One of the city's first tapas restaurants, Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! is still going strong, thanks to its location on bustling Halsted Street, near the Armitage Avenue shopping strip. The clientele tends to be young and comes to the restaurant in groups, so be prepared: Loud conversations and tipsy toasts over pitchers of sangria may surround you.

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! isn't breaking any new ground with its menu, but tapas lovers will see plenty of favorites, including patatas con alioli (garlic potato salad), gambas a la plancha (shrimp with lemon and garlic), and queso de cabra al horno (baked goat cheese with tomato sauce). The chicken and chorizo-sausage brochettes, served with a garlic-cumin mayonnaise, are one of the house specialties. There's also a good selection of paellas, as well as some full-size entrees for those who don't want to go the tapas route. The vibrantly decorated cafe makes an excellent, efficient choice for pre- or posttheater dining if you're headed to Steppenwolf Theatre, a few blocks south, for a play.