Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba | Chicago, Il

{This is an excerpt from a larger post. To read my entire post on Chicago, click here.}

I love the space at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba. The bar area has several Serrano hams hanging from the ceiling and the main dining area is a large space with a glass roof, which made it feel contemporary and open. 

The gluten-free menu at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is not as extensive as their regular menu, but still had a lot to choose from. They are very conscientious about gluten-free eaters and will prepare your food in a separate kitchen upon request. We enjoyed the Paella Valenciana, Patatas Bravas, and Gambas al Ajillo. 

The food was hearty without being a gut bomb. I liked the shrimp quite a bit as they were sweet and had the perfect amount of garlicky flavor in the oil. I also liked the paella, but wished it had the crunchy soccarat that true Valencian paella is known for. 

We didn't have to worry about the tot here since the atmosphere was quite loud and any whining from a 3 year old would be quickly drowned out by drunken laughter and loud conversation. 

By the end of the evening I was two days into Chicago and already feeling my waistline starting to expand with all of the rich food, not knowing that Saturday was going to be a day of astounding caloric consumption for me.