Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! was exceptional! I was by myself and got a seat at the bar. The bartenders were always coming around and checking up on everyone. On the outside, it isn't much, but the inside reminds me of sitting in a European gastrobar. It was a lively atmosphere.

I ordered the ibérico ribs, the piri-piri fried chicken thighs, and the beso durazno. The beso durazno is a non-alcoholic cocktail with a refreshing taste that is light on the tongue. The peach puree isn't too sweet and the added minty-ness in the drink kept it well balanced. The chicken was tender and moist. It had the perfect amount of heat without being too overpowering. The cilantro yougurt sauce was a pleasing balance to counteract some of the heat.

My favorite dish had to be the ibérico ribs! They fell off the bone seamlessly, had a wonderful char on the surface of the ribs, a not-too-sweet honey glaze, and melted in my mouth! The salad it was sitting on top had some acidity to counteract some of the fat in the pork. The addition of grapefruit in the salad was thoughtful, but a char on the grapefruit would've helped it be more cohesive with the dish.

Overall, I loved my experience here!

This is a social Spanish tapas restaurant. Dishes are on the smaller side and should be shared family style.

The Patatas Bravas and Paella are popular here but my favorite item is actually the Pressed Bikini Sandwiches - the touch of honey compliments the pork quit well. Another highlight is the Basque Cheesecake. The Paella didn't taste very special nor did the octopus in my opinion. Ribs were good but the quantity of meat on the bone was scarce.

Service is good and the food is delivered pretty quickly. Note that the Paella takes roughly 45 mins to cook so that dish will take longer to arrive.

This location has the same as menu as Lil Ba Ba Reeba in River North, but with extra items such as Paella. The interior is also larger.

I would say it was a cute little restaurant, but it's actually quite large on the inside. Multiple dining areas and bar/cocktail areas. Even a bright, semi-outdoor seating area. It was really nice. It was also very crowded as you might expect for a Friday.

Despite being very busy, the service was timely. I never felt like we were waiting a long time for anything, and the waiter wasn't overbearing. It felt just right.

The food was so so good. We got the deviled eggs, chorizo wrapped date, piri piri chicken thighs, and the spinach and manchego stuffed mushrooms for the tapas followed by the paella mixta, and finished off with a tiny little slice of chocolate truffle cake.

The deviled eggs weren't super special. Nothing you haven't had at a back yard bbq, but they were good and the bacon added a nice bit of texture.
The chorizo wrapped dates were incredibly sweet and I'm glad we only ordered one each, but it was really delicious. It was a good combination of flavors.
I really liked the piri piri chicken. I'm so glad they used thigh instead of breast meat for it. So many "Western" style restaurants use white meat and it's always so dry, but these were great. The flavor was good too.
The mushrooms were also simple and well executed. Don't sleep on the provides lemon. It's not just for looks, and it really did add a nice layer to the flavor.
The paella was the main dish, and it was quite large. You could probably safely split it between 4-5 people if you start with some tapas. We ended up taking most of it home. The sausage in it was great as was the pork. I didn't care as much for the chicken here, but the overall flavor was really good.

I would definitely go back here again. They have a huge menu and there are a lot of things I want to try. It is a little pricey, but worth it

Mezcal mule: love this drink, very Mexico, great add up with the smoked pepper powder, quite large volume
Deviled egg: love the crispy bacon on top that gives a bit of crispy texture
Chorizo wrapped date: sweet date does match with chorizo. But I was expecting more.
Piripiri chicken skewer: soooo tender! A bit spicy with the piripiri! Could be elevated a bit more with more combinations of spicy flavors
Spinach and manchego stuffed mushroom: really deep and sophisticated flavor! Actually I like it more without the lemon juice. The lemon light up too much.
Paella mixta: pretty big portion. Flavors are decent. Just wish there's more pork shoulder and skin. Love the bean in it.
Chocolate truffle cake: tiny portion but really dense and smooth texture. Only 4$
Really big area. Lots of tables. Nice half outdoorish sitting area. Staff's Spanish and knows the menu really well
A bit pricy but worth it

I looooooved the sangria here! Came with some friends on a saturday afternoon, it was definitely loud but in a nice lively way. Staff were very helpful and always checked in on us. Tapas were good too ofc haha but I would literally come back just for the sangria.

As a regular traveler to Chicago, I've walked by Café Ba-Ba-Reeba a thousand times without going in. I've only seen the small outdoor dining area.

Well, I was surprised by the multiple dining rooms when you get inside. Loved the décor and artwork throughout.

I put a lot of weight on service, so we were exceptionally pleased to have Grace as our server. She did a great job of guiding us thru the menu and keeping the food and drink coming during Sunday Brunch.

Gotta say those Cucumber Tequila Spritz drinks were awesome. So refreshing and easy to drink. I had a second, and almost ordered a third!

With two of us dining, we started with the Patatas Bravas and Roasted Dates Wrapped with Bacon. Our second course consisted of the Baked Goat Cheese and Grilled Iberico Pork Presa. Everything was so authentic and delish. I loved the dates and Iberico ham. Wow! My daughter could have eaten the entire Baked Goat Cheese.

I can't wait to return for a dinner with more diners, in order to check out more of the menu. Maybe try some Paella, that takes 45-minutes to prepare.

Love this place for tapas! My favorites are the bacon-wrapped dates, shaved brussel sprouts salad, stuffed mushrooms, and the patatas bravas. You absolutely cannot miss the paella!

Highly recommend this spot if you like tapas!

Quirky Spanish restaurant with delicious tapas, perfect to share in a large group. We ordered almost one of everything and it was all delicious. They have an insanely fast ordering system where our dishes were coming out as our group was still ordering!
Our top dishes include:
- Brussel Sprouts Salad (crispy, fresh sprouts and creamy dressing)
- Torrijas with blueberry-lemon compote (sweet, fruity syrup on cheesecake-like french toast)
- Catalan-style crystal bread (fluffy, pull-apart bread)
- Patatas bravas (get two orders of this!! spice-covered crispy and soft potatoes)

The place has a great semi outside seating area. The bar area is great for happy hour. The staff is friendly. Service is very fast.
Went here just for happy hour but have been here years ago for Sunday brunch. It was amazing so here I am again.
The croquette is very good, the bacon wrapped dates are amazing, the spicy potatoes are good, the shishito peppers were great not too hot with a great flavor. The fig and goat cheese was okay. The meatballs were juicy but need to have a little more flavor-spicy.
I highly recommend this place

I wish I could give this place more than 5 stars because it was absolutely amazing! From the moment we walked in, the staff was incredibly welcoming and helpful. The menu is extensive, but our waiter guided us with excellent recommendations, making our experience unforgettable.

We started with the chorizo-wrapped dates, which were truly incredible. The chorizo was so well-seasoned and paired perfectly with the sweetness of the dates. The paella mixta was another highlight, perfectly cooked with a generous amount of protein, including seafood and meats.

We also tried a variety of other dishes: the Brussels sprouts salad, stuffed mushrooms, beef tenderloin, pulpo, garlic shrimp, meatballs, and chicken/chorizo skewers. Each dish was outstanding, bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. It was hard to pick a favorite because everything was so good! We were tempted to order a second round of everything, but after such a feast, we were quite stuffed.

To complement our meal, we shared a pitcher of white peach sangria, which was light, refreshing, and the perfect drink for a summer lunch. I would definitely come back here and wouldn't hesitate to order all these delicious tapas again!