Lil Ba-Ba-Reeba

If you're not up for making the trek to Lincoln Park, there's a fantastic alternative in River North that captures much of the charm you'd find at Café Ba-Ba-Reeba. This tapas spot offers a more streamlined menu, but don't let that fool you--the selection of dishes is thoughtfully curated, ensuring that every bite is delicious.The sangria is just as delightful, providing a refreshing complement to your meal. The staff here are known for their warm and efficient service, making you feel right at home from the moment you walk in. The ambiance adds to the experience, with a cozy and snug setting that features wood-paneled walls and deep red accents, creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. Whether you're looking for a place to unwind after a long day or to enjoy a leisurely meal with friends, this River North gem is a wonderful option.

We came here on a Sunday for brunch-- with countless options in the area, we chose this place because of the catchy name and we were not disappointed. Our server was so sweet, I'm sad I can't remember her name, but she described the items on the menu well and was pleasant in all our interactions. You can tell she likes her job. We tried the patatas bravas, French toast, hanger steak, shrimp, baked goat cheese and Brussels. Everything was tasty, but I have to take a star off for the price / portion of the steak. It was $20 bucks and unlike any of the other tapas portions, it wasn't shareable. Also, the baked goat cheese was really underwhelming with a dollop of cheese floating in a ramekin of sauce. Otherwise we enjoyed everything else including the ambiance Oh yeah- make sure you read your check.. you can have the 3.25 percent surcharge removed.

Love this sister restaurant. Great location in River North with a beautiful patio to enjoy in the summer. We enjoyed a variety of tapas- the best type of dinner. Got a pitcher of sangria to share (they have four varieties that are delish!) and plenty of plates. Highly recommend the garlic shrimp and goat cheese in tomato sauce, but the BEST plate was the brussel sprout salad. It was so fresh and delicious. Must order while you're there!They have plenty of reservations open but recommend making one if you want to sit on the patio. They were nice to change us to a patio seat! :) Only thing that could have made this meal a 5/5 was the timing of dinner. Usually at tapas restaurants I've ordered plate by plate to see what sounds interesting, but our server seemed irritated by our approach to dinner. He seemed to rush us even though we were within our time/reservation. Still nice though!

Everything was amazing. You should go to the place. Food is incredible. Every dish was tasty. We sat in the patio. We requested to change place because of sunlight on face (though nice but not for longwr time) and the staff quickly arranged another place for us. 4 of us had food and drinks and that cost us around $210 (excluding tip).

This place was fantastic - I would definitely come here again! The interior is so beautiful with dimmed candlelight lighting. The beef empanadas were flakey and delicious with such tender beef inside. The fried peppers were so good and not spicy at all. Highly recommend trying it out. The sandwich was really good and had soft runny eggs on top with avocado. It's a nice shareable and has a delicious sweet/spicy sauce that comes on the side. Highly recommend dining here if you're in the city!

Every dish was delicious. My favorites were the hanger steak and potatoes bravas. Gluten free dishes were done well for our coworker with Celiacs. Friendly and helpful service. Our server was knowledgeable, attentive, and knew how to pace our dishes. Ambience was dark and intimate but very lively with the buzz of conversation. They also were able to accommodate our large group of 10 on a week day evening.

Such a fun place with great tapas. We visited the restaurant on a Sunday. Cute small place and the tables are pretty close together. Definitely gets busy so I recommend a reservation. Started off with a beer and the sangria del día. The sangria is a must try for sure! Definitely refreshing.For our plates (all shareable tapas) we got the ham croquetas, the goat cheese baked in tomato, the meatballs, deviled eggs, and Brussels sprout salad. The croquetas, deviled eggs, and Brussels sprout salad are a must try!!! All so delicious and I definitely recommend.The goat cheese was really good. However, the tomato sauce is more of a marinara so not what I expected. Definitely gave it an Italian feel rather than Spanish. The meatballs were tender and my husband's favorite. I personally did not like them. They have almost like a meatloaf texture and I was not a fan. They also have brunch but we opted for regular menu items.Service was good. The server was attentive and even made sure to check if we wanted any brunch items before brunch ended. Glad she gave us the heads up!

Want a memorable business team dinner that has something for everyone in the group? Indulge in Spanish Tapas at Lil' Ba-Ba-Reeba in Chicago's River North. Sangria & cocktails & mocktails, oh my! Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo & cheese is a must! Crystal bread with tomato spread Steak tower with whipped potatoes & shishito peppers Lemon cheesecake & caramel pudding bites Very fun atmosphere, especially since everyone gets to pick a dish! Fantastic, attentive servers who keep checking on drinks & dishes.

I'm not gonna lie, this has been one of the most hyped up restaurants in the city from my friends and colleagues since I moved to Chicago a few months ago... and I was a little disappointed. It's possible the hype got to me and I was expecting the best dining experience of my life, so when I didn't get that, I was let down.Long story short, I came here with a group of 5 and got lots of shareables. The bill was $400+ and I left hungry. Also, the service was pretty slow and we were waiting around a lot to order.Since the wait staff wasted my time already, I don't really wanna waste my time again doing a full itemized review. Here are a few highlights/lowlights on the menu that we tried--Passion fruit Sangria - 1/5 - tastes like a capri sun, did not taste any alcohol in this. It's like 45 bucks compared to the regular sangria which is 35, and it is much worse. Stick to the classic red sangriaHanger steak - 5/5 This was actually pretty delicious. Cooked to perfect medium rare, and super flavorful. Only problem? You go with a group of 5, you get 1 bite... You order this for yourself? You're out 60 bucksChorizo Wrapped Dates - 5/5 I'm a big sucker for dates wrapped in any sort of cured meat. Actually, just any cured meat in general. This was no exception. Delicious.Patatas Bravas - 4/5 Was just in Spain a few months ago and this is as close to the real thing I've had in the US. Very solid.--Overall, the food was pretty tasty. Again, my main problem was that we spent a ton of money, and I was not even close to full when we left. I got a burrito on the way home. The service was also a little bit below expectations, especially after all the glowing reviews I've heard about this place.I'm eager to try the larger location in Lincoln park to see if the experience is any better, but I will be saving that for when Pops is in town and he is footing the bill.

Definitely this is one of my favorite sports in my area. Most of the experience here were good but had a couple of weird which make me to avoid it for a while but I love tapas and this place so I'm always coming back for more . :) Ryan it's one of the people that I met there from the beginning because he was taking care of us . He's very friendly and helpful and with a smile on his face so I highly recommend if you are there and have him he will get very good care of you. Yesterday I went there because we were craving tapas and try the new "bikini baba sandwich "which was very good . We stayed at the bar and Sofia took care of us . She's so lovely and attentive. Happy hours there are fire and the ambiance it's so lovely with music so it's one of the places you'll enjoy. They have a large variety of tapas and the nice part it's that they also change the menu for once in a while and add new options of food.