of the hot tapas: (1) patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), (2) pincho de solomillo (beef tenderloin skewer), and (3) filete con patatas (grilled sirloin w/ roasted potatoes and red wine sauce). All in all, very disappointed in all 3 although the best of the group was probably the pincho de solomillo. The beef was well seasoned and juicy. The "spicy" potatoes were not spicy at all; it tasted like the sauce was plain tomato spaghetti sauce and they were drenched in it. Also, the tender grilled sirloin while plentiful and covered in a decent-tasting red wine sauce had significant fat in the middle of it and the "roasted potatoes" were actually french fries (which sadly next to the beef skewer was the only other decent-tasting item). After that disappointment, even though I was still hungry, I did not order anything else. At least after asking for a basket of bread (which every other table had except us) a couple of times, I just stuffed myself with that. The only saving grace of this dining trip was that we used a Groupon so had to pay next to nothing for our meal (and used it without any problems). Pretty sure I won't return here. Maybe I just picked some bad dishes? I don't know, but based on what I tried this place gives tapas a bad name. I will definitely continue to brave the crowds over at either Café Iberico or Café Babareeba for some great tapas and drinks. Sorry Tapas Barcelona. read more

Websters needs to update their picture dictionary. It is filled with outdated pictures that make no real connection to the words. Glutton could easily be redefined with a nice photo of my two friends and I sitting at Tapas Barcelona last night, and eating our way through 4 courses. Stacks of plates surrounded us. Empty Sangria glasses littered our table. It was obvious to any observer that we were enjoying, and defining the word glutton to a "T". More than 16 hours later, I am still not hungry, in fact, still exceptionally full! Eat... food, what did we have? Here is the low down... Mm mm.. Duck Sausage was amazing Cannelloni De Atun- ok- would not order it again, but alright! Es-cargo (something, something) was pretty good (even though I would not admit it at the time!) SCALLOPS were the best thing on the menu! Empandas - exceptionally savory Muscles- hot, sizzling and pretty darn flavorful Artichoke was a nice break from all the meat The crab was not worth it- and I LOVE crab normally Service was friendly- and awesome. The labeling on the bathrooms caused havoc with us (or maybe it was the sangria- who knows) ... but- as you can see- we certainly ate a TON of food. The pricing was exceptionally well done. All of this, plus a few gallons of beverages, for less than 130. To us, this seemed to be quite a deal. Now I realize why it came recommended by my guys! read more

I really wanted to like this place too since it's a convenient location but it's not my favorite. I've been here twice already within 3 years and recently visited in honor of my mom's birthday. She loves tapas so I decided I wanted her to try a new place other than our usual. On a humid Sunday night, the place was not busy, so reservations were probably not needed but glad we made them anyway because you never know! When you do make reservations however, they like to put you in the far back corner even though all the tables by the window are open. For four people, we ordered an assortment of cold and hot tapas and a paella. Some were better than others while the most consistent thing I noticed was the slices of bread were hard as a rock. They were not sliceable with a knife nor chewable with your teeth. I remember wondering why my teeth hurt the next morning. Many dishes came with a piece or two of that stale, hard, oil soaked bread. I did enjoy the Avocado con Congrejo (half avocado with fresh crabmeat salad) minus the bread, Fritura De Calamares y Gambas (fried calamari & shrimp), and this special duck dish that I forgot the name of. I usually don't eat duck but this one was pretty good and it was served with couscous. We also ordered the Valenciana paella with seafood, chicken, and chorizo. However, the chorizo was not chorizo, it was just Hillshire Farm sausage to me unless Spanish chorizo is different from Mexican chorizo and I just didn't know. Somebody please educate me! A pitcher of sangria will give you almost 6 glasses. It's a much better deal than a single glass if there are people to drink it but I've had better. I guess it does its job of making you tipsy. Overall experience was nothing spectacular... read more

ME GUSTA! The bacon wrapped dates are caramelized drops from heaven. The salmon and chicken dishes were also very appetizing. There were so many selections from the menu, I definitely need to go again and try more! I did try the sangria, I'm not a big red wine fan, so I didn't really enjoy it, but I'm sure for you red lovers, it's good! read more

Well something must be said for this place since it is the first restaurant that I thought of to review. Most of my college friends rave about it, and my first experience there wasn't too bad, because somebody payed for my meal. However, the second time around wasn't as good. At the price they charge you, you'd expect better tasting food across the board, but my friend ordered a mushroom dish which tasted horrible (this coming from the person who eats almost anything). Their popular dishes are obviously good, but I'd stay away from the more exotic sounding dishes. read more

I love tapas. I'll try it anywhere, so we went to this one for my birthday. I was seriously disappointed in the following: - They didn't have the 2 top picks I wanted. It was 6:00pm and they said they had run out. What??? - Service was very slow. We waited more than 10 minutes for someone to come to our table when we sat down. There was plenty of waitstaff and the place wasn't crowded. - It was next to the old folk's home - lucky for us there was no one at the pool that nite. - Tables and flatware were kind of dirty. Even outside, the tables should be clean. Is this place supposed to be upscale? We decided never to return. read more

If this is the only tapas option in Evanston, it's probably worth a try once in a while. Otherwise, it wouldn't even rank in the Top 10 when compared to Chicago tapas establishments like Iberico, Emilio's or Babareeba. I tried this place out with a few co-workers and was mildly disappointed. We sampled a wide array of tapas standards - such as the croquetas, paella, shrimp, goat cheese, etc. It almost seemed like the chef was mailing 'em in. The flavors were mild and the food was warm - no strong accents or the style that usually defines tapas. The sangria was passable, although somewhat dilute. The ambiance was relatively good and the place is large enough to accommodate a decent number of people. If you're desperate for tapas in Evanston because you can't make it down to the city for some reason, this is a passable choice; but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise. read more

I have been to this place for over 3 times. It's quite decent, but the bill somehow adds up to like $25 when you just order a tiny plate, a glasses of sangria and a small dessert. At the end, I didn't feel that I actually ate. The menu is truly only appetizer-like tapas. There is no entree here. They taste pretty good and the price for a single items is pretty good, too. A glass of Sangria is about 4. The dessert is about 4, too. For some reason, the bill just adds up pretty quick since the single prices are pretty low. But at the end I didn't get full most of the time. It's a good place to chat with friends. Convenient location on the elegant Chicago Ave. If you are not too hungry, this place is recommended. In the summer, there is a POOL, yup, an outdoor swimming pool. read more

I had been to a Tapas Barcelona that was located in River North years ago, but I do not believe this Evanston location is related to that long-gone restaurant. I was here on a weekday evening earlier this summer and there was a very good crowd here. There were only two of us so we did not order a mess of food. I ate a lamb empanada and beef skewer with caramelized onions - good but still not as good as Cafe Iberico in my opinion. My friend really likes the salmon dish. The service to me was a bit off (took quite awhile for the lamb empanada to appear), so more of a 3.5 rather than 4 stars. read more

To compare with Chicago's infamous Iberico's, here's the pros and cons of Tapas Barcelona PROS 1) better tasting mussels. This came out on an elevated plate server. Most of the waiters will squeeze fresh lemon on it, causing these steamed puppies a vapor effect. Pretty effect, greatly seasoned mussels 2) Their fried calamari were excellent here. No grease factor and, their order actually came with 2 pieces of shrimp. Mistake? I think NOT! 3) Bacon wrapped dates are PHEEEEEE-NOMENAL. I don't know if Iberico's has one, but if not, their (LARGE) loss. I love the sauce that accompanies these dates that everytime a waiter tried to take away the empty plate, I practically snapped their wrist just to keep it at our table. 4) Outdoor dining is gorgeous and very Miami-ish. Although we were there when we thought I may rain, there was plenty of seating, and we figured we'd dine and dash to avoid having our food soaked. CONS 1) Beef skewers- very chewy tasting meat. 2) Garlic shrimp- these were doused with a sort of red sauce. It didn't have enough OOMPH or garlic as Iberico's does 3) Tortilla Espanola- kinda soggy and wasn't well seasoned. I'd pass on these as they were lackluster 4) They served the tapas on plates instead of the tapas bowls, which in my opinion, didn't keep the tapas warm, and didn't have the same traditional effect when you go for tapas. I'd go back to this place as a closer alternative to Iberico's, but will stick with the PRO list and try out other items. However, for the bottom ones, which are honestly my favorite tapas, Iberico's is still my #1 choice for those. Parking is DIFFICULT in this area, but cheaper than Chicago. Bring quarters, their meters are the old school ones you put change in. read more

Evanston is known for a few hidden gems, and this is definitely one of them. As a big fan of Spanish tapas, I can say the food is solid. I'm a big fan of the Albondigas con Tomate, which was done very well here. The Croquetas del Dia was crab, which was delicious and almost beat Jamon y Queso as my favorite croquettes. The Pincho de Solomillo was a wonderful selection, tender and cooked perfectly, and the Valencia paella was perfect, with the rice and meat cooked perfectly and not dried out. It's a bit of cramped area, so it does get pretty noisy, but if you don't mind the noise, you'll be treated to wonderful food with excellent service. I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu. read more

I've been here three times - once using a groupon with my roommates, once with a birthday group of about 12 people, and once on a date. Because of this and since everyone likes to share, I've tried practically everything on their menu. A few favorites: bacon wrapped dates, ham/bread/cheese (I know this sounds super average, but it's delicious), avocado with crabmeat, chicken salad, caprese salad, chicken skewer with cumin mayo, and chicken wings, and I pretty much like everything else that they make as well (although their mussels are only average). I also had one of their pizzas once and I don't see it on their menu, but I think it was arugula/ham and I loved it. They have lights on the trees, so try to sit outdoors on summer evenings because it's super pretty. It's a good date spot, although it's not as romantic on a weeknight (on weekends, they bust out the fancy menus and dim the lighting more). read more

By far the BEST tapas restaurant I have ever been to. Whenever I have visitors I take them here. I first found this place when a friend dragged me here a few years ago only because they have a Pedro Almodóvar poster hanging on the wall. I loved the atmosphere and the food was amazing. Our group ended up splitting the artichokes, asparagus, eggplant with goat cheese, and the vegetable paellas. We couldn't move afterwards but it was so worth it. Check out the bathrooms too. I feel like I'm on a bad acid trip when I'm in there. I love it. read more

I've been wanting to go here for a while. I was not disappointed. The service was great and the food was delicious. The stand-out was Filete con Patatas, absolutely wonderful, the wine sauce was excellent. The least favorite was a special: Crab stuffed artichoke hearts. If you like crab salad (i.e. Mayo) then its for you. I, don't care for mayo and thought this might of been different. My friend enjoyed it. I loved the Pulpito a la Plancha, perfectly done and great flavors. I definitely will go back and try many other items on the menu. read more

We have been going here at least once a month for the past couple of years. It's a great little place with lots of Spanish atmosphere. The wait staff is always very friendly and attentive. Over the years, we've sort of figured out our "go to" items on the menu that we order every time we're there. Once in a while, we'll try something new. So far, our favorites are: Black Bean Soup. You cannot go wrong with this one. We actually started ordering two bowls of this because people didn't want to share. The salad with pears, goat cheese, pecans and vinaigrette. Wow, this is a very tasty and sweet salad. Even the kids dig into this one. The goat cheese with tomato sauce and toasted bread appetizer. This is outstanding. We usually have to ask for more bread because it runs out faster than the dip. Other notables: Chicken Whisky Steak Skewers Chicken Skewers Bacon-Wrapped Dates read more

We ordered Chuletitas de Cordero or baby lamb chops. These are baby size chops and equal to about 2 bites. My partner ate the first piece and was fine but the next cut closest to the bone was raw. We called the waiter over, who was excellent, and he agreed to replace the chop. When we got the bill there was a charge for the 1 lamb chop. I found our waiter at the service station by the bar. I showed him the charge. The assistant manager, who also appeared to be the bartender, was there. The waiter handed the bill to him and explained the about the raw chop and asked to have the charge removed. SADLY! The assistant manager first words were, "how much of the chop did they eat". I was dumbfounded with his attitude - he angrily tossed the bill back to the waiter and said to remove the charge. I found the manger who was very professional and apologized for the situation. As if that was not enough, when I was leaving, I looked around the restaurant and the assistant manger was staring at me with anger. I can only assume the manager had a discussion with him. This was one of my favorite places to eat, NO MORE. read more

We are big tapas fans and have driven past Tapas Barcelona many times, but never stopped in. We are picky about our tapas; Cafe Ba Ba Reba is overrated, in my opinion. Last night we decided to give Barcelona a try and we're glad we did. The hostess was very friendly and attentive, which is a good way to start. The patio was crowded, which was nice to see on a Tuesday night, but not so much so that it was stifling, and inside was virtually empty. There was a party of 6 seated in our section, so we didn't get service immediately, but, our waitress was very nice, very apologetic, and made up for it later. We ordered a 1/2 pitcher of sangria, and, based on reviews I read here the bacon wrapped dates..hello! So good, so very very good. The spanish fried olives stuffed w/chorizo was next, and, I think I may have passed out. Spanish olives are good enough, but when you add "fried" and "chorizo", you are guaranteed perfection on a plate. We wanted to order a few other items (empanadas, puff pastry special, cold olives) but they were out, which to me indicates they are favorites and sell quickly. The overall experience was very good, and we'll definitely add Tapas Barcelona to our regular rotation. read more

I dont get why this place has so many good reviews.... honestly i was REALLY disappointed by their food. the bacon wrapped dates were pretty good as well as the beef tenderloin but the paella was pretty bad. it just didn't have enough flavor. if anything it tasted really seafoody and not in a good way but in a just grabbed it out of the ocean without washing it way... prices here are fairly cheap for a tapas restaurant. but it shows in the quality of the food. i dont think i'd visit again... adios tapas barcelona! read more

Came here for a earlier dinner today with a lady friend. The place was pretty empty with only 2 other tables occupied, prolly because it was still early (5:15pm. The decoration was very nice in here. Our waitress was very attentive. We didnt know what to order and we asked for some suggestions, which turned out really good.We had the beef and chicken skewers which came in their own yummy dips., fried shrimp and calamari, and goatcheese. The beef was nice and tender, chicken was good too. The shrimp and calamari was some of the freshest i ever had, and with just the right ammount of batter. My favorite was the goat cheese, which came with a delicious dipping sauce also with a few pieces of bread to eat it with,tasted like garlic bread, had some green stuff on it; but tasted wonderful combined with the sauce and goatcheese. The bill came out to about $30 which is not bad for 2 people. read more

Tapas Barcelona - Spanish Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I enjoyed this place, but it was a little pricey, in my opinion, and it wasn't very authentic in terms of Spanish tapas. First of all, the patatas bravas were steeped in sauce - a little too much for my friend and me. Second, where was ANYTHING with chorizo? Seriously? No chorizo on a Spanish menu? I'm also used to a plentiful array of tapas with huevos, but they were lacking here as well. That said, the salmon ahumado was delicious - definitely my favorite dish of the night. The croquettes, which change daily, were also good, and were one of the few dishes that included jamon, another typical staple for Spanish tapas, in my experience. Finally, we got the crema Catalana for dessert (a Catalan style creme brûlée). I'm not sure exactly what made it Catalan-style. I could detect something "different" in the taste, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Some sort of spice? Flavor was good, though, but the temperature was inconsistent throughout, and the crust was definitely more burnt in some places than others and difficult to pierce through with a spoon. Overall, the place was tasty, but I think you could probably find better, more authentic tapas elsewhere. If I'm wrong, though, I wouldn't write this place off. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't everything I was hoping for and more. read more

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I tried this place for take out once about a year ago when I was desperate and wasn't all that impressed, but since take out isn't really in the spirit of tapas, I decided to give it another shot with a large group. My first visit included a lot of patatas bravas and the Barcelona pizza. I have this issue that pretty much makes me order pizza where ever they have it on the menu, even if the restaurant has no business making pizzas. This was the case here as even though the goat cheese, spinach, tomato and portabella combination sounded divine, their execution wasn't not up to par. The patatas were not as brava as I expected either as they were pretty much mild. The second experience allowed me to try more of their dishes. The patatas alioli were pretty good if you like garlic. I actually enjoyed the garlic infused potato salad. The baked goat cheese was nothing special. I had this goat cheese, eggplant, sweet pecan dish that was ok, but the portion size was equivalent to about a third of a banana. The atmosphere was also rather loud too which didn't help matters. It was a Tuesday as well. read more

This was my second visit here. Same friendly waiter and the steak dish I had was very tasty although the meat was a little overcooked. The decor is inviting and interesting! Just a minor issue, I was facing a vent which could use some serious cleaning it takes away from the otherwise lovely decor. I still would return. read more

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After walking by this place for years, I finally went for dinner with a group of old friends. We were a party of 7 and they were easy to accomodate us. We could have been seated immediately if we'd wanted to sit near the door, but it was a cold night, so we chose to wait and sit in the back, where it was much cozier. The food was really good and, in my opinion, for the amount of food you get the prices are pretty reasonable. My boyfriend and I shared three dishes (and had a few tastes of other people's food) and we were satisfied. Everything I tasted was yummy. My only gripe is that it would have been really difficult for us to have ordered as a table (instead we ordered by couple, with one person ordering by himself). There wasn't a lot of room on the table for additional plates and no easy way to pass things. Service was great. They warned us before the kitchen closed (it was a Sunday, so they close pretty early) but then let us sit and enjoy our food, drink, and company for a long time after that. I'd certainly come back. read more

Solid tapas and sangria, but nothing exceptional to make it stand out of the crowd amongst the other tapas restaurant in the Chicago area. A reliable dinner and a fun vibe, with a great outdoor patio area. read more

I went with a group of 14 people, the day after the Groupon they offered expired. The waitress started by giving us a list of all of the things they had run out of. They had run out of potatoes and about 12 menu items. They are across the street from Whole Foods!!!! Go buy some. Seriously. The waitress then took drink orders from a handful of people in the group, and never asked anyone else if they would like anything to drink. We decided to order salads, sandwiches, and pizza since they were out of the tapas. I ordered a pizza. 10 people were served at the same time. Then the waitress disappeared - which was weird since the restaurant wasn't busy at all. We asked a waiter about our food - we had all ordered pizzas. It was clear they were forgotten about in the oven. They were well done, almost inedible. To top off this experience, my friend asked to take her leftovers home. The waitress, who reappeared, got the food wrapped, and then placed it on the FLOOR behind my friend. She did not even try to hand it to her, or place it on the table. She just said nothing and put it on the ground. read more

They do some pretty darn lovely tapas in this joint! Got seated right away (inside) on a Friday at 9 pm, though I think there was a wait for inside. It was sooooo cold in there! But we managed to shiver through it. The bacon-wrapped dates, a tapas restaurant staple, were freaking amazeballs. I've had these at several establishments, but these were the best version I've tried. So sweet and salty at the same time, such a remarkably decadent texture - I could eat these all night. And the sauce underneath them was DIVINE and we used the whole bread basket to mop it up. The scallops with spinach and saffron sauce were lovely as well - scallops were perfectly cooked, I just wish there were more of them! Lovely with the silky spinach. The rigatoni with sausage was a substitute for the albondigas, which they had run out of. It was tasty but average in terms of creativity - seemed like something you could get in any restaurant and I wouldn't bother with it here. The Salmon Ahumado is basically tapas' answer to a bagel! Smoked salmon on crostini with egg, capers, and horseradish! It was very tasty but I'd skip it because it just reminded me of a nice Jewish deli brunch dish. For all I know, maybe it's a super authentic Spanish tapa but I'd probably leave it out in the future. Stick to the authentic-sounding, more traditional tapas here and I think you will have a fantastic meal. Everything was wonderful, but the dates and scallops were the real standouts. The other dishes I can't flaw for flavor, but they weren't inspired or special enough to stand out. But in terms of sheer taste, you won't be disappointed by anything! read more

I LOVE this place! The atmosphere is very festive and the decor is beautiful. Yeah I didn't expect this considering the fact that next door is a retirement community. They don't seem to venture into this restaurant. I love going here with groups but it's also great on a date. They have some great festive music playing but it's not so loud that you can't have a conversation. They have a solid full menu of tapas. The service is always good no matter how busy they get. I've always made a reservation. On busy nights people stay for a while. read more

This is a really cute place to have dinner, especially if the weather is nice and you can take advantage of their lovely patio. Their tapas were good, 'though I have a feeling I would have enjoyed them even more if I ate meat, and they also offer larger plates of some dishes for those that don't want to mix it up. I thought the goat cheese and the olive plate were especially tasty. The service was efficient and they've got nice (even pretty!) bathrooms. read more

Before catching a late showing at the theater, my boyfriend and I ventured in here on a whim after quickly looking up a good restaurant in Evanston to try. We were seated in the outdoor patio area, which was fairly nice. We decided to order 4 kinds of tapas to share, as well as their sangria. The sangria was decent and we got some bread to munch on while we waited. I didn't find any of the tapas to be crazy expensive, but I had no idea we were going to get such a great deal! After only having had Chicago tapas at Ba-Ba-Reeba before, let me say that we were pleasantly shocked at the big plates and huge portions we got for each one of the orders. The delicious grilled tilapia was like the size of the plate and it alone easily would've been $15+ at another restaurant that probably would've given you a smaller portion anyway! Their pasta con pollo was also tasty - dip the bread in the sauce for extra goodness! We were a healthy kind of full at the end of the meal. So while the food and portions were great, the service could use some working; it seemed like they were understaffed. Our server didn't really come by our table too much and we sat for a while after we were done, waiting to catch him to ask for the check. Overall, though, we'd come here again. read more

Wow, this place was pretty bad. I say this based on my own personal experience, and it may vary for others. But my date and I came in around 5pm. We got the ribeye, croquettes, aguacate con cangrejo, and patatas bravas. I've never had a ribeye as thin as what we had. My finger is thicker. And it was drenched in this really sweet sauce. I don't mind sauce at all but this thing was completely drenched, there was a giant pool of it on the plate. And because it was so thin, I don't know why they bothered asking us how we liked our steaks done. It was cooked all the way through and extremely chewy. The croquettes were alright, but extremely mushy inside. I can't criticize these too much because I have not had many croquettes in my life, but these were insanely mushy. And the sauce they sat on was also way too much. The aguacate con cangrejo is a false claim, at least with the fresh crab part. That crab was not fresh and looked fake as heck or even just canned crab. It's such a thin layer at the top of a stack of chopped veggies, and i think it's mixed with mayo or sour cream. Had no flavor and very disappointing for $8. At least the veggies were plentiful and the avocado was ripe. The patatas bravas were also extremely questionable. I'm not even exaggerating when I say they felt and looked like they just came out of a microwave. They had that molten microwave heat. It was just a tiny pile of what seemed to be boiled, chopped potatoes in a cheap tomato sauce with nothing else on the plate. This place looks nice inside but the food does not match the appearance. Just about all the food, excluding the crab dish, looked as if it had been dumped onto a plate with no care at all. Luckily, the plates were on the cheaper side. But I still feel like I wasted $30. I'm glad they do provide free bread though. But even that felt bland and a bit stale. Very disappointing experience and I hope they do better. read more

I ended up here because I was meeting someone coming up from the city. The location is great for meeting city-folk. I found the food to be tasty, but almost excessively simple. For example, the chorizo special I ordered was basically a handful of pan-fried sausage on a plate. Nothing else. Literally. (It didn't help that this dish took literally 45 minutes to arrive after I ordered it.) Other food was good, but very simple. Not a lot of complex or interesting flavors, which was diaappointing. The service was fine but not great. For tapas meals, I expect to see the server pretty frequenty, but this was not the case. Had to flag her down several times. Also, the busboy were, well, overzealous about clearing the table. They took serving plates as we were finish still finishing the food. And they literally cleared everything from our table while we were waiting for more tapas. We had to flag the server down to ask for new silverware, napkins, etc. Bottom line: Good but not at all great. Relatively inexpensive. There are better (but a bit pricier) tapas places in the north suburbs. read more

I am all for drinking outside in Evanston. No better way to stick it to the WCTU. The food at Tapas Barcelona is delicious and the sangria is tasty. Yes, it's a little pricey and the plates are small. It's tapas- the portions are supposed to be small. Service was friendly and helpful. Minus one star for our otherwise adorable waiter who put the bill and receipt down in front of my male coworker even though I had ordered for the table and my name was on the credit card. As mentioned, not as good as Cafe Iberico, but a solid Evanston choice. read more

Though I have had 4 Star experiences here - I tend to agree with Kate P.'s review - though I thought her overall assessment of the Evanston dining scene was unfairly harsh. Although every restaurant I can think of in Evanston seems to have just enough "flaws" to knock it out of the truly GREAT category - and certainly none qualify if "snob appeal" is a pre-requisite (and BTW - I don't think Kate P. was in ANY WAY suggesting that!) Still I think Evanston has a very respectable selection of very good places to dine (and/or "eat!") Back to :"Tapas" - it is a fun place with usually pretty good food and service -it's just that in the larger international scheme of "Tapa's" Bars - "Barcelona" in Evanston serves good but basically "the usual" fare. By the standard of tapa's bars in the Evanston area, it is indeed EXCEPTIONAL if not great. (Just playin' with you now...) read more

Visited this restaurant with a group of 12 for sisters 40th on a Saturday night. We knew it would be busy so made a prior reservation. It is extrememly loud in the restaurant so bring your ear plugs if you still plan on going after reading this. They crammed us into 3 makeshift tables all different sizes while 15 people waited to be seated staring at us. Since we are all pretty easy going we decided to go with the flow. Server was not terribly bright. He too had a hard time hearing our orders becasue of the noise. And, nobody in our group knew what the other sides of the tables were ordering so chaos ensued. Similar to many other posts, they started dumping down plates of food all on one end of the table. They had no idea who had ordered what. I understand it is tapas but please. Many of us ordered duplicates and triplicates of calamari and other dishes. But, for some reason only one order of everything came out. Literally half the table was eating and half wasn't. It was extremely awkward and ruined the whole experience. We took issue with server who claimed everything had come out.. Manager came over and only contributed to our frustration. Never once was there a review of our order or a reconciliation of what was brought out becasue they clear the plates so fast. I have seen this in other posts and this place is a scam if your in a big group. They know that you will lose track of all orders and they exploit this to their benefit. I couldn't even comment on the food becasue of the distraction of constantly checking order and asking for more dishes. Avoid this place at all costs. read more

After being a loyal client of Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for a number of years now, I finally tried Tapas Barcelona simply because we did not feel like driving into the city from the suburbs. And, no offense Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, but I think I am switching my loyalty over to Barcelona. We arrived at 8pm on a Saturday night and had an hour wait. The downside to a long wait is that there are no bar tables, meaning no good place to stand around and wait unless you have a seat at the bar. However, the bartenders went out of their way to accommodate us and also saved two chairs for us when they became available at the bar. Both their white and red sangrias were delicious; I also had a margarita which was quite strong and satisfying. My favorite item at Ba Ba Reeba has always been the goat cheese/tomato dip with garlic bread, but Barcelona's version is far superior. The tomato sauce is creamier, the garlic bread garlic-ier; let's just say I had to order a second. My only complaint would be that their menu seems a bit limited for a tapas restaurant. Other than that, it was quite an enjoyable dining experience! read more

Tapas Barcelona is one of my all time favorite restaurants. Their food is consistently delicious. I LOVE the baked goat cheese, bacon wrapped dates, mussels, snails, heck . . . I love it all. Special mention to the poached pear filled with white chocolate mousse for dessert. Best dessert EVER. The food is well seasoned, cooked right, and the portions are big enough to share. The service is always excellent as well. I've never waited long for a waiter, the food always comes out quickly and someone is always there to ask what you would like next . Their drinks are good as well. Nothing special, but good. They have a red and white sangria and the pitcher is no joke. It's pricey - $17, but there are easily 8 glasses of sangria in there. They have a good, affordable and not pretentious wine list as well. I think this place is perfect for dates. There's a lot going on with the decor, abstract art and posters, plus the idea is to share plates of food, so there is no running out of stuff to talk about! If you don't like loud and busy this might not be the place for you. It tends to be packed, so make a reservation! Prices for tapas range from about $3 - $7 and mixed drinks are all about $5 - $6. read more

Sometimes grading 3 stars is bad. But I mean it in the best way possible. This place has a great feeling to it. It's very trendy and fast-paced. The service was very quick and friendly. I wish the table was a bit bigger for two considering it is a tapas place. The food was just average. That's why it got the three stars. The tapas that we wanted were sold-out. Always a disappointment. If it's popular, buy more! Our alternative decisions were a bit bland. The meat was chewy. Just not very impressive. I'd hate to leave on this view of the place so I may need to go back and try different plates. Plus when we first entered the host saw that I was on a date but wanted to seat us at the bar when there were 4-5 open tables for dining. Kind of odd? Anyways. The place was busy but not overly impressive. The service was just average, the food average, even the drinks were average. The chefs need to spend more time creating something more flavorful and this place would be a serious hit. Not terrible, but not great. read more

Food: Pretty good. Very standard tapas--nothing real out of the ordinary here. I had: -goat cheese with tomato sauce and garlic bread. Love this, but I love this everywhere. It's the tapas version of fast food--you can order this dish anywhere and know what you're getting. -bacon wrapped dates, that had a really really tasty red pepper sauce alongside. -duck sausage with peppers. This was alright. -beef skewers with horseradish sauce for dipping, I only ate a bit of this. the bread served alongside the meal was nothing special whatsoever. Drinks: sangria was pricey and weak. Service: just fine Atmosphere: We ate outdoors, there is nice music on the patio, it is on the street yet still feels secluded. The tables are spaced far enough that you aren't overhearing everyone else's conversation, I hate that! Pricing: not too bad, only thing "overpriced" was the pitcher of sangria. The pricing for the tapas runs from 4-10 bucks each with most around 5-7. Bathrooms: used 'em, they were clean. read more

Came here twice in the past week. The food is good for the most part, this place works best with a group, allows you to try a little bit of everything whereas if you came with just one person the tab would probably get pretty high if you wanted many things read more