We have visited Café Ba Ba Reeba numerous times over the years, and it never disappoints. They specialize in tapas. This sprawling restaurant features a bar area, where you can order from a limited tapas menu; numerous dining rooms; and an outdoor space. The outdoor space is between two buildings and offers little open space, so breezes are hard to come by. It is furnished with white resin tables and chairs, which adds to the "eating in an alley" feeling. On the other hand the bar area and dining rooms are quite comfortable.

We’ve typically gone the tapas route when dining here, ordering two dishes at a time. Often, due to different preparation times, we wind up eating one dish at a time. Two people can share a single dish and get the full range of taste and ingredients, with more than two, you’d likely be reduced to single bite. This approach works the server a bit harder, but I guess they expect that here. It also tends to draw out the meal.

Here is a look at the five tapas we had during our most recent visit:

Salmon and scallop ceviche with orange mojo: A cold dish. We had never tried ceviche before, so unfortunately I have no basis for comparison. I enjoy both salmon sushi and smoked salmon, but this version of the cold fish didn’t measure up to either of those versions. Granted, it is a different preparation.

All the remaining dishes were served temperature hot.
Shrimp with garlic, olive oil & red pepper flakes: Grilled shrimp battle garlic cloves for supremacy of the olive oil sea, as red pepper flakes float unaware. A common complaint we have with "spicy" dishes is that they are never spicy enough. We cannot claim that to be the case with this dish; it is very spicy and very good. After finishing off the shrimp, keep the olive oil for dipping your bread.
Seared skate, date and caper sauce: A decent sized, especially for a tapa, skate is covered with capers and dates, and arrives swimming in the caper sauce. The capers and caper sauce are in danger of overwhelming the skate. I would prefer this dish with about half the amount of sauce.
Skewered chicken & chorizo sausage: These grilled meats are served with a garlic alioli (home made mayonnaise) and are one of tastiest dishes on the menu. The chicken is crispy on the outside, but the oily nature of the chorizo and the alioli prevent it from being too dry.
Goat cheese baked in tomato sauce: A bit of pesto sauce on both the goat cheese and on the bread add even more flavor to this dish, one of our favorites. Be sure to have a fresh bread basket on the table; although you receive quite a few pieces of bread, it will not be enough to sweep up the cheese and tomato sauce.

Their website is www.cafebabareeba.com.

My wife and I used to frequent this place when we moved up to Chicago, as it was the Spanish restaruant that I'd gone to when in high school. That said, the quality of the food and overall experience has been sliding ever so slightly, as well as the portion size of the tapas, without a slide in prices.

You will still get a decent fill and good degustation from dining here, but the quality problem is soon to become an issue for this restaurant in the near future.

Recommended Dishes:

Fried green peppers with salt
Gazpacho
Garlic Shrimp
Plato de la Casa
Pincho de solomillo

The desserts here are awesome and won't kill your stomach!

Not-so-recommended dishes (but otherwise clearly edible):
Ham and chicken croquettes (the mix can be too salty at times)

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is part of the Lettuce Entertain you restaurants, so you can expect quality and fun. This is a Spanish tapas restaurant. The tapas come in appetizer portions that can be shared with the entire table. It is customary to order rounds of tapas as you would order rounds of drinks. This way, you can try many different foods. They also have dinner portions--the paella is excellent! The restaurant is in the North Halsted corridor, which has much nightlife, blues clubs, and theaters.

This is a Spanish tapas restaurant. Expect to order 3 or 4 of these appetizer sized portions priced at about $6 to $7 each. The restaurant is noisy due to the all the ceramic tile on the walls and floor and expect to wait up to two hours for a table on busy weekend nights. A pitcher of sangria is a must. They offer traditional red or white and also a fun fruity mango or pineapple. My favorite tapas include the goat cheese surrounded in tomato sauce served with garlic bread, the bacon wrapped dates, the stuffed mushrooms, papas picantes (spicy fried potatoes). I also like the cerrano ham - a Spanish prosciutto served with Spanish olives. And a friend loves the grilled calamari. You can also wait an extra half-hour to try the made-to-order paella. I have ordered a vegetable paella and was disappointed. I found it tasteless and a little gummy (but maybe I am too used to the kick of jambalaya). This is a very fun place to go with a large group. The wait staff is usually very good and quick with the food.