Can't believe it has taken us this long to try this neighborhood gem, but we were so impressed! Friends were telling us about how good this place was for a while, definitely one of the best tapas places in the city. Best queso de cabra ever and that is my go to, this is speaking from probably having tried it at every tapas place in the city. The steak with blue cheese was also fantastic if you are a blue cheese fan, really unique burst of flavor! We will definitely be back soon! read more

I have to say that I found the food terrific. I enjoyed the sangria, paella, and tapas dishes we ordered. The service, however, left some to be desired. The waiter, while attentive, seemed very keen on offering suggestions or pushing extras on us. We also kept having to ask for water. I'd definitely go back, but hopefully will have a different server this time. read more

I've only been here once, for my office Christmas party, but we loved it! The service was excellent, and we ordered ALOT of food, but they brought items out a few at a time and never over crowded the table. Everything we ordered was excellent and the wait staff was very attentive. Our large group sat at our table for several hours and we never felt rushed or pressured to leave... you know, the "discreet" placing of the bill on the table as soon as the last plate gets picked up! Not the case here. My brother is moving down the street so I am sure we will hang out here more often...I'll update if anything changes, but so far so good! read more

Tapas Valencia is one of my favorite places to eat. Delicious food and fun atmosphere. If your going, try everything. You will be satisfied.

The food was excellent and most importantly, quick--we had a movie to catch. We sat outside and it was a perfect evening for outdoor seating. The seats were a little light/cheap but that wouldn't keep me from sitting outside again. We also went on a day when there were $5 mojitos. They get an A for service, ambiance and food! read more

Overall, a solid experience. The two of us had several tapas plates including, chicken, veggie, and beef. We also had the pialla (sp?), which was fantastic. Service was pretty good, and the drinks (sangrias and margaritas) were pretty good too. Only complaints were 1. that the waiter (or bartender) botched my margarita. I ordered it up no salt, and it came rocks salt. Who knows maybe they got it mixed up with another order. And 2. We were seated at least 15 minutes after our reservation. Check for 2 with drinks was near $100 all said and done. Came hungry, left full and satisfied - I'll be back. read more

If this was tapas in a suburb with lower prices- I'd give a better review. I would not go out of my way to go here- much better places in the city to get tapas in Chicago. The patatas bravas was a winner but that's the only dish that wowed us unfortunately. read more

Nice location close to home in the South Loop. Our waitress gave very good suggestions, and the desserts were delicious!

Seated and served in a timely manner. Very nice, fun atmosphere. Danny, our waitress was excellent. Her recommendations came from her, not what was overstocked in the back. Had about 15 plates and 2 pitchers of Sangrias. Duck confit, Serrano toast points, and sangrias were our favorites. We will return. read more

Just a little overpriced, just a little not-that-amazing. The food sounds excellent on the menu, and much of it is. But, as others have noted, there really isn't much value here. The cost/food ratio is quite high. My wife and I were surprised by how small the portions were. I'd come back if I were in the area, but not enthusiastically. read more

This is one of our favorite spots in our neighborhood. Probably the best Tapas I have ever tried, as well. We have been regulars since they opened and love the staff, the food, the atmosphere ... everything. The manager is SUPER attentive and always visits your table, the hosts are always friendly and helpful. The $2/$3 Tapas deal is fantastic. Wine selection is wonderful. They also have the best olives on the planet. We've also gone to brunch several times and that has been a great experience as well! My husband and I started coming here when it was just the two of us. We now have a one year old and that does not stop us from getting our Tapas fix. We've always been accomodated, even being offered steamed veggies/fruit for our little guy so he'd be able to dine with us. read more

I have been here a couple times most recently in October. It is almost always busy but the wait time never seems long. The atmosphere is very relaxed and welcoming. The wait staff is very attentive and helpful. I really enjoy the goat cheese and the scallop dishes. I recommend this for a first or second date, romantic but not too over the top. Great food & atmosphere! read more

Street parking was surprisingly easy, and they have valet. Flamingo on Saturday nights I went to, and the dancing sure added flavors to the meal. Great place for informal gathering, I don't think it's as loud as some of the tapas restaurants downtown. Service was great, and the food too. read more

One of my favorite tapas places in Chicago! The service has generally been good and I have rarely not liked a dish. Below are some of my favorites: Garlic Potato Salad - Delicious but as the name states lots of garlic - be prepared for garlic breath after dinner. Pincho de Solomillo - Grilled beef with caramelized onions and sour cream horseradish, this dish is great! Grilled Squid - Simple but great Bananas and ice cream - great dessert read more

always delicious, always great customer service!! Highly recommend. Sit at the bar and have a drink mon-fri and the tapas menu is only $2 or $3. GREAT DEAL. Love those bacon wrapped dates. YUM read more

I was most impressed with the exterior and interior design and appearance of Tapas Valencia The clientele was diverse and the overall mood and setting was relaxed and inviting. My boyfriend and I ordered eight different tapas that sounded delicious on the menu. Each dish was consistently flavorless.. bland, and dry. The mashed potatoes were instant and I could tell they came from a box. The Sangria was ok, but it wasn't spectacular. I had expectations of a "Tapa's" Restaurant and expected more flavor in the food and zest in the sangria. The beef empanada was mushy and soggy.. and uneatable. Our server came to our table as soon as we sat down. She spent a lot of time explaining the wine list to us and seemed disappointed when we ordered Sangria. She brought us bread and butter, which was nice. Our food was brought out quickly and all of the servers were extremely pleasant, kind and smiled. I will go back to Tapas Valencia for the atmosphere and the inexpensive cost for bland food and box of wine sangria. The music was loud, but our ears adjusted. We watched the Bull's Game on TV and overall it was a pleasant experience. The price we paid for a large amount of bland food, pitcher of sangria made with box of wine was fair. read more

The tapas menu is extensive. As tapas neophytes, the menu was overwhelming to us. Our server provided some recommendations but we really felt we were on our own to randomly pick based on the menu descriptions. Received our Pit Cava Sangria but we needed to ask our server... "Isn't it supposed to have fruit in it." We shouldn't have to be asking that. Our group favorites were the bacon-wrapped dates, Stuffed peppers with cheese and black bean sauce (Sauce had great flavor), the skirt steak (very tender) and the Crema de Chocolate (chocolate cake) for dessert. Food:4/Service: 2. Not a restaurant I would go out of my way for next time in town, but if you're into tapas you'll get lots to pick from. Make sure you have them call a cab/or Uber it if you're heading back to your hotel. There is not of cab traffic at night. read more

We really enjoyed our meal here last time but I'm taking stars off for not allowing dogs on their patio. Tonight's the perfect night for a cocktail and some apps outside with our little buddy but we just called and they said no dogs. OK, then- no $$$. I don't get what the problem is in Chicago. In Colorado, people take their dogs to patios all the time with no problem. And don't even get me started about Europe! read more

Our party of six had a delicious meal in an authentic atmosphere with wonderful service. Live music with a flamenco dancer added to the fun vibe, mosaic tile and contemporary bar space made for a fun Saturday night. The spice and ice cocktail is not only beautiful but delicious. Each tapa we had was delicious and served promptly. A highlight was the seafood paella loaded with delicious seafood. The staff is extremely friendly and service it too notch. read more

What a mess. This supposed upscale traditional tapas dining spot in Chicago's South Loop is no more than a poorly executed taqueria. Entering this space, you will no doubt find a bewildered hostess speaking at a volume just below that of the echoing roar produced by the acoustics of a parking garage turned restaurant. The seemingly endless menu offers over 60 tapas. Sounds impressive, however, closer inspection reveals they are just different combinations of notably inexpensive ingredients fortified with what I assume is the chef's secret ingredient: SALT. Moreover, the tapas are often swimming in one of the many "sauces" on the menu. After the 3rd or 4th selection, one realizes these "sauces" are merely clumsily executed pools of butter. Service here is ghastly. My uninformed server couldn't answer the most elementary of questions regarding the exclusively Spanish wine list. I was dumbfounded by the spectacle of the frantic staff trying to refresh my silverware between tapas plates. Often times, my fork was snatched from me only to leave me seated at the table with my new dishes and no silverware. Weird. The wine list is impressive. It represents a great spectrum of price point and the breadth of Spanish wines. Unfortunately, my server did not. I left the place simply confused, irritable, and wanton of anything but tapas for a long time. P.S. What's up with the auto mechanic style primer floors? read more

This warm, modern loft was our choice for the four course Taste of Spain prix fixe dinner for two. There were hits and misses on the menu. Favorites included the garlicky potato salad, grilled calamari, tenderloin brochette and tilapia with artichoke and spinach. The toast points, shrimp, bacon wrapped dates and banana in caramel were just average-- flavors didn't pop. Service was friendly but slow all evening, but the check came before we finished dessert without asking about after dinner drinks or coffee. Drinks were good, including passion martinis and a cucumber lime jalapeño martini, both with cachaça. It's a welcome addition to the south loop. read more

This place is average. The decor is a bit strange. The food is...well, I wasn't blown away by anything (tilapia, Spanish cheese plate, some kind of pasta, and some kind of steak). Was here on a Sunday night and the place was not busy at all. As in, only one other table was occupied. Server Alex was great (and cute to boot!). Easy street parking, and the host/maitre d' was very friendly. Wouldn't make a special trip for, but if I was in the neighborhood... read more

The food is decent. I was not to happy about the service. My finace and I waited at our table for over 15 min to be served, and it wasn't even busy. The drinks a ok too. Overall it's ok. I am being generous at giving Tapas Valencia a 3. read more

This place sets the bar for Spanish/Tapas cuisine in Chicago. Iberico, babareeba... No thanks! Dates, stuffed peppers, queso de cabra, and the patatas bravas or simply amazing. The service is amazing, atmosphere and portions are great for the price. Not very expensive and to top it off the food is of top notch quality ingredients. Will be back, great addition to south loop! read more

I loved the service and the place itself, however the majority of tapas we ordered weren't just very tasty. It is really an ok place.

We really wanted to love this place, but the food was not very good (the steak and potato dish we got looked like a TV dinner, and the patatas bravas looked as if they'd been sitting under a heat lamp). The sangria was just okay. Overall very pricey and not nearly the quality you get at other Chicago tapas spots. read more

We had a blast the hot tapas were delish! We felt the drink prices were fair also.

The bacon wrapped dates are the best thing on the menu. I LOVE this place. The prices are good, parking good, and the menu is great. I have been here for events as well as lunch and dinner and I've never been disappointed. read more

Much of the food tasted spoiled. The green olives were mush and not fresh at all. The goat cheese with tomato sauce tasted like store bought ragu vodka sauce with a hint of goat cheese dropped in there. The shrimp tasted fishy and over cooked. The lobster also tasted a bit fishy. The sangria is just a pitcher of regular wine and a side of fruit they throw on top. Cheff Ramsay would definitley have a field day with this place. Plus the prices were much steeper then expected compared with much higher end tapa's restaruants in Chicago. Would not recommend anyone go there. Terrible Tapa's bar. read more

We went here for Valentine's day. The food was amazing, it was an intimate setting and the plates came out quickly. Sangria was amazing but the spanish wines were out of this world! They had this Spanish Cabernet Sauv that put all others to shame. Delicious cucumber martini I tasted too! The bacon wrapped dates, pork was delicious, shrimp was tasty and this crab dish was rich but delicate. Overall one of the better meals I have had in the South Loop. Will definitely be going back to this gem. read more

Excellent food! The ambiance is nice and, at least on Saturdays, there's a live mariachi band and a flamenco dancer. Having said that, the best part about the place is the food itself! read more

One of the better tapas places I've been to in the city. A little more expensive than some of the other known tapas places in Chicago but still a great place to go. Their sangria is pretty good and the food was excellent. The wait staff was also very attentive, energetic, and not shy about what their personal preferences were and very willing to share their opinion on things. a great place to eat. I hope this place stays around awhile as I've heard that a bunch of places have come and gone in this space. read more

The tapas was pretty standard, nothing that really stood out. There was a chicken with goat cheese that was pretty good. The 3rd star is for the half price bottle wine list! read more

We went for my friends birthday. It was about 17 of us. The wait staff was horrible. They would leave for long periods of time and no it was not crowrded the bacon dates were awful they were over cooked and mushy. The most alarming issues is that fact that they over chargeded the final bill. When they were told about this issue they did not fix it at the restaurant level. It took calling the corporate office several times and they still didn't correct the situation right away. Had to get the credit card company involved. Beware of Tapas Valencia bait and switch with pricing, awful waitstaff and average flavorless food. I would suggest going to Cafe Ba Ba Reeba! read more

The best time and equally good food to match! We ordered the shrimp with garlic lemon butter sauce and it was perfectly seasoned with the right amount of tartness. The charcoal grilled skirt steak with mashed potatoes was again perfectly seasoned and the steak was a nice medium/medium well. Lastly, we ordered the baked goat cheese wth garlic bread, which I did enjoyed but uncertain whether I'd order again. It was more an arrabiata sauce with the goat cheese in the middle all warmed together with garlic bread (garlic flavor was very mild) to dip into - very filling. Everything was tasty and the cocktails fabulous (Monday $7 cocktails!). Our server Jose was very kind, professional, and gave us excellent recommendations. Will definitely be frequenting this place! We were too hungry, but intend to try the paella on our next visit, as it can take up to 45 mins to prepare. read more

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It was the day before Valentine's Day and the décor reflected as such. The gentlemen at the door (valet guys I believe) were really sweet, opened the door and greeted us warmly so I immediately had a good first impression. My friend and I were just stopping for a drink at the bar so we seated ourselves. I didn't catch the bartender's name, nor did he give it, but he was ok. I gave him a playful hard time about little things like wanting my water lukewarm, with lemon and a straw to loosen him up a bit. He was helpful with the wine list since I wasn't too familiar with all of the Spanish wine options. He directed me to a red that was similar to a Pinot Noir which I thought was decent. I mean, it was only $7-8 so it couldn't have been fabulous but I was satisfied with it. I didn't order any food so I can only speak to the service (ok) and the wine (ok) so that's why it's a 3-star review (a-ok). On our way out the manager (I think) came over and handed us each a single red rose and wished us a Happy Valentine's Day. That was a lovely surprise. Nice touch! Oh, I did find it hilarious that when my friend asked about ordering salty bar snacks like chips (with salsa or guacamole), the bartender suggested bread and butter. Wait, what? LOL. Then we realized he was serious. :-/ read more

Almost went with a 2 star "Meh," but the food is decent enough. I've just had much better tapas in the city. Average food, average tapas prices. I tried a lot off the menu and had lots of sangria, because my boss paid. Not really impressed though. I'll stick with Babareeba or Twista. Didn't think I would come back here, but after reading the reviews mentioning the $2 appetizers from 4 -6 on Fridays, I might return for their only decent food at THAT price. Nice... read more

Fantastic drink selection. We shared and LOVED the couscous with scallops, lobster bisque, black bean soup with chorizo, and the potatoes. Delicious mixed olives appetizer, so-so grilled eggplant & goat cheese plate. I/we'll definitely be back. read more

Tapas Valencia was a pleasant surprise! The service was excellent. Water was always full, table was always clean, and the food came out at a perfect speed. They brought out each dish 1 or 2 at a time. I really enjoyed the skirt steak, crepes, and salmon with goat cheese. They have drink specials through out the week so I had the $5 margarita which had a generous amount of tequila. The decorations and music give it a relaxed but elegant atmosphere. Would love to come back with a larger group to try more plates because they are a bit pricy for tapas. read more

Twas yum. Try a bunch and check in on yelp to get a free dessert! The plates are small so either we should have ordered more of each dish instead of a ton of variety. I think the dessert was my fav part! read more