La Taberna Tapas on Halsted

We went there for the first time and had a wonderful time. Food was really good and the atmosphere was serene. Our server was Benjamin and he was very courteous and attentive.

So tasty. The bacon-wrapped sausage-stuffed dates with sherry reduction sauce are to die for. I can't even believe why anyone could have written a bad review of this place...

Great experience. Food was great with a couple of comments per below, the service was great and we enjoyed the music. We especially liked the tapas style dinner and for a party of four each tapa was enough for more than a couple of bites. On the excellent side the zarzuela, potatoes, and octopus. The empanadas were a little greasy. Service by Aracelli was very pleasant and very proper without the typical "..is everything alright?..."

I'm surprised this place isn't rated higher! I've been here multiple times and the food is always delicious and the service is always great. Sometimes the food takes a while but it's totally worth it. Definitely a must try!

This is a great place to eat and have the best Tapas in UIC Village, They even have Latin Night on Wednesdays and a great teacher from 8:30pm - 9:30pm for only $7 then open dancing afterwards! The decor is outstanding and has alot of potential for great networking events and social events. You have to come and check them out every Wednesday!

La Taberna Tapas another excellent place to eat tapas...sweet Sangría, savory and delicious Paella, creative and spectacular tapas in general a must to go place to eat with friends or for a Romantic dinner with that special one. I recommend it and would visit again!!!

Second time here and first time there on a Sunday. With the weather being so nice got the chance to sit outside in the patio and enjoy great food and a drink. Highly recommend and one of my favorite the shrimp and Spanish sausage skewer. After all said and done I left full and happy. If you're in the mood for tapas stop by and check this place out you won't be disappointed.

The tapas offering is "basic," that is, not particularly eclectic or experimental, but that's just fine by me. The quality of the food is outstanding and the service is dependable. Decor is classy. Great place to take a date or out-of-town guests. Don't pass on the fantastic signature drinks! I prefer this over Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in terms of value and the ability to get a table, and the atmosphere is so much cozier than Cafe Iberico and Emilio's.

Beautiful restaurant with delicious tapas! Get their signature sangria, it's great and has a unique cinnamon kick. And if the weather is nice, make sure to check out the patio! Definitely a great summer choice.

We have been here at least a dozen times and we've never tired of the quality of their dishes. The flavors of their sauces are extraordinary and the presentations extremely tasteful. By far our favorite Spanish restaurant in Chicago and a real gem in the South Loop. sure

Wow! So awesome. The cheif came out and I got to thank him. What an amazing menu. All the staff were on point and so deeply nice. Food was so good and we are from San Diego, so we have had lots of Tapas. This takes it to the next level. Great.

I love this place. The owner is always there and seems like he really cares about all of the people eating here. I really enjoy it a bunch, the area needed a great place like this so the young adults and college kids in the area could hang out have fun and get great eats. They have live music on the weekends. It is my new fav. place. Check it out.

Atmosphere was so lovely. It reminded me of Spain & Europe! The food was tremendous Paella & dessert scrumptious. We intend to entertain our Friends & Business Associates in ambience of both of our cultures! Bravo!

I've been here several times and I absolutely love it. The only reason I won't give it 5 stars is because they are not consistent with the quality of food. The things I love: + SANGRIA!!! Delicious and fresh, always + Decor is breathtaking, perfect for special nights + the house paella, absolutely delicious all the time. You can't go wrong with this! + I've always had excellent service + salsa classes on Friday nights and live music (I think that's on Saturday) Now, the not so good things: For some reason, outside of the paella, the tapas vary in quality and taste. For example, las croquetas de pollo were dry last time I was there, but the time before, they were crunchy on the outside and moist inside, delicious as they should be. What happened? I'm not sure if these things vary because of changes in staff, but I would really like consistency and good quality since it is a bit on the expensive side

Love, love the favors. Hot, cold, seafood or meat everything os oustanding. Try the sangria flight first.

The staff here is soooo friendly. Had a great time out here with my wife. Definitely a place we will visit more often.

Great time for diner and drinks with anyone and everyone. Sangria wa great had a glass of each one very fun time.

Good food. If you get sangria get the original. The other one that has fruit has ginger and that's all u taste... Ohhh if you like ceviche. Try theirs. It's AMAZEBALLS

Good food, limited menu, excellent staff but very, very, pricey. We loved what we ordered, but it's hard to find value there.

I really enjoyed this place. The food was very delicious and the service was ok not great not bad just ok. Food and environment was awesome though.... As they say on point.

The service was quick and the atmostphere was friendly. The food itself was great and the staff (although they struggled to speak english) did their best to help. If you're hungry and roaming around Valencia then I definetely recommend it!

Great food, it is the best tapas place in town. My best day to go there is on Friday night, because I can have great tapas, wine, and the environment. There isn't any other place in town on Friday that I would rather be.

Tapas, Tapas and more Tapas Delight! I went here on a Friday night after work - it was about 7 o'clock when I picked up my friend and I was able to make an 8:45 reservation which was great. Due to low traffic we got there around 8:30 and were seated immediately with the choice of inside or patio. Since it was a beautiful night we decided to sit on the patio. The patio at La Taberna is beautiful - the seating is comfortable and you have twinkling lights above you and a soft fountain in the middle of the patio. Although being outside it was nice since we could hear the live music being played from inside which gave the patio a nice musical atmosphere. Our waitress was really sweet and dealt with my horrible butchering of Spanish words ( 3 years of Spanish clearly taught me nothing). My friend and I are foodies and love trying new things and with tapas - you have the chance to have a large variety of plates. We ordered: Croquetas de Pollo, Patatas Bravas, Queso Fundido, Pulpo a la Plancha, Gambas al Ajillo. For drinks I had the Lime in the Coconut which was very sweet but it wasn't so sweet that I felt like I just poured a packet of sugar in my mouth. The taste was sweet - but refreshing due to many spicy dishes. My friend ordered the Champagne Margarita with salt and she really liked it. (However it did not help her too much with the spicy food ahah) Out of all the dishes I personally think the Patatas Bravas was incredible - all the food was really good but the Patatas Bravas inched out the competition by a little bit. After dinner we shared a chocolate souffle with vanilla ice cream topped with a berry puree and had two large mugs of coffee - which was a great way to end the evening. The only weird thing was that the acoustic music had stopped halfway through the dinner and it seemed like a colorful disco ball was going off inside but it seemed like a dance class was taking place. Overall, I would go to La Taberna again because they serve up some Kick butt tapas

I love the paella at La Taberna! It has that perfect crust on the bottom. And their sangria flight... amaze balls! I'm a big wine person and I loooove sangria. They have this cinnamon sangria that makes your tastebuds melt. Their tapas is also great... the flat bread is phenomenal. Not to mention they have a live band playing on the weekends!

My experience is solely based on night event. No food was ordered. Only drinks. Our friend was hosting his birthday. This place turns into a club like Place which is nice. DJ Music was good. Service was attentive. But the drinks were simple. Just ok. Too expenses for just ok drinks. Needs a mixologist! I'll give them another try but perhaps for dinner or lunch next time.

Food is ok. Portions seem larger than some tapas places so no need to order more than 3-4.

Not the best place ever, but if your in the neighborhood I guess. Food is ok not a big deal, price is high for the portion. Paellas are small, well actually everything is small!!.

Good dishes and selection, service could of been more attentive, when I went it was a slow night and it annoys me when they are fully staffed and standing around and barely come around to see how we're doing, it's just tacky

Great ambience! Food is just ok & servings are even smaller than what other tapa restaurants serve, meaning less value for the diner.

The place was a bit empty, doesn't seem to have many people stop by but the good is delicious although the place does serve tapas the plates are too small and pricey. But the service is great. I'll definitely go back and give it another chance.

Food is always good. Great drinks. Service is hit or miss. Seems like when it's busy they are attentive,when it's not busy they're no where to be found

Was in class at UIC for a seminar and decided to walk there for lunch. Food was good, far from great. We each ordered from the lunch special. One in our party never received one of his orders. When addressing this concern, the waitress stated she would look into it. Never received the food, or a response. We had one hour for lunch, and it took that long to receive all our food. Never did receive a refill on our water, and never received our dessert. Very disappointed with the service especially since I'm the one that recommended this place. Funny side note, ceviche cup had a "delta airlines" spoon in it. Pretty much summed up our experience. Never been there for dinner, but we're not really in a hurry to return. Buyer beware.

Glad I got to try a new tapas place. I typically don't venture in this area of town but we couldn't get reservations at Cafe Baba Reeba so here we are. The service was mediocre. We had to repeat our orders numerous times to the waiter. The sangria was not the best I've had but the food was good especially the patatas bravas and bacon-wrapped dates. The server also made it weird by asking one of our girls for her ID but not asking another...then proceeded to disallow one not to drink because she left her ID at home even though he didn't card everyone at the table. If you are going to be a stickler, at least be consistent. Yeesh.

The service and the place were good. Actually, the place is probably the best thing of this restaurant because of the decoration. However, the menu and the portions are very limited and above all quite pricey. I'm from Spain and have been to multiple Spanish restaurants in Chicago throughout the last 4 years and, disappointingly, I couldn't enjoy the genuine Spanish taste and recepies in this restaurant. There are other restaurants in Chicago that offer a better option when it comes to Spanish food. Definitely, I will not include this restaurant in the top 5 of Spanish restaurants in the Chicago area. The tapas concept doesn't work if each of them has a steep price. A change in the pricing policy and including better ingredients could help the restaurant improve the food experience since this place has potential.

This is the worst tapas restaurant in Chicago! The worst anywhere I have been for that matter. They kind of have their own twist on traditional tapas items, but not a good twist. Odd flavors for the most part. And slightly pricey. Staff are friendly but had a difficult time keeping orders and tables straight. They don't offer basic things like bread and oil. You have to ask. A real disappointment since I live so close. I will stick with good old Café Iberico.

Place is over rated; service was terrible, food is ok but nothing great.. Most likely will never be back

Worst service ever. I don't think i ever felt that unwelcome like at this place. The choice of the food is good, but for the amount you are getting a bit too pricey. Been there once, first and the last time

Went with my husband to La Taberna on October 5th, 2013 for our anniversary. Did my research, 4.4 Star rating, interesting variety in the menu; seamed appealing. WORST TAPAS, DISHES EVER. Ordered the following, which arrived in minutes(hmm): Duck-entree from the grill- the duck tasted as if it was left out for days re-frozen and cooked. The rasberries, very old frozen not fresh. Asparragus no seasoning rubbery. Datiles con Tocino: very bland, no flavor... yes, even with the bacon, it was very bland... a waste. Pollo al Curry de Costa Rica: No flavor, very bland. Rice was mushy and a bit chewy. Queso Fundido: your traditional melted asadero cheese, typical mexican salsas on the side. Still not fresh. Again WORST TAPAS DISHES EVER. Not sure how this place has survived. We at least got our money back from one of the dishes. Felt like we were on a Kitchen Nightmares show. Left with an empty stomach. Should have gone to Olde Madrid.

We saw the channel 7 guy review them months prior to going but when we went, the place had just opened for the day. It took like an hour+ for our food. Then my husband got his food & all I ordered were flautas & I still had to wait. He was done by the time i received my plate. I wouldn't say they are authentic mexican, it's a bad cross with bougie American & something. The drinks are to far to the left. It's a mix of everything. It's like they are trying hard to be an elegant mexican restaurant but maybe I'm missing it. We didnt like it and was di displeased we left hungry after waiting all that time. Now I must mention that was our 2nd try. The 1st time we went, no one came to greet us or seat us nor bother to look our way and we were a well dressed couple (Sunday best, dressed) waiting after they address the other couple that was waiting to be seated. Nothing so we left. Our food experience was our 2nd attempt. 👎🏽

My friends and I were here last Friday. While the food was nothing special, we had a good time. So when my company offered a deal via restaurant. com I took it to try the food again. I wanted a night in so I called for a carryout and expressed that I had the voucher. I was told that it could only be used to dine in so that they can coax you into spending more money on alcohol and add ons. First of all, that is very brass to say to a customer. And second, not everyone drinks. I have a copy of the certificate which does not say ANYWHERE that it's dine-in only. I told the manager that I would provide a bad review, his response was "I don't care". What type of customer service is that. Will NEVER return to this ridiculous place. I hope no one else does either.