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Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! is Chicago’s original tapas bar, serving authentic Spanish cuisine. The menu is designed to share, featuring tapas, pintxos (bite-sized tapas) and the classic Valencian rice dish, paella. Pair the meal with sangria, craft cocktails, Spanish wine and local beers in our lively Lincoln Park restaurant.
Spanish tapas, paella & pitchers of sangria fuel a lively scene at this classic Chicago restaurant.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 2024 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: (773) 935-5000
Website: http://www.cafebabareeba.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=CBBR-GBiz
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: cafebabareeba.comtripleseat.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Spanish Tapas in Lincoln Park – Cafe Baba-Reeba!
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! is Chicago’s original tapas bar, serving authentic Spanish cuisine since 1985. The menu is designed to share.
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Reviews
John Allie
ICONIC. One of the best spots in Chicago, and it simply does not miss.
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is a classic for a reason. They run happy hour every day from 4–7, with great deals on their trademark sangria—the red is a must.
We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon and grabbed seats at the bar. Enjoyed a few glasses of that excellent sangria along with tapas and paella, and everything hit.
The tapas were outstanding. The fried shishito peppers were perfectly crispy and salted just right. The garlic shrimp is an absolute standout—honestly worth ordering 2–3 plates. Pro tip: save some bread for the sauce…you’ll want every drop.
For our entrée, we went with the Chicken Thigh Paella, and the portion size was massive—easily enough for 2–3 people. We had leftovers for dinner the next night. A generous amount of chicken and vegetables, and the flavor was deep and satisfying without being heavy.
Bonus points for being part of the Lettuce Entertain You group—those rewards add up.
Already looking forward to our next meal here. An absolute Chicago staple.
… moreCafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is a classic for a reason. They run happy hour every day from 4–7, with great deals on their trademark sangria—the red is a must.
We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon and grabbed seats at the bar. Enjoyed a few glasses of that excellent sangria along with tapas and paella, and everything hit.
The tapas were outstanding. The fried shishito peppers were perfectly crispy and salted just right. The garlic shrimp is an absolute standout—honestly worth ordering 2–3 plates. Pro tip: save some bread for the sauce…you’ll want every drop.
For our entrée, we went with the Chicken Thigh Paella, and the portion size was massive—easily enough for 2–3 people. We had leftovers for dinner the next night. A generous amount of chicken and vegetables, and the flavor was deep and satisfying without being heavy.
Bonus points for being part of the Lettuce Entertain You group—those rewards add up.
Already looking forward to our next meal here. An absolute Chicago staple.
Rage Thomas
Top notch happy hour. I went on a relatively quiet Monday night. I ordered everything on their happy hour menu and it came out to about 50 bucks with drinks. Our service was pretty solid but it also wasn’t that busy. The bar was mostly full but got lucky as people left right as we arrived. My only negative criticism is the goat cheese pincho. It’s truly intense and you better really like goat cheese. However it’s all mostly positive. The aioli’s all delicious, the devilled egg is solid, sangria is delicious, and everything had a interesting and delicious flavor.
… moreCasey C
Highly recommend coming to ba ba reeba ready to eat and drink. You can’t go wrong with a pitcher of their sangria for the table. I didn’t even take a photo of all the food we had here because we were too excited. Every dish was perfection. I would honestly order even that salad alone it was that good.
… moreJesse Palma
I was really excited to try this place, but unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. We visited during restaurant week, and while we expected it to be busy, we were seated near the kitchen, which made our table very hot and uncomfortable. It was also extremely loud, making conversation difficult.
The service was okay, but our group of five was only given one restaurant week menu, which was inconvenient to share.
Our food came out randomly and out of order, and no one explained which dishes were which, which was confusing. It would have been much better if the courses were served together and in sequence.
The food was just alright. The potatoes were the highlight, the sauce it came with was delicious. However, the seafood paella was very disappointing, mushy and lacking seafood. Dessert portions were also quite small.
For $45 plus an extra $13 for the paella, I don’t think this was a good value for restaurant week. Unfortunately, I don’t see myself returning.
… moreThe service was okay, but our group of five was only given one restaurant week menu, which was inconvenient to share.
Our food came out randomly and out of order, and no one explained which dishes were which, which was confusing. It would have been much better if the courses were served together and in sequence.
The food was just alright. The potatoes were the highlight, the sauce it came with was delicious. However, the seafood paella was very disappointing, mushy and lacking seafood. Dessert portions were also quite small.
For $45 plus an extra $13 for the paella, I don’t think this was a good value for restaurant week. Unfortunately, I don’t see myself returning.
Estibali Carrera
Overall we had a wonderful experience visiting Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for the first time. We visited during our first trip to Chicago and can’t wait to be back. We had two friends recommending this place to us and now we can see why. For cocktails, I had a zero proof tangy lemonade and my husband did the Estrella De Galicia which pairs gorgeous with the Chicken Paella and Spanish Tortilla. Definitely a must!
… moreHon Lam
Best paella I ever had, totally worth the 45 minutes wait. Even though they were super busy the staff was totally professional in honoring the reservation and sat us promptly. The server was attentive but not over bearing. The food was amazing, you have to try all the tapas, from the bravas to the calamari to the empanadas, try everything but save room for that paella, great portions that will definitely fill you up. Overall very organized and clean space too. Def worth a visit if you are out and about in Chicago
… moreCara Kuykens
Highly recommend making a reservation for dinner. First time here, and it was delicious! Came on a Tuesday night for a 7:45pm reservation. We were a party of 6 and nearly every table was filled. The place is large but still feels very cozy.
Everything on the menu is tapas (small plates to share). We ordered a ton of dishes and passed them around the table. The Pintxos menu is perfect when you want a bite or two. The deviled eggs were delicious! Each order is half an egg, and we ended ordering 4 each! The classic sangria is not too sweet, and it was on the dryer side of red wine which I prefer.
No dish was a miss! We ordered deviled eggs, the shaved Brussels sprout salad, tortilla española, spinach & manchego-stuffed mushrooms, garlic shrimp, fried calamari, hangar steak, handmade beef empanada, ibérico ham croquetas, secreto pork baos, piri-piri fried chicken thighs, chicken & chorizo skewer, and the mixta paella (all paellas take 45 min to make). Everything was delicious; we only had leftovers of the tortilla española and the mixta paella, but they were great too!
Our server was great as well. Checked in a few times (ended up ordering more dishes) but not too many times.
Overall, delicious food and cozy atmosphere. Would definitely come back again!
… moreEverything on the menu is tapas (small plates to share). We ordered a ton of dishes and passed them around the table. The Pintxos menu is perfect when you want a bite or two. The deviled eggs were delicious! Each order is half an egg, and we ended ordering 4 each! The classic sangria is not too sweet, and it was on the dryer side of red wine which I prefer.
No dish was a miss! We ordered deviled eggs, the shaved Brussels sprout salad, tortilla española, spinach & manchego-stuffed mushrooms, garlic shrimp, fried calamari, hangar steak, handmade beef empanada, ibérico ham croquetas, secreto pork baos, piri-piri fried chicken thighs, chicken & chorizo skewer, and the mixta paella (all paellas take 45 min to make). Everything was delicious; we only had leftovers of the tortilla española and the mixta paella, but they were great too!
Our server was great as well. Checked in a few times (ended up ordering more dishes) but not too many times.
Overall, delicious food and cozy atmosphere. Would definitely come back again!
Karina S
Lovely waitress, great ambience, and delicious food! Came in to celebrate my brother’s birthday and am grateful the waitress had brought it up as I had put it on the reservation and a good amount of places don’t mention the celebration so that was very kind. I wish I had taken more photos but we were too busy devouring the tapas. Will be back again! Also wanted to note that a lot of restaurants do not ask about allergies or dietary restrictions so asking that ahead of time is always so great to hear and makes me happy that our server did that.
… morePrabhmeet Kahlon
You are transported in this restaurant! It is so beautiful and there are so many unique rooms with different vibes to enjoy! Their sangrias are so refreshing to have during any season, truly! I’ve had dinner here twice and just tried brunch for the first time this Sunday! Make sure to order your paella asap because it takes 30 mins at least to make!
… moreJuly B
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! delivers a consistently excellent dining experience. The food is delicious and well prepared, with a diverse menu that offers something for everyone, from classic Spanish tapas to flavorful specialties. The service is attentive and friendly without being intrusive, and the atmosphere is warm, lively, and welcoming perfect for both casual dinners and special occasions. A standout Spanish restaurant in Chicago that’s easy to recommend and worth returning to.
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