Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! - A Taste of Spain in Chicago's Lincoln Park

Quirky Spanish restaurant with delicious tapas, perfect to share in a large group. We ordered almost one of everything and it was all delicious. They have an insanely fast ordering system where our dishes were coming out as our group was still ordering! Our top dishes include: - Brussel Sprouts Salad (crispy, fresh sprouts and creamy dressing) - Torrijas with blueberry-lemon compote (sweet, fruity syrup on cheesecake-like french toast) - Catalan-style crystal bread (fluffy, pull-apart bread) - Patatas bravas (get two orders of this!! spice-covered crispy and soft potatoes)

I highly recommend coming here for happy hour as they have pretty good deals. My favorites are the patatas bravas, chorizo wrapped dates, and the ham croquettes. These were my favorites and all shareable just as any tapas place. Sangrias are $22 pitchers which is a steal to me. Our bartender was great and got in all our orders for food and drinks. It can get loud but the bar is a good spot if you just want to have a drink and some small bites.

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

Bite-sized delights Was in Lincoln park this weekend and finally got to try @cafebabareeba :) the menu itself is very straight forward and online they even show you the photos of each of the tapas which was a lifesaver when choosing! The ambiance was very pretty but dark which fit the theme of the restaurant! The tapas that were ordered are, beef empanada it was 10/10, patatas bravas it was 10/10, waffle-battered chicken sticks it was 5/10, goat cheese baked in tomato sauce it was 10/10 , and the best part which was dessert and it was the torrijas with blueberry lemon compote which was an 11/10! The service was quick and the dishes all came out hot and ready which was great, menu is very limited if you do not eat pork! Overall, it was a good try definitely need to go back and order the seafood for dinner:)

Always a great meal with amazing service. One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. Interior is well done and despite always being crowded the tables are well spaced.

I came here with a friend for a Saturday brunch reservation. The indoor seating has a gorgeous sunroof over top, so plenty of natural lighting. Service was quick and friendly. The food was filling and tasty but nothing extraordinary. Definitely a vibey place for brunch and to try new Spanish cuisine.

Everything here was completely fantastic! I hadn't been back to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba in ages but it was just as phenomenal as I remembered! Everything was phenomenal: service, food, drinks & environment! Hands-down fantastic!

Had a chance to try this awesome place, and I'm so so happy we did! If you are looking for a fun tapas place with lots of variety and beautiful vibes, this is the place for you. Service here is nice and your taste buds will be happy leaving this joint! Once we were seated, we ended up ordering: * patatas bravas - crispy potatoes so well seasoned with the yummiest sauce. I could not stop eating this!! * date wrapped in chorizo - this was surprisingly delicious and a yummy bite. An explosion of flavor that you should try! * goat cheese in tomato sauce with garlic bread - this was crispy and crunchy - and was super flavorful with the goat cheese dip. The tomato sauce mixed with the cheese is really yummy * piri piri chicken thighs - these were super yummy and crispy. The saucey coating was delicious and tangy *garlic shrimp - this was my least favorite but this was shrimp in an olive oil sauce. The shrimp was a little chewy but not bad *mushrooms - this was absolutely delicious and a must order. Definitely try this!! Overall amazing experience and definitely worth giving this spot a shot!

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