Not a bad place, but most definitely not the place for paella. This was more of a 'arroz a la.marinera' then anything.

Always a great standby for a big group of friends. The sangria is awesome, but stay away from the margaritas. Favorites among almost everyone I've eaten with there include the baked goat cheese in tomato sauce, the bacon wrapped dates, and the eggplant wrapped goat cheese. There is a fairly large selection of plates to choose from and if you still have room for dessert, the poached pear is amazing. read more

One of my favorite spots for tapas. Lots of variety on the menu and even though the place is typically packed, your food comes out fast. I highly recommend the seafood paella and the white sangria. read more

It had been a couple of years since dining here. Quality of the experience has diminished. Although my party had a reservation, we were seated at the worst table right in front of the entrance. Service was very slow. I believe our waiter forgot 2 of our dishes as we had to remind him after we'd finished everything else and the last dish didn't arrive until 45 minutes after our meal had begun. One dish of roasted vegetables were inedible as they were not cooked through (ever try raw sweet potato?). The chicken dish, on the other hand, was over cooked, tough and dry. We won't be returning. read more

Arrived with a group of 5, and met 4 others. Didn't have enough set-ups, so I had to mug a couple sets from the next (empty) table when they started bringing plates. Had to ask for water 3 times to get the first glass, and twice more to get a refill half way through the meal. The food was ok. But just ok. They asked if they could clear our table when we were mostly done with our meal, and we said okay, but they promptly cleared everything as well as wiping the table down, shooting crumbs onto our laps. I asked for the check twice, and when they took my card, they kept it for 7-8 minutes. It got crowded, and they seemed to want to push us out with the table scrub, but keeping the card for so long with no plates or cups/glasses on the table made me think they were making a rub of my card. Okay food can be ok, but piss-poor service is intolerable. read more

It was my first time there last night. I love tapas so was excited to try this place out. Food and service were both sub par. We had to keep asking the waiter/busboy to refill our water glasses. The only thing that made this place receive an extra star was the fact that the waiter didn't charge us a cutting fee of $1.50pp (we had bought a cake from outside for a friend's birthday). I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone who is serious about tapas. There are some really good restaurants in the city which are delicious. read more

This used to be a favorite, but it's slipping. Our table wasn't clean...it was sticky. Our waiter was well below average, starting with asking for our drink order, but then failing to hear/remember/bring my beer, and then spending our whole meal chatting with the other waitstaff, so that we had to flag him for attention for water, bread etc. The food was generally good, however I ordered the tenderloin skewer with caramelized onion and horseradish, the caramelized onion was refrigerator cold, made in advance and not even reheated! When it came time for dessert, I ordered a sautéed banana with caramel and ice cream. Again, refrigerator cold. I hailed the waiter and was told it was made "pre-shift" and all the desserts were cold. I asked if I could have one freshly sautéed with hot caramel, and he said no, really?!? We probably won't be back. read more

This place was inexpensive but we found the food to be meh at best. Ceviche was not ceviche. More like a ransom selection of calamari pieces with a squeeze of lime. Black bean soup thick like dip. Margarita was rly sweet and syrupy - we returned. Chicken skewers very good. Last dish never came - service very inattentive. read more

Been meaning to go to Tapas Barcelona forever. Finally got there last night. Beautiful evening to sit on the patio. Ordered three hot dishes, one cold one and a dessert. I had ice tea and my date h ad a glass of sangria. I took a sip and it was fine for my tastes. More than enough food and attentive service. Total bill came to less than $50 including a generous tip. Quite a bargain. Can't wait to return. read more

Me and my mom came here on a whim while shopping around northern Illinois and we got way more than expected. No craft beer like every other place in the Midwest nowadays, but delicious (and reasonably priced!) small plates. We had the beet salad, bacon wrapped dates, a ham and bruscetta type thing with manchengo cheese, and two desserts (puff pastry and frozen mousse), all of which were excellent! It felt like a full three course meal but was barely 25 per person, which is an awesome price for three courses. Besides price, I had no idea small plates could ever be so filling! Our waiter was very helpful and friendly too! Highly recommended this place, I would come back any time, we both left with big smiles on our faces. read more

Ambiance is ok. But how cans tapas place have TERRIBLE sangria? That's inexcusable. All of the food used the cheapest ingredients. It was all incredibly average. And I'm being generous. If this place was in Chicago it wouldn't last 6 months. read more

this place is so cozy .... the restaurant gives off an intimate ambiance ... if u live in the northside of Chicago this is an awesome place to go to if u don't feel like going too far for good quality tapas and they have the most dainty outdoor patio.... price is moderate and their tapas r not too small read more

The tapas were not overly impressive, and the sangria was downright disappointing. I guess it's pretty good for Evanston, but I'm not going to go out of my way to get back here. There are plenty of other Tapas places that know how to do it right. read more

I discovered Tapas Barcelona on Yelp when I was looking for a place to meetup with a friend. I've always been a fan of tapas and often wished I lived closer to the city so that I have a few choices in tapas restaurant. Well, not anymore! Tapas Barcelona has exquisite dishes, great atmosphere, and decent pricing for a night out with friends. I enjoyed the place so much that I brought my husband and mom back that week! Some of the dishes I liked are: Fideos Con Mariscos, Pincho De Pollo, and Gambas Al Ajillo. I was not a fan of their Empanada De Cordero but that's only the only dish I didn't like out of about ten different tapas I tried from my trips. read more

Probably the best tapas in the Chicago area for the price. Nice atmosphere, good sangria, excellent desserts. I recommend the cabrillas barcelona (snails!), and the goat cheese dip. read more

The place is average - the tapas are sort of hit or miss but the drinks are good. Unfortunately I hesitate to go there because the service is terribly slow, esp. out on the patio during summer nights. read more

I want to really love this place, because I love tapas. The pluses here are good service and good sangria. And their goat cheese in tomato sauce is outstanding. I would worry for people with allergies eating here, because they do NOT list all ingredients on the menu. For example, they put peppers in like 90% of their dishes on the menu (I don't understand this, because with such a strong flavor, it basically takes over every dish) and they don't always list this on the menu. I happen to hate peppers in any form (red, green, jalapeños, whatever). So when I go, I look through their menu and specials for things that don't have peppers. The first time I went, this was a problem with one dish we ordered. The second time I went was last night. There were about 5 things on the menu that looked good but didn't have peppers so we ordered 3 of them. Of those three, two ended up having peppers. As soon as the waiter set the seafood pastry down, we asked if those were peppers, and he said "no don't worry. It's not spicy." We rechecked the menu, and it listed tomatoes and scallions, but no peppers. However, it was loaded with green peppers. Thankfully the waiter was really great and took it back to the kitchen to get us a new one without peppers. And the new one was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, soon after that the chicken skewer special with chorizo and saffron rice came out next and the rice was loaded with more green peppers. Like nearly nothing on the menu is sans peppers. I'm not sure that I would return here. I feel like leaving that much off the menu means you have to check with the waiter on any ingredient you may not like because it could easily be a big part of that dish. And like I said, people with allergies beware. read more

love this place..prices are right...parking is relatively easy...staff is well educated, professional, and courteous...food is amazing. many choices...fresh ingredients...delicious...go with a group and try all kinds of things. one of my fav places to eat...hands down...foods better than iberico. read more

First things first; Tapas Barcelona is indeed open for lunch, so some dedicated Yelper needs to update that. It'd be a shame if a prospective lunch crowd overlooked this wonderful restaurant, thinking it only opens for dinner. One enters Tapas Barcelona through a side entrance, and walks into a colorful and cozy venue, with artwork (for sale) and hanging decorations all around; subtly festive to say the least. I was seated immediately by the window, with water and a menu quickly delivered. My companion and I sorted through a diverse amount of tapas choices (and I can't remember the Spanish names of our selections, please forgive), settling on 6 choices, including mussels and crab croquettes, and the universally recommended bacon-wrapped dates. The essence of the tapas experience is sharing, so we each picked a diverse group of items that looked and sounded exotic, decently far outside standard lunch fare. She had the sangria, while I ordered 'El Matador', a liquor-infused coffee topped with whipped cream. Everything was tasty and excellent; I don't know why I thought it would all come out together, but dishes were delivered as each's preparation was done, which worked out perfectly. Our only issue was that we ordered too much; next visit we'll have to cut down on the taptas, and leave some room for dessert. Sitting by the window, attended appropriately by the staff (meaning not cloyingly), a wonderful afternoon's meal drifted by most pleasantly. I highly recommend Tapas Barcelona for an excellent and different lunch experience. read more

So I never write reviews on yelp, I'm the one that reads reviews since I tend to never be picky about restaurants, but going to tapas Barcelona was such a horrible experience I just had to. I reserved a spot here for my friends bachelorette party we were planning on having some good tapas and hitting the town after, but none of that ever happened! Since me and my friends came maybe 18 mins past our reservation they gave our table away, note that they had called me earlier and i told them we were 5 mins away ( some of the girls had a tough time finding parking) and they said alright and hung up SO i have no idea that there was a time limit nor did they call us when we weren't there when we said we would be. I however let that pass, because it was a Friday night and it was busy. So we sat at the bar being told it would be 20-25 mins. 30 mins pass we go up the the clueless waitress and ask how much more longer they said oh just 20-25 mins and I look at her and say so 40 mins, I am suppose to wait for 40 mins? So the hosts tells us next table available you guys will be seated at. Hearing that made me feel okay thinking okay just couple more mins and I started scouting out for any tables being cleaned. I see one being cleared out and I get up with my friends and low and behold that waitress seats another larger group of people there!!! AHH me and my friends had it. We complained to the manager and they felt terrible while the hostess felt embarrassed and basically avoided eye contact with us the entire time. The manager said to wait 5 mins and customers had paid but weren't leaving and I told him then tell them to leave that you have other customers waiting and he said that would be rude and I looked at him and said well allowing your customers to wait for 2 HOURS is just as RUDE! We just walked out, he was kind enough not charge us for our drinks and the one appetizer we ordered. Overall! if you are going don't except amazing service and don't go with a big crowd its a tiny cramped over heated restaurant.The one appetizer we ordered was really good so were the drinks. It's a shame, good food but horrible service. I had seen mixed reviews on yelp before but I felt it was 50/50 and in the past have never gotten bad service from places, but jeez! I guess I was the bad batch here! read more

I absolutely love this restaurant. I have been to a lot of the other tapas restaurants but this is the best. The food is amazing and always fresh and the waiters are always friendly. I would recommend this to anyone read more

Unexceptional service and food. I've had excellent authentic Spanish food, and this wasn't it.

Been here every year on New Year's Eve for the last four or five years. Wonderful tapas at affordable prices. Everything tastes great, vegetarian friendly, good service, laid back feel inside, unpretentious and good in every way. A real winner! Went to Cafe Iberico in Chicago, expecting to be wowed. It just made me realize how good Tapas Barcelona actually is. read more

ooo this place is delicious! we ordered mounds of food and I was not disappointed with one single dish. I think my favorite was the baked eggplant, that sauce was so tasty! The only downside was that we ordered way more than we could eat and the wait staff kept taking away the plates before we could even finish. I'd like to go back on a warm night, as their outdoor seating looked very nice, but the inside is welcoming as well, homey and fairly private. Will definitely be back! read more

I have been enjoying this place for years. Usually with a bigger group of people because it's more fun to have the opportunity to taste more delights. However, you can easily go with one other person and have a couple of dishes with some Sangria and it's very reasonable. Only two of you? I suggest eating at the bar. The bartenders are very friendly and it's much more fun to eat there! Pros: Friendly wait staff, amazing bacon wrapped dates. meat balls, and Sangria! Cons: Some of the meat dishes were not that good but I am not a big meat fan. However, again, the Sangria and ambiance tend to overpower the weakness of a few dishes. Definitely get a reservation if you can because the place fills up. Oh, ordering the Sangria is not a requirement to get you in the door; the water will keep you hydrated and the food will keep you satiated! read more

Place is great and the service is nice. However, every time I go they are out of the lamb pastry.

Great place! Cute environment! Super nice staff! I came here with my family for my mothers birthday & the food was delicious! Not too pricey, which is nice also. Although it was a Tuesday night, there were many people! read more

Not impressed. The tortilla espanola tasted like it was frozen. The patatas bravas were smothered in what tasted like marinara sauce. The shrimp in garlic sauce was mediocre. No flavor! Will not go there again. read more

Came here with a friend and took a seat at the bar because the tables were a 30 minute wait. Had the baked goat cheese, bacon wrapped dates, mussels, and strawberry salad (special menu item). The food came out quickly and was great; the baked goat cheese was the perfect combination of cheese and tomato sauce, and the garlic bread that came with it was superb! I wish we had ordered dessert but I guess that just means I'll have to come back again! read more

The restaurant was really noisy and at first, they didn't even have menus for us. Then they brought out the food... the gambas al ajillo (grilled shrimp) were clearly just boiled frozen shrimp and the queso de cabra (baked goat cheese with tomato sauce) was just tomato concentrate with heavy amounts of oil and heavy cream. Wouldn't recommend at all. read more

Great food, small restaurant compared to Cafe Iberico. Fun time here meeting up with old friends from college, highschool, and grammar school. Closes early though and their sangrias aren't as strong as other places. But a good time nonetheless!! (calamari, crab cake, pork and potatoes, caprese salad, mussels, shrimp, omg, so much to eat!) Don't forget their deserts: flan, rice pudding and banana topped with icecream and chocolate fudge! mmm we spend under $20 buck each in a group of 10! Pretty good for a big group! read more

My sweetheart and I went to Tapas Barcelona on Valentine's Day and had a really wonderful experience. The foods was SO good--as others have said, be sure to get the bacon wrapped dates! Service was fast and on the ball, the wine selection was wonderful, and I loved the mix of clientele (families, young couples, groups of friends--the whole spectrum!). I'm used to spending way more for tapas at Cafe Babareeba and this was SO much more enjoyable. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is that we've only been once. If everything is consistently this great, I'll bump my rating! Can't wait to try again! read more

The food was very okay. Most of our dishes were brought to our table with burning hot dishes, which makes me think that they were prepared beforehand and stuck in the broiler, but I won't dock any points for this because we were some of the last diners in the restaurant. The waitstaff was polite and quickly brought out a basket of plain and slightly stale baguettes. We ordered the Patatas Bravas, which were by far my favorite dish of the night, but it is difficult to mess up a basic potato dish. I didn't have as much luck with the other dishes we order. The shrimp with chiles and garlic was served to us in a dish with BUBBLING hot oil, and lacked any real flavor for me. We also got a chicken skewer with peppers (blanking on the name) which was fine, but the mayo it was served with didn't really complement the dish. The food was fine, just alright. They lose some points because it was clear the fruit was added into the sangria right before serving instead of letting it soak overnight (what's the point?!), and most of the food was just okay. Won't go out of my way to come back here, but won't complain if I find myself here again read more

Tapas are all amazing, and sangria pitchers make this a perfect place for events.

I wanted to like it, I really did. I'm pregnant and was craving Patatas Alioli and Paella. I made an online order on DoorDash for a contactless 5:45pm delivery. I ordered the Velenciana Paella, Pincho de Pollo, Pincho de Solomillo, Croquettes, Empanadas, and Patatas Alioli. The DoorDash dropped off the food closer to 6pm. When we received the Brown large bag I did notice there wasn't any receipt attached to it which was odd because typically you see that with deliveries. When I opened the white bag inside the Brown large bag I was shocked. It was the completely WRONG order! Already frustrated at this point. I called the restaurant and yes, they were very apologetic and explained the DoorDash person had 2-3 orders they picked up at the same time and warned them to be very careful. However, I did mention I didn't see a receipt on the bag which would be confusing for anyone so recommended to add one for future orders. They said to call DoorDash to resolve the issue. I logged onto DoorDash and chatted with an Agent and explained the issue...that the DoorDash person gave our order to another house. They understood the issue and refunded us back the whole amount we paid. We were not going to waste food so my family decided to just eat was delivered. It was 2 orders of the Bowtie pasta with Chicken, 2 orders of the Pollo al Whisky, Grilled Octopus, Patatas Bravado, and complimentary bread. Dinner was fine but again NOT what ordered and left me disappointed...it got me thinking about how the people who did get our order were enjoying it right now and paid less than we did! I hope in the future both Tapas Barcelona and DoorDash prevent this situation from happening to anyone else because I believe they are both accountable for this mistake. read more

Even my (very) picky 94-year-old grandfather loves this place. Their pitchers of sangria are so good and they have a decent wine selection. They have enough variety in all their tapas dishes that it's always possible to find something that everyone can eat. My favorites are the goat cheese, the garlic shrimp, the pork tenderloin and the bacon-wrapped dates. They also have a salmon dish that's always cooked perfectly. Plenty of round tables, which makes it a great place to catch up with friends and family. They take reservations, which is also helpful. And a parking garage around the corner makes it easily accessible for people both in Evanston and from nearby. My family and I will definitely be coming back. read more

3 hungry guys having tapas. It was a grab and go type of night. The food was that good. We ordered beer and sangrias. The tapas started rolling out one by one. The mussels were fresh as can be and accompanied by a delicious lemon and warmed butter. I just like a spot of lemon on my mussels. The iron plate was hot! The grilled octopus was also a great dish. The vegetarian paella was cooked very well. I usually get the seafood one; but this was excellent. It had great flavor and texture. No issues having it without the seafood. Great seating inside and out. Due to so many people, we sat inside. No issues with that. read more

Three words; bacon wrapped dates. I've never forgotten! Good for groups, make a reservation. A fun atmosphere for a Friday night with friends. read more

I LOVE THS PLACE! Reasonable prices and the best sangria. The Bacon Wrapped Dates are to DIE for, and I love the garlic potato salad. Though I gotta admit, I could make a meal on the dates alone, they are worth driving up to Evanston. Fresh bread with olive oil on the table, and the baked goat cheese has delicious garlic toast - just wish they would offer up a little more, there's a lot of cheese to be had! read more

The tapas here are just ok, but I'll g here because it's the only one that's close by to me. I've had a lot better. What's a must were the snails. They come on top of a delicious crusty bread and a creamy tomato sauce. The pallela was bland. Nice atmosphere but food wasn't too great. read more