Tapas in the South Loop

Just after the Chicago Flight restaurant tour a couple of weeks ago, after our afternoon of feasting, Z and I hopped on a train to head down to Tapas Valencia in the South Loop. Z's dad was in town and had not spent most of the day eating, so he was ready for a more substantial dinner.

We've tried the well-known tapas places in the city--Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, Cafe Iberio, Mercat a la Planxa, and Emilio's. Of those Cafe Iberico is my favorite and had been for some time. I've spent a few weeks here and there in Spain and Iberico feels the most authentic to me. But in the spirit of treating an out-of-town visitor and finding a place that wasn't too far from his hotel, we decided to try a new spot.

Tapas Valencia has a huge space. Unfortunately, it never filled up on the Saturday night we were there. The tapas were good, not amazing, but we didn't have a bad dish and the garlic potato salad was quite delicious. Tapas Valencia is a solid option, but it may be worth venturing up to Mercat a la Planxa if you're in the Loop/South Loop area.