Tapas Barcelona

A casual, relaxed place to go - unfortunately the food is only OK.

by jeener at Citysearch

We (my husband, 2 children in the 6-10 range and myself) went here tonight as part of our monthly family "adventures in dining" - where we choose to sample another countries cooking. Here are our opinions on the items we chose, perhaps you can do better.

Under "Tapas Frias" we ordered:

"Tortilla" (a type of cold omelet w/ potatoes and onions) - the 2 of us who like onions liked it while the 2 who don't... didn't - it was a little salty the small accompanying salad was great.

"Esparragos Con Tres Salsas" (asparagus in a vinaigrette w/ avocado and tomato) - Adults thought it was ok, kids thought it was not

Under Sopas Y Ensalada we ordered Ensalada De La Casa (a salad with some veggies in a creamy dressing) - none of us liked it

Under Pizzas - Miro (tomato, basil and cheese pizza) - Adults though it ok, 1 kid liked it the other didn't

Under Tapas Calientes we ordered:

Queso De Cabra Con Tomate (goat cheese in a tomato sauce with some very greasy bread) - 3 of us liked it 1 thought it ok

Datiles Con Tocino - (dates wrapped in bacon) - I heard a lot about this and really was hoping it would be great but it wasn't so good. 3 of us thought it ok , 1 didn't like it.

Pincho De Pollo - (grilled, skewered chicken) - both adults liked it, both kids thought it was ok

Croquetas De Cangrejos (deep fried breading stuffed with crab) - 1 yes, 2 no, 1 ok

Under Postres (dessert):

Pitisu Con Helado (vanilla ice cream sandwiched b/w puffed pastry covered in chocolate sauce) - kids - yes, adults 1 no 1 ok

Crema catalana (custard with a crunchy top) - 3 yes, 1 ok.

We spent about $64, which wasn't bad. Our waiter was very nice. My daughter loved trying to pronounce the dishes and he had fun helping her with her pronunciation. The atmosphere was very relaxed.

• Pros: casual, relaxed, crema catalana, our waiter
• Cons: the food was very average, the sauces were not good, it was hard to fit multiple dishes on the table

Awww... Barcelona

by hmmmichelle at Citysearch

The name was what drew me to this place (I visited Barcelona in 2004 and loved it!). But the food is what keeps me coming back for more.

This was the first tapas place I've tried in the Chicagoland area. I always get the dates wrapped in bacon-- it's to die for! I've had this dish somewhere else but it's not as good as in this place, it's the sauce. The bread with goat cheese is also a must-try.

I usually go here in the summer so they have outdoor seating! It's nice!

• Pros: datiles con tocino, outdoor seating

Great variety of tapas

by sbrady at Citysearch

Tapas Barcelona continues to provide great tapas at a reasonable price. The variety works for all types of eaters. We had a late friday night stop at this spot and were not dissapointed. The bacon wrapped dates were great as was the asparagus salad. Good wine selection and reasonable prices! Keep doing what you are doing.

• Pros: Good food, variety, service
• Cons: stop serving food at 11 on weekends, bummer

A Really Pleasant Surprise

by mitchje at Citysearch

Desparate to escape the early August gnat swarms, and hungry, we ducked into Tapas Barcelona August 2 and it must have been karma, because this is a really nice place for tapas. The cold seafood salad was perfect -- five or six types of fish, all wonderfully fresh and delicious, with a confetti of peppers and vinegar. An herb-infused chicken and pasta combination was satisfying and will likely be called for during an autumn return visit. I'm no tapas expert, but this was good food, with good presentation and in a very pleasant (and pleasingly gaudy) room. Far better than you might expect for a casual hotel restaurant.

• Pros: Fresh(!) seafood, Comfortable setting, Quick service
• Cons: Tight seating, College-kid servers

Barcelona Tapas tops taste buds

by Lissa44 at Citysearch

Nice atmosphere, very comfortable, good food except that because dishes are small you end up ordering 2 or 3 (but they were all good). About $10 a person, so not cheap but very tasty