Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is always a hit. There's something for everyone and you get to try a bunch of different foods since it's tapas style. Also, the sangria is really good!

As for food, I have to admit that I have a new favorite; the spinach and manchego stuffed mushrooms were incredible! Which means I have to put the bacon wrapped dates and the ham croquetas as close second and thirds. That apple vinaigrette and the aioli with the croquetas are always so so good. One of the specials when we went was the lamb empanada and I have to say I liked it better than the beef empanada, even though the beef one comes with the yummy aioli. Personally I thought the garlic shrimp and the chicken thighs were both just average; nothing special. While we don't usually save room for dessert, the little chocolate cake was a great way to finish the meal!

This is a great spot for date night or group dinners. Most of the food are tapas items and meant to be shared. Their sangrias are amazing a large well. They do book up way in advance so if you want a table, please be sure to make reservations in advance (like more than a week in advance for prime weekend dinner time slots). Otherwise they do have a bar area that is also full service

I like this place a lot but last Wednesday I was disappointed.The service wasn't good,the cocktail also if I specifically request less ice (cuz I had soar throat and I usually I'm not used with so much ice) but the glass of cocktail was full of ice and I had to request a spoon to take it out.The tomato "bread " that it's toasted was burned we ate just the middle lol.The plate of Serrano hamon was less then usual but the shishito peppers and devil eggs were fine.
The ambiance it's always nice.
At the end when the check arrived ,I put my redeem code from LettuceEats and showed him the code to make sure he understands my writing and he didn't add the points after he closed the check...

We come here every time we come to Chicago! The Spanish food is authentic, the dishes are perfect size for sharing, and the drinks are great! We always make reservations since it is always quite busy, especially on a Friday or Saturday night when we are usually going. But the service is quick and the servers have good recommendations if you are unsure of what to get.

We always get the Patatas Bravas (SUCH good sauces and flavor) and the Peri-Peri chicken. In fact after coming here I sought out Peri Peri sauce for my own cooking because it was so good. The sangria is great too and you can get it in a cup or a pitcher for the table. Sitting at the bar is fun because you can see that the sangria is on tap- never seen that before! They have several different flavors of sangria, and a flavor of the day!

There are TVs for watching sports, cool window seating and seating that opens out over the entry hallway, and bar seating. Parking is kind of hectic since it's Chicago, but we were able to find a spot both times! They also have Valet if you can't find anything.

I come back to this place over and over for a great dining experience every time! The tapas are delicious and come out quick, there are tons of options so everyone will find things they enjoy. The sangria is delicious and have fun flavor options. This is a great spot for a big group and when the bill comes im always amazed at the prices. The service is friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Make sure to get a reservation!

Such a great celebration and experience tonight. The wide selection of tapas provides something for everyone. Two to three small plates per person to share is more than enough for a meal. Some of my favorites - Bacon-wrapped dates, Goat cheese in tomato sauce, Beef empanadas and Brussels Sprouts Salad. They offer a variety of sangrias which are delicious and filled with fresh fruit. Desserts are also shareable. Just a couple bites is a perfect way to end a delicious dinner.

The service is always top notch and the ambiance is energetic and fun.

Such a fun spot! I've been to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba a number of times for brunch, with my most recent trip being last weekend. This was my first time dining in the atrium room! I really loved this space. The fully enclosed patio is a great extension of the rest of the restaurant, with exposed brick and gorgeous greenery.

I've only dined for lunch, and always have a really nice experience. This time around, our server was slightly absent at times, but it was an extremely busy Saturday, so it is completely understandable.

My friends and I shared 5 or 6 tapas with the table. One of the friends I was with is gluten intolerant, which definitely makes it a little more difficult when sharing. The menu clearly states which items are GF/vegan though, so that is appreciated! Our server was able to serve the avocado toast on GF bread, which ended up being one of our favorites. It's topped with a poached egg, fresno chilis, and gazpacho. Other favorites include the shishito peppers, french toast, and the spicy potatoes. Everything tasted good, but I did find I was still hungry after leaving, so just remember to order more than you think you'd need!

Tapas restaurant? Sign me up! Came here with our team after work, and tapas was the perfect move for us to split a bunch of dishes and try new foods!

Waitstaff was very nice and attentive. We were seated inside, but they had a patio that looked lovely (with decor like you stepped into Spain!).

As far as food goes, the paella is a nice option to split a dish with more substance, but it wasn't the highlight.

Tapas are the way to go! We got quite a few but the bacon wrapped dates were the clear winner!

One of my very favorite spots in Chicago. There's nothing more fun than ordering 5-10 small plates and passing them around to try each one. Their brunch offerings are also very special. Favorites include the baked goat cheese, Brussels sprout salad, Patatas Bravas (the star of the show in my opinion), and their Paella is bomb (especially the breakfast one). Amazing sangrias too. Cafe Ba Ba Reeba 4 ever.

[Cafe-Ba-Ba-Reeba!] Spanish tapas-style restaurant located in the Lincoln Park, Chicago area.

Restaurant Week Edition (Yes, I know it's been a while. And, yes the regular edition is coming out soon too so 2 posts of this place). This was their Brunch RW menu.

1. Chorizo Mac n' Cheese
2. Egg Empanada
3. Potato Skillet
4. Blueberry lemon torrijas
5. Deviled eggs
6. Natilla flan, Marcona almond caramel bar, chocolate truffle cake
7. Potato egg

Everything was good. There was so much food; I don't even think we finished everything. We had a white and red sangria. I have to say their white sangria is better. The extra cherry on top is the fruit chunks in the sangria that I love digging out and eating. Service was good and the ambiance was nice. Since I'm not a brunch / breakfast type of person, this was the only downside (Wait for the dinner review). 8/10

https://www.cafebabareeba.com

2024 N. Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60614

I would like to preface this review by stating that I still love the food and I usually have a great experience. However, my last visit was somewhat disappointing.

I have been coming to this restaurant regularly for years. Last year I hosted my birthday in their private room and decided that I would like to have it there again. I made a reservation for 16 guests at 12:30 PM on a Saturday and we didn't get seated until an hour later. Initially when I got there at 12:30 the host said we couldn't be seated until 8 people had arrived (we had 6). By 12:45 we had at least 8 people. We had to continuously ask the staff for updates regarding our table. They said they were waiting on tables to become available and when we escalated our concerns with management, one of them told us that we should have booked a private space. This was frustrating because:

1. I have email conversations with their event coordinator from a month ago expressing interest in the private space. I was also transparent with my intention of possibly booking a regular reservation.
2. I went in person to the restaurant 2 weeks prior and spoke with another manager to tour a private space and also told them that I had a regular reservation for my group with the date and time.
3. Originally the reservation was for 14 (we booked on opentable a month in advance) and asked the restaurant if we could add 3 more, which they updated with no hesitation.
4. The restaurant called us 2 hours before the reservation and confirmed our party size.

^ During all of this, no one warned us there would be an issue getting seated. Cafe ba ba reeba hosts large parties all the time so I was pretty confident in their ability to do so. It also shouldn't have been a surprise that a big party was coming in at that time. If someone had communicated to me that there would be any difficulties seating us, I probably would have reconsidered booking a private room again.

The waiter was nice, but he kept forgetting some of our orders and when we asked where they were he said, "whatever is on the table is what's ordered". We ended up having to let some of those dishes go. One of the paellas came out barely warm so we could tell it had been sitting out.

The only manager that offered a solution and saved the experience for us was Lucas (compensated 4 pitchers of sangria). Thank you Lucas.

I would be cautious of booking larger parties after this incident vs. private rooms, however there is a bev/food minimum and flat rate fee for the rooms.