If you're looking for a chill, welcoming place this is the place to go. The staff is extremely welcoming and willing to accommodate to your needs. The only reason why I didn't score it higher was because I'm a hard critic when it comes to Paella. I went on a Monday, for dinner. The different tapas have great presentation. I really enjoyed their patatas fritas, they were very tasty and not that spicy. If you're in the mood for something sweeter the Datiles de tocino might be a good option for you. Although I was a little disappointed with the paella, it needed a little more flavor, but other than that it was good. For dessert we had the chocolate cake with ice cream which was sooo good! read more

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What a wonderful evening we had tonight! This was my first visit to Tapas Valencia, which is owned by the same people of Meson Sabika!! First off, I can't compliment our server Margarita enough! She was so friendly, attentive to our needs, provided yummy recommendations, and kept our glasses always full! Excellent customer service, musicians were amazing, the flamenco dancer was talented, and food was delicious. Highly recommended and do ask for Margarita as your server! Thank you for a memorable night! Other pluses: $6 valet parking, free dessert with Yelp checkin - you can choose any from the menu but try the butternut squash bread pudding which is a unique chef creation just for the fall season and is so so good!! read more

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I ordered paella Valencia from Tapas Valencia in the summer of 2020. My mouth was anticipating the wonderful flavors that I experienced when eating paella in the cantina at the Air Force base in Zaragoza, Spain, but I was sadly disappointed. The paella was drenched in a salty tomato sauce, and neither the seafood or vegetables were fresh. My advice is stay away from the paella Valencia. read more

Excellent food. This is one of the better food at tapas place. The food tasted well, the server was very helpful. Eventhough they didnt have bread on menu, when we requested for our little one they gave it us. He kept coming back and asking us if we needed anything. He was super attentive. The place lacks an fun ambiance like that of BaBa Reeba. It was a very quiet restaurent for a friday. read more

Tonight was my first visit here at this restaurant. Given these are the same people behind Meson Sabika in Naperville I thought this place has got to have good Tapas. I'm happy to report it does. The restaurant is decorated in very vibrant colors. We were early to meet another couple for dinner and we saddled up to the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. We shared a Rose Cava to start. Yummo! Followed by a nice Rioja for me, and my husband had a glass of Rose. I thought the Cava was better, and I enjoyed the Rioja. We shared six dishes, which included grilled octopus served over sliced potatoes. Your typical Chicken Brochette on a skewer served with a spicy sauce, Patats Brava (spicy potatoes), garlic potatoes, beef skewers with grilled onions and goat cheese with Basil & marinara served with garlic toast. All in all the dishes did not disappoint. Waitress did forget one dish, but when brought to her attention rushed to get it out. We were there to catch up with friends and the waitress did not want to be overly intrusive, but provided good service with minimal interruption. Overall, a great pick. A nice neighborhood spot for our friends and another new place under my belt. Delish! read more

Really enjoyed dinner here. The tapas portions were shareable for two. We enjoyed the dates wrapping in bacon, the pork tenderloin, the crab and avocado on bread and the chicken and chorizo. It was great to get a free dessert on check in. The white chocolate mousse with berries was great. Would definitely go back,also liked the decor and ambience. read more

Tapas Valencia - Nice atmosphere! - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The place is large and not super busy. Bottles of wine start at $35. They start you off with olives and bread. Everything is tapas style. We started off with octopus, bacon wrapped dates, patatas bravas and had the paella Valencia. It was ok. The octopus could have had some more crisp to it. Service was great the food was just ok. Would I come back? Maybe. read more

Tapas Valencia - Paella Valencia - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fantastic spot!!!!! Our server Big Max was on point..... The Live music made it that much more special... read more

Wonderful! We are so excited to have discovered this place! We ordered so much food and loved it all! Family friendly, date friendly, and girls night! They had a band and flamingo dancer while we were there. Wonderful service read more

Tapas Valencia - Chocolate mousse dessert - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So good!!! We went on a Saturday night. The love music was beautiful and food was amazing. We ordered the Valenciana Paella, Empanada de Buey, Queso de Cabra, Cazuelita de Pollo, and Pulpo con Salsa Verde. Whew it was sooo much food. I think the best was the empanada but it was all good. If I would have skipped anything it would have been the paella but I make it a lot at home and nothing is better than homemade - so not quite a fair comparison. Only thing I wouldn't have ordered again would be the non-alcoholic sangria. It was pretty much pineapple juice. Next time I will just have to order a real one! Overall this is definitely a place to go! So tasty and the staff was amazing. The music was great and not too loud and the kiddos were dancing along. Go now! read more

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I had patronized this restaurant for many many years. Since ownership changed, I must say the service has declined. I was treated very rudely; so rude, I won't ever be back. It use to be one of my favorite tapas spots...not anymore. read more

The seafood paella is the best one I have in Chicago. I like to go there to hang out with friends. The dessert is so great! read more

Tapas Valencia - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great meal and service - had a variety of things including paella Valenciana; Spivey potatoes; stuffed mushrooms - I forget what else - but it was all great. Flavorful but not overly hot - so you could still taste the food. If all tapas places were like this, life would be much better! read more

Love this place! Wonderful service. The best cava sangria you could have! And super yummy tapas! We always try something new and are never disappointed. Even brunch was fantastic! Plus Wednesday night is 1/2 price bottles of wine, yes please! I also appreciate their big space so reservations are not needed. read more

Great service. Nice and quick. Drinks were good. Food was good. No complaints. Very good spot for food and drinks on the "South side". read more

Tapas Valencia - Lets go. - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We've been here a few times before but they just reopened for carry out / delivery so we phoned in our order. I was a bit skeptical of how tapas would work as carry out but they exceeded expectations. Flavors were on point and a few dishes (pimientos and croquetas) transported me back to the days we could actually go out to enjoy an evening. Paella valenciana was so good and comforting! read more

Tapas Valencia - Carry out feast, paella, tortilla, croquetas etc... - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went here and the next night I went to Cafe Baba Reba because the meal wasn't good here. The waitress was rude!!! She walked up while I was talking and didn't even care that we were not listening to her. We had to tell her to wait, and still no clue. She was never around, but all the other waiters/waitress were visible. Found mine doing nothing in drink service station and another time doing nothing by the ordering station. She's lucky to have a good busser, I tipped her a few dollars on top of a fair tip for my missing server. Food not good: Skirt steak: over cooked Chicken tenders were good for the kids, but their hotel quality frozen. Crab with toast points, good but not worth coming back for. Chocolate lava cake with ice cream...had better, not great, try something else read more

Delicious! Was in town for a week, staying just upstairs of Tapas Valencia. I never should have gone to dinner anywhere else. The selection is vast and the portions are generous. I was dining solo, so I only ordered two things but walked out very, very full. The salteado de hortalizas- sauteed artichoke hearts, peppers, zucchini, and asparagus was a generous size and well seasoned. I can't tell you the joy I felt when this came out with what I thought was cilantro (soap) sprinkeld on top, which turned out to be parslely (deliciousness!) I also ordered the faldilla a la parrilla--peppered skirt steak that comes with a small scoop of mashed potatoes and green onions. The steak was AMAZING. If you're craving a good steak but aren't super hungry, go here. The portion you get is more than enough for a small meal and the $15 price point is very fair. Like most tapas places, its very easy to eat healthy here, given the wide variety of dishes and fresh ingredients. Many vegetarian options, and gluten free and vegetarian items are marked. I only knocked off a star because the bartender refilled my sangria without asking, and I wansn't planning on ordering another $8 drink. Other than that, the food, staff, and ambience were all perfect. read more

The food taste good but the portions are super small. This could be improved I have had tapas in Palm Beach and Miami and it was definitely much better experience. read more

First time here and I will be back everything was good the Lamb, the beef chicken, my martini. My first time eating scallops, I enjoyed my whole experience. It was for my guy, father's day dinner. He was quite pleased as well. Nice service, clean, and attentive wait staff. read more

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Delicious food. Reasonable prices. Much variety. Great desserts, strong and tasty sangrias

My go to Tapas restaurant! Cool ambiance and amazing selection of food. I am celiac and they are so good about talking me thru my options and ensuring that I have a delightful dining experience. read more

The food was delicious and the suggestions that our server, Brandon made were out of this world. Will be coming back to this neighborhood favorite with more friends. read more

We came here last Thursday and were pleasantly surprised to find out that mojitos/margaritas/martinis were 5$! My friend and I ordered two tapas (Calamares a la plancha and patatas bravas) and the paella campesina. We really liked the tapas. I thought the paella was okay. We also checked in for a free dessert (It works! We just had to show our waiter that we had checked in). Definitely get the rice pudding! The space is very large so a great place for large gatherings. read more

Enjoyed a wonderful night out with my daughters. The food was delicious but your server Shina made it a night to remember.

The bacon wrapped dates was very good although the seafood Paella was not as good as my expectation(I thought it would have the crispy layer on the skillet but it did not, the flavor was good though. ) For dessert we had the warm chocolate tart with raspberry sauce, so tasty, goes perfectly with the vanilla ice cream. read more

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This was my second visit. My cousin brought me and I was ecstatic with the food and service. So I returned with my family. Food was good but I came for late dinner, 8pmish. I knew what I wanted, requested 2 paella valenciana for a family of 3. Requested no chicken since it was during lent, with extra shrimp no mussels. Explained it was our dinner, definitely understood it was 40 minute wait so we ordered a queso de cabra which was phenomenal while we waited. Waiter stopped to check in us. However, we were only served 1 paella! Then he said oh yeah you ordered 2. The other will come out shortly. Not true, the 3 of us hungry had only 1 paella, half hour later the second one came . Why???? We wanted to eat 2 one for me, one for hubby and we would share with our daughter st the same time. We were hungry! Next paella Came as menu Indicated, with Chicken and mussels! I kindly returned it and waited again! We ate so late by now, and not happy. But we didn't complain. I filled with bread by the time paella came out. Not happy.thinking about if I would return since my first express better. I wasn't even offered a compensation for the error. I'm not one to make a big deal or beg for anything, I just won't return. It's a shame because i did like my first paella and queso. read more

Tapas Valencia - Spanish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great time with friends! Went with 6 other people and we each ordered 2 items and shared. It was perfect with desert!!

The food is ok. A good tell of a good Spanish restaurant is the quality and crispiness of the Paella. The paella at Tapas Valencia was flavorful, but the bottom was not crispy nor charred at all despite being very very hot. That's not a good sign. I guess I should also add that one of the people serving us had a lisp issue. I have no problems with people having different speaking styles, but when they are bringing out your food and then speaking with flecks of spit potentially landing on the food, it becomes a huge turn off. Please consider setting the food down on the table, stepping back from the table, and THEN introducing the dish! And no, this isn't a cultural annoyance. This is a HYGIENE issue. I have the EXACT SAME PROBLEM with waitresses/waiters at Dim Sum joints speaking loudly as they uncover the dim sum or bring out the noodles. I KNOW WHAT THE EFF IT IS. I CAN SEE IT. STOP SPEAKING. OR PUT IT DOWN ON THE TABLE BEFORE SPEAKING. IF I WANTED TO EAT YOUR SPIT I WOULD HAVE ORDERED YOUR USED TISSUES. Sorry. That was a little bit of rage. Let this be a lesson for ALL restaurants. TRAIN your waiters to NOT spit and not SPEAK when they are hovering directly over the food. I am not here to second-hand kiss nor french anyone. read more

This is my first time visiting after 2 years. The food was super flavorful and there was great vegetarian options. I love the stuffed peppers, stuffed mushrooms, and potatoes. Also, there are excellent desert options read more

Took wifey here on a date night and to our surprise, this place was empty when we got here. After we were done eating, this place was packed. It was recommended from our server that we should get between 4-5 things between us both, but since we like to be fat...we ordered 6. Bad decision as we were extremely stuff and had to take stuff back lol. We had the grilled shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, roasted dates wrapped in bacon, grilled steak, Valenciana Paellas (portion is pretty big), and creme brûlée. We loved everything that we ordered, but the paella was just okay. We might try the Mariscos one next time. Service was great and attentive. Parking super easy on a Friday night. Cannot go wrong here. read more

Food was great with a lot of gluten free and vegetarian options. My only compliant is that they are unable or unwilling to split the check. I'm glad we all had cash. Next time I'm in town I will return....with cash. read more

I have been to Tapas Valencia a few times, but last night's experience was exceptional. I won dinner and wine pairing for six through a Lurie Childrens hospital event- Run for Gus. The six course meal, wine, dessert was wonderful. Our waiter, Oscar and the manager, Jose made sure the service was top notch. We let the chef choose our tapas, wines and desserts. There was not one thing left on our plates. Everything was delicious!! The entertainment and a pitcher of the pomegrante sangria added extra fun to the evening. Thank you for a wonderful night. read more

Only sat at bar, 2 people total. $3 tapas menu was great (but only available at the bar) ordered 4 glasses of sangria total, about $8.50 each. Spent about $60 total for both people. Nice atmosphere, the chorizo slider and goat cheese on toast were especially good. read more

$24.95 for unlimited buffet of yummy tapas. Sunday brunch. With a complimentary glass of Cava, Mimosa-style if you wish. I say - watch out French toasts, omelets and waffles - the game is ON. It is SO on..... The break-down: - a smallish menu where you can actually order omelets if you WANT. But really you would be silly to do so....not to say totally idiotic. - a crappy American station where you can fix your burgers if you WANT. See above comment X 10. - a carving station - tons of tapas, piping hot but not over-cooked, dried up and rubbery. Think high quality and name your faves: paella? check bacon wrapped dates? oh yeah.... mussels, seafood cocktail, smoked salmon, squid? you bet grilled veggies, fresh fruits for the heath freaks? of course PLUS stuffed mushrooms, beef tenderloin wraps, grilled eggplant stuffed with goat cheese, Spanish tortilla, grilled shrimps, pastas, patatas bravas (or not), soups AND a Bloody Mary bar with blue cheese olives. Just to name a few. I mean - the entire menu is there, waiting for you. Save room for dessert if you can. I couldn't. On the practical side: parking on State is VERBOTEN on Bears game days but the side streets should make the trick. The place is huge and empty. Great for groups. You are welcome, Yelper friends. read more

I love weddings. While there is plenty to not like about these supposed once-in-a-lifetime affairs, when the people, food, tunes and booze are done right, it's a party where I get to look fancy and toast to love. Dig. I was introduced to Meson Sabika, Tapas V's big sister in Naperville, at my bestest friend's wedding last summer. My girl, like me, made food the top priority at her soiree and we were blown away by the goodness that exited the columned elegance of Sabeeks. And so it was with pleasure that I corralled some of my favorites for tapas, vino and paella at this new restaurant in the South Loop. Lord have mercy, was it good. And the service was great too. I spoke with the manager, Jane, and was effusive with praise, her smile getting bigger and bigger just as the crowds began to swell to a tidal wave. We were a party of seven and waited to make reservations until mid-day Saturday. We like early dinners so not a problem, but call in advance! When we left, it was like a nightclub in the entry way. Lots of black and lots of pretty. But the food, oh the food. . . we went medieval on that menu. Just tamed it. Cracked a whip on it's little plates. We had cured salmon with dill sour cream, a beautiful plate that was sprinkled with salty capers and fluffy bits of egg. The crostini's crisp and the cool cream were in perfect harmony. Moving on to my personal favorite, datiles con tocino (dates wrapped in bacon, bitches), the sweetness of the date burst in your mouth, a bit of uncomfortable warmth and then the meaty, salty little body just relaxing on your tongue. We ordered two (or was it three?) of these gems. There was also grilled squid with lemon olive oil, grilled chorizo and morilla sausage, baked goat cheese with garlic bread, crabmeat fritters with creamed leeks, stuffed squid with ink sauce, garlic potato salad and beef tenderloin wraps with bleu cheese. We ended the meal with paella de mariscos, and while the seafood was ample and the presentation incorporated every single sunrise color, it lacked punch. More spice, please! Make us stand at attention for your heat, Mr. Paella sir! Hence the four stars, though I would really make it four and a half. I am absolutely tickled that I have this wonderful, bright, effervescent eatery in my 'hood. Thank you for coming to the South Loop. We'll be back for seconds, thirds, fourths. . . read more

I mean, it's good ...but this might be one case where the suburbs get the win. Tapas Valencia is the sister restaurant of Meson Sabika in Naperville. Valencia is pretty new, they've got great service, good food, and decent sized bar but they just don't work it like their sister. I think the ambience is missing something. The 2 times I ate here, it was cold both outside and in... I mean that in terms of temperature and decor. It just needs to be warmer. How? I don't know, I'm not a decorator, but just something a little spicier would be nice. For the most part, the food is the same as Meson Sabika but in your mouth, it's just not as good. I think there's just WAY too much oil on everything and though it tastes good at first bite, you pay for it later when it weighs you down. All I want to do after I eat it is go home and sleep. It's like food roofies. read more

I am baffled about why this place has an overall 4 stars, unless people just come in here to drink. None of their food is fresh, just go someone else for the price like Ba-Ba-Reeba. The food is sub-par, like I could have just made the same thing in my kitchen at home, except tastier. Not sure why everyone thinks this place is so great... Drinks are ok, I would just get one drink at the bar if I was going to come back to this place. Went on a Friday night, there was no wait. Service was slow. read more

I thought this place couldn't possibly live up to the hype of all the great reviews here but I am so glad to report that I'm wrong -- Tapas Valencia was all that and then some! I took a group of friends here on Friday and as soon as I dug into the gambas al ajillo (garlic sauteed shrimp) and the datilos (bacon wrapped dates) I knew it had broken the curse of 1530 S. State! We all know by now that this location has failed for at least two restaurants for no good reason, really. But I think we have a winner here, that will hopefully last awhile. From the traditional tapas to the innovative dishes, everything was great. Loved the sangria too. I don't usually have dessert at tapas joints but because we were welcoming a friend back to Chicago, I ordered a dessert tray. It was outstanding (especially the cheesecake and the flan!) I also thought the pricing was very reasonable. For a party of six who ate heartily, the bill came to about $20 per person. The service was also great -- never an empty water or sangria glass the entire night until we said "no mas!" I'm very happy to welcome Tapas Valencia to the neighborhood and am glad it appears to be here to stay. Salud! read more

I went with a group of 7. We shared 8 tapas between all of us. I only liked 1. That's right, only 1 out of 8. That's not a good statistic. I was looking forward to at least 4 of the 8, and curious about 2 more. But alas, only 1 out of 8 tickled my fancy. That one plate was the Empanada De Buey which has beef tenderloin inside of a pastry. I like what I could eat of it since only one came out. That brings me to how they say their tapas are meant for sharing, but they didn't really seem like it. It felt like we were all intruding on someone else's order. The Casa De Cabra (baked goat cheese) was disappointing as well as the Patatas Brava (spicy potatoes w/manchego cheese). The Montaditos De Cerdo (grilled pork medallions) was very tough and had to picked apart in order to eat it. Pleased, I was not. We ordered a pitcher of peach sangria which was shared between 4ppl. Each of us got about a glass and a half out of the pitcher, but when splitting the price, it was almost the same price as getting one glass. 4ppl and only a half glass more? Pitchers are usually good for a number of glasses for multiple people. At $25.95 per pitcher, this was offerering a glass and a half (narrow glasses) for 4ppl. Then for just some O.K. sangria. Amused, I was not. The atmosphere is nice and the service was very good, but it matters not if I don't like the food. I'm not saying it's a bad spot. It's just didn't do it for me. read more