Tapas Valencia

Tapas Valencia

Large Spanish restaurant with extensive tapas menu & several kinds of paella, plus sangia & a patio. You’ve been known to do some pretty crazy things for the sake of your carnal desires. But driving to the suburbs because you crave the best paella around shouldn’t be one of them. So you’ll be happy to hear that Tapas Valencia soft-opens tonight in the South Loop, leaving behind its original Bloomingdale location to bring city dwellers like you the authentic paella, tapas and sangria bounty you’ve been deprived of for far too long.

A small warning, though: as you and your date/best friends enter the airy yet technicolored space—all kaleidoscopic walls and surrealist ceramics—your thoughts could immediately flash back to that cava-fueled summer in Barcelona after college, when you popped olives and shared grilled squid with a Penelope Cruz look-a-like at a streetside cafe along La Rambla. (Or was it Daley Plaza?)

And while Penelope may be long gone, take solace in the fact you’ve still got ceramic pitchers of sangria to keep the night moving, lots of genuine, mouthwatering jamón (the owners are the same as Naperville’s famed Meson Sabika) and maybe a Rioja or two from the deep and well-curated wine list. Plus, never underestimate the power of a good paella