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Category: Tapas Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Near Southside
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My wife and I walked over there today for brunch and enjoyed it. I have no idea what the various dishes are called but they were fresh and tasty. Service was excellent and place is bright and clean.
I really liked the bacon wrapped dates but like the Triple D guy says, you could wrap bacon around a shoe and I'd dig it.
I want to slap silly the next person who says "meh".
I mean, it's good ...but this might be one case where the suburbs get the win.
Tapas Valencia is the sister restaurant of Meson Sabika in Naperville. Valencia is pretty new, they've got great service, good food, and decent sized bar but they just don't work it like their sister. I think the ambience is missing something. The 2 times I ate here, it was cold both outside and in... I mean that in terms of temperature and decor. It just needs to be warmer. How? I don't know, I'm not a decorator, but just something a little spicier would be nice.
For the most part, the food is the same as Meson Sabika but in your mouth, it's just not as good. I think there's just WAY too much oil on everything and though it tastes good at first bite, you pay for it later when it weighs you down. All I want to do after I eat it is go home and sleep. It's like food roofies.
oh bad, very bad boy! I have been back since and things have definitely declined. I am so sorry to say, but we may just have to break up.
Came in the other night and was able to be seated right away, guess that should have been a sign. They didn't seem too busy so I am still pondering why it was a good 15 minutes before our waiter came to say hello and see how thirsty I was. Hmm, when he did come over, you could tell he was a touch overwhelmed, ok I will cut him some slack.
He took our drink order and we also sent in the first round of tapas as we were starving. I had to ask about 10 minutes later where our drinks were, oh no, bad bad boy.
So, the tapas...we ordered that toast points with crab meat (definitely smaller portions then I remembered but still tasty), beef tenderloin, blue cheese, dates and portabella mushrooms (favorite of the night), stuffed mushroom caps and the brochette of chicken tenderloin with prune butter...this looked so sad when it finally made its way out, one lone chicken on a stick...the funny part is the mushrooms took the longest to finally arrive to our table. At this point we had been there about 60 minutes but we were still hungry. The table next to us looked just as annoyed as we were but alas, we ordered more. We added on the casserole of clams, shrimp and scallops. It was horrible. The shrimp was good size but the clams and scallops were the size of my pinky nail. Last but not least we had the grilled chorizo and morcilla sausage which was good. Interesting enough, the food runners kept bringing the wrong food to our table and the same thing happened to the table next to us. It seemed like chaos here. When the waiter came back, he had deer in headlights look about this wrongly delivered food orders.
So the food was ok, but a big difference from my last visit, whatever they changed, they need to undo. In this case change was not a good thing.
This place has been on my list for sometime and when it came time for dinner and catch up with a… Read more »
$24.95 for unlimited buffet of yummy tapas. Sunday brunch.
With a complimentary glass of Cava, Mimosa-style if you wish.
I say - watch out French toasts, omelets and waffles - the game is ON.
It is SO on.....
The break-down:
- a smallish menu where you can actually order omelets if you WANT. But really you would be silly to do so....not to say totally idiotic.
- a crappy American station where you can fix your burgers if you WANT. See above comment X 10.
- a carving station
- tons of tapas, piping hot but not over-cooked, dried up and rubbery. Think high quality and name your faves:
paella? check
bacon wrapped dates? oh yeah....
mussels, seafood cocktail, smoked salmon, squid? you bet
grilled veggies, fresh fruits for the heath freaks? of course
PLUS stuffed mushrooms, beef tenderloin wraps, grilled eggplant stuffed with goat cheese, Spanish tortilla, grilled shrimps, pastas, patatas bravas (or not), soups AND a Bloody Mary bar with blue cheese olives.
Just to name a few.
I mean - the entire menu is there, waiting for you. Save room for dessert if you can.
I couldn't.
On the practical side:
parking on State is VERBOTEN on Bears game days but the side streets should make the trick.
The place is huge and empty. Great for groups.
You are welcome, Yelper friends.
I am pretty weak lately.
I am not sure if it's the powerful influence of the coming Spring, if it's…
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This tapas place is just okay. We weren't disappointed, but weren't impressed either. Their menu selection and prices are decent. But overall the food is not very memorable. Everything is is good, but doesn't have the wow factor of other tapas places I've been. Like Vivian Y. said, it's just "meh." A lot of the dishes, the beef tenderloin, the salmon and goat cheese, taste like something I could make at home. The one exception was the delicious bacon wrapped dates. The bacon wrapped dates were by far the best.
The service was decent, great bus boy staff...always attentive with water and clearing plates. But the hostess was just a little weird and we didn't get bread until after our 4th tapa order had arrived. And when we ordered the cava sangria, they just brought us plain cava. Which was fine, we drank it anyway. Also, the atmosphere feels very casual, and the acoustics aren't great. It was a little hard to talk to my husband on the other side of the booth. I was glad I tried the restaurant and we went home stuffed, but it won't be first on my list to go back to.
Everything was just "meh". The duck was overly sweet. The beef was overcooked. the egg-y tortilla thing was palatable. bacon wrapped dates were overly mushy with dates and too sweet. I expected alot better food.
Service - not great. I showed up late. The server didn't offer me any utensiles or napkin. I had to steal it from the empty table next to us. Water wasn't offered to anyone - we had to ask. Ordered a glass of wine that took 20 mins to receive.
I'd much rather go to Emilios. My favorite tapas place in Chicago.
Highlight of the meal - grilled squid and the plate of olives! really good! Dessert was good.
I haven't quite made up my mind about this place yet. I think I like it, but I was preoccupied the entire meal, and we were in a rush to meet up with a friend so I'm still unsure if I like this place or not.
Despite feeling restless and uneasy the entire meal, I still found the food very tasty.
I kicked off the night with a sangria (red, of course) while my friend tried one of their many sherries. I've actually never been to a restaurant that showcased sherries before, and was just too intimidated by their extensive selection to try any (other than a taste of what my friend ordered).
We were both in the mood for warm tapas, so we started out with their duck confit and I think it was the goat cheese crepe. Both these dishes were really tasty. The duck was sweeter than I expected, but the meat just fell off the bone and basically melted in your mouth. The crepe was topped with this super yummy sauce. We actually wouldn't let the waiter clear the plate after we'd finished with the crepe because we wanted to keep the sauce for dipping other things in =P
If nothing else, try the bacon wrapped roasted dates! They are out of this world! Cliche as the saying is, bacon really does make everything taste better! These babies are awesome!
We were there on a Thursday or Friday night I believe, and it was quite busy, so I would suggest making a reservation (though we had no trouble with availability). They have outdoor seating for when it's nice out, and valet parking for if you're having trouble finding a spot around the area.
Interesting decor. Very modern art/Piet Mondrian feel what with the abundant use of primary colors and simple shapes. I spent much of the meal zoning out and staring at the mosaic on the wall next to me (much to the chagrin of my dinner date, haha). At the same time, I agree with the poster who likened eating at Valencia with eating in a high school cafeteria. The layout is such that you just feel super exposed...
To be fair, other friends of mine liked this place my visit may just be bad. We went for dinner on a week day.
Me and my wife really werent impressed. There was a blue cheese steak that I could have done without, the sardine bruschetta was bland. in total we had maybe 6 tapas I guess I could say that there really wasnt any highlight to the evening, although a 75$ bill for disappoointing tapas (no Drinks) probably made some one happy.
The wait staff was nice, so that is a plus.
The food is just bland and lifeless, we will try it again because we want it to be good since we just moved into the building.
I came here with old friends I hadn't seen in years. I was in for a conference, and we went on a Monday night. There were lots of conference attendees---they were still wearing their name badges---and it was clear the restaurant was unprepared for the extra weekday traffic. The staff seemed a bit wired. The service was a tad slow, but since I was with old friends, it was just noticeable.
I started with a mango sangria, which was good, on the sweeter side, but good nonetheless. I ordered the mariscos paella, which the waiter informed me would take almost an hour because of the crowd, but came out in about half that time. The paella has generous portions: enough to feed two very hungry people if they order nothing else, or four people if you supplement with another tapas or two. The paella was otherwise disappointing. There was no crispy top layer to the rice, and it was too moist throughout. The seafood was placed on the top, and none of it was infused with the saffron flavor.
I also ordered a greens salad served with nuts (pecans IIRC), mozzarella, tomatoes, and a warm oil dressing. The greens were nutty and delicious, maybe a bit overdressed, but still good.
My friends ordered a bunch of tapas, most of which I don't remember. There was a stuffed red pepper with a cheese filling which was tasty but a little limp, and there was a chicken kebab which was dry and lacking flavor. We capped the evening with a crema de chocolate which was a soft custard with a hard caramelized topping and chocolate underneath---definitely the highlight of the meal.
The best part of this restaurant was its low price. We ordered a lot of food for three people and the final bill with 20% tip came out to $120. At that price, I'd be willing to go back and try an entirely different arrangement of tapas.
Happy to see a tapas restaurant in the Near South and decided to give it a try tonight. Went for the $2 tapas menu and ordered a bunch of different dishes. Everything I ordered was excellent, with my favorites being the Bacon-Wrapped Dates (of course) and the Spanish Omelette with Salmon.
The tapas menu is quite different from what is currently shown on their website, with many of the items we ordered appearing to be new additions.
I'm reserving 5 stars for places like Café Ba Ba Reeba but if I could give 4 1/2 stars here I would. I'm not sure how the portion sizes change for the regular dinner menu but for $2 a dish you can't beat it.
Another review that gets just a step above average. The Sangria was just so so. Better Sangria can be had right down the street at Cuatro. I start there because you expect good Sangria at a Tapas joint. The food was good, not great for the money charged.
The service was good with an efficient waiter and on the spot bus men refilling our water & clearing. The restaurant is very roomy with a decor that resembles the cuisine.
I wanted to like this more since it is so close to my home in South Loop which could always use more good restaurants. I will give it another shot and hopefully be able to update my review with another star and good praise.
I've driven past this place a few times and have always been curious. I finally got to try it out this past Saturday - as well as introduce the husband to a whole new cuisine.
The hostess and waitress were both extremely nice and attentive - I think they realize they're a new restaurant, and really need to cater to the customers. Our waitress was knowledgeable about the menu, had some great recommendations, and struck that perfect balance between hovering and being MIA.
The food was delicious, especially the stuffed tomatoes and the pear tart - very bold, smooth flavors. We didn't have the sangria (I know, I know), but tried the wine flights instead. My only (minor) annoyance was that some of the tapas seemed pretty steeply priced. I was hoping for a nicer but not super expensive night out, and the prices were a bit higher than I had expected.
All in all, a solid up-and-coming restaurant in my neighborhood.
I really enjoyed this place. The service was great, very attentive but not overbearing. The sangria was good, not the best I've ever had but on point none-the-less. And most of the food was on par with other tapas places that I enjoy (Ba Ba Reba, Iberico, Cafe De Cuchilleros). A few of the standout dishes:
* shrimp in garlic butter - cooked perfectly, so good we ordered two!
* stuffed mushrooms - yum, left me wanting more
* garlic potato salad - a tapas staple, but done well and perfectly garlicy (aka, bring a breath mint for afterward!)
* marinated artichokes - different then I expected but the sauce with it gave it a little something extra so it was delish
* some lobster dish - I did not eat this but my dining companions said it was the best dish of the night, wish I could remember the name
A couple of the so-so dishes were the patatas bravas which were a little dry & the baked goat cheese which was a little bland.
I liked the look & feel of the place as well. Done up in very bright colors inside, it had a lively feel about it. Although when we went on a Friday night at 9 oclock in the midst of summer, the place was only about 1/2 full, which I attribute to the location more then anything about the restaurant itself.
Solid tapas but nothing to differentiate it from the ubiquitous herd of tapas restaurants in Chicago. Quality of food maybe slightly better than other places but prices also slightly higher. Sangria was weak though. Hostess who helped us a couple of times in the spring and summer was extremely nice and thoughtful
What a mess. This supposed upscale traditional tapas dining spot in Chicago's South Loop is no more than a poorly executed taqueria. Entering this space, you will no doubt find a bewildered hostess speaking at a volume just below that of the echoing roar produced by the acoustics of a parking garage turned restaurant.
The seemingly endless menu offers over 60 tapas. Sounds impressive, however, closer inspection reveals they are just different combinations of notably inexpensive ingredients fortified with what I assume is the chef's secret ingredient: SALT. Moreover, the tapas are often swimming in one of the many "sauces" on the menu. After the 3rd or 4th selection, one realizes these "sauces" are merely clumsily executed pools of butter.
Service here is ghastly. My uninformed server couldn't answer the most elementary of questions regarding the exclusively Spanish wine list. I was dumbfounded by the spectacle of the frantic staff trying to refresh my silverware between tapas plates. Often times, my fork was snatched from me only to leave me seated at the table with my new dishes and no silverware. Weird.
The wine list is impressive. It represents a great spectrum of price point and the breadth of Spanish wines. Unfortunately, my server did not.
I left the place simply confused, irritable, and wanton of anything but tapas for a long time.
P.S. What's up with the auto mechanic style primer floors?
I thought this place couldn't possibly live up to the hype of all the great reviews here but I am so glad to report that I'm wrong -- Tapas Valencia was all that and then some!
I took a group of friends here on Friday and as soon as I dug into the gambas al ajillo (garlic sauteed shrimp) and the datilos (bacon wrapped dates) I knew it had broken the curse of 1530 S. State! We all know by now that this location has failed for at least two restaurants for no good reason, really. But I think we have a winner here, that will hopefully last awhile.
From the traditional tapas to the innovative dishes, everything was great. Loved the sangria too. I don't usually have dessert at tapas joints but because we were welcoming a friend back to Chicago, I ordered a dessert tray. It was outstanding (especially the cheesecake and the flan!)
I also thought the pricing was very reasonable. For a party of six who ate heartily, the bill came to about $20 per person. The service was also great -- never an empty water or sangria glass the entire night until we said "no mas!"
I'm very happy to welcome Tapas Valencia to the neighborhood and am glad it appears to be here to stay. Salud!
I went here with two girlfriends and was pleasantly surprised- probably would not go back again because there better choices in the South Loop, but had no bad memories either.
Food was decent, actually pretty good, especially the seafood casserole, grilled calamari and stuffed mushrooms. Wine was great and only 33$ for the bottle.
Ambiance could have been great but the floors....they were like linolium or something! I felt like I was at Yolk!! If they would invest in hardwood floors it would raise the place another notch and another star in my opinion- I just couldn't get the feeling of being in my high school cafeteria out of my head! Walls were beautiful though.
Evette, our server, was wonderful. Excellent service, I honestly give their service and her 5 stars.
After all the advertisements in the South Loop - finally decided to try this place out. They have outdoor seating and a warehouse type feel inside. The hostess was extremely nice and it wasn't crowded and waiter service was attentive.
Food was "A-OK" 3 stars... Vegetarian selection was on par. Cheesecake I would probably take a pass on... the almond pound cake infused with pear I felt was slightly better than store bought pound cake but not the quality/consistency of a homemade pound cake - mixed feelings about it.
I'm going to go with 3 stars. I went with my guy and we sat there for a few hours. We were never rushed or anything. We originally just wanted to go in for a drink and ended up staying a lot longer.
We went on a Saturday and it was not super busy.
He started off with a passion martini and I had a glass of white wine sangria. We ended up ordering a pitcher of red wine sangria and some food. He also ordered 2 other drinks with vodka.They started us off with some olives and bread. My guy ordered an appetizer, but I don't remember what it was called, but it wasn't all that. He ordered lamb and I ordered the grilled squid with garlic lemon olive oil. I thought it was good.
Our waitress was cool and very friendly. I give it 3 stars since I loved the ambiance, a very nice place to just chill and relax and the friendly waitress. We did think it was a bit pricey and the drinks and food was not that great.
Nice, modern, clean decor with a very nice menu selection, great food and wonderful service.
NOTE: Originally posted at http://www.food4talk.com on July 26, 2009.
I have been to Tapas Valencia several times. I think it is a great find. I love the food, the wine, the service, and the price of valet parking ($5). Now I have another reason to like this place: $2.00 appetizers between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. I think it is Friday only
I don't hate this place. In fact, I tried to really like this place.
I love trendy restaurants. ANd this place is FULL of trend. Bright orange decor, yellow chairs that spin, tables perch high above the floor. This place is like an upscale Joy Yee.
The wait- 45 minutes- was not worth it. I don't see any anyone would wait to come here first of all. Second of all, there were empty tables everywhere. My friend actually just ended up walking up to a table and proclaimed "we're going to sit here" and they resigned. I hate places that make you wait just to make you wait.
The food was meh. It was expensive and nothing compared to the other tapas places around the city (Ole, People, Ba Ba reeba). None of it was bad-per say but there was nothing here that was to die for. The goat cheese bread platter was nothing more than pizza sauce with a sliver of cheese. The Duck Confit was a little too...ducky. Bacon wrapped dates were good but we've had better at Avec. Definitely not worth our $200 bill at the end of the night. We left wondering if maybe we can just make a lot of this ourselves.
The food is a good at this brunch, enough of a variety to satisfy the most basic foodophile to those willing to push the boundaries.
Can I suggest something...how about variable brunch pricing? I get basic economics, I'm no Keynes or Friedman. I get that my two plate maximum subsidizes the table of spandex clad grazers next to me, but $24.95, really?
I would have given this place a 4 star rating if it weren't for the spotty service. Had a prior visit not been punctuated by a an absent waiter this one finished with one who like his predecessor disappeared when it came time to grab the check. I don't know about you but when I ask for the check....bring me the check, don't go explaining the tapas menu to a table to of 6 and then offer to take them on a tour. Arggghhh
This location has seen several restaurants meet their demise, with this newest establishment the basics are here, but a great menu goes for naught when it's wrapped in poor service.
We came on a gorgeous Friday afternoon and arrived to a nearly empty dining room (no patio seating). The space is open and colorful. I imagine it would light up nicely at night though its hard to picture it during the bright of day.
We sat down to two perfectly spicy bloody marys. The hair of the dog really hit the spot! The menu of tapas seemed satisfyingly extensive with equal parts hot and cold. I found it easy to pick my favorites (bacon-wrapped dates) and even found some new ones too.
They start you off with a small bowl of olives. Dang, those were good. And I don't even really like olives! Funny enough, besides the bacon dates (of course), my favorite tapas arrived first. A fresh Fruta salad. Bibb lettuce topped with strawberries, jimaca, and avocado. Next it was topped with a balanced raspberry vinaigrette. Fresh and flavorful, I may make it at home for myself!
Unfortunately most of the other items fell flat. Most of them I don't even remember. My first bite of the puffed pastry I remember only because it was so icky with little to no flavor. My advise? Make sure to pair each bite with the creamy sauce off to the side and it becomes a whole different experience.
The biggest disappointment was the lack of description and passion for the food. Each time we got a new dish, we said "Oh. I didn't know it would have .... on it (in it)." The menu was disappointingly vague. When we asked for the waiter to elaborate, he really could not answer any of our questions or tell us what exactly we had on our plates.
Everyone we encountered seemed to lack any type of passion for the food or the restaurant. This is surprising and sad since they are the new kid on the block. I do wish them the best though.
To celebrate a friend's placing in the 98th percentile on the DAT, we hit up Tapas Valencia the other night. A mix of Cafe Babareeba and Cafe Iberico, I was really pleased to find that the best of both had been incorporated at this new South Loop spot.
The highlights of the meal? First, a pitcher of red sangria to split between the two of us - at about two glasses per person, this was a perfectly proportioned and prepared solution to our imbibing situation.
Second, we ordered two of the classics: Queso De Cabra and Patatas Bravas, both of which far exceeded expectations. Baked goat cheese is hard to mess up, but the potatoes had a subtly delicious kick to them and the perfect amount of manchego sprinkled on top. Um, I'd definitely hit that again.
Third, we also had a duck confit with mushrooms and apples, lobster bisque and a zarzuela, or stew of clams, shrimp and scallops. The duck was so incredibly tender and succulent it pretty much fell off the bone as soon as I touched my knife to it. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. The soup was relatively mediocre for lobster bisque (they salt with a heavy hand), but lobster bisque is always delicious. And the zarzuela was amazing; the sauce was so orgasmic, I wanted to sop up the excess with a piece of bread.
After all of that, you'd think we wouldn't have had room for dessert, but we ordered a Bizcocho Borracho (Spanish-style tiramisu) for kicks. Next time I'm trying the cheesecake...
In all fairness, the portions are smaller than Cafe Iberico's, and they charge per person in paella, so if you're going for sheer quantity in tapas, head two miles north. But if you're looking for clean bathrooms, sultry lighting, funky decor, and fantastically authentic seasonings in your tapas, Tapas Valencia is one to add to your little black book of go-to restaurants.
I don't usually come to this area often but when I do and I am in the mood for tapas i come here. The presentation of the food is real nice the food is great and it makes for a great evening with good company. I just left here and I can not say enough good things.
I went this place twice and I can smell seafood twice too...
First time, we order crab cake and other else.
Crab cake is really stink... I can't eat it.
Second time, we sitting at bar so just order mussels.
But mussels is stink too.
I don't think they use flesh seafood at all.
Drink and service is fine but I can't eat anymore stink seafood.
I recommend nice place "People Lounge" at Bucktown if you like Tapas.
Okay, so let's see how long this place lasts in this cursed location. I think there's been two or three establishments before it was revamped as Tapas Valencia. Actually, this is the first time I actually ventured over --and it's in my hood!
So a friend of mine-- ironically named Valencia, stopped in for eats on a Saturday afternoon. Service was prompt (partially due to the fact that they'd just opened for dinner). Our server was friendly and attentive--and smelled good too. Never mind that! On with the eats...we were ravenous!
We had about five of the hot tapas, my favorites being the lamb medallions with the grilled onions and the stuffed mushroom caps. My tummy was pleased. There were many "mmms" of satisfaction with simultaneous eye rolling.
I don't know if they ever pipe any music in, but maybe some Gypsy Kings or other Spanish music fusion would create more of a Spanish ambiance. Wasn't real impressed with the decor. Yes, the mosaic tiles on the walls were okay, but something is missing to give the place a warm, relaxed feel. Maybe it's the cement floors that made the place feel kinda cold and hollow.
In any case, I'd definitely go back for the food. There are few eateries in the South Loop that impress my pallette, but this one is just what we needed. I hope it sticks.
I found this place on Yelp, was in Chicago for a conference. After it wound down my Mom came into town to visit. She had never had tapas before so I thought this could be a good experience for her.
We went on a Thursday so it wasn't too crowded. I have to say, this was some of the best tapas I have ever had. The service was attentive but not intrusive, and the food....wow! We had the jamron, the cheese plate, and the artichokes to start with a nice order of grilled calamari to finish off. Neither of us were that hungry, which was sad since the food was so good I wanted to eat more and more despite being quite satisfied.
I wish I lived in Chicago so I could come back here soon. Alas, I'll have to find a tapas place I like back home in San Francisco...I think I'll start looking harder, having had a taste of really good tapas right here close to my home town.
I live in the building, so we've wandered down a few times for happy hour. The bartenders are not as attentive as I would like, but the drinks are strong and fresh. The sangria includes brandy, so it'll knock you right down.
We tried 8 tapas, a mix of cold and hot. All are solid, and some are really delicious. They have a $2 per tapas tasting size during happy hour, so it's more than worth it to stop in and try the place out! (4-6pm--I think every week night).
I thought the smoked salmon was really good, as well as the goat cheese. The tuna was not our favorite.
I agree with another reviewer that says the decor is only so-so.
I love weddings. While there is plenty to not like about these supposed once-in-a-lifetime affairs, when the people, food, tunes and booze are done right, it's a party where I get to look fancy and toast to love. Dig.
I was introduced to Meson Sabika, Tapas V's big sister in Naperville, at my bestest friend's wedding last summer. My girl, like me, made food the top priority at her soiree and we were blown away by the goodness that exited the columned elegance of Sabeeks.
And so it was with pleasure that I corralled some of my favorites for tapas, vino and paella at this new restaurant in the South Loop. Lord have mercy, was it good. And the service was great too. I spoke with the manager, Jane, and was effusive with praise, her smile getting bigger and bigger just as the crowds began to swell to a tidal wave. We were a party of seven and waited to make reservations until mid-day Saturday. We like early dinners so not a problem, but call in advance! When we left, it was like a nightclub in the entry way. Lots of black and lots of pretty.
But the food, oh the food. . . we went medieval on that menu. Just tamed it. Cracked a whip on it's little plates. We had cured salmon with dill sour cream, a beautiful plate that was sprinkled with salty capers and fluffy bits of egg. The crostini's crisp and the cool cream were in perfect harmony.
Moving on to my personal favorite, datiles con tocino (dates wrapped in bacon, bitches), the sweetness of the date burst in your mouth, a bit of uncomfortable warmth and then the meaty, salty little body just relaxing on your tongue. We ordered two (or was it three?) of these gems.
There was also grilled squid with lemon olive oil, grilled chorizo and morilla sausage, baked goat cheese with garlic bread, crabmeat fritters with creamed leeks, stuffed squid with ink sauce, garlic potato salad and beef tenderloin wraps with bleu cheese.
We ended the meal with paella de mariscos, and while the seafood was ample and the presentation incorporated every single sunrise color, it lacked punch. More spice, please! Make us stand at attention for your heat, Mr. Paella sir! Hence the four stars, though I would really make it four and a half.
I am absolutely tickled that I have this wonderful, bright, effervescent eatery in my 'hood. Thank you for coming to the South Loop. We'll be back for seconds, thirds, fourths. . .
ok, so I had to check this new place out based on all the fabulous reviews. it did not dissapoint. Only 4 stars because the drinks are overpriced as are the bottles of wine.
Seriously...they know Tapas here people. I have been back since my first trip here and it just gets better, does not disappoint. I will keep going back as this is my new fav for sure!
Now, like Kiki's, I'd never have heard of this place....in fact I know only one other Tapas place in town, so it was a treat to find another one.
It was to be a late lunch and the place had only 1 other table, so we had a pick of the place......a negative for the business, but a positive for me as I know service should be good, which it was for this meal.
The space is pretty big and the vaulted ceilings made it have a warehouse feel to it regardless of the nice colors and décor they added, but I was here for the food, so off we go....
Bloody Mary's started us off and we asked for spicy and got exactly that with those drinks! The spice when you drank it about a minute later it kicked in!!! I loved it!
They have just about everything you could imagine on the menu from veggies, to seafood, to pork, to meat with some sections devoted to cold dishes and others devoted to warm/hot dishes. Now, the menus had today's date on them....the date we ate there which means to me they change it on a regular basis which is a good sign...the downside is that their descriptions are a bit vague so what you ordered may be different than what you receive so be prepared.
When our drinks arrived, we were also brought a small dish of olives in a lovely little oil that made them very tasty.....For the life of me we tried to figure out what the oil was spiced with, but it continues to be a mystery.....my GF doesn't like olives and even she thought they were good.
So we ordered the following:
Bacon-wrapped dates - excellent, these small little dates were a great start to our lunch - sweet and salty at the same time.
Next we had a fresh Fruta salad - Bibb lettuce topped with strawberries, jimaca, and avocado with raspberry vinaigrette - nice and fresh - again excellent.
The meat-fill pastry of filet was minced - very good in my opinion.
I had a bread tips with crab and avocado - great!
The server was attentive - though when asked to elaborate on what a dish was he couldn't do it for some.
I moved to a beer - server recommended a nice Spanish Lager which was perfect while we finished the dishes.
Dessert was a cheese cake - also very good.
Finally, no valet, which for this part of town could run you something like $0.25 per 7 minutes at a parking meter which adds up for a dinner, so parking could be a real challenge, though for our visit is wasn't a problem.
By the time we finished up another table had come in and a few folks were at the bar, so the place, in the end, wasn't entirely dead.
I found the food and folks great and would like to try this for dinner sometime!
This might be my new favorite tapas place in Chicago. On a Friday night at 8:00 there was no wait for a high top table, but there was an hour wait for a table in the dining room. We took the high top. Our server greeted us promptly and we ordered a pitcher of sangria and a goat cheese and bread tapas as an appetizer. The goat cheese was awesome, but did not come with enough bread. Luckily there was another basket of yummy bread at the table.
We ordered hot tapas- crab fritters with leeks, chorizo and morcilla sausage, and salmon topped with goat cheese. I probably could have ordered one of everything on the menu, it all looked good. The tapas were very tasty, nothing was left on the table after we were finished. My favorite was the salmon and goat cheese, but I'm a sucker for goat cheese, can't get enough of it.
We were full, but not stuffed, and ordered a bittersweet chocolate and raspberry coulis dessert that was really tasty.
The bill came in at just under $70 for a pitcher of sangria, tapas and dessert for two. Not bad at all. The only negative was the rather high noise level inside the restaurant, it was almost difficult to carry on a conversation. It was not entirely surprising, given the prime time crowd and the design/layout of the restaurant. The tapas were so good though, it was worth it. I'll be back!
Take THAT Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! Tapas Valencia has finally filled the niche so badly needed in Chicago: good (no, great!), well-portioned tapas served in a fun, funky atmosphere.
Truthfully, as I've expressed many a time...tapas does not do it for me. Small food, large prices, lackluster quality. Tapas Valencia however, does it right...and does it well. As a new kid on the South Loop block (open a month), they are kickin' it into high gear...
Parking: Valet for $5, or there is street parking to be found for those with a bit of patience. But hey, for $5...why not? Another bonus: complimentary coat check. Very cool, indeed...though I do not wish to be wearing a winter coat anymore, c'est la vie.
Ambience: Think tapas funky style, bright colors mixed with the lofty interior of a converted South Loop warehouse. High ceilings, large cement pillars and sleek floors, roomy tables, a large sweeping bar in the front, and enough intimacy to share a meal and be able to chit chat. The place is brand spankin' new...and it shows.
Service: Not a kink in site. Smooth, fabulous recommendations (not so easy with their HUGE menu, I'd think), quick and friendly.
Drinks: a few glasses of Cristalino cava....only $7 per glass, started things out on the right foot. Cold, crisp...it's what every girl date should begin with ;)
Now, the fun part...the FOOD!
Complimentary stuffed green olives and toast points with soft butter (mmmm, thankful for these, or the champagne would've hit me like a ton of bricks). Cream of broccoli soup (lovely, and for only $3.50 a steal).
Cold Tapas: Rock shrimp over crusty bread (cold tapas special, HUGE and tasty). Serrano ham and cheese over muffelatta (also HUGE, also hit the spot). Each of these plates came with 3 large portions...a great start.
Hot Tapas: Beef empanada (heft portion, perfectly flaky, gooey beef and cheese on the inside, mmmmm), Crepe Rellano (pine nuts in there! whoa! ooooey gooey sinful crepe). Crab fritters (little balls of crab with heaping side of garlic aioli...mmmm).
Dessert (was this my favorite? of course!): the creme brulee with bittersweet chocolate. My gal pal and I wolfed that sucker down in about 2 minutes, and were all the better for it. Wishing we had time for coffee, but dashing off to a show....we discussed the merits of hiding chocolate within creme brulee, and decided that might be the only way it should ever be prepared, ever.
Fabulous from start to finish, it is literally the only tapas place in Chicago I would recommend to friends/family, etc. Everything I had was nothing short of excellent, which I rarely can say at Cafe Ba-Ba-what's-their-name.
Perfect for a LARGE group or party, as their dining room is very large and roomy...or a little date night :) Just what the South Loop needed...
A great addition to the neighborhood!
The service is excellent. Good atmosphere. Solid food.
From the moment we walked in, the service was excellent. The host was very friendly. The waiter was helpful and paced the tapas just right. The busboys were prompt, but not overbearing.
Service: The best I've seen so far in the parade of restaurants at this address. Knowledgeable, attentive, and the right fit for a tapas place where you're often wading through numerous options for a meal. Most importantly, a nice change of pace over the usual tapas tourist traps in midtown and up north...
Value here is a question mark - I still thought this came in a bit high for what we got, but far from outrageous. I guess if I come back, the equation must be working for them, right?
One more scoop of ice cream and my dessert would've looked like a penis on a plate, but I'll get to that in a minute...
I was long overdue for dinner with my original *bookclub.* Long ago we abandoned the charade of picking and reading books, opting to meet periodically for drinks, dinner, and laughs instead. We've long been fans of Meson Sabika in Naperville, so after hearing they opened up a sister restaurant in the city it was an easy choice.
This location, aesthetically, couldn't be more different from MS, which is in an old mansion with flamenco dancers going room to room and considerable grounds. Tapas Valencia is modern, with cement floors, mosaic walls, sleek accents and no dancers, but the menu and chef are the same. About halfway through dinner the restaurant became packed, which I realized when our casual conversation turned into a series of huh's, what's, and pardon me's coupled with us craning over the table and yelling to hear each other.
We started with a pitcher of sangria and shared 8 plates, but being a pescatarian (and mushroom hater) I only tasted the: Patatas Con Alioli, Canalón Relleno, Crepe Rellena, Queso De Cabra, and Vieiras Al Albariño. We also got: Datiles Con Tocino, Pincho De Solomillo, and Champiñones. Everything was fantastic as always, and did not disappoint.
For dessert I had the Platano Con Helado aka penis on a plate. It was just OK. The ice cream was served in a little chocolate cup on a plate of caramel and pistachios with a whole banana next to it. I wasn't wild about the banana, sauteeing it left it slightly mushy. I also think the dish would've been better, at least visually, had the banana been sliced and over the ice cream with the caramel, but maybe that's just me.
Service started out amazing and gradually veered toward mediocre as the restaurant got busier. In the beginning our server was engaging and attentive, excited that we were very familiar with the menu; by the end of our meal we rarely saw him. The busboys were outstanding, albeit slightly aggressive; there were a few items snatched that I would've continued to pick at. I would like to apologize to the busboy my girlfriend punched. It was an accident, I swear; she didn't know you were standing there!
Bottom line: Even though the vibe here is totally different than the original, I am thrilled that I don't have to drive all the way out to Naperville for their tapas!
TIP: It's a short walk from the Roosevelt El stop and the 29 bus drops you practically at the door.
¡Viva (Tapas) Valencia! Since Tapas Valencia open just a few short weeks ago I have been constantly reminding myself to go there; I live directly across the street mind you, but I kept coming up with excuses. Well, finally this past Sunday afternoon I grew some cojones and decided to venture across the frontier of state street and begin my journey into the land of endless platillos.
When my dining party and I arrived we were greeted with an array of smiling faces, ready to welcome us in with open arms despite not officially opening for another 30 minutes. We decided to sit at the bar since it's the most attentive place in any restaurant and because there was a tv alight with march madness.
As I looked over the menu I was astonished by all the mouth watering descriptions, I wanted to try all of their dishes! Fortunately for me and my waistline I compromised and decided to just try a few plates with additional bites here and there, courtesy of the others accompanying me.
We first ordered the Grilled Calamari (Calamares A La Plancha), The Bake Artichoke and Spinach Dip (Alcachofas Gratinadas) and The Roasted Dates Wrapped in Bacon (Datiles Con Tocino).
Although I usually love Calamari I did find it to be a little more rubbery than I'm used to, still I devoured the garlicky and lemony goodness. The other two dishes were absolutely stellar, my favorite being the Dates wrapped in Bacon: the ultimate combination of sweet and salt. The artichoke dip is also a must, combined with spinach tomato and garrotxa cheese (goat cheese) it's sure to leave other varieties of this dish in the dust.
For round two I started off with Black Bean and Chorizo Soup (Espinacas), it was very good as far as bean soups go, but I think they might have forgotten to add the Chroizo the day I went, I will have to try this again and report back. Next it was Coca Del Pueblo, an open faced sandwich with decadent slices of prosciutto (or some type of cured pork) and provolone cheese. If you love italian sandwiches, don't pass this one up, it's soooo good! Last, but not least I had a sampling of the Mariscos Paella: Shrimp, Mussels, Clams and Scallops. I will warn you that I am not a paella fan, usually it is too fishy and bland for my tastes, but I was pleasantly surprised after taking the first couple of bites, I could actually tastes the different ingredients without the taste of fish drowning them all out. Bravo to the chef!
Just when I thought I couldn't eat another morsel, I saw the dessert section at the bottom of the menu. Being modest we decided to just try one and split it amongst the three of us, but there's no such thing as being shy at Tapas Valencia, within minutes we were brought out three deserts: Flan, Plátano con Helado and Delicia De Chocolate along with three superb glasses of Sherry. The Dessert was mind blowing! If you do not like tapas, you must come here for the Dessert!
The Plátano Con Helado (Banana with Ice Cream) was served with warm bananas drizzled in caramel and ice cream placed in a semi-sweet chocolate cup. The combination: orgasmic!
The Flan was amazing, always a favorite of mine, try it with a little Sherry on top, ¡Que Magnifico!
Finally There's the Delicia De Chocolate, amazingly rich yet so very good. It tasted as if it were part fudge part cake, a must have for chocolate lovers.
I will definitely be visiting here more often, and I suggest you do too
don't delay, get your culo here pronto!
yum, yum, yummy....Went here last night. Place was packed and I see why.
Of course we started off with some sangria and that was fantastic. My wife had sangria martini while the rest of us stuck with sangria. All of it was fantastic. The olives on the table and the bread were a nice touch.
From Anchovies to Churrizo, it was all good. Service was fantastic. Finally a good tapas place in the south loop. Exposure tried, but kind of failed..
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