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Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba, or Ol’ Reliable as we like to call it, has been around for over thirty years. In restaurant years, that’s a long time. But just like The Stones or your mom after 1.5 margaritas, it’s still here to party. They do it up big - big space, big menu, and big noise, supplying a lively atmosphere that makes it perfect for a lot of occasions.
Ba-Ba-Reeba hopped on the tapas bandwagon early, billing itself as Chicago’s Original Tapas Bar. We can’t confirm whether or not that’s true, but we can confirm that it gives you what every good tapas concept should - a large, diverse menu so you can choose a variety of dishes, ample portions that are easily splittable, and worthy Spanish classics. Some plates are better than others, but you’ll be pleased more often than not. Try a little bit of everything because that’s what tapas are for.
Ba-Ba-Reeba is a well-oiled machine, and we mean that as a compliment. The place is a labyrinth with one dining room leading to the next, and they’re cycling people in and out at record speed. For this reason, Ba-Ba-Reeba is great for a last minute reservation because you can almost always snag a table, but they also restrict capacity to specific rooms so it always feels full.
Because it’s a production with a heavy emphasis on efficiency, you lack some of the charm that you might get from your neighborhood tapas place. But we’ll gladly take that trade-off if it means we can get a seat for a good meal that doesn’t require a month’s advance notice.