Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
Categories: Spanish/Basque, Breakfast & Brunch, Tapas Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park2024 N Halsted Street
(between Armitage Ave & Dickens Ave)
Chicago, IL 60614 (773) 935-5000
- Nearest Transit:
Armitage (Purple Express, Brown)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri 5:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.
Sat 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Sun 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Valet
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
15 reviews
Neighborhood: Near West Side
"We've driven past Nia's several times. After attempting to go to Starfish, it was closed, we decided that since we found a nice parking…" read more »
301 Reviews for Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
More like 3.5
Look, I know it's a Lettuce restaurant, but I won't slight it for that. It is a GREAT local for a group dinner. About 6 of us went there for a bday dinner and everyone left stuffed and happy. Including the birthday girls' mom. While I think the "small plates" thing is kind of over, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba has been doing it for a while and does it right. Great sangria, and I think once the bill came we each owed about $25.00. Perfect.
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Though we've never been able to have a table here - we've always gotten great service at the bar. Perhaps GK need bday dinner here next Monday...
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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05/05/2007
Seriously, did I not write a review for this place?
I loved everything we had, the manchego was fresh… Read more »
3.5
Between the mixed reviews of unfriendly service and "Trixie/Chad" customers and the fact that it is kind of a chain restaurant (having another restaurant in Las Vegas) I expected to dislike it.
Saturday night at 6PM my friends and I (5 people) walked in with no reservation and wanted to sit on the patio. The hostess that helped us was friendly and took our information and predicted a 30-40 min wait. We actually only waited at the bar for about 20 min, tops, and while drinking a pitcher of sangria the time passed quickly. I am not a sangria fan but on this evening I did not seem to have a problem helping to finish the pitchers we got.
Once seated on the patio our server (Desere I think) greeted us right away and made some menu recommendations. We got another pitcher of sangria and set out to decide on items from the menu. We got a small lobster paella (which takes 30 min) and decided to order our first round of tapas. The easiest way we found to do this was to have each of us pick one plate and then all share it. The highlights from this round were the goat cheese stuffed mushrooms and escargots and the spicy potatoes. Although I enjoyed everything I found the hot tapas dishes on the greasy side. The big hits for the table for the second round were the hot goat cheese and the roasted tomatoes filled with tuna. The food came out very quickly.
After two pitchers of sangria, 11 small plates and small paella were all very full. Surprisingly the bill did not turn out to be as expensive as I expected for all of the food that we had. We paid about $30/per person. Overall it was a much better experience than I expected service was great and fast and the food, although kind of greasy, was tasty and good. I do not know if I will go back but it not for bad food or bad service , because I would rather explore other Chicago tapas restaurants.
My suggestions:
-As expected most items came with 2-4 pieces which is not always easy when you have a party of 5, so be prepared to split mushrooms or scallops in half with your dining companions.
-Order some tapas from both the hot and cold sides of the menu to balance out the greasiness of the hot items.
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My friend took us here before I moved to Chicago for a group dinner. The majority of the group semi-liked it, while I thought it was pretty good. It's a fun place to come with a group because you can keep ordering dishes to share. Among the favorites was the chicken paella, garlic potato salad, and the goat cheese baked in tomato sauce is a great dip. We also thought the empanadas were well done and their sangria (i dont ever remember sangria being this good) is fantastic, make sure to get a pitcher of them and everyone at the table will be happy and a little buzzed.
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I didn't think that Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba really had anything new to offer for tapas. Each dish we tried was just "okay", nothing was really memorable. However, the peach sangria was delicious and refreshing.
The outdoor patio was pretty charming and our waitress was very nice and helpful. Overall, it wasn't bad but also not amazing.
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I honestly thought that Trixie stuff was an exaggeration. I was dead wrong, but if I never set foot in Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba again, I'll be able to avoid the worst of it which means that everybody wins!
One of my dining companions made a fascinating observation about the waitstaff. Service here is really good, fast and friendly, but there's some subtle (and totally understandable) passive-aggressive behavior going on: The waiters like to direct sangria-sloshed stiletto-wearing drunkorexic loudmouths to the bathroom that's at the bottom of a rather steep flight of poorly-lit stairs, rather than the one that's right next to the table where the eight blondes with identical caramel lowlights are sitting. I watched half a dozen girls (one wearing a tiara and sequined "Bride-to-be!" sash) gingerly navigate the stairs and thrilled with pride when I was pointed to the convenient bathroom, which was totally empty. Maybe the downstairs bathroom has TVs in every stall showing Sex and the City reruns...
The food was Lettuce Entertain You-quality: inoffensive, surprisingly authentic-tasting in an obviously faux kind of way (Passionfruit sangria? Bitch, please.) and pretty freaking expensive. The people-watching is, obviously, transcendent, especially halfway into that second pitcher of sangria. But if I'm going to eat tapas in Chicago while surrounded by representatives of a much-maligned stereotype of young urban whiteys, I'm going to go to People in Wicker Park, where the much-maligned whiteys are MY PEOPLE and the sangria is stronger AND cheaper.
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There's already nearly 300 reviews for this place... can I really add anything new? Probably not. However, I have to say that the sangria here really is the best ever. I love the white, the red, the peach, the passion fruit, all of them. And they're not just tasty-- they're strong too! Watch out when you try to stand up!
Most of the tapas are really good too-- as others have mentioned, the bacon wrapped dates are not to be missed. The goat cheese is great and the potato omelet is so good that one of my friends orders one for when she's there and one to take home.
I tried to branch out a little bit last time I was there and tried the seafood calderos (kind of a stew). They say a small serves 2-3, but honestly I had leftovers for almost a week. It was tasty, but a little salty. Maybe that's why I drank so much sangria...
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i see nipples nipples everywhere
nipples nipples I should not stare!
luvs luvs luvs summer time and al fresco dining, summer dresses, sangria, goat cheese and bread and more sangria peach this time and order 3 more of those bacon thingys and HOLY pretty lady in the white dress coming yonder!
bamboleo! ;-)
so now you know.
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Since their are already numerous reviews of this fantastic establishment, i will keep it short. The food is great and their outdoor seating is above average. Bloody Mary bar is a nice way to kick off your Sunday afternoon. The menu is (for me) a tad overwhelming for a first time visitor..........as long as you are not picky let the waitstaff take care of that.........trust them!!!! I don't think this place puts out a single bad plate!!!! Very informative waitstaff and a flawless host/hostess/seating system. They even brought out a complimentary dessert for me and my girlfriend since it was out first visit. Can't wait to do it again!!!!! Botttom line have some fun while you dine.........try these small plates (tapas) and walk away saying you've done something new and fun.............reasonably priced as well.
I have been here many times and this place was the first tapas place I have ever been to. I fell in love with sitting outside when the awning is open eating small portions of food like the tomato and goat cheese thing, the spicy potatoes and the hanging shrimp. I would suggest you skip the paella, I did that once and it decided I would just stick with the small plates that require no planning.
Also, they don't take reservations to sit outside but if you go there you can usually get in after a short wait at the bar as long as you wink at the hostess when your girl isn't looking... it is worth the wait to eat al fresco I think.
You can take a date there, sit outside, get full while not feeling bloated, get drunk on Sangria, enjoy great service, sit on an uneven surface and play the wobbly chair game, and only spend 60 to 80 bucks. How could I give it less than 5 stars? It would be unconscionable.
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We came here at 3:30 on a sunny, Saturday and sat outside. This is a great time to go to a place like this because we got a table right away and it seemed that at about 4:30 it starts to fill up.
The peach sangria was perfectly refreshing with just a subtle peach flavor. It was perfect for a hot, sunny day. Even my husband liked it (and ordered a pitcher) and he doesn't even like sangria.
Food was very good. I had the white gazpacho special. Wow, that was really good and different.....it had almond paste, cucumber and peaches in it and was garnished with a little crab meat - so good!
The eggplant with goat cheese was awesome and so are the dates wrapped in bacon. I'm still thinking about the eggplant actually.
I really enjoyed everything we ordered and the atmosphere is really welcoming. Service was great, too.
We just had the flan for dessert...pretty tasty. Probably could have ordered more dessert....they were small, as they should be, I guess, since this is a tapas place.
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My favorite tapas spot in Chicago. The prices are lower than other tapas restaurants and the food is just as good if not better. One item I always get is the goat cheese and tomato sauce- awesome. Comes with garlic bread for dipping. Another favorite of mine are the croquettes. There is also some sort of cold potato dish that I get a lot and has great flavor. Definitely get the sangria to wash it all down! They've got several different kinds- I like the passionfruit. Cute decor too, lots of Spanish tiles all over the place and bright colors. My only complaints are that the tapas don't always fill me up and I don't like sitting in the tented patio area in the winter. In the summer with the tent down it is lovely!
This place was absolutely amazing!!! I was visiting Chicago recently and my friend said that we had to try this place out. We tried to make reservations on a Friday night and couldn't get anything earlier than 10 pm! Nonetheless we went there a little before 8 pm and decided to wait it out. We were finally seated nearly an hour later. They do have a large bar area to eat at and the waiters were very good and serving cocktails to you while you were waiting. I must say that their red wine sangria was so delicious!!! I had the chicken skewer with coriander yogurt sauce, spicy potatoes with tomato alioli and goat cheese baked in tomato sauce and loved all of them! Seriously this place was totally worth the wait and the next time I'm back in the windy city I'll totally be hitting this place up again!!!
This place is a staple of North side Spanish food. Every time I go here I always have something new and wonderful. The potatoes and all the seafood are especially good. My mouth is watering and my stomach is rumbling just thinking about Ba-Ba-Reeba. You have to check out he sangria. I love all the flavors but the peach is especially good. This place is perfect for a great dinner and lots of sangria before you try your salsa dancing out on the town.
Fun place - good sangria and good food with fun atmosphere AND outdoor seating! We had great service and plenty of options to choose from. The prices were reasonable as well.
I LOVE TAPAS!
I will never get tired of this place!! I usually get the same dishes too: the dates wrapped in bacon, goat cheese and marinara, roasted potatoes, olives, cheeses, garlic shrimp and of course sangria!
This is a great place to come with a big group of people, or come on a romantical date and sit at the bar. I love sitting outside on the patio and last time I was there I glanced over at the table next to us and Jenna Fischer (Pam from The Office) was sitting right there! That made this place just a lil bit cooler!
Even though it's a lettuce entertain you--- it doesn't feel corporate (definitely a plus!) Check this place out.
After a bad experience at another tapas restaurant, I decided to try out this place.
I'd heard the food and the atmosphere were great. I definitely have to agree. I've now been here about 6 or 7 times and the food is always so good! I love the bacon wrapped dates, the goat cheese and marinara sauce and the spicy potatoes. I've actually probably tried everything on the menu and it has all been delicious. Oh, and the sangria is fantastic! I prefer just the regular red sangria, but all the different kinds are really good. You must try the paella. You should order it in the beginning, because it takes a while to cook....and only order a few portions just to taste, because you will most likely be full by the time you eat all the various tapas.
I really like their flan. It's so creamy and yummy.
This restaurant is a part of LEYE, so it is a little more corporate, but it's still the only one out there of it's kind and I love it!
LOVE THIS PLACE!!! Met some out of town friends here for dinner on a Sunday night - make reservations, even on a Sunday this place filled up by about 7. I will definitely be back to add more favorites to this review but I really enjoyed the scallops, spicy potatoes and the asparagus. I didn't get a chance to try the sangria, but I know there are like 5 or 6 varieties. Our dinner was really cheap ($11 before tip) but that was mainly because we ordered vegetarian friendly dishes. Can't wait to get back here!!
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It is loud, which could be a drawback if you're not expecting it, but everything else is so great it doesn't matter. We had pitchers of both the red and the peach sangrias, both delicious. Our table of 5 ordered at least twelve different tapas and all were fantastic. Favorites included lamb with basil, empanadas, caesar salad with ham, stuffed mushrooms, goat cheese in tomato sauce, citrus cooked salmon...all were very good though.
The patio is lovely. We made our reservations online, showed up on time and were seated promptly. Dishes were brought out on time and really overall, the service was impressive.
I'm taking one star for the name, which is silly (I know, not a valid aspect for rating, but this is my opinion and I'm drinking wine, so I do what I wooooooont), and for the volume. But we'll be back, soon.
I dig the tapas bar experience and was pretty darn excited to try Ba-Ba-Reeba. (Not to mention, I really enjoy saying the name out loud!) When me and my main squeeze got there, dinnertime on a Tuesday, we were seated immediately on their super-cute patio area, which is adorable namely due to the hanging lanterns strung across it.
The waitress we had, good god, I wish I could remember her name, was really attentive. To the point where we wondered if she had mistaken us for some of those secret-shopper type of patrons and was showing off. She kept the wine recommendations coming, and was always willing to answer our questions when we'd see something we liked on someone else's table and go, "ooh, what's SHE got?"
We really only tried the tapas, so I can't talk about those cool looking hanging skewers or paellas or anything like that. Those things were really blasted expensive, so if you are looking for more of an entree than tapas, come on your fat paycheck day.
However, I was pleasantly stuffed to the gills after splitting a cheese plate (blue cheese, some kind of soft provellone-y type of cheese, and a hard parmesean; the blue cheese was off the hook and the plate came with some kind of super tasty fruit that the waitress said was an apple/pear hybrid-mmm), an order of bacon wrapped dates (slightly disappointing only because the ones at Buehl A Dias have goat cheese in them, which gives them a huge edge over Ba-Ba-Reeba's), garlic potato salad (awesome), lamb chops (BEYOND awesome! They're covered in rosemary and come with a garlic/olive oil/parsely spread to top them with and piquillo peppers...seriously, party in your mouth awesome!), and baked goat cheese. I couldn't even look at a dessert platter, I was so full.
And drunk. I wasn't kidding about the wine recommendations. I left feeling groovy and would definitely go back, if just for those incredible lamb chops.
The food and service probably deserve the 4 stars. So does the "programming": I mean, where else can you see Flamenco dancing for $10 and enjoy yummy tapas?
The bathrooms, however, deserve .5 stars. I mean, come on Ba-Ba-Reeba. You've been in this location for years, pull in loads of money, are usually packed and yet, the bathrooms are constantly falling apart? I investigated both of the ladies' rooms last night and was appalled. I've seen better johns in dive bars or at McDonald's.
OK, back to the review. But man, that seriously annoyed me. Ba-Ba-Reeba isn't the only establishment to neglect the bano, but it was probably the one that sent me over the edge!
This is a great and dependable place for tapas. I find the prices to be fair, the service accomodating and it's a great place for groups. There's something to be said for a place that instantly conjures up images of dates wrapped in bacon...last night I tried the scallops with cous cous for the first time and a pork tapas that had just the right amount of spice. While I have been to Spain and eaten patatas bravas more times than I can remember, it's the sauce here that I always return to.
So, I'll definitely be back. Just renovate the bathrooms, people! We're not in elementary school!
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Cool place. Went there for a double and ended up getting there a little early than our friends. The wait was about an hour so we went to the bar to have a few. Within 5 minutes of arriving and receiving our drinks a waiter came up to us and asked if we wanted a table. Who's going to turn that down. We got to skip the hour wait for some real good food.
Great portions and great service at a decent price. Our bar tab actually was double our food tab lol. damn passion fruit sangria
I would actually give Ba-Ba-Reeba two and a half stars... I would give it four stars for my visit last August (2007) and one star for my visit last Saturday (June 2008).
First, the good: The food has not disappointed on either visit. In fact, the bacon wrapped dates were so good and so memorable from last summer that it was the first dish we ordered this time around. Last summer we had about ten tapas for four people, and, while that wasn't enough food, everything we had was really tasty and worth ordering again. Last Saturday we had three tapas - bacon wrapped dates, seared scallops, and spinach salad - and we also ordered the "butcher's paella". All of the tapas were first rate. The paella - meh, not so good. The butcher's paella is supposed to have sausage, pork, chicken... our pan had nearly zero chicken and very little non-sausage pork. As a result, the liquid in the paella had become very greasy and was not very appetizing. I would definitely try a different paella dish or simply stick to the tapas.
Now, the bad: I have been to a ton of Lettuce Entertain You restaurants - anyone that lives in Chicago would be hard pressed to avoid them - and I am a huge fan. One of the things I love about LEY restaurants is that even when the food isn't great, the service (in my experience) is almost always first rate. I had one bad experience at Brasserie Jo, but everything else has been terrific. Not Ba-Ba-Reeba. At least not last Saturday. We arrived at the restaurant twenty five minutes early, so I expected them to send us to the bar. Instead, hostess number one asks us to "step around the corner". We step around the corner, wait five minutes, and then hostess number two - with considerable attitude tells us that we will need to wait at the bar because we are too early. Blah, don't need that attitude... but thanks. So, we get to the bar... I order two glasses of red sangria - $13. Seems steep, but ok. I give the guy $15. We then are called to our table by hostess number three (more attitude), and shown to a table on the patio. We sit down, open the menus, and look at the drink list - red sangria is $5.50 a glass. I wasn't overly impressed. Then, our server arrives. She doesn't appear to be interested in letting us experience the leisurely pace of dining that one would normally associate with an evening eating tapas, for when we place an order for two tapas she asks "Is that all?". Our first tapas come, and we place an order for a spinach salad and paella. By now our sangria glasses are empty. I certainly need another drink, but flagging her down proves to be a chore. When we finally get her attention we order a half pitcher of red sangria. Several minutes later (shortly before the salad tapas dish arrives) our "half" pitcher of sangria arrives. When we finish the meal the bill tells the story - she had brought a full pitcher. Being overcharged for drinks isn't a big deal - we are only talking $8 total - but the constant attitude from the waitstaff and the complete indifference to our experience in the restaurant was really frustrating. I am sure that we will go back to Ba-Ba-Reeba because we really do love the tapas and the sangria; hopefully the service will be back up to LEY 's high standards.
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The first time I came to Ba-Ba-Reeba was in 1999. It was the first time I had ever had tapas, and really, this kind of food in general. My friend did the ordering and I initially turned my nose up at the bacon-wrapped dates. She put one on my plate and said "really, just try it".
I have since promised myself never to pre-judge anything wrapped in bacon ever again. Hands down the best thing on the menu here.
Now, add sangria (I recommend the red or the Cava, which is the sparkling version of sangria with licor 43 and chambord) along with a truly stunning and excellently executed flamenco show and I just dont know how your night could be better.
Well, you could order the paella or a dessert, but I wouldnt want to be accused of crippling someone with too much sensory overload.
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By far not the best place in Chicago for tapas, but they have a more casual "fun" environment than most tapas spots - a lot of colorful, more Mexican inspired style - which was perfect for me because both of my dining companions were kids.
Dinner was wonderful, but mainly because of my company, not the food as much. We had lots - the cheese sampler, garlic shrimp, octopus with potatoes, bacon dates, croquettes, chicken turnovers and the Spanish sausage platter - I say it all in English, because the tapas here are crazy Americanized and lacking strong Spanish flavors I've come to expect from tapas. Many of these items were individually priced less than at some of my favorite tapas spots, so that part was nice. Everything was okay, not bad, but only just fine. The croquettas though were really soggy for something that is usually fried crispy and I couldn't get anybody to eat them. The octopus was not very well marinated and I'm a little afraid it's tentacles grabbed my innards a bit, because it took some effort to get that down. I did like the presentation of the bacon dates on toothpicks. I was disappointed with the white sangria, which didn't seem like sangria at all, but like a glass of slightly sweetened white wine with tiny diced pieces of fruit only on the top and the glass was almost completely filled with ice.
The chicken tenders from the kids meal was one of the best things I had here - a whole chicken breast fried crunchy and super flavorful and then cut into strips served with mashed potatoes - I might get that myself if I come back here.
We had dinner very early (like about 5:30 or so) so there was no wait or crowd and we were seated quickly - the hostess was very nice. The service was decent and the food came out very quickly, but they kept trying to place really hot plates directly in front of a bebe in a high chair, which seemed a bit amateurish. The bathrooms were gross and kind of a huge surprise and disappointment given how nice the rest of the restaurant looks.
I'd go back again, probably with a group, if I was just in the area or if I was in the mood for tapas but couldn't afford my first choice.
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It's good, i'm not gonna lie. But it is very americanized!
I'll have to admit that the Sangria is very good.
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This is my favorite place for tapas, even despite the fact they switched their menus from Spanish to English (rather lame if you ask me). The food is great and the sangria is the best I've had outside of Spain. I've been going here since 1993 yo. You think I'd still be going if it sucked?
Delicious! The first time I had ever had tapas, but I went with my tapas-experienced husband. I had been having a bad week and this place cheered me up. I ordered the special wild mushroom soup with aspargus-manchigo cheese toast / potato + onion omelette (with a delicious sauce) / olive platter and my husband ordered the "citrus cured salmon cucumber bread" and "beef skewer with horseradish cream and caramalized red onions".
I should add that I thought my husband was going to break into a full-on swoon when he tasted the beef dish. He said it was exceptionally well-prepared, and he's very picky. He also said he could have eaten an entire bowl of the onions.
We both liked the olives, but I adored the wild mushroom soup with toast. Amazingly creamy... plenty of options on this menu for vegetarians and carnivores alike!
We ordered a really good Spanish red wine, a Tempranillo from Rioja, if you're a wine geek (I'm not, but the restaurant's menu is online so I was able to cheat.)
Our server was very kind and brought us a complementary dark chocolate desert with real whipped cream, in honor of it being our first time at the restaurant.
The tables can be a bit tightly placed for some, I gather. A girl pitched a fit when the host brought her over to the table next to us because she'd be too close to us. We had to laugh as she decided nothing in the restaurant was far enough from anyone else and stormed out. Dinner and entertainment, perfect!
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Decent food and sangria, BAD service. Although the food was pretty greasy and the "spicy potatoes with tomato alioli" was just a fancy description for french fries.
We had a reservation for 9 PM on a Friday night. It was crowded but clearly there is not going to be a wait for tables once we're done, so why rush us?
Our waiter stopped by our table at least 15 times throughout our meal, probably every 5 minutes. I don't think that's good service, I think that's excessive and annoying. He would just stand there when we were in the middle of conversation until we had no choice but to acknowledge his presence. I understand that alot of restaurants in Chicago try to rush their customers on busy weekend nights, but it was already past 9 PM by the time we sat down. Even if we rushed through our meal in an hour, how many tables could you possibly need at 10 or 11? Plus, the whole point of eating out for me is to hang out with friends, not scarf down my food. And if the obnoxious waiter is one of our main topics of conversation, that is NOT a good thing. He kept refilling our sangria glasses from the pitcher, which again, some might think is good service, but after the 10th time, is just annoying because we want to control our own drinking and share equally. He was probably just trying to get us to drink more or finish and leave.
I was also not impressed by the "outdoor" seating, which was an overly crowded extension to the reataurant surrounded by 3 walls and a ceiling. An obvious way to just seat as many people as possible. It was HOT out there because there was no breeze, I would have rather sat inside even though it was HOT by the kitchen too.
Oy vey! NOT BA BA REEBA! NOOooOOoOoO!
This is my post cell phone reaction when one of my best girlfriends (who loves this place and I'm sure would give five stars) calls me to tell me we're going here.
Ba Ba Reeba always results in a decent experience, but it is always because of friends. Never otherwise. I think I just hate Tapas places on principle: an appetizer for HOW much? Sharing? GTFO my Patatas Bravas!
It's the atmosphere that kills it more than anything for me. Always full, always loud, always a big bill at the end, and always nets a "couldn't we have just gone to Clarke's?" response from me at the end.
I guess I'm just not hip to dropping twenties on appetizer equivalents and sangria to be in an overcrowded, loud place because Ba Ba Reeba is "the place" near Armitage.
So I always dread going. I always leave with my friends and ready to hit somplace else afterward, satisfied that my credit card didn't melt afterward. But I would never go here as a date place or with family. Just friends and always in a group of 4 at minimum.
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This place looks okay from the outside, but the inside is much nicer. This is my favorite tapas place so far and it really is pretty reasonable. My favorites are the bacon wrapped dates, meatballs, cheese with crusty bread....and hell...pretty much everything on the menu. Great ambiance, good service good drinks and nice patio area. If you're going to do tapas, do Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba.
I absolutely love this place...hard to walk in to get a table, so you need a reservation. But the wait is worth it when you can order pitchers of sangria at the bar! My favorite sangria is the red...the fruity flavors tend to get really sweet - what's the point if you can't taste the wine?
Tapas are phenomenal...patatas bravas are my fave, I also love the tortilla espanola and anything with seafood. Lots of garlic in the dishes! The paella is also exceptional - I usually go for the mixta or the regular valenciana...can't go wrong with either. Perfectly moist, flavorful, and always a perfect soccarat at the bottom (browned rice at the bottom!).
I took a paella cooking class here also...it wasn't hands on but you get a delicious lunch and wine tastings with it, it was so fun! I also went to a Flamenco show/dinner...not worth the money. The music was awesome, but it was hard to the see the dancing with the table setup.
This place is great! My friend took me here for my 21st birthday, where I had my first strawberry mojito-- delicious. The service was good, the food was good, and I'm a big fan of tapas, so I would know good tapas when I taste it. I especially loved the goat cheese with marinara sauce and olive oiled bread (which is a must-have at all tapas bars), the beef steak with blue cheese, and lamb with couscous. I don't suggest getting the croquettas though (ONE WORD: eww). This place can get pretty crowded though, but it wasn't bad when I went there. The bill turned out to be pretty heavy, and I honestly didn't feel like I ate all that much, but that's okay... I had a fabulous time.
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Decent, crowded, and well run. A typical Lettuce Entertain You take on the Tapas restuarant. Kind of on the pricey side, but food is good and on the bigger side, they suggest maybe 2-3 plates per person, but 2 was good from me, and I am known to be a prodigeous eater. Everything I had was good, calamari, empanada, skirt steak, spicy potatoes, ham plate. This location is in the middle of Lincoln Park, and has the crowd you'd expect. The place is quite large, and service is nice and quick. Parking is nightmarish on busy weekend nights. Good place for groups.
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Very good tapas here!! My only complaint is that the spicy potatos (my favorite tapas item) are only okay here. The sangria is great - they have a ton of different flavors. The mango sangria is really good. Usually there's a pretty long wait and it can get packed, but there is a lot of bar space, and I've always been able to squeeze into a spot to have a glass of sangria while waiting. The wait isn't quite as bad in the summer when they open up the huge outdoor seating area. Definitely a place to try if you like tapas! Also it has a great Lincoln Park location - close to a lot of shops and bars.
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Their sangria is the best best best. Not too sugary, and just the perfect amount of fruit. It's a little more expensive than Emilio's, but the food is way better.
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While in Chicago I went to this place because Tom Colliche-whateverhisnameis from Top Chef gave it a shout out in his blog on the Bravo website.
I tried the marinated olives, spicy potatoes, endive salad w/walnuts & gorgonzola, grilled calamari, seared salmon and dates wrapped in bacon. The plates here were much bigger than what I am used to at tapas places in the Philly area (which is why I ordered 6-- had I known how large they are here, I probably would have ordered 3 or 4.) I also had 3 glasses of sangria, 2 red and 1 white.
Everything was very good but I wasn't crazy about how much oil was in everything. I know oil is part of the cuisine but it seemed overboard. So I knocked off one star. Other than that, the food itself was just as good as everyone says it is, and the sangria is bangin. I'll be crash dieting for the next four days before the weekend.
Cafe Ba-ba-reeba always has such high energy, and the ambience is great, so I was looking forward to my upcoming dinner here. We made a reservation for 10 people on a Saturday night, and believe it or not they sat us immediately upon arrival - a small miracle considering how busy it was (although do make sure all members of your party are there or you're out of luck!).
The food was great, I always love the baked goat cheese, and the bacon wrapped dates are yummy! Also really enjoyed the braised short ribs, and lots of others looked fabulous. Plus, who doesn't love tiny desserts? It's almost impossible to overindulge!! But although tapas do make for a great time, it's almost better when there are only 3 or 4 in your group and everyone can share. We ended up ordering 2 or 3 dishes per couple, so we didn't really get to diversify since each dish only feeds about 2 to 3. But oh, the sangria! My favorite part of the meal. Passionfruit? Yep. Classic Red? Pour me another. Peach? Refill at table 54, por favor. You just can't wrong with pitchers of these!
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I went with my friend and cousin to one of her favorite tapas restaurants in Chicago. I can see why this is her favorite; everything we tried was excellent, the service was fabulous, and the sangria made our evening. I absolutely love the decor. It can be crowded but it is a great restaurant in a great neighborhood. Love it, love it, love it and I can't wait to go back!