Cafe Marbella: User Reviews
Cafe Marbella
3446 W. Peterson Ave. - Chicago773-588-9922
Absolutely delicious. There's a ton of vegetarian items on the menu and everything we had was scrumptious and fresh. It's BYOB and a very relaxed atmosphere. The owner is friendly, interesting and super knowledgeable about food and wine. Be sure to look at the art on the walls... I look forward to going back again soon!
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Cafe Marbella is a great spot for authentic Spanish tapas. We have been there twice and have never had a bad dish. The dining room is nothing fancy and atmosphere leaves a little to be desired, but we go for the food. The owner is always present in the dining room, serving and greeting each table. Everyone is friendly, and you don't have to fight crowds or search for parking for outstanding tapas and paella. Plus it's BYOB, so an extra bonus!
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I have gone to every tapas restaurant in Chicago and suburbs, and
think Cafe Marbella is no question hands down one of the best, if not the best.
If you are interested in the food and spending an evening with friends and family
in a quaint establishment this is the place. I have brought friends who have
never tried tapas, I had my birthday party with friends, and several other groups, they all have loved it and returned. If you want trendy versus really good authentic tapas, then you might want to stick to the usual suspects. Enrique is a wonderful host and will make sure you have a good experience. Parking is a piece of cake.
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I had dinner on Saturday with my boyfriend and when we entered the restaurant, it was fairly empty. We were greeted by the host who seemed pleasant and sat us. There were only 2 waitresses for a Saturday evening. The place quickly became crowded, we waited 20 minutes before our order was taken. The food was okay for a b.y.o.b. We had the mussels in cream sauce which was the best tapa we had ordered. We also had the flatbread which was overloaded with grilled onions, and squid in garlic sauce which was rather chewy. We asked for our bill which took another 15 minutes to receive. Once we gave the waitress our credit card, it took yet another 15 minutes to get it back and that was after having to ask for our card back. The waitress brings our credit card back and apologizes that she had given our credit card to another table. This is not standard practice for any business and is not acceptable. My overall experience is the service was very slow, they were understaffed and the food was simply mediocre. I think next time I'll pay extra for better service and friendlier staff members.
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WOW!! this place is quite the gem!! every dish we had was outstanding. the figs were out of this world, loved the portobellas, and the potato salad was delicious!! we had more small plates and every one was excellent. we brought in our own wine from argentina which complimented the meal well. as others have stated, the ambiance is lacking, but once you start eating - who cares!! and then we got our bill!!! $34 for four of us!!! incredible, i can't wait to go back and check out the mussels.
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I dined here on Sat Sept 6th. It is the best Tapas I've had in the city of Chicago. Not much ambience, but the food is VERY good. Even the deserts were yummy. They serve all of the usual suspects - so much better than the Tapas places in Lincoln Park/Lakeview! The service was good - the owner is very attentive.
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We love this restaurant. We've been there 3 times now and each time the staff is so friendly and really seem to care about their food and customers. The small plates are really fantastic--all VERY fresh ingredients, perfectly spiced, traditional combos. It is really a great small restaurant doing things right.
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This is one of THEE best places to eat. We just left there now and are sp pleased with the service and the food. The chef came out to ask us how it was (rarity now-a-days) you must try this place its wonderful!
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Took us a long time to get there but it was worth it. We ran into some traffic and this place is quite North. When we got there, the owner Enrique made us feel at home. Enrique is passionate about the food and it is delicious. The Tapas are interesting, creative, traditional and TASTY. We tried the garlic potato salad, the shrimp in garlic and oil, the figs wrapped in bacon. We also ordered the Paella Valenciana, which was moist and delicious. This is a neighborhood gem. I wish we had a BYOB Tapas place like this in Philly.
So Chicagoans, get thee to Cafe Marbella. Bring a couple bottles of wine and enjoy a wonderful evening.
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My friend and I stumbled upon this place soon after it opened and have been there several times since. The decor is not great, but it's friendly and the portions are good. So far, we've tried the shrimp in garlic and olive oil, mushrooms and baked goat cheese among the tapas and some of the salads; they've been outstanding. It's nice to find an unpretentious neighborhood place that had good food and good atmosphere.
Bring a good bottle of Tempranillo or Sangria and you're all set.
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Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 26 users:
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