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1492 Tapas Bar - CLOSED
Category: Restaurants Tapas Bars Tapas Bars [Edit]
42 E Superior St(between Wabash Ave & Rush St)
Chicago, IL 60611
Neighborhood: Near North Side
(312) 867-1492
- Nearest Transit:
-
Chicago-red (Red Line)
Grand-red (Red Line)
Chicago-brown (Brown Line, Purple Line)
- Parking:
- Street, Valet
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
181 reviews for 1492 Tapas Bar
Review Highlights
-
"Bacon-wrapped dates were divine." In 13 reviews -
"Food + Wine: We shared the goat cheese balls with honey (to..." In 29 reviews -
"...vegetarian options and the Sangria is absolutely delicious." In 74 reviews
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181 reviews in English
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Review from Kirsten A.
Chicago, IL
6/6/2011
I love me some tapas and 1492 was my first introduction to them when I moved here a handful of years ago, so it felt fitting that I revisit.
While I have to say I've experienced better tapas (Mercat, Tapas Valencia) since then, 1492 was just as I remembered. They have a great atmosphere, crazy varied and huge menu, and great drinks. We ordered around 13 or 14 tapas for our party of 4 and kept the sangria flowing. Everything was piping hot that was supposed to be and my favorites were the Bacon wrapped dates, delicious as always, the goat cheese stuffed balls, and the chocolate cake. The wait staff was attentive and helpful, always making fabulous suggestions (PS - it's crazy impressive to watch them carry all the food downstairs from the 2nd floor kitchen).
Now here's my beef...most of the tapas we ordered came in sets of three. When you're eating with a party of four, that's just plain annoying. I'm not sure why they do that, or why they don't just make four if they know the party is of four people. It's just awkward. That would be my complaint and why I probably wouldn't rush back over another tapas place. But if you're looking for good food and service, this is a great place to go. -
Review from Jiyoun B.
Chicago, IL
5/2/2012
Food here is okay.
Stale, rock hard bread.
Service here is terrible. As soon as the waiter realized that we won't be spending hundreds of mullah on wine, he made this puckered up, nose in the sky face. REALLY? I understand drinks raises the tab and that's good for the business and economy overall. This is sooooo not good for your tip.
My husband used to live literally three blocks from here so we walked here one evening because we love love tapas. We never went back again. We would walk further down on to LaSalle St. to Cafe Iberico. -
Review from Robert H.
Chicago, IL
4/29/2011
Despite the other reviews, I thought this place was great! The restaurant is a nice tri level greystone home, and has the look and feel of traditional spanish cuisine.
The Sangria's are KILLER, as was the grilled shrimp. The atmosphere is cozy (but very busy weekends) and the waitstaff is very friendly. -
Review from Rachel H.
5/17/2011
The food here wad delicious, no question.
However, the service experience was sufficiently unfortunate such that we will probably never return.
For our 8:00PM rez, we were seated on the 3rd floor, which was fine, it was nice and quiet, only one other couple was seated up there. However, our server decided to have us sit at the table right next to the ONLY OTHER COUPLE ON THE FLOOR. Talk about awkward socks. I'm pretty sure the waiter was just a lazy-face who didn't want to walk too far to take and deliver our orders, since he had to ride the elevator up from the kitchen.
Also, about halfway through our dinner, said waiter butted into our conversation and informed us with little civility that his shift was ending and that we needed to pay our bill immediately. Very rude.
This was my birthday dinner, and I have to say, I didn't much enjoy it, even though the food was tasty. -
Review from Meredith P.
Washington, DC
4/12/2011
It's no Babareeba but it was OK. The real standouts were the
-grilled shrimp over the avacado risotto
-crab cakes
- grilled steak covered w/ cheese and a really good sauce (#222)
We got some other things and they were just plain and pretty much had no flavor
- chicken tequito type things- but not as good as the ones you buy at costco
-chicken croquettes
We also got a salad w/ grilled apples and goat cheese which was nice.
Sangria was good, but wish there was more fruit. We had a party of 5 of fairly loud girls and no one seemed to mind, so that's a plus! -
Review from Ryan M.
Overland Park, KS
This is the second time I ate here and contemplating whether the food was a determining factor for our second visit or just a convenience to the hotel.
The bar by far is centrally located, however I don't think the food was that great. However, service was fast and all the staff were friendly. We ordered 6 dishes and 2 margaritas, totaling a little less than $100.00 (excluding tip). Less than 2 hours later we were hungry again. Call it what you like, but I defined it as a "heavy appetizers" or "light dinner". -
Review from Tina T.
1/4/2011
Meh, more like 2.5 stars. My biggest issue with this place is how unorganized they are. We came here to attend their New Year's Eve package party. My friends had gone to it several years ago and had fun - it featured unlimited tapas and drinks for five hours. We thought it would be fun as they had dancing, live music, and dancers the last time they went.
The problems began as we tried to make a reservation. Seriously, it took a while to actually find someone who'd take it. Everytime one of us tried calling, we'd either get referred to a phone number that would not accept incoming calls, or they'd tell us to call back.
Then we could not figure out what the menu actually would be - on their website and the reso sheet they emailed to us, they listed unlimited tapas. But on another piece of paper they had a six course menu. The hostess told my friend that it was unlimited tapas. So we get there and find out that it's now a six course dinner. And there's no live entertainment or dancing. Uggh.
Food was okay - however, since it was NY eve, I won't make a judgment because most places have issues on that night.
The building itself had a ton of charm, except that those curvy stairs could be dangerous - just ask the guy who faceplanted as he fell down the stairs from too much to drink (and took my friend and I down along with him).
There's so many other good tapas places in Chicago that I probably would not bother coming back. We did have fun, though - it's all what you make of it. -
Review from Lynne L.
Minneapolis, MN
5/31/2011
This was quite simply the worst dining experience I have ever had. We were in Chicago with a group of friends and we were looking for the great dining experiences we have always had in Chicago. This place was definitely not it. Our first issue was that two servers were arguing in front of us why neither one wanted to serve our table. We then ordered four bottles of wine of which they were out of all of them.
The food was ok. Then we got the bill and were informed they would take two credit cards max. We had three couples and wanted to split the bill. When we got that squared away, my card was double charged. They said they resolved it, but I am dubious and will wait until I get my statement.
The last nail in the coffin was that for abysmal service we had to leave an 18% tip and the manager absolutely would not budge from that.
STAY AWAY. THIS PLACE IS RIDICULOUS!!!! -
Review from Holly L.
6/7/2011
The menu had a great variety, and all of the food we ordered was delicious. Sangria was average. Location is cute.
If it weren't for the service, this would be a 4-star review. Our server was atrocious. She was polite enough, but she would disappear in full half-hour increments. We waited 45 min for a refill on wine. 30 minutes each time we wanted to order more tapas. The busboy did more order-taking and helping our table than the server did. The kicker was that when the bill came, the gratuity had already been added on to our party of 5's check. Appalling.
There are plenty of other good tapas places in the city. Although 1492's food was good, it wasn't good enough to put up with lousy service. -
Review from Anthony E.
Quincy, MA
4/7/2011
As my first real experience with a true tapas restaurant, I thought this was pretty good! We ordered five different dishes for the two of us, and definitely had more than enough food. The most memorable for me was the avocado risotto and the jamon with manchego. Definitely both worth ordering. The goat cheese with tomato sauce was also good but they only gave three pieces of bread with a giant piece of cheese and sauce, kind of skimping out on us!
The chicken croquettes with chipotle were probably the least memorable, the texture was a little off since it was made with ground chicken that seemed like it was ground a few too many times. Make sure you are a fan of capers if you order the empanadas with chimichurri, but those were pretty good. The tres leches cake seemed like it would have been good but it was still frozen when it got to us, definitely not made in house.
Overall, a pretty decent place and I think I would like it more and more once I would be able to remember what dishes are better than others - but all dishes were definitely NOT created equal. -
Review from Andrea R.
10/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
1 star for the cute house atmosphere. And another star for their 3rd floor private party space that was perfect for our group of 40ish people. Unfortunately, that's where the stars end for 1492 Tapas Bar.
Perhaps it's unfair for me to judge 1492 Tapas Bar since I'm not really a tapas fan, but I found the food to be pretty icky. And this is coming from someone 9+ months pregnant who will eat anything! Since we were a large group the menu had been pre-ordered and I have to give them credit for bringing out a lot of food...perhaps too much food. It was mostly veggies and it all seemed to be smothered in mayo, which I seriously dislike.
I also think it's a must at a tapas restaurant to have lots of plates on the tables, but my plate wasn't changed for over an hr here...and only cause I finally asked for a new one!
If you like tapas, lots of mayo and using the same plate for 80 different types of food then perhaps you'll have a better experience at 1492 Tapas Bar. I think I"ll be admiring this cute house from the street. -
Review from Shradha A.
Chicago, IL
1/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've had this place bookmarked a while now because of its vegetarian-friendly menu, but I'm glad I'm finally over and done with this place because it really was nothing to make me a fan.
The place was freezing cold, they had a fake fireplace that was an even bigger tease given their own heating was failing us.
The service was quite mediocre and their menu was confusing because while some vegetarian items were marked vegetarian, others weren't.
Their food was also a little different from some other tapas places we've tried. We had patatas bravas, goat cheese croquettes and battered feta cheese somethings - all in all the meal can be summarized as fried bread + fried cheese + fried potatoes.
Quick note: their portions were slightly bigger than usual tapas plates. -
Review from Jessica C.
Chicago, IL
11/27/2010
Easily called this restaurant to make a Friday night reservation for four. We arrived at 7:00 PM and was greeted by a hostess and taken to the seating area upstairs. Right off the bat, I noticed the the music was really loud and it began difficult to talk to people at my table.
The service was somewhat slow. Our waitress was handling around 6 different tables in addition to ours. At one point, she got a little snarky, handed us a pen to write down our order on the table, then walked away.
OK, a little rude Miss Thang. Overall, the tapas were good and the sangria.
Additionally, people, please REFRAIN FROM BRINGING YOUR CHILDREN to this restaurant. It's rather annoying to have an tyrant 8 year old in a moderately trendy establishment kicking the back of my chair. -
Review from Gabriela G.
Chicago, IL
5/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Delicious!
Must try the Stuffed mushrooms ( champinones rellenos) -
Review from Macy K.
Chicago, IL
9/5/2010
I wish I would have read reviews before we went. Our waitress took our order and that was the last time we saw her. The person who delivered our food didn't know the difference in our two paellas we ordered. When the manager (I guess that's who the tall guy was, talking to and resetting tables) realized we were done eating and just sitting, he said he'd get our check in 20 minutes. We thought he was kidding and laughed it off. Apparently he wasn't. 25 minutes later we got our check.
Not going back if you paid for me- then waited 30 min for the check. -
Review from Jeremy O.
Chicago, IL
11/8/2010
Wow, this is about the worst tapas I've ever tasted.
For the quality of the food, the prices are astronomical! Portion sizes weren't "small", as in most tapas bars, more like "non-existent". 2 beers and 4 tapas plates later, my wife and I had racked up a $45 tab!!!! WTF!? -
Review from r. m.
Indianapolis, IN
6/20/2010
Unfortunately and unlike my review of Mercat (another Spanish Tapas restaurant), 1492 (such a terrible year for people of color, by the way!!) is not a place you should go to unless every restaurant in Chicago is booked and no grocery store is stocked with a Di'Giorno Pizza. But in an effort to not waste any time on this waste of time restaurant here are my sticking points:
Food: Bland, lack of color, and served neither cold nor warm. Although not incredibly expenses, it isn't worth the wait or cost. After trying roughly 10 dishes, we left without one raising our eye brows.
Ambiance: If you say "nay" to my review, please request indoor seating. We were sat literally curb side next to the sewer (I swear I saw Penny-wise the Clown's deadlights). I could practically order pizza and get my pizza from the driver's window of the delivery person's car. People were let out from cabs and almost knocked our table over. No exaggeration. I was waiting to be a victim of a drive by shooting.
Price: Only thing that doesn't piss you off. The prices are not high, but man the dishes are not worth it. Not-at-all.
Service: Awful...as in I wish I was a short Blond haired woman that could cuss like a sailor and demand my money back instead of a big black man who talks in a deep-Mr. Sinister (Inspector Gadget) type voice that would probably be arrested if I raised a sufficient fuss. The image of the woman is also based on actually seeing the table next to us complain about their service (she was a short blond haired woman that cussed like a sailor). Waiter took 30 minutes to bring my drink. Took another 15 minutes to bring my guest, her drink, and then never poured it for her (since when does Cava get treated like a Corona).
I will not be back, except when I am giving tours to people of god-awful places to not eat at.
The Di'Giorno Pizza is on me.
One -
Review from Sasha S.
Las Vegas, NV
10/8/2010
Horrible is hardly a word I like to use about somewhere I just ate but...gawd it was bad...the food honestly was ok...portobellos with roasted red pepper and manchego were a solid B but the service and HORRIbLE wine menu just devestated me. Ok now I'm being a tad dramatic but it was bad. The wine menu is nearly incomprehensible and they don't have any bubbly by the glass which just amazes me. After 10 min of trying to figure out which wines were red and which were white...I gave up and ordered a vodka soda which ended up being a straight vodka on the rocks...which they def charged me for...the bus boy took away our soup before we were half way through then came back every five min to ask if he could clear our plates which still had food on them.
We would have ordered more drinks if we had seen the waiter ever again...what a pitiful excuse for a restaurant -
Review from Nicole A.
Lisle, IL
3/7/2011
Tapas is our favorite cuisine to embark on in Chicagoland. We thought this restaurant did give generous portions which is a little unusual. We felt we ordered too much here when the normally petite portions proved to be large upon table arrival. I'll say the atmosphere was enticing on the 2nd floor of this converted home to restaurant and very, very lively. The service was actually quite fast and pleasant.
We enjoyed the traditional jamon and manchengo cheese over crositini and grilled octopus over potato. We could have passed on the bacon wrapped dates and garlic potatoes here. We prefer these dishes elsewhere. This restaurant is worth giving a shot; we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. -
Review from Kathy P.
Chicago, IL
10/1/2008
Crapas. That is what I would call the cuisine at 1492. During the recent spell of nice weather, some friends and I were lured by their beautiful outdoor seating. Spanish music played and cheap sangria beckoned. Who could resist this siren song?
We ordered our first pitcher of sangria ($14.92 per pitcher was the Monday special) and selected the mango sangria. The fact that mangos don't grow in Spain should've been our first clue that the sangria would be a little off. If you enjoy a mango smoothie, this may be for you, but, alas, it was not for us.
Our first crapa arrived, queso de cabra, goat cheese in tomato sauce. It's hard to mess up a classic, but somehow 1492 managed to do it. While the actual cheese was of the standard goat fare, the tomato sauce was thin and sweet. And there were pieces of celery in it. Celery? Tapas? Do they have celery in Spain? Does it grow next to the mangos?
In between courses, a second pitcher of sangria arrived. This time it was the white sangria. While better than the mango, it still lacked the fruity kick that I have come to expect from a great sangria.
Our next crapa was pincho de champiñones y vegetales, vegetable and mushroom skewers. I was surprised by the small portion size. We received three vegetable skewers with about two paltry veggies and a mushroom on each skewer. I'm used to Spanish food that pops with a mélange of flavors, but the veggies were pretty bland. I expected more from the marinade, but it let me down and only served to make my mushrooms (and my spirits) even soggier.
At this point, we decided to cut our losses and ask for the check. Prices were typical of a tapas restaurant (around $6 a plate), but it wasn't worth our time or money when Iberico was right down the street.
The service at 1492 was attentive, and its downtown location makes it a convenient post-work gathering place. However, if you are looking for authentic Spanish cuisine, keep moving because you aren't going to find it here. -
Review from Dennis S.
11/22/2008
If you like tapas, avoid 1492 Tapas.
We tried 1492 Tapas once, and that's all it took to convince us to never come back. Small crowd but huge menu of tapas. How do the do that? It's call "a freezer." It's called freezer burn. It's called reheated. It's called boring and tasteless. The best was mediocre; the worst was really bad. Scratch this one off the list. -
Review from Eleana L.
Chicago, IL
5/4/2011
My favorite tapas restaurant in Chicago, by far. It has lots of yummy vegetarian options and the Sangria is absolutely delicious!
The Croquetas de Queso are delicious as is the Queso de Cabra. I would highly recommend 1492 to anyone looking for a romantic dining experience in the Gold Coast area. -
Review from Mindy S.
2/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Yelp should create negative stars for places like you, 1492.....
We had a decent night out with friends there once, but we will never be returning to this p.o.s. "restaurant" again...
....we must have been very drunk, very tired and very hungry to have had that first decent experience, because this place is not deserving of a single star!
simple equation for a bad restaurant experience...
server never brought drinks + bad food (say no to vegetable croquettes here) + server never returned to our table once + a fake wall FELL ON ME after a bus boy bumped into it + idiot manager who couldn't understand why we were so upset + server taking photos of other tables and taking a new table's order AFTER she knew we were upset and wanted to leave ASAP.....
Manager didn't care about the bad experience and just walked away saying "ok"......they obviously don't care about this place or you or your experience there....pathetic. -
Review from Robert F.
Chicago, IL
8/2/2007
So you've got a date and you want to take her to the perfect spot without looking like you're TRYING to take her to the perfect spot...
Enter 1492: Its downtown, but not the loud obnoxious part. Its classy without ostentation, cozy without being pub-ish, and unique without being crazy. Its also tapas, so its easier to trade dinner portions and interact more.Listed in: Date night
-
Review from Kathleen C.
Chicago, IL
10/6/2010
service was just ok, but food was delicious! The red sangria is really strong, but very good. We had the goat cheese marinara to start and although it would be hard to mess that up, it was really good. Our favorite dish was the spicy potatoes and they give you a lot for tapas. A close second was the Solomillo en Tostada (Top sirloin over roasted garlic bread with manchego cheese ) and again...good portion. The last thing we got was Grilled chicken skewered accompanied with Spanish rice. It was nothing special, but chicken was very good.
They have a nice little outdoor area so in good weather, a great place to stop for a casual meal. -
Review from Emily F.
Chicago, IL
9/29/2010
Ok, so service was just ok, food was fine, not too crowded. 1492 gives you essentially the same meal as Ba Ba Reeba for a little cheaper, less of a wait and the ability to actually hear the person sitting next to you. Not exactly the "see and be seen" capital of Chicago but good for a hastily thrown together last minute group dinner.
Recommended plates include the bacon wrapped dates and the jamon wrapped asparagus. Avoid the spicy potatoes. -
Review from Damian C.
9/9/2009
A friend from college came in town this weekend demanding three things: a fun house party, a great night out, and Spanish Tapas. For the latter I normally fall back on my "old trusty" Cafe Iberico or my usual second choice, the more "touristy" Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba, but both were not accepting reservations for a group of 8 this past Saturday. My friend recommended 1492 as an alternative; I checked out the menu, got friend approval, and set an early Saturday evening reservation for 8.
I must also note that the website says "Reservations recommended for parties up to 8 people" so I was a bit nervous when two friends jumped on. The hostess, who was very nice, said they were at capacity, but we managed to squeeze 10 people into our table no problem. The restaurant looks like an Old Victorian House, and we were seated on the third floor. I wish I would have known they had an elevator because those stairs were pretty treacherous!
We ordered some pitchers of sangria and put food orders in. Everything was great. Bacon-wrapped dates were divine! Queso de cabra was creamy delicious! And of course, my personal favorite, Patatas Bravas - I could nom nom nom nom all day on those! Even the food I didn't get to try looked good so if I were to go back again I already have a list.
Unfortuantely, what this place offers in taste they completely lack in portion size. The pitchers of sangria were pretty small and only yielded about 5 or 6 glasses. At $22 a pop, this was a no deal; I wasn't even the slightest bit tipsy when I left. The bacon-wrapped dates were an order of 5, while at Ba-Ba-Reeba you get 9. The pincho de carne (steak) came with a small skewer of 4 bites of steak - Iberico has half a plate easily. There was plenty of goat cheese to go around, but only 3 pieces of bread were given with the meal, so we had to wait a few minutes for a busboy to retrieve more bread. In conclusion, when they say order 3 whole tapas per person, I would recommend you take that advice.
With tax and gratuity, we were able to eat downtown for $30 a person. While I would recommend this place to others to try, I think I'll stick to Cafe Iberico myself on most occasions. -
Review from Katherie M.
Chicago, IL
3/6/2011
i checked out this place last night with a friend. I love tapas so I was pretty excited to see some of the options they had on the menu. We got the bacon wrapped dates with a mango salsa, baked goat cheese in a tomato sauce, grilled shrimp with an avocado risotto, smoked salmon with capers and a delicious sauce and taquitos with a bit of sour cream and fresh lettuce on top.
The food was beautiful when it arrived - so big thumbs up on plate presentation. The bacon wrapped dates were amazing on their own, but the mango salsa really added a little something extra. The grilled shrimp were cooked perfectly which I was very happy about - a lot of times shrimp tends to be overcooked in restaurants. I was very happy with the portions of each tapas plate and they paired sauces with the dishes very well.
I had a great time and enjoyed my meal very much. Their sangria was pretty good - but not OMG amazing. I would definitely go back again. -
Review from Jonathan L.
Chicago, IL
7/15/2008
Topline: Expensive, Bad Service, Mediocre Food...
Went for dinner and was seated literally on the corner of Superior and Wabash...there were a few times I could have handed a forkful to a passing driver..
The service is horrible...we were not able to get our water refilled or soda...maybe this was because we didn't order booze but still a refill at least once is nice...and the food took longer than expected to arrive.
The food is expensive for what you get but I will say we had this goat cheese and honey dish that was really good..
Will I go back, not a chance. If you have the itch for Tapas and are in the area head to Cafe Iberico... -
Review from Brent B.
Chicago, IL
8/7/2007
This was one of our favorite places when we lived in the Gold Coast, as it was a pretty short walk to get there for us. No, it's not as authentic as Iberico is. However, we really liked the cozy atmosphere of the place instead of the usual boisterous big room dining you find, well, at pretty much any other comparably priced restaurant in the neighborhood, and for a dinner for just my wife and I it suited us well It's on the pricier side for tapas, but given the location it's not really that bad -- I mean, just go on the other side of the street to Jake Melnick's, which is just bar food and still not cheap, it just goes with the territory of their location. Their sangria was good every time we were there, and we also really enjoyed the food, even if it isn't as authentic.
Bottom line, I like this place for a date night. You might be very close to another table of people, but there won't be that many tables around you so you won't have to shout over hundreds of other people to hear your date talk (and it's certainly better than actually sharing a table with strangers at a place like Osteria). If you're taking a group for dinner, I'd say go to nearby Cafe Iberico since it's a bit cheaper and in my opinion more conducive to a group party atmosphere. -
Review from Shaun K.
Chicago, IL
12/4/2007
I couldn't have been more disgusted with the food here.
After seeing people sitting outsdie at tables over the summer, I have always wanted to try this place. First bad sign was that we went on a Friday night and it was not busy at all. First ordered the fresh greens, something that can't be messed up, and the dressing was bitter and chunky - quite terrible. But, we decided to keep on going; queso de cabra - the cheese was burnt, and there were chunks of tomatoes and onion, this is not supposed to be like this. Lamb - hard and fatty; and the pollo las brajas was tuff and the seasoning smelled like vomit. The beef and chorizo was inedible.
The funny part was when the server came to us and asked if we wanted anything boxed, and I said no, the food was not good. She then said ok, and gave us the check. Ha, nothing else, I guess she knew it wasn't good either. They didn't take anything off the bill.
I have ordered these same dishes at Cafe Iberico and the difference is huge.
We were still hungry when we left, so we went to Bandera -
Review from Nick B.
Los Angeles, CA
10/21/2010
1492 Tapas Bar is probably one of the last remaining tapas bars I hadn't hit yet. It's about two blocks away from work so I've been walking by for sometime. We had a new hire at the office, so why not go out and celebrate with some sangria?
I made reservations at 4PM for a 6PM dinner. Seems late, right? Well I had to hold off until then because their main line and reservation line were giving me voicemails all day. Annoying. When we arrived, the reservations weren't necessary as it was pretty empty at first. I have to say, it is a pretty cute location. Nice decorations, low lighting, a nice break from the chain restaurants and pizza places from the usual off Michigan Ave. For starters, we started with two pitchers of sangria: red and mango. Both were VERY good with a nice kick at the end. It usually takes a few glass of sangria to feel a buzz, but this must've hit the spot somehow early on. Good sangria, is a good tapas bar.
I do want to point out that our waitress, while attentive, was relatively annoying. She kept pushing us to order more and more food. Calm down lady, we're already starting with 6 dishes. I went with the spicy potatoes and garlic bread and goat cheese. Basic fair, pretty good. The others at the table went with the garlic shrimp, some weird bacon wrapped croquette, and fried calamari. Everybody seemed to enjoy their dinner. We stayed for about 2 hours ordering more sangria and some desert, of course, during the stay we were continuously asked to order more food.
I think for the location, the tapas could have been a little better. I think it's a very competitive niche in the restaurant world and to have just mediocre food isn't a great thing. A little pricey with weird service aren't the best mix. Had a nice night out, but probably won't go back. -
Review from Erin C.
New York, NY
6/9/2007
I came here the other night for a work dinner. We didn't order from the menu; the wait staff brought out multiples plates for us to share and came around with appetizer trays. I tried some potatoes (bleh), some fried feta cheese (anything with cheese and fried is good so no surprises there), and seafood paella (bland!). They also came around with some dessert later which was decent, but I don't know what it was.
Also, they put our group in the lower level which was a bit cool and smelled a bit damp.
I've heard that the food is decent, but maybe what they prepared for mass quantities wasn't the best. I did really enjoy the sangria, which they kept refilling in my glass.Listed in: Table for 8 (or More)
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Review from A L.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2007
This place may be a bit pricey, but overall between the food and ambiance and the friendly (if slow) service, this place gets 4 stars.
We came here becuase it just looked so nice after walking by it the night before and having a local tell us how good the food was. So, my friend, her mother, and I decided to check it out.
Located very close to the El, this place is well situated. If it had been a little warmer out, we would have sat outside, but because it was a little chilly, chose to sit inside. The place is cute and has good ambiance. Our server was very sweet. We got the mango Sangria pitcher for 22 bucks, not a bad deal as 2 of us definitely got tipsy (and I have a good liver!) and the third got her 1 glass. Not so mango-ey though. But still good. We ordered 5 tapas. The goat cheese croquettes with the honey sauce - SO GOOD. This is a MUST order. And I do mean MUST. If i could go back and redo things, I would probably order 2! The albondigas - good but too salty, pass on this; the stuffed mussels -ehh, had better; the eggplant with goat cheese - not bad; the crabcakes - had much better in Maryland, but I guess that is the land of crabcakes!
Oh! and we got dessert. Can't remember the name, but it is the first thing on the dessert menu and it's a crepe + ice cream + strawberry jam on top. How can this really go wrong?? It doesn't. Also not so fabulous that I have to go back for seconds.
Ok, so... 4 stars. Really, The food isn't bad. The sangria is a good deal (I think). And the service although slow is fun and sweet.Listed in: Chicago Restaurants
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Review from Joanie R.
Chicago, IL
4/12/2008
1492? I wish this restaurant would sail the ocean blue and leave this city.
First, to the positive: the bacon-wrapped dates were great, and the ambiance on the first floor was nice. But we were seated at a crappy table (on the 2nd floor) and they wouldn't move us to another open table. They forgot our bread, gave us watery sangria. Took forever to get the check. Didn't really seem like they care, frankly - I guess they must depend on a lot of tourist business but don't really seem interested in what they're doing.
And how about that beef skewer? Was that from 1492?
That meat was tougher than it was to get decent service at this place. And, it's definitely pricier than it needs to be.
We're not going back. Twist is much better, as is that one in Evanston. (Still haven't tried Cafe Iberico.) -
Review from Celia P.
Philadelphia, PA
4/26/2010
My fiance and I thought we found a great place to eat during our first-ever visit to Chicago. After walking around for a bit, we saw this place and checked out the menu. We love tapas and sangria, so why not?
Well, there was hardly anyone in there. That should have been our first sign. The second: our waiter could barely provide descriptions beyond what the menu said. The third: the Kenny G muzak. The fourth: the hair in my food and the dull, awful, gross taste of all the rest of our items that we ordered. Everything tasted like it had been freeze-dried for months and thrown in a frying pan for two minutes.
We picked at the food and hoped that the next item would redeem the restaurant but, sadly, this didn't happen. And, finally, we left but not with full stomachs but with nausea settling in and a very rough cab ride to our hotel.
Avoid. Avoid at all costs. -
Review from Kira M.
Los Angeles, CA
7/1/2010
My father and I were wandering around the North Side when he spotted 1492's sign advertising Spanish tapas and declared that we would be stopping there. (After 23 years, the moment had FINALLY come when the patriarch was vocal about something he enjoyed. Holy Pooh!) And thus, we made a beeline for the dusky, medieval-esque (in a good way) restaurant.
Our server was drunk. Or high. Or maybe just dazed. In any case, the dude was out of it. My parental unit and I blankly stared at him as the specials rolled out of his mouth lackadaisically. When we finally managed to shut our open jaws and regain our composure, we ordered the red sangria (surprisingly not bad), the Chuletitas de Cordero (grilled small lamb chops) and the Pulpo 1492 (Gallician grilled octopus). The mutton was a delight: The pieces were fatty, juicy and delicious. The mollusk, however, was overcooked and dry. Not even its thick coat of paprika could salvage it from insipid hell. -
Review from scott b.
Keller, TX
7/4/2010
After leaving the Signature Room, mildly intoxicated, we wandered aimlessly upon 1492. Wifey has been begging for months to come here. Tired, buzzed, and not in the mood to argue, we decided to grab a seat outside and enjoy the beautiful afternoon.
God forbid we let our buzz disappear, so we started with a pitcher of the red Sangria. Not a bad start. Three of us ordered the following:
Crab Cakes
Octopus
Bacon Wrapped dates
Chorizo
Goat Cheese
&
Calamari
All of these were quite tasty, but the Octopus & Bacon Wrapped Dates were what stood out. My God, these were good!
Great service, really good food and tasty Sangria will definitely bring me back. -
Review from Mihir S.
Chicago, IL
7/15/2008
YAWN. Pretty much your standard mediocre restaurant that is still in business because it is in a tourist area. Our service was bad - our waiter was gone in larger spurts even before we got our drinks, bread, food and even the bill (and when trying pay it). Other tables that were sat after us, received service sooner and bread automatically while we had to ask.
The food is not much better. The steak and fries were overcooked and mushy respectively. The lamb chop lollipops were the size of dunkin dummies - remember those?
Strangely I may go back if I was walking by and got my food to go as they are the only place I know of in the city that has fried artichoke hearts. -
Review from kathryn H.
New York, NY
11/22/2008
I agree with Dennis S...avoid this place like the plague. 1492 doesn't really deserve a detailed review. I ate here this past summer and the only thing that was decent was the wine and the company. EVERYTHING tasted like celery and I definitely recognized some Kraft italian salad dressing laced throughout. Crapas is right.
In Chicago, outdoor seating in the summer is a dream but at this location I'd opt out. I remember staring at some ghetto cheap nail salon next door...not my idea of ambiance.
