Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

If you haven't been to Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! in Chicago, you're seriously missing out on one of the city's best hidden gems. This place is HUGE, and the Spain-inspired decor is just stunning--it's like stepping into a chic little corner of Barcelona right in Lincoln Park.

The tapas? Absolutely delicious. You've gotta try the Brussels sprout salad--it's so good that even Kristin Cavallari has her own version in her recipe book. The scallops are to die for, and the goat cheese in tomato sauce is the creamiest thing ever. Don't forget the spicy potatoes bravas, chorizo-wrapped dates, and those juicy meatballs--every bite is like a little taste of Spain.

And the drinks? The blackberry sangria is a total game-changer. The staff here is super friendly and attentive, making sure your experience is just as amazing as the food.

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! is definitely a must-visit. Go for the incredible Spanish vibes, stay for the unforgettable food, and trust me, you'll be planning your next visit before you even leave.

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.

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

Ba-Ba-Reeba is one of Chicago's original tapas bars, and I swung by on a weekday around 10 PM and was lucky enough to get a table. I highly recommend going for the sangria pitcher--it's definitely worth it! During this visit, my friend and I enjoyed a couple of tapas, the sangria of the day, and the white peach sangria. I was craving paella, which turned out to be absolutely delicious. We ordered the stuffed piquillo pepper, the farmer's market paella, and the chicken thighs paella. Everything was tasty, and the paella can easily be shared between 2-3 people. The ambience is great, and I highly recommend this place.

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)

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!

I've been to Spain many times and Cafe Babareeba comes very close to the real thing. I tried the patatas bravas and the Chorizo Wrapped Medjool Date & Manchego Cheese. The date was soo flavorful and delicious. It was the perfect bite sized snack. The bravas was a little bit of a let down. The potatoes were not crispy and the sauce to potato ratio was very off. We ended up asking our waitress for more sauce and she happily obliged. To share, we got the seafood paella "paella de mariscos". It was cooked very well and packed full of flavor. The portion can definitely comfortably feed up to 3 adults. The ambiance of the place is quite loud and many guests at other tables were shouting and rowdy. It seems cafe babareeba does not mind or even welcomes this kind of energy.

Overall, great experience. I can't wait to come back to try the other paellas and tapas.

I came here with a friend for a Saturday brunch reservation. The indoor seating has a gorgeous sunroof over top, so plenty of natural lighting. Service was quick and friendly.

The food was filling and tasty but nothing extraordinary. Definitely a vibey place for brunch and to try new Spanish cuisine.

Had a chance to try this awesome place, and I'm so so happy we did! If you are looking for a fun tapas place with lots of variety and beautiful vibes, this is the place for you. Service here is nice and your taste buds will be happy leaving this joint! Once we were seated, we ended up ordering:

* patatas bravas - crispy potatoes so well seasoned with the yummiest sauce. I could not stop eating this!!

* date wrapped in chorizo - this was surprisingly delicious and a yummy bite. An explosion of flavor that you should try!

* goat cheese in tomato sauce with garlic bread - this was crispy and crunchy - and was super flavorful with the goat cheese dip. The tomato sauce mixed with the cheese is really yummy

* piri piri chicken thighs - these were super yummy and crispy. The saucey coating was delicious and tangy

*garlic shrimp - this was my least favorite but this was shrimp in an olive oil sauce. The shrimp was a little chewy but not bad

*mushrooms - this was absolutely delicious and a must order. Definitely try this!!

Overall amazing experience and definitely worth giving this spot a shot!