Eivissa : User Reviews

Well-priced, well-located and pretty, Eivissa could have been a contendah but then chemically castrated itself by serving up dish after dish of utter mediocrity. So with heavy hearts and in proper attire, we continue our search for a restaurant to plunge into the breach of upscale in Old Town's rising sea of sports bars. Caring not how good the food, if we drive up and see a backward ball-cap we're busting a U back downtown.

Before the bad we must mention the good. Or the great. The Sangria Amnesia is perhaps the best Sangria ever to have passed the author's unshaven lips and evaporated directly into his brainstem. When they say on the menu that it has a secret kick, they aren't exaggerating. It's pricier than the other pitchers but you aren't going to be having more than one no matter how much you and your date drink or they'll be putting up chairs around your drooling passed-out faces at closing time. The Amnesia may be fruity and murky and red but surely the "secret kick" is clear as day. Huh huh. Everclear.

Even though the Amnesia was the way to go, we started by ordering the Xampany with bubbliez. Except OOOps! It can't be ordered in a pitcher. This makes logical sense as a pitcher of sparkle would quickly become dull but say so on the menu! We came here to use our digestive systems, not our cognitive centers and don't appreciate being made to think logically about cocktail selection.

Had the food struck Tapa gold, (or even bronze) the author being the petty prickly piece of poopy that he is would have still complained about the pitcher but sadly, Eivissa set out to compete for a nugget of gold and came back with a beach full of quartz.

The best tapa of the evening was Canelon Relleno, which, BTW, is misspelled on the menu! (There is no "ñ" in Relleno) And even this was just OK. It was strong, which we expect, but the salsa did not complement the seafood. Salsa rarely does. Indeed, it seemed to us that none of the sauces did much for their respective tapas. They even served some spicy mayonnaise with pork loin skewers (pincho moruno). This was such an odd combo that it almost took away from the flavor of the potatos which were the best part of the dish. Luckily you could just remove the mayo gob. The duck breast confit was actually a duck-leg confit despite the menu's promise. This was supposed to be a substitute for the grilled pork loin (Secreto de Cerdo) which was apparently so secreto that it ran out and forgot to tell anyone to restock. Sorry wait staff, duck does not pig substitute make. The salmon wasn't bad but overcooked and far too small even for a tapa. It's meant to be shared so make it big enough to share without microscopic surgery. The asparagus was actually really good but given its salt content, it could have not been anything else. So salty, that I couldn't even pee to see if it smelled. (Though, the Sangria may have played a part.) We didn't bother with desert but just kept drinking.

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True tapas and Spain aficionados don't need to be lured by trendy dish presentations, but Eivissa stays close to the basics with a full pintxos and tapas menu offering recognizeable items such as solomillo, pulpo, jamon serrano, and churros.

Prices are a bit inflated for the relatively small platters on offer (some of which can't be shared by more than two people), but this can be overlooked given how well the dishes are prepared.

All of the items I tried were absolutely delicious, except for their "crema catalana" which is really chocolate pudding. Craving the actual custard topped with a sugar coating, I was sorely disappointed when the waiter brought our "crema catalana" to the table.

But overall, Eivissa offers a full tapas menu with mostly delicious items, accompanied with excellent service that make your occasional visit here worthwhile. Try to take advantage of the outdoor seating during warmer months, overlooking the restored 19th-century buildings that line Wells Street.

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went there for a girls nite out and had some great food, tasty sangria, and a great waiter. he provided recs on what to eat, and drink, which were all a slam dunk...and he was entertaining on top of it alll. make sure to get the meat and cheese plate with the 2 types of sausages to start off. we had about 7 tapas after that and they were all tasty. we left very full, pretty buzzed, and all for $35 each!

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Just returned from Eivissa after having an absolutely satisfying experience. Got there early with no trouble getting a table. We had the sausages, shrimp, goat cheese and duck and every dish had us licking our lips. The goat cheese was my favorite. Our waiter, Nicolas, was incredible, informative, friendly and genuine. We enjoyed as he sat at the table with us and shared great conversation. The desserts he brought were to die for...how did he know of our penchant for chocolate. Churros with a chocolate dipping sauce, chocolate creme brulee and the winner of the three, chocolate cake. Sounds like a lot of chocolate but not for us. We will be back very soon.

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I had heard/read mixed reviews so a group of us had to try it out. Service and food was great. A slight and welcomed variation from other tapas joints in town. The atmosphere was comfortable and allowed for easy conversation.

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Wells Street in Old Town is a favorite dining/ drinking spot, so I looked forward to a new option. The menu is very heavy on pork, but offers a handful of other options and diferentiaties itself vs. other popular tapas restaurants. It's a nice, looking comforatable space- and busy. Unfortunately, the waiter was not on his A-game, forgot about a dish and brought the check (forgot about us in general).

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Since there are an abundance of spanish and tapas restaurants in the Chicago are this is just not going to cut it. My husband and I went here with another couple and although the service was great the food was not. The white sangria was ok, and the empanada with pea puree was actually good, but everything else was subpar. I will not be back.

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I can't believe all the reviews that I have read, I'm From Spain and I went to this place cause the name eivissa is IBIZA in Catalan.. and is my favourite island in the Mediterranean.. So I went there to tray...
I think that is the worse spanish food place of all Chicago.. the cured Ham was awful and the tomato bread with out olive oil neither salt and it was COLD!! so it was tosted hours ago!!! the croquetas.. with an horrible sauce and not well done. What about the Tortilla!!! it was dry with out any taste... There are better restaurants of spanish food in Chicago. I don't gonna a tell it here cause I don't If I can... but for me this is the worse... is a good bar though. there was a lot of people and I think is good to get drinks.

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Eivissa was absolutely fabulous. The best tapas in the city and the Sangria cannot be beat. The ambiance was fun, perfect for meeting girlfriends for some sangria and tapas. I loved everything I ate ... I already cannot wait to go back. Best restaurant to hit the city this summer! The servers new the menu inside and out, I was very impressed. Eivissa is delicioso

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I expected this place to be good. The ambiance was great but it was way overpriced and the portions were tiny! If you're going to serve tapas, the portions need to feed more than one person. Also, the margaritas were not the best, tasted like Goldschlagger ....

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