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    Little Madrid Tapas Cafe

    4.1 (191 reviews)
    PriceySpanish, Cafes
    Closed 4:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Little Madrid Tapas Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    LITTLE MADRID TAPAS CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Little Madrid Tapas Cafe

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    Mismatched cutlery
    Sabrina R.

    We had an extremely frustrating dining experience at Little Madrid Tapas Cafe on Valentine's Day and unfortunately will not be returning. We had a reservation for 8:15 PM and arrived at 8:16. The hostess seemed genuinely surprised we were there and had to search around the jam-packed restaurant to find us a table. The seating was incredibly tight and uncomfortable, squeezed between other tables in a second room. I understand it was a busy holiday, but the setup felt disorganized from the start. Once seated, we waited 15 minutes with only a cocktail menu before anyone came over. When our waiter finally arrived, he asked if we were ready to order, except we had not been given any food menus. He scrambled to find a paper menu, which turned out to be a heavily reduced version of what is listed online. None of the pintxos shown on their website were available, and there was no notice anywhere (OpenTable or their site) that the menu would be limited for the evening. We ordered: * Pimientos de Padrón * Patatas Bravas * Ham Croquetas * Bacon-wrapped Dates The food was a major letdown. The pimientos arrived room temperature, with no char or grilled flavor. They were basically limp peppers with no seasoning. Even worse, they were served on a badly chipped plate, which is completely unacceptable from a cleanliness and safety standpoint. The dates were tasty, but only lukewarm, like they had been sitting out too long. The patatas bravas were the most disappointing. Instead of crispy potatoes, they were mushy, soft home-style fries with no bite. The sauce was oddly sweet and nothing like the paprika and aioli pairing described online. There was clearly no aioli at all. We did not eat them. The biggest issue is that the croquetas never came out, and there was not even a check-in or explanation. The drinks did not help much either. The Estrella beer was fine, but my sangria tasted like juice with minimal fruit and very little wine presence. To top it off, we had to wave down another waiter just to get our check because ours was too busy chatting with other tables. When we asked for the missing croquetas to be removed, the staff seemed confused and unprepared. When I mentioned we did not like the potatoes, our waiter looked shocked and immediately questioned "Why?" instead of listening or offering any apology. Even the ambiance was strange. There was soft instrumental guitar music in our room, while the main room had loud Bad Bunny and a party vibe. I love Bad Bunny, but the inconsistency was jarring. Small detail, but even the utensils were mismatched. I had a spreading knife while my fiancé had a butter knife. Nothing felt intentional or polished. We came here hoping for a special Valentine's Day dinner after seeing strong Yelp reviews, but the experience was disorganized, inattentive, and disappointing. We love tapas spots in Chicago (Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is a favorite), and we wanted to support a smaller business, but this was a mistake.

    Euro Bacon: Bacon Wrapped Dates with Brie Cheese. Includes an almond inside too.
    Joneice B.

    We had a lovely time at this restaurant. It also happened to be the celebration of them being in business for six years and so it made for a very lively dining experience. On this occasion, there was live music and a flamenco dancer. It was very entertaining and brought a really cool atmosphere to the restaurant. For this evening, my friend had made a reservation for a table for three. When I arrived, we were promptly seated yet. It was very crowded in the restaurant so service was very slow. It took at least 25 minutes before I was able to even put a drink order in so that was a little frustrating. Anyway, once our table was served our overall experience was good. For the evening, we decided to share the deal they had going on, which on which was a bottle of red wine out of Spain for $30 a bottle. We ended up splitting two of these bottles between three people. For tapas, we got the albondingas, Euro bacon, charcuterie board, and we also got the Shishido peppers. We really enjoyed the Albondingas which are also like meatballs and the charcuterie board. We also really like the peppers as they were flavored with this seasoning. That was really unique. The whole table was not convinced on the euro bacon. While they look very fancy and tasted delicious to me, others thought they were overly sweet. We finished the evening off, ordering a slice of the basque cheesecake which was being featured on the restaurant week menu. That was really delicious. We definitely enjoyed eating that with glasses of our red wine. I did think that the pricing for one slice of cheesecake was over the top $18 is slightly ridiculous. Overall, the ambience was nice. The live music was really good. We also enjoyed seeing the flamenco dancer who was Mail and he's from grease actually. Another fun thing that occurred that evening as we got to hear the owner speak about why this restaurant is important to him, and we also got some shots of sangria straight to the mouth which was for a fun entertaining table event all at all I would come back to this restaurant for tapas and drinks.

    Patatas bravioli
    Jeremías C.

    The food was ok some dishes were really good and some dishes were disappointing. So they had different size tapas 1-2 people and 3-4 people I believe. The tapas that were 1-2 people were maybe for 1 small child. It was pretty crazy how small the portions were even for tapas. The gambas al ajillo was delicious but it only had like 6 tiny shrimps. The euro bacon was bacon wrapped dates, it only brought 2 pieces but to be fair it tasted good. Patatas bravioli was potatoes in a spicy sauce with aioli drizzle it was good. We had ordered pulpo a la gallega but they didn't have it and we ordered pulpo a la plancha. That tapa was from the larger tapa menu and it was still small. And last we got the huevos rotos. It was 2 fried eggs over a few cured meats and burnt potato chips. The chips were terrible and were burnt and soggy somehow. The worst part was the wait time. When we walked in they told us 30-45 minutes for a paella so we didn't order that. The restaurant wasn't really busy but everything still took long. We eventually asked why none of our food was coming out and she said the huevos take a really long time to make. 2 sunny side eggs over cured meats and potato chips shouldn't take take long but it took like an hour in a half. The waitress was nice the restaurant was clean food was ok. Worst thing was small portions and the wait time.

    Brandy G.

    Came in on a Friday night after looking for nearby restaurants in the Andersonville neighborhood I was staying in with friends. Little Madrid's was within walking distance and had availability for reservations and good reviews so it was the choice we went with. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to see a flamenco and Spanish guitar performance would be occurring the night of our visit and opted to sit inside to enjoy (they also offer outdoor dining on the street). Our table enjoyed the following (mostly standard) tapas amongst ourselves: - Albondigas - Croquetas de Francisco - Patatas Bravioli - Spanish Tortilla - Pulpo a la plantxa None of the dishes were particular standouts to me though if I had to pick I would probably go with the albondigas. Every Spanish tapas place I've been to puts their own unique little touches to most of these dishes and although Little Madrid's was cute none of the dishes were particular standouts to me. The interior of the restuarant was cute but service was also a little hit or miss. Again, it was a Friday night and they were busy so that may have something to do with it. Not sure that I'll be back as there are there are other tapas spots in Chicago I enjoy more (i.e. Ba Ba Reeba over in the Lincoln Park area) but you won't have a terrible time if you do go (and maybe even a surprise flamenco performance).

    Bao L.

    There is free street parking on the Sunday which was nice. The place is bigger than it looks from the outside. The place was pretty empty for Sunday lunch, and the servers did not rush us when we chilled for a while. We tried their Restaurant Week menu. While it tastes fine overall, somehow the tapas were not very memorable. There is the olive oil anchovy. There was more than 1 dish with potato chips which filled us up. There are not a lot of tapas places in the city and the place definitely has potential to be popular.

    Queso de Cabral (baked goat cheese with a tomato sauce)
    Audra Z.

    This place was so good!! We tried a lot of things and all were phenomenal! Presentation was fantastic! Tried the Agua de Valencia cocktail-so tasty. Highly recommend this place. Our favorite was the patatas bravioli. Dug in so fast forgot to take a picture. Will definitely be going back!

    Jacqueline B.

    I came here to celebrate Restaurant Week, and I was still 'flying' high from my trip to Spain. There are some other 'regular' Tapas places in the city but I wanted a change of scenery so we picked Andersonville. After a long trip on 3 buses, I arrived a little early for my reservation for 3. I sat and ordered a glass of wine, tempranillo.. It was very quiet for a Saturday brunch at 1pm, but I was happy to see that. The host seemed to be serving double duty as waiter. I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, and a picture of a famous Spanish woman (sorry I don't know who she was) was on the door to indicate 'Women's' room. It was clean and neat but no soap or towels! The host told me to use the Men's room with a picture of Julio Iglesias. At least I do like him! When I ordered the wine, the waiter handed me the 'Happy Hour' menu, and I asked if it was Happy Hour. He had a nice Spanish accent so I did not quite hear his reply, but it sounded like 'yes'. The décor of the place had some authentic feel to it, esp the street signs and fans posted on the wall. The happy hour price was $7, the menu read $9 or $10 but the bill showed up as $11. Not a problem really but maybe a lapse in communication. The Restaurant Week menu for $30 brunch consisted of Patatas bravioli, anchovies with olives, tuna with potato salad, bacon wrapped dates, and mini serrano ham sandwiches. That's a nice deal, I did not add up how much it would cost a la carte, but everything tasted fine! Not great but very good. Our party of 3 split a pitcher of sangria, also very good, but not very strong. Dessert was not included but we enjoyed the churros and dipped warm chocolate. The waiter chatted with us about our trip, and it was a good overall time. There was a 'hospitality fee' of $9 on the bilI. Is that a holdover from COVID? I don't know if it was on the menu but a warning would have been nice. The prices on the receipt were a little higher than the menu, but it is a new year. if I were in the area I may go back; it's such a long way from me, but I admit I liked not being squeezed in like the other tapas places.

    Paella Vegetariana
    Divya V.

    My friends and I visited this place for brunch on Memorial Day weekend. We were not planning to dine at this place however since most places were closed due to a long weekend, we were glad to get some food at this place. The place had outdoor and indoor seating, we decided to sit outside as the weather was kind to us. This is a BYOB place and there is a liquor shop right next to the restaurant. We ordered a lot of vegetarian and seafood tapas. We ordered patato bravas, paella (vegetarian and seafood) and shishito peppers. The food was honestly disappointing. The paella was very cheesy which was a bit weird to me, and the taste wasn't that authentic. Shishito peppers and potatoes were too oily as well. I am giving this place 3 stars only for ambiance and good service, the food wasn't that great. I don't think I'll visit this place again!

    Euro Bacon wrapped dates
    Briana L.

    Little Madrid Cafe in Andersonville is a hidden gem for group tapas! Come with friends to try lots of dishes. In order of favorites Housemade sangria with fresh fruit. Worth getting carafe, both alcoholic or non-alcoholic available. Bacon wrapped dates MUST GET!!! Could've eaten 2 plates by myself Meatballs - waiter recommended & so glad he did! Jamon & cheese croquettes were huge with a fondue like filling! Garlic shrimp gambas - If I had a soup spoon with more bread, would've eaten all the sauce on its own Patatas bravas in spicy tomato sauce Shoshito peppers Seafood paella - order early, takes 30 min. This was the only underwhelming dish. Very attentive service, cool decor that feels very Madrid authentic.

    Tortilla
    Ernie H.

    A secret rendezvous with your mystery partner not meant to be seen in public. That's the vibe here. It's dark and slow this Wednesday night. The sangria is excellent with a touch of ginger ale( can't prove that). The albondingas( meat balls) and the tortillas were good. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the mussels(mejillones). I suspect it came from a can - not uncommon for Spanish but for $15 and the abundance of fresh mussels here why a can? The gambas alajillo tasted sanitized. I also did not like the FADO music . I'm sure some people like the melancholy mournful tunes - I'm just not one of them. The music made this 3 stars it was borderline 4.

    Amazing food and service! The ambience was great and quite apt for a date-night especially. The basque cheesecake was to die for! A must-have.

    Esparragos en Aoli (White Asparagus with Aoli sauce) - I do not recommend.

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    8 months ago

    The tapas at Little Madrid is the best in Chicago. The dining room is tight but cozy and comfortably sophisticated.

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    Page 1 of 5

    Little Madrid Tapas Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Little Madrid Tapas Cafe

    Is there a corkage fee?

    Yes

    Do they serve alcohol or allow you to bring your own in?

    They have limited bar service. Sangria and a small collection of wine and beer. Call to see if you can bring your own -- it will be a better choice!

    Does this business have outside seating?

    Yes they normally do. Currently sidewalk is under construction and may not have tables outside right now.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Kopi A Travelers Cafe

    Kopi A Travelers Cafe

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    Breakfast Pizza Of The Future
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    3.7
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    Firstly, shoutout to the staff. There was two of them and they handled a dinner rush like pros…read more When we got there and ordered there were only a couple of people ordering and by the time I had gotten out of the bathroom the lobby was full. Secondly, the decor of the place is pretty cool. Great Wall design, mini arcade, very instagrammable. In terms of drinks - we liked them a lot. I had the Lovebirds Tea with Coffee and Tapioca and that tasted pretty good, and I love coffee so that was good for me. And my wife got the uni fruit combo Jasmine green tea and she liked that as well. Well come back next time and order food too!

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    Inside
    Inside
    Uni Uni Uptown - Chicago
    Uni Uni Uptown - Chicago

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    The Understudy Coffee And Books

    The Understudy Coffee And Books

    4.3
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    0.2 mi

    Love this space! Half of it is a work from home space where a lot of people have laptops out and…read moreare working. The other half of the space is a book store with some great books and little trinkets. I opted to get a Ube Matcha and it was VERY good! Love that the ube was well balanced with the matcha. The baristas were kind and helpful to answer questions about the matcha/coffee.

    On our way to class recently, we stopped by The Understudy Coffee and Books for the first time to…read morecheck it out. The coffee shop was bustling and almost full around 12:30 pm. We were lucky to grab the last small round table for two.  The pastry case was only 40% stocked at this point. We were happy that they still had our favorites -- 2 almond croissants ($14 for 2) and a cappuccino ($5 + $0.50 Oat Milk) to go.  The cashier was very friendly, patient, and welcoming. The decor of the store is modern and charming.  There were a variety of seating options, and many customers were working on their laptops while enjoying their drinks, giving the café a cozy yet lively atmosphere. The bookstore occupies about half of the space and features an impressive collection of books focused on drama and theatre.  If you are interested in theatre, this thoughtfully curated bookstore is for you. We noticed a sign indicating that The Understudy partners with Defloured Bakery, which also partners with a long list of businesses, including another coffee shop in the neighborhood that we frequent a lot. We have enjoyed almond croissants and other baked goods at that café very often, they were just as delicious and large, since they were sourced from the same bakery. However, The Understudy charged $7 for an almond croissant, while the other café charged only $4.50 for the exact same pastry. That's a significant price difference. The cappuccino was another slight disappointment. It was only lukewarm rather than hot, although I am not sure whether the oat milk substitution may have affected the temperature. Judging by how popular The Understudy was during our visit, it's clear that many people appreciate its ambiance, curated bookstore, and friendly service. If those qualities are important to you, you may find the higher prices well worth it.

    Photos
    Iced vanilla latte, chocolate croissant
    Iced vanilla latte, chocolate croissant
    Interior
    Interior
    Ube matcha

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    Ube matcha

    Little Madrid Tapas Cafe - spanish - Updated July 2026

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