Cafe Iberico: "River North-It's a tapas bar, not a topless bar!" Top 5 Page for this destination Cafe Iberico Tip by Dabs

Last visit 11/11/07-still excellent!

My favorite Spanish restaurant in Chicago, it is close enough to the tourist area to walk/take a short cab ride, food is consistently good, service prompt, wide selection of tapas (small appetizer portions of Spanish dishes). Great place for a large group of people, sharing the dishes is a must! Our bill usually comes out to about $15-$20 per person including tax, tip and beverages, amazing considering how stuffed you are when you leave!

There are no reservations even for larger parties on the weekends after 3 pm so plan to wait on a Friday or Saturday night, there's a bar area to wait in where you can get sangria and if you're lucky enough to get a table, you can also order food. An excellent time to go is for lunch, have never had a problem getting a table, even on the weekends. On a recent evening visit at 7pm on a Wednesday we had to wait for about 30 minutes.

Other Spanish tapas places that are good:

Cafe Ba Ba Reeba 2024 N. Halsted ( Lincoln Park area) food is a little inconsistent, sometimes excellent, sometimes not. The sauce that comes with most of the dishes is different than Iberico, I like the sauce at Iberico much better.

Mercat a la Planxa, 638 S Michigan Ave, I haven't tried this one yet but a lot of people recommend. A lot more expensive than Cafe Iberico or Cafe Ba Ba Reeba

Favorite Dish: My favorites are the patatas ali oli (cold garlic mayo potatoes), croquetas (chicken/ham puffs with a helping of ali oli), pincho de pollo (chicken skewers with carmelized onions), queso de cabra (goat cheese w/ tomato basil sauce served with toasted bread), wash it all down with a pitcher of sangria.

Finish up the meal with one of the yummy Spanish desserts, personally I can't bypass the caramel bananas with ice cream.

Address: 739 N. LaSalle Street
Comparison: about average
Directions: River North, corner of LaSalle St. and Chicago Ave. Valet parking is available.
Phone: (312) 573-1510
Price: US$11-20
Rating: 5
Theme: Other
Website: http://www.cafe-iberico.com

• Updated Jul 26, 2010
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