Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! — Restaurant in Chicago

Experience based on Friday night party of 12 for an adult birthday. Overall 2 stars. Some events of the evening soured the experience.

Atmosphere: Good lighting, tables were cool; the vaulted opaque ceiling lines with faux foliage in our area. Nice and clean.

Food: Good - our group ordered various appetizers, with most of us having the paella. The paella was fantastic and our server had the foresight to encourage us to order as soon as we could if we were interested based on the cooking time. Thank you for that! A friend said their sangria was awesome. I didn’t have the sangria, but those who did had mixed reviews - one liked it the other did not. Most of our folks had other mixed drinks and/or beer. A few of us had their old fashioned and damn. They nailed that drink.

Wait Staff/Management: I was the first to arrive and those checking me in said half of our party needed to be in attendance before we could be seated. I walked away to the waiting are (i.e. entrance hallway) and thought for a moment. The other party planner was on their way. I went back to the check-in desk and asked for an exception. They said, no problem. Cool. I waited for the other party planner and then we re-approached the front desk and said we’re ready. My friend had baked this beautiful cake for us to surprise the birthday girl, and a manger came out to talk to us (I assumed a manager. The person at the front desk asked us if the cake was store bought or homemade and we said homemade and they basically said, “Okay, one min” and walked away lol. Like, alright, are we in trouble or what lol). So, we were told we could present the cake but could not consume it at the restaurant. They said store bought cake is different. My friend wasn’t crushed by the news but we were both really disappointed. I mean, I get it - if anyone got sick and complained to the restaurant it couldn’t be deciphered if the sickness came from the restaurant’s food or the homemade cake. Anyway, it was what it was. My friend brought up that this information would be good to have upfront when a party is booked. They said my friend’s feedback was good and they’d take that down. I suppose they could also add that half the party must arrive before being seated, but maybe that was an alert that we missed when booking. Anyway, they led us to the table. It was pushed a little too far against the wall for my taste, but wait staff need space to move so what are you gonna do. Some of the wait staff were lined up against the opposing wall, waiting for tables to be seated in their respective areas, I imagine. I asked the group, “Is there a small table we could have to put the cake on?” Like, the fold out tables that are used when servers bring large orders to a table. It was an immediate no. Okay, so no one’s going to check? Honestly, rude. I felt totally brushed off. I’ve been in the service industry and it’s tiring and, more often than not, a thankless job. So, I understand it. Like maybe some folks are just tired. This is their second job or the week has been crazy and you just want to get through it. But just a little notice would be nice. Since no one was interested in helping me, I grabbed a chair against the wall, out of the way, and used that for my friend’s cake. Someone came over and questioned my choice and again I asked about the table and again was kinda brushed off. If you don’t have it then you don’t have it, but like just communicate to me like a human. Don’t just ignore someone. Anyway, our server was really sweet. I mentioned we wanted to split checks, she said sorry can’t do that. Again, I get it. This would also be good to have as a notification when booking a party, though.

Last thing: Dishes were dropped off at the table with no regard as to who ordered them. Someone, other than our server, brought the food out and just laid it on the table. Okay…I guess we’ll figure it out.

So, their party game needs some work.

BTW, we stood outside the front door, huddled around the cake and ate it like a family of rats hahahaha. Memories, if nothing...

Come Here for a Lively, Fun Night in a Boistrous Environment, Surrounded by Great Food.

This is the toughest review I have written yet because the night was a blur. Ba Ba Reeba is a tapas joint and we just kept ordering small plate after small plate, pitcher of sangria after pitcher of sangria. I tried to keep up with pictures, but during a meal—a really good meal with fun people—you just have to let go and just be in the moment. I missed a couple dishes and I can’t remember them, but know that they were delicious. You can create a meal with a variety of tapas, or choose a selection as an appetizer and enjoy one of their paellas as your main course.

We ordered the Burrata Cheese with Catalan Tomato Bread ($11); the bread was toasted crisp and paired with the cheese and sauce well. The Spicy Potatoes with Tomato Aioli ($7.50) is a definite crowd pleaser with its tangy aioli and crispy-on-the-outside potato cubes and fluffy innards. The six of us had to arm wrestle for the three Bacalao Croquettes with Sherry Aioli ($2.50), but halved them and ordered more; this plate had a lot of flavor and good spice. Ba Ba Reeba’s infamous “Paella de Mariscos” with Shrimp, Squid, Preserved Mussels & Fennel ($17) was spectacular—true paella, cooked perfectly; you have to order it first, because it takes a while to make and then magically appears. Their Rioja-Braised Short Rib with Manchego Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Seasonal Vegetables & Rioja Wine Glaze ($14) was a show stopper; so tender and delicious, we tore into it before I could snap a picture. The Shrimp with Garlic, Olive Oil, Red Pepper Flakes ($9.50) was a solid plate with fresh, firm shrimp. My favorite plate was the Seared Scallops with Red Kuri Squash Purée, Maple Vinaigrette and Candied Pumpkin Seeds ($14); I would have ordered ten of these plates and been a happy man.

My advice would be to make sure you leave room for dessert, which is hard to do because they have such a large, delicious offering of entree plates, you don’t want to stop. But stop, trust me. We ordered the Caramelized Banana ($3.50), with vanilla ice cream, quince syrup, and toasted pistachios; a great option to end a meal with a sweet, yet not-too-rich dessert. The Chocolate Truffle Cake ($3.50), with kahlua, whipped cream was rich and decadent—make sure your belly is ready for this delicous cake. Saving the best for last again was the Marcona Almond-Caramel Bar ($3.50) with whpped cream and a butter crust—YUM. This too was rich, so beware.

This is a great place for couples, large groups, families, everything. You can order lots of small plates for every palette and picky eater. My only recommendation to Ba Ba Reeba is to get bigger tables—we had so many small plates, it was a...

I came here to dine with some family on a Friday afternoon, around 3PM. When we got there, they told us there was a short wait. There was quite a bit of empty tables but I believe they were only staffed for a small section. They offered bar seating as an alternative. However, when we asked if we could wait at the bar and then go to our table when it was ready, we were told no because the tabs do not transfer. We waited approximately 10 minutes until we were seated. We started off ordering a few plates - the goat cheese baked in tomato sauce, shaved brussels sprouts salad, house-marinated spanish olives, and spinach & manchego-stuffed mushrooms. I really appreciate the consideration of our allergies when we ordered, and the food even had little wooden sticks in them that said “allergen” in them. The first round of food was quick - we got the baked goat cheese and salad. The goat cheese was creamy and rich and came with some garlic bread. We asked for more bread since it doesn’t come with much. While we received more bread, the staff did not inform us that there was an additional charge. It was just $3 so we did not mind, but I felt it would have been courteous to let us know. The Brussels sprout salad was brilliant - the chopped marcona almonds added such a nice texture and flavor. Then we got the stuffed mushrooms. This was a bit uninspiring as it was cooked well but lacked flavor in the sauce and stuffing. We then received a chickpea dish as a mistake instead of our olives. We got the olives quick after and they were a nice variety. Later, we ordered bacon wrapped dates, hanger steak and the pressed "bikini" sandwiches. The bacon wrapped dates came first and I was very impressed. I usually am not a big dried fruit person but the roasted dates melted in your mouth and the combination of sweet and savory made a great combo. The pressed “bikini” sandwiches were so good. The ibérico chorizo was outstanding, and the sandwich was great overall. Lastly, we were waiting on our hanger steak quite a bit, I believe over an hour. It may have been forgotten but once we got it, the wait was so worth it. The chile adobe sauce was fabulous! The meat was tender and the whipped potatoes added a nice layer of texture and flavor to it. Overall, the food is delicious, and the prices are pretty typical for a place of its type. The service was okay, as it was a bit slow and we felt forgotten at times. I would definitely come back here to try...