I'm a native Chicagoan, very familiar with Spanish cuisine and I love 1492. For one of these "reviewers" to call it fake is just patently absurd. Simply put, I have never had a bad experience at... More

I'm a native Chicagoan, very familiar with Spanish cuisine and I love 1492. For one of these "reviewers" to call it fake is just patently absurd. Simply put, I have never had a bad experience at this restaurant. Everything is fresh, the space is cozy and the service is knowledgable. Granted, Cafe Iberico offers more variety than 1492 but it's also a much different ambiance. Even though I haven't lived in Chicago for 10 years, I return regularly to 1492 to meet with friends over lovely, well-priced wines and tapas. Ignore the other reviews- they obviously have some sort of ax to grind or else don't understand the nuances of ethnic dining. Pros: authentic Spanish cuisine, nice wine list and reasonable prices Cons: service can sometimes be eratic
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I went there with my coworkers during a conference trip and we were totally disappointed by this FAKE Spanish restaurant. First, we arrived around 9.30pm; we asked them if it was OK to eat at this... More

I went there with my coworkers during a conference trip and we were totally disappointed by this FAKE Spanish restaurant. First, we arrived around 9.30pm; we asked them if it was OK to eat at this hour. The waitress said Ok but after receiving the entree (2minutes after), they asked us to pay without asking if we wanted desserts or coffee. We were in middle of our dinner and they kicked us out. Secondly, the food was awful. Some of tapas were really terrible and the paella was ridiculous. And they call themselves Spanish restaurant. I swear that it is better to go to Chevy?s or Mc Donalds Pros: Ambience Cons: food, service
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Even after reading the horrific reviews of this place, I decided to go try it with some friends. The building itself is lovely, and it still has the feel of an old house. The food and service,... More

Even after reading the horrific reviews of this place, I decided to go try it with some friends. The building itself is lovely, and it still has the feel of an old house. The food and service, however, really didn't measure up. The drinks were good, but it took the waiter 20 minutes to bring me a glass of sangria after I asked for it twice, and my friends already had their drinks, with no apology. We ordered five different tapas, and I couldn't actually say that any of them were good. The potatoes in the patatas bravas were undercooked, the croquettas de pollo and the goat cheese were bland, and the pinchos de pollo and camerones were overcooked, and had an overwhelmingly charred taste. On top of all that, all the food was luke-warm. For far better versions of these tapas and better service, I'll be sticking with Cafe Iberico, which is right nearby. Pros: Nice building Cons: Food and service
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We don't usually write reviews, much less negative ones but our experience in 1492 definitely merits one. We'll keep it simple: bland/tacky ambiance, watered down sangria, terrible patatas bravas... More

We don't usually write reviews, much less negative ones but our experience in 1492 definitely merits one. We'll keep it simple: bland/tacky ambiance, watered down sangria, terrible patatas bravas (one of our usual favorites), slow, rude and confused servers...and to top it all off we were overcharged; we were just looking at our bank statement online and they charged us $78. We signed for $70 after tip. Very shady. Just avoid the experience altogether, I wish we would have. Pros: none Cons: everything
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Big Lie! Would not recommend. Food was very so so. Tuesdays are supposed to be 1/2 price for wine but they are way over priced. Very unsatisified!

Big Lie! Would not recommend. Food was very so so. Tuesdays are supposed to be 1/2 price for wine but they are way over priced. Very unsatisified!
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My wife and I went today for an early dinner with our handicapped daughter, her boyfriend and our youngest daughter. The wheelchair lift was still out of order after a year, and they even had a... More

My wife and I went today for an early dinner with our handicapped daughter, her boyfriend and our youngest daughter. The wheelchair lift was still out of order after a year, and they even had a table blocking it. The wine list had a selection of good Spanish wines, that we would recommend. We selected a Rioja wine with a particular vintage that was on the menu, and they brought a different vintage and tried to pass it off as the one we had ordered. They never brought one of our tapas orders but they did charge us for it. Some of the food was very good, but other items were mediocre. The paella, although with plenty of seafood and tasty was a small portion for the price and the rice was very mushy -not at all like a paella should be-. Altough the service was friendly it was very dissorganized, and the waiters were unfamiliar with the dishes and their own menu. Several food items are not real Spanish cuisine although they were very good. For example, the "boquerones" were served as an italian "bruschetta" and the stuffed mussels were prepared with Parmesan cheese. Finally, the "crema catalana" the Spanish version for a creme brulee was too runny and bland. Chicago needs a good and consistent Spanish restaurant. Pros: Wine selection, tapas variety Cons: Inconsistent food quality and disorganized service
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After careful consideration of several tapas spots, I decided on The 1492 for dinner last Tuesday. I called ahead for reservations, and I also asked if the Tuesday night bar special was still going... More

After careful consideration of several tapas spots, I decided on The 1492 for dinner last Tuesday. I called ahead for reservations, and I also asked if the Tuesday night bar special was still going on. The gentleman responded yes, and confirmed my reservation. First off, the restaurant has valet parking, which is wonderful considering it's location (very difficult parking street). The outdoor is beautiful, very festive. Our waitress was great, actually way above average as servers go. My date had a peach sangria, and I ordered the traditional, mine was wonderful, according to my date, her?s tasted a little bit watery . The tapas were very good. The bacon wrapped dates were excellent. The mussels came in a delicious marinara sauce, soooo good. The cheese plate was average, but very well presented. For the entree we shared the paella. The rice was cooked perfectly, infused with savory broth. The seafood was not over-cooked,and good quality. When the bill came, I noticed that the half price sangria?s special advertised on the website was not applied, I asked the server about it, explaining that I called in advance and was told that the special was still going strong, and she kindly explained to us that Sangria special is on Monday?s ? I checked it out later and she was right- although mistake was mine, the manager came to our table and honor the Monday?s special on a Tuesday!, well in my opinion this is WONDERFUL service. I'll be back! Pros: wonderful food, great service, gorgeous outdoor Cons: any
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The food was mediocre or really bad and the service was worse than incompetent. After bringing us the wrong items, the waitress argued with us that she had brought the right thing because her order... More

The food was mediocre or really bad and the service was worse than incompetent. After bringing us the wrong items, the waitress argued with us that she had brought the right thing because her order pad and what she brought matched, never mind that she wrote down the wrong things. Mercifully, two dishes we ordered never arrived even after reviewing the order so we could cut the night short. And, here's the kicker: The watiress didn't know what I meant when I ordered "a fino" -- in Spanish restaurant! -- and when it came it was served in a cordial glass (and for $12). DO NOT GO! We certainly will not. Pros: Easy to walk to from Michigan Ave Cons: Food was not good, service was imcompetent and rude
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This is the perfect place to go out for drinks and tapas, with friends or on a date. It has a beautiful outdoor seating area that gives it a cozy atmosphere, along with good music playing in the... More

This is the perfect place to go out for drinks and tapas, with friends or on a date. It has a beautiful outdoor seating area that gives it a cozy atmosphere, along with good music playing in the background. The food is exquisite and the service is great. One of the owners, Jesus is a sweetheart and the place has a great vibe over all. We loved the sangria, this time we tried the cava, but can't wait to try the peach flavor, or maybe the apple. All in all it was a great way to spend my best friend's last night in Chicago (she just moved back to Hawaii) and I would recommend this place to friends, for special occations or just to go relax and enjoy the atmosphere after a long day or before a night of partying. It does get busy, so I would recommend making reservations. Pros: Great ambience, great food and mixed drinks. Cons: None but if it's a weekend get a reservation as it gets very crowded.
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We had a fabulous meal last night, table for six. Excellent service for our waiter, a charming owner who made sure the restaurant was happy and offered to buy us a round of beers. But mostly, what... More

We had a fabulous meal last night, table for six. Excellent service for our waiter, a charming owner who made sure the restaurant was happy and offered to buy us a round of beers. But mostly, what is really going to bring me back is the authentic and delicious Spanish tapas. I was excited to see all the classics, like croquetas, albondigas and jamon serrano, and they didn't disappoint. I especially recommend the cheese plate and the....I forget the name....but it's a mixed of chicken, meat and spanish sausages with potatoes and alioli sauce. If you like Spanish food, GO, GO, GO!
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