Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Reviews

• Rose C.

  star star star star star 27 July 2026

  Everything here was the best. I can highly recommend their food here guys. They have an extensive selection that I really sure to be fitted on your standard. What I love here was the Tapas. The quality of the meat was impressive, the taste was best and truly cooked into perfection. Every bite was an explosion. Aside from the best food, their selection of drinks here was also spectacular. It was a perfect pair for Tapas.
  
  When it comes to service, no problem. It was on point and the food was served in a timely manner. The staff was all nice and accommodating too.
  
  I can't wait to be back and be gratified again!

• Allison T.

  star star star star star_border 22 July 2026

  I've been here quite a few times in the past for both happy hour and regular restaurant dining. I haven't been back for awhile but my recent experience was quite different from what I remember and I walked out very disappointed. I went for happy hour on Thursday and sat at the bar. It was the menu that was disappointing; service was EXCELLENT!
  
  We've ordered a variety from the happy hour menu.
  - Roast dates with bacon & Apple vinaigrette: $3.25 comes with 6 pieces. My favorite! We ordered 3 dishes of these.
  - Garlic potato salad $1.95 small portion! I remember happy hour size much bigger, but it came on a small plate. We ordered 3 of these. It tasted good & garlicky.
  - Spicy potatoes w tomato aioli $2.50 once again, small portion! I remember this being my favorite in the past, but not today.
  - Ibérico ham croquetas $2.95 unlike pictured on Yelp as sticks, it was 4 round balls. It was also soggy. I did not like it at all but I typically love croquetas.
  - Handmade beef empanada $2.95 it was ok
  
  I remember all the pintxo used to be on the happy hour menu, but not anymore.
  - Potato & omelette bite $1 pintxo too eggy for my taste
  - deviled egg $1 pintxo it was creamy & pretty good
  
  From regular menu
  #32 Goat cheese baked in tomato sauce $8.50 my second favorite- toast was perfect and who says no to goat cheese?
  #50 beef tenderloin & blue cheese $11.50 comes with two meat "balls". Beef tenderloin was super soft, almost like ground beef texture. The flavor of blue cheese is very strong. Skip it!!
  #41 Catalan tomato bread with white anchovies $7.50 never had this at other tapas so I have nothing to compare it to, but it reminded me of bruschetta that I'd have it at other LEYE restaurants and made me wonder if they use the same tomato mix on the bread from Italian to this Spanish restaurant.
  #31 spinach & manchego stuffed mushroom $7.59 this,too, tastes like mushrooms from Maggianos
  
  We got a pitcher of $14 red sangria. A pretty good deal for a large picture of Sangria.
  
  My initial thought of this place has changed & had to now create a new memory.

• Emily S.

  star star star star star_border 22 July 2026

  Great food, good atmosphere. Truly something different every time as there are so many options to choose from, and I really enjoy it mixing it up.
  
  Service is a bit slow but the waiters are always friendly and knowledgeable. I enjoy coming here for dates / 1 on 1 dinners as opposed to groups, as I find the food coming out randomly a bit hard to adjust to when in a bigger group. Unless you're truly sharing with all people at the table, I often feel uncomfortable eating when others don't have anything yet.
  
  Not everything on the menu is stellar but I always leave full and happy.

• Nayara L.

  star star star star star 17 July 2026

  Let me start off by saying I am not Spanish but I DID study abroad in Barcelona for a semester so that makes me *super duper credible* hahaha jk. My great grandfather is Spanish though, but that also doesn't mean much, I never even met the guy... Anyway, I love this place! I actually may become a Sunday regular because of all their options, seasonal items, and it's proximity to my church. I love tapas style dining- sharing good food with others is one of my favorite things in the world. Okay, so the service here was pretty normal and positive. Nothing extraordinary but definitely had a kind server. Our order was messed up and we weren't going to say anything but he actually noticed, apologized, and brought it up himself which we were so impressed by!
  
  Food and drink wise, their fall sangria was so good. Their patatas bravas, some of the best I've had. The potatoes were so well seasoned and the sauce... ugh, amazing. Shrimp & grits... life changer. Those three things were honestly the show stopping, jaw dropping items. Their flavors were so on point and so delicious I could've eaten them twice.
  
  The french toast and the cubano were also really good but the other dishes by far outshined these.
  
  What I love about this restaurant is the authenticity. I've gone to other "tapas" restaurants that sell chicken wings, flatbreads, and just very American, definitely not Spanish things. But this place has very authentic options!
  
  And I only got such a small amount of items compared to what their menu offers. I would definitely pay this place a visit if you're in the area. Their food was definitely 5 star worthy! I have so many more things to try here.

• Abby C.

  star star star star star 5 July 2026

  This is probably my new favorite restaurant in the Lincoln Park area. It is always enjoyable to dine in around Armitage area.
  
  We went in Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba for a Sunday brunch. We ordered the platter and two tapa dishes. The platter consisted of both sweet and savory bites of food. All of them were great, but personally I liked the toast the best. The tapa dishes were also very delicious. The Benedict egg with prosciutto were smooth and tasty, the potato was baked and spiced with a strong spicy flavor. The "cubano" sandwich were also delicious, the toasted bread with a mouthful of meat were very fulfilling.
  
  The service and the dining environment were also exceptional. I would definitely recommend it!