Cafe Marbella Tapas

Parking on the street in front of location isn't too bad; the adjacent side streets are decent and quiet (light traffic). We were seated immediately and there was olive oil and bread right away. Cold fresh water after a minute and our drink order was taken not too long after. Our server was courteous, friendly, and pleasant. We opted for a soup of the day, multiple appetizers (starters), well, it's a tapas place after all 😊😊 and a paella. We also had squid and shrimp. 👍👍 All the food paired perfectly with the white sangria. We had more bread and more shrimp. The desserts were homemade and excellent. (We had both pies and flan.) Coffee was made fresh a few feet away at a small espresso bar. It was a perfect end to a lovely dinner experience. The place is lit just enough to see the decor, your companions, and the staff. Service was quick and attentive. The food is great 👍😊 Cafe Marbella gets full marks (5 out of 5) and strong recommendations. 👍😊

We visited this place last Sunday. It says on Google that site is BYOB, but it is not, only on Tuesdays. We told the hostess that information was misleading, and she kindly let us drink the wine we brought with us. The cafe is very lovely, very clean with an excellent menu. The food was delicious. Every dish we ordered was delicious and nicely presented. Their mussels just fantastic and grilled calamari very tender and perfectly seasoned. I ordered the sponge cake for dessert, and it was just the perfect choice. Very soft, with a well-balanced taste, not too sweet. This place is a hidden gem.

Everything we had was delicious. You must order the Spinach a la Catalana awesome. The espresso cake and ricotta and goat cheesecake were great. The only thing that can improve is livelier music and decorations of the place. Making it a more happier and fun place. But, food and service good not be beat. Delicioso!!!

The food is well made and extremely flavorful! They have a cute patio for outdoor dining which is pet friendly. The staff is very attentive and has some great recommendations. Make the trip if you are interested in authentic tapas and some great sangria.

I had the most amazing time with my sister in law here last Saturday night. We can't rave enough about the food and service. And the red sangria was absolutely delicious.

Excellent tasting and varied dishes, great service and good atmosphere. I have been to Cafe Marbella before, and I will go again. Their menu has new choices each time I come in, it was easy to find a seat, and the prices were reasonable for the quality. The staff was attentive, polite, and prompt. I scheduled a birthday dinner for 12, and it was smooth and everyone enjoyed themselves.

We always go with family and have a great time. We all have plates we love to get, even the formerly finicky eater. Try the Avocado salad, the figs, definitely meatballs, shrimp in garlic. I'm getting hungry writing this! Still a great meal. There with a large group and great service and food!

What a wonderful tapas restaurant... The food, service and ambiance were all outstanding 👌 We tried so many great dishes and we loved all of them. This is a great Spanish tapas restaurant. We plan on coming back, many times.

The food was amazing! Shared six different dishes and loved them all. The only complaint I have is the service. We were there on a Sunday evening and there was only a single waitress. She tried her best, but it wasn't enough. I will definitely return, but I hope there will be more help this time.

I love this place. The food and service are great, and likely better than any other Tapas restaurant in Chicago. For instance, my wife and I went to the latest Tapas restaurant in Fulton Market - it was terrible. All the food was way over salted, and the very expensive drinks were weak. After that, her and I believe Cafe Marbella is the best Tapas in the city. It's a true Northwest side gem. We live in Portage Park, and we started coming here when they opened back up after initial Covid lock down. Back then, we were the only people there besides the delivery drivers coming and going, and the food along with service was perfect. I will go there as often as I can as long as it continues to be great food and service.

Stumbled upon this place while in the area. Great food and drinks at a reasonable price with an attentive server. Perfect for a low key date night. Highly recommend the baked goat cheese and squid.

Great addition to the neighborhood. Found this place right after they moved here a few years ago, and have never had a bad experience. Last few times I went they had added wine to the menu, and only had BYOB one day a week, which is both a plus and a disappointment. That said, another restaurant that treats you like family. Being that they are a small family operation, once in awhile when they get slammed on a weeknight you can tell they're really stretched to the limit. But even in these situations, the great food at reasonable prices, the good atmosphere, and the kindness of the waitstaff (I think it's often the owner, with her husband in the kitchen?) more than makes up for it. Great place to come with a group of friends or a date.

Are you looking for grilled scallops? Don't go anywhere else. Perfectly grilled, tender, they melt in your mouth like butter. Parillada seafood was good, just a litlle bit overcooked and the sauce was excellent! For sure, a place to go if you want to support our local good businesses!

Coming into this place for the first time, the decor seemed a little dated and had me a little worried. The staff was nice too. When we received our food, we knew we made the right choice for dinner. Food was amazing, and I highly recommend this place. It's a bit of a hidden gem in Jeff Park.

Definitely check this place out if you like tapas. Very flavorful food. My only complaint is that they don't have an IPA beer. The wine was excellent.

Highly recommended , Delicious food with fresh ingredients, attentive service, a pleasant atmosphere , well executed dishes , creative menu options, and a positive dining experience experience..!👍🏽

We went just after opening (5 pm) and were greeted and seated immediately by a very friendly staff. We chose two of the cold tapas and three of the hot tapas, each from an extensive list. All of them were delicious and easily shareable between the two of us, since they are quite large. The half carafe of (red) sangria was not as sweet as I anticipated but very tasty and yielded about 3 full glasses. We will definitely go back to try some of the other tapas that we simply could not even think of ordering because we were so full -- and that's not to mention the paella options, main courses and specials, all of which sounded fantastic.

My first but not last visit.Nice comfortable setting inside and outside.Amazing food. We tried fish soup, raviolis, avocado salad, flat bread and the star of the night was guava cheese cake. Highly recommend.

Great great food…tasty and unique. Maria, our waitress was excellent. We isa there was a better Saturday night crowd

I love this place! A great neighborhood family owned restaurant. Only open for dinner. They have new specials weekly. The avocado and goat cheese salad is delicious! The fish is always fresh.

Our family (& friends) have enjoyed this wonderful restaurant many times. We've come as 3 or 4 and as a big gathering of 10 ++ and always had fabulous food and a joyful time. Our whole family is full of foodies and we would not continue to come if Cafe Marbella did not continue to delight...mussels, pork, goat cheese, figs, calamari, fish cheeks & pretty much any one of the specials on a given day... the list goes on. We eat, we oh and ah... we enjoy! Also, we find this restaurant to be a very good value for the quality of food and we love bringing our own wines to pair. Food compares so well to the best food we've had in Spain. Takes us back!

We have enjoyed eating at Cafe Marbella several times and always enjoyed.First time ordering since COVID-19. Food as always is supurb! Order off the chefs special menu, it is amazing! We ordered the sangria as well, a real at $14, yummy! Made for a special Saturday night dinner!!

Classic Spanish fare, tapas, and entrees are offered. Excellent service, lots to choose from. Quality ingredients = great tastes! Even the Creme Brule' afterward was delicious. Ordered a cocktail, and it was perfect. I highly recommend Cafe Marbella, as this is now MY new favorite neighborhood haunt 😄

I eat here often and love the food/people who work here. The one star ratings below are, in my opinion, ridiculous. I've never had a bad meal here, the daily specials are as fresh as they get, and yes, they are small plates made for sharing.

This restaurant has absolutely wonderful food and service. Every dish I got on this visit was flavorful and perfectly cooked. Portions are very good for the price. They had a good number of vegetarian options as well (all delicious). Desserts are made in house. The decor felt a little dated, so I wouldn't choose this one for a fancy night out, but if you're looking for some delicious tapas, you won't go wrong here.

Our food and drinks came out quite fast and they were all superb. I had never tried escargot before and the one they had here was so delicious. Our waiter was also great, I feel bad that I forgot to get his name, but he was the waiter working around 5:30pm on Friday, November 17th. He was so attentive and made sure we were well taken care of.

The food here is amazing! The chef has truly inspired dishes with flavors that make my mouth water just thinking about them! The selection of chef specials changes frequently and is quite extensive so there is always something new to try. And that's just the food. The owners couldn't be more welcoming and they obviously take pride in their craft. Warm, cozy, plenty of parking. I highly recommend checking this restaurant out!

There are a number of appreciable things about this quaint little place. They have an ever-changing variety of creations on their daily specials menu along with their standard options. Family run with excellent, friendly and attentive service and willing flexibility.

Great food! The portobello mushrooms were to die for. The decor a little dated but food is was really great!

Always good food. We mainly order off the specials menus. Service is welcoming, but don't be in a hurry. Low corkage fee if you bring your own, but they have a full bar now.

Went with a group of friends it was fantastic. We share a number of different plate all were excellent. I especially like the spicy meatballs. The service was great, one small issue was the the desserts the flan was a bit dense and lacked some sweetness.

Awesome service and the food was delicious. They had great specials and the food was cooked perfectly. Plus it's BYOB which was nice. I like that the paella was not priced per person like other tapas restaurants. The portions were pretty big as well. The pricing is very reasonable.

We came in on an off day, soon after they opened and enjoyed the serenity of the establishment. Everything we ordered was delicious, however one of the things I ordered did not come as described in the menu, and that was a bit of a disappointment. I'm definitely going to come back here, not only to take more pictures and update my review, but to savor the amazing dishes this restaurant has to offer.

The tapas we try ware well flavored well. I really enjoy the goat cheese wit the tomatoes sauce. We had the paella it wasn't the best but it was only $17 had seafood, sausage and chicken so can't have really high expectations plus I am not a big fan of it.

I've been here 4 times and never been disappointed. The food is always delicious and the service is great too! They have BYOB so that can be really fun. I look forward to my next visit.

Oh dear, going to keep this brief, as we're eager to leave to get more food elsewhere. If you're looking for authentic Spanish tapas, don't waste your time here. Service was great, food was very disappointing. We tried the tortilla, gazpacho, queso de cabra al horno, and pollo a la Navarra. We didn't finish our food. The table next to us got calamari or something, and the very fishy odor almost ruined our appetites. I feel bad leaving this review because the service was so good, and the staff so nice, but I cannot recommend this food to anyone who expects Spanish tapas.

The food was tasty but not fancy. I missed the grilled octopus typical on tapa menus. I didn’t like how dark and cold it felt inside, I think a few small changes could lift up the place.

Came here due to the good reviews …. Let’s just say not coming back here. First thing / sooo much SALT! Not sure if the chef knows how it tastes but holy cow. Drinks way too much $ and not good at all. First bread was cold, butter in a plastic thing ( weird ) Second bread with the goat cheese wayyyyy to salty - cheese was ok but the sauce around it, you can choke on it. Fig part was the other way around and basically no bacon inside. Squid was salty, no lemon, and the sauce with it just terrible. Best part was the avocado piece - from here. Did not get a picture due to it was good - Been to different tapa places and way better.

IF YOU GENUINELY ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD RESTAURANT...READ THE REVIEWS I wish I had. They talk about the lousy customer service. My husband and I were returning a U-Haul truck after a long day at an event with very little boys. We tried to find a a nice Mexican restaurant in the area because we had a taste for tacos. We were greeted but not very friendly, shown to a table for two and after explaining that we were looking for tacos and told that they do not sell tacos it almost seemed as though the waiter was going to make it his job to get us our food and get us out as soon as possible. My husband decided to order some strip steak of some sort with a fancy name for potato chips. The steak was browned and very pink inside. We were never asked how we wanted the steak to be cooked. Honestly the tapas that we ordered looked like Rice-A-Roni and the prices were pretty high for the amount of food that we received. It's been almost 10 days since we've been there and this has been gnawing at my mind since then. No such thing as warm hospitality will be found here. We were quite disappointed. Don't be fooled.

Last night, visited this place for the first time; with a 6 o'clock reservation. When we arrived, it was nearly empty and no one was available to greet us and provide a table. We walked towards the bar and a man came from the kitchen. I believe he was our waiter. He was not friendly and told us to sit anywhere. My first impression was; okay, no problem it’s my Anniversary and I’m here to have a wonderful experience; but an unwelcomed greeting feels like a bad starter for the night. Fast forward, we sat down and I said “hello,” and asked him “how are you?” He looked at me with a blank response and said, “I’m okay.” He placed our menus on the table and walked away. At this point, I'm not sure about this place… I understand people can have a bad day; hence, “it’s okay not to be okay.” But, please know, we also were not okay meanwhile, also mourning my husband’s mother’s passing. Therefore, you never know what people are going through; please be kind. Ultimately, we decided not to have dinner at this restaurant. After searching for another place to go; we went to a small Mexican restaurant. A place we had gone to previously; although wasn't the food I originally anticipated.