A Taste of Spain near the Magnificent Mile
Saturday, August 06, 2005
I don't believe they have changed the prices at Cafe Iberico in the last 6 years. If you enjoy having great Tapas at 1990s prices, Cafe Iberico is the place for you.
Cafe Iberico started offering Tapas in Chicago years before the recent Tapas craze that overtook Chicago. The emphasis at Iberico is pretty much on more traditional Tapas, so you probably won't find any of the fusiony asian-spanish-nuevo latino kinds of stuff here. Classics like Tortilla Espanola, Patatas of all types, various fried and grilled meats and seafoods - all are quite expertly done.
Cafe Iberico gets very crowded, and very loud, in the evening on weekends and some weekdays. It's a very popular post-work destination and in fact, it's not that pleasant when it gets overly crowded, unless you and your friends plan on getting drunk enough to ignore it. IF you want to focus on the food, try coming at lunchtime when it's quieter.
Plan on ordering about 1.5-2 tapas per person. Any more and you'll probably be overstuffed.