Chicago has eight Spanish restaurants in our directory. That is fewer than New York's 22, but they are spread across six neighbourhoods, from the South Loop up to Andersonville, and they cover a wide range: two tapas places that share a name, a Barcelona-market concept on Michigan Avenue, a sherry bar with a shop, and a seafood tasting-menu restaurant that looks to Galicia.
This guide goes neighbourhood by neighbourhood and sticks to what each restaurant's own record says.
West Town
West Town has three of the eight, so it is the obvious base.
Mama Delia (1721 W Division St, which its record places in Wicker Park) calls itself a restaurant, sherry bar and ultramarino. An ultramarino is a neighbourhood grocery in Spain, and here it means a small gourmet market. The stated idea is to show what is happening in Spain now rather than a museum version of it. If sherry is your thing, this is the Chicago listing built around it.
Bocadillo Market (1117 W Grand Ave) was developed in 2021 by chef James Martin. It works as a daytime café and an evening restaurant, run by a staff of seven. The record describes it as Spanish-inspired, a blend of Spanish tradition and contemporary cooking, so expect a modern menu rather than a classic tapas bar.
Porto (1600 W Chicago Ave) is listed as Michelin-starred. Its focus is the Atlantic coast of Portugal and Galicia: wild-caught imported seafood, gourmet tinned seafood and wines from that corner of Iberia. You can do a seasonal tasting menu or order à la carte, at the Chef's Island or in the Atrium, with wood-burning ovens and grills behind it all. Part of its focus is Portuguese, which is worth knowing before you book.
Fulton Market and the South Loop
Boqueria Spanish Tapas (807 W Fulton Market) takes its name and cue from the Boqueria market in Barcelona. Owner Yann de Rocheffot's menu mixes faithful traditional flavours with inventions, such as Iberian devils on horseback with a hint of Cabrales, the blue cheese from Asturias.
Mercat a la Planxa (638 S Michigan Ave) is the downtown option. It is modelled on the feel of a Barcelona market, with meat, seafood and locally sourced produce. "A la planxa" is Catalan for cooked on a hot griddle, which tells you something about the kitchen.
River North and Lincoln Park: the Ba-Ba-Reeba pair
Two listings share the Ba-Ba-Reeba name.
- Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! (2024 N Halsted St, Lincoln Park) serves traditional tapas and seasonal Spanish dishes such as paella, manchego and jamón ibérico. The chef on record is Eric Jorgensen.
- Lil' Ba-Ba-Reeba! (441 N Clark St, River North) serves a wide range of classic small plates, and its record singles out its sangria.
Andersonville: Little Madrid
Little Madrid Tapas Café (5661 N Clark St) opened in January 2020, just before the pandemic, and stayed open through it. It is small and colourful. The record says it is named after a beloved hometown and serves the classic Spanish recipes Bolaños learned from his grandmother. Of the eight, it has the most straightforwardly home-style Madrid story on file.
How to use this list
- For classic small plates and sangria, go to Lil' Ba-Ba-Reeba!
- For a family-recipe Madrid meal, go to Little Madrid in Andersonville.
- For sherry, a shop and a current take on Spain, go to Mama Delia.
- For a special-occasion seafood dinner, go to Porto, keeping in mind that it looks to Portugal as well as Galicia.
- For a downtown meal on Michigan Avenue, go to Mercat a la Planxa.
If you are out in the western suburbs, Mesón Sabika in Naperville is also in the directory, with paella and tortilla española on its menu.
