Barcito

Not sure how different this place is from tavernita. Since they share the same place and I’ve been to both, I’m pretending it’s just one. It’s a good looking place interesting lighting and décor. I had the paella there which was pretty good as well the pear flatbread. I would recommend this flatbread for afters rather than apps since it’s sweet and the blue cheese makes for a more indulgent finish. I also tried the hot G drink which was weird cos it came in a glass with ice, and I went here in the fall, so I thought the drink would be a hot one. However it was tasty enough. I had also come here for cinco de mayo brunch and I personally loved loved loved the pork belly and eggs, I would get this every time. Though I have to say the margaritas were not super great.

I came here with a friend after work because I love the Mercadito’s group happy hour special — buy any cocktail, beer, or wine and get a free mini appetizer. I showed up around 5:00, and my friend met me around 5:30.
My waitress was super sweet, but the service turned out to be really slow. Getting my drink and app was no problem, but by the time my friend and I were looking to get my second her first, things started getting forgotten and held up. Once we got it, the food was great, but definitely much smaller portions than what I was used to from Little Market. I know it’s «mini,» but the ones here are definitely one bite only. We ended up ordering both the bacon wrapped dates and baked goat cheese. Bacon wrapped dates are really expensive for what you get, whereas the goat cheese is a steal! Same price, but about triple the food.
The drinks add up quickly too, but I must say they’re pretty delicious. I got the Booty Collins and the Black Italian Tai (not sure of the exact name), and both were really good. Maybe not $ 12 good though…
Overall it’s definitely a fun place to go, with good cocktails and tasty food. It’s a little pricey for what you get, and the service was pretty slow. I might try Tavernita or Mercadito next time, or their new places I hear are opening up.

We’ve lived in the area and have wanted to try Barcito for quite a while, so when the weather was nice this weekend, we gave it a try and we’re glad we did. It was wonderful to sit outside in the beautiful weather with drinks and good food.
We had the Watermelon Trek and White Sangria. I loved the Watermelon. Most places do not emphasize the watermelon in a drink and Barcito definitely did and it definitely had alcohol in it.
As for the food — they have a happy hour special for a free tapa with each drink. They had an option of a lamb sausage on a crostini, which my husband and I both had with each of our drinks. It was delicious!
We also had the spiced fries (large portion), dates, filet mignon sliders, calamari, and hamachi. The calamari was the only one we didn’t care for. All the others were really good.
We will definitely be back!

Barcito is a solid happy hour choice. Attached to and affiliated with Tavernita, it’s a nice spot to grab a quick drink or appetizer if you’re in the area. They have dollar oysters everyday from 5−7pm, which is what originally attracted me. Upon arriving I learned they have a lot of other specials, too, including a free tapa with each cocktail or glass of wine ordered.
My boyfriend had their take on the manhattan and said it was solid, while I had a glass of Chardonnay; prices were consistent with others in the area. The oysters were good considering they were $ 1: They were small and not the most flavorful I’ve ever had, but still fresh and served correctly. Other tapas I would recommend include the meatball and the feta and eggplant bruschetta.
Service was also a-​okay and it wasn’t too noisy. This would be a great spot to grab a drink on the patio when the weather is cooperating.

Barcito is an awesome place to go after work for happy hour and plates to share.
My must haves are the Pork Belly Sliders and Greg’s Meatballs. They are both outstanding. Other things I have tried and liked were the marinated olives, mini burgers and baked goat cheese. I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on their tapas menu. But, I would certainly order the first two!
Their kegged cocktails are very refreshing. My favorite was the «booty collins». And the red sangria is a winner as well!
Lastly, I love their bar and patio. The décor is warm and the music is upbeat. It is a cozy spot, sometimes I think patios can be too contemporary and uncomfortable.

A perfect meh. A friend and I did the Bottomless Tapas Monday. For that reason, the value was good enough. The food came out fast and was fine. But it wasn’t anything really to write home about. After leaving, we discussed and both felt the same. Didn’t live up to expectations but nothing was bad either. Just a meh.
Specials are good. $ 18 bottomless tapas (warning: its an abbreviated menu) and before 6 there is ‘Buy a drink, get a tapa for free’.
The meatball was the best tapa, really good. The white bean was good. So was the filet. The pork belly was ok, as were the dates. The eggplant crostini was both of our least favorites. We bought the fries also since it wasn’t on the menu — they were good.
Would I go back? If a group wanted to. But on my own I’ve experienced it and can check it in the ‘experienced’ category.

Stopped in Barcito for a late happy hour yesterday and was very impressed!
I started out with one of their kegged cocktails, The Turista, and it was amazing. I love spicy drinks and it was one of the best I’ve had in Chicago, great flavors, I simply could not get enough.
My group and I decided to get a few appetizers to enjoy with our drinks and we went with the goat cheese, calamari, and sliders. Everything was outstanding. They don’t give you a ton of bread with the goat cheese but our waitress offered to bring us more not once, but twice which I really appreciated. Definitely a little different than other River North spots that make you pay for things like that. The calamari and the sliders were also spot on and perfectly done.
I also have to make a mention of the awesome service we received from our waitress and the busboys in general. They were ever present at our table and I really appreciated it. I hope to be back soon to sample the free app you get for ordering a drink between 5 and 7 during the week. Loved Barcito!

I’ve tried several times… but always disappointed. This last time I was meeting a friend who was getting out of an appointment early — so we got there right at opening. The bartender didn’t care a less that we were there… he would disappear for 20 min at a time. Not asking if we needed anything else. People started strolling in around 5:30, so then we were really ignored. And the bartender was also very busy chatting with the server — who was busier looking at herself in the mirror than helping patrons.
I won’t discuss the food. I’m a spain snob and my friends tell me to shut up. But if Ryan Poli spent so much time in Spain, I would hope the tapas would be more authentic.

I went here for a quick drink.
The bar area was hopping and while we were seated right away service was slow.
I felt like I never saw my server and when I did I had to flag her down.
The drinks were ok and the price point was comparable for the area.
I would like to go back and try the food next time because I love little market and this is same restaurant group.

If you want to grab delicious sangria with friends in a trendy-​looking bar in Chicago, this is a decent choice. There are very few chairs, so if you’re wearing uncomfortable heels, you’ll likely have to stand. Their appetizers aren’t very filling, but it’s not a problem you can’t fix by just walking across the street to McDonald’s.

Barcito has some really excellent small plates. I can’t comment on any of the drinks but a few people I was with said they were good. I was too busy stuffing my face! My girlfriend and I agreed the spiced fries were heavenly– they came well spiced and the garlic aioli was addictive. I did have some negative thoughts about myself afterwards for eating what looked like fries with mayo dip.
We tried the meatballs too which were smothered in a zesty tomato based sauce. Each one was seasoned well and came out hot and fresh. I had to fight some of the people I was with over for more. They were the perfect hearty and filling finger food.
Sadly I don’t think of myself as having the most sophisticated of pallets. I really prefer comfort food and portions over all. That being said the hamachi ordered by our table was delicate and flavorful with the jalapeño and lime coming through in the dish.
The mini burgers were standard bar fare, nothing too spectacular. Really loved the vibes of this place it was dimly and had one central bar with standing/​sitting room around it. There are very few chairs in this place so expect to be standing if you come with a decent party.

Stopped in here for an after dinner drink and to watch a little bit of the game. This place is super chill and very nice looking. Service was good, layout was good, and ill possibly be back to try the food cuz it looked great. However, it is far from cheap, as to be expected in the river north area.
Check it and Unilocal it!

This review is only based on their bar service on a Friday night. I have not been to the restaurant area (Tavernita).
My experience here was not the best. It was very loud, and I could not hear my date who was sitting right next to me. The service was poor at best, and our waitress rarely came by to check on us. When we did order two drinks (that’s it, two drinks), we waited about 20 minutes before receiving them. I ordered a margarita, and my date ordered one of the cocktails on the menu. My margarita tasted awful. It was super sugary and syrupy, and I could not taste the tequila. I later found out that my small cup of lime-​flavored syrup was also very expensive.
At the end of the night, it felt like we had to chase down our waitress just to pay. Our bill was high, our morale low. Overall not a good experience.

Went here over a week ago with my boyfriend and my grumpy old cocker spaniel (Sam). The place was hopping, fun, and very casual — just what I was hoping for at happy hour. The service is great, the food is decent and the drinks were pretty interesting.
Even my dog Sam had a great time, thanks to the friendly staff and the great atmosphere. Definitely check it out!

We came here for an Amigos de Pinxtos event on a Monday night. One thing that wasn’t too fun was trying to find a table. We waited around 30 minutes for some people (who had already paid) to get up and leave. It’s fine to sit at the bar when you’re having a few drinks, but it’s a little tough when you have plates of food. Anyway, that aside, this event was mad fun. The Hawks were playing (and won!) and the place was packed. They had a good number of vegetarian appetizers, including a strawberry-​goat cheese-​balsamic combo on a cracker, a roasted eggplant and red pepper crostini with brie, and a pan con tomate with tomato marmalade and ricotta. The strawberry-​goat cheese-​balsamic appetizer was my favorite out of all of them, and I think I ate about 8 of them. No shame.
I also mentioned I was a vegetarian to the server and she brought me out a pizza without the serrano ham on top. Drinks are pricey, but are delicious and deliver a punch. It’s more worth it if you’re not a vegetarian and can devour some of their other offerings (like the pork belly sliders, paella, and pea soup).

Drinks: Decent and average price.
Service: Below average. One server for the entire bar when I was there and it took a while to place the order. Once ordered, the food came out pretty fast.
Food: Pretty bad. Specifically I ordered a hamburger slider dish that just tasted off. It had a slight chemical taste to it that I just couldn’t place my finger on. The rest of the dishes were pretty average despite their river north prices. The fries were decent but then again it’s not that hard to mess up fries.
Overall I feel like there’s far too many other places that have good drinks AND good food in the area. I would avoid unless you’re dragged there by your friends or you have absolutely no other place to go to.

Drinks were good! Our waitress was really helpful in helping us picking out drinks and food. I have never seen places with imported ciders, so I was intrigued.
Not too sure if I would pay $ 11 for maybe a half pint of cider again, but it’s worth trying for not having to fly to Europe :)
The food was good… all are small bites for sharing. Perfect for a gathering. I esp. like the cured sausages with quail egg pinxto. I thought the pinxto was on a skewer, but our waitress told us it’s more like bruschetta. The fried quail egg on top of the churizo. The tastiest.
The wings were really good too. Kinda have that asian sweet and sour tangy-​ness to it.
The atmosphere was chill and relaxing. I remember walking by and seeing them having outdoor seatings or the windows open. Def. go back in the summer for a lazy summer evening hangout.

So this is a bar INSIDE of Tavernita… I am sure most people dont even realize that its separate. Hence, the small number of reviews.
Anyway, I liked its vibrant charm. Lovely circle bar in the center. They offer upscale beers and drinks. Slightly annoying if you are just looking for a Miller Lite. You can get stuff from Tavernita and have it here as well, at least that is what the bartender told us.
The staff was SUPER nice and friendly. I like that in a place in RN. Sometimes you get «I’m too cool for you attitude.» Not here, totally chill.
We ended up getting a couple of bites with our drinks.
Greg’s meatballs. These little balls of joy were fantastic! They were better than the meatball sandwich I went out of my way to have at Panozzo’s. They came with this creamy, orange, spicy sauce and almost panko like breadcrumbs. It was perfect! I would HIGHLY recommend you get these little bad boys.
Mussels. Well they were in a buttery sauce and already de-​shelled. I wasnt a huge fan and they seemed slightly overcooked and chewy. They came with some crostini to dip, but for me, the sauce was too greasy. I would not get these little bad boys again.
Overall, I liked Barcito. I would stop if I was at Tavernita, but probably wouldnt go here out of my way, EXCEPT for Greg’s balls. Those would be worth the trip.

I think this is the spot to be if you are looking for a unique drink and a spot to gather I say don’t look any further. I have to say the prices are a bit high but if you are looking for a little something in your drink this is the spot!
I walked in on a friday night around 10pm with no wait and a table available on a first come first serve basis. I didn’t try any of the food but have been to Tavernita and can say it is deliciuos.
Going to be a great summer spot!

A bar within a restaurant with it’s own unique personality– Barcito is located inside Tavernita. While Tavernita has tapas, Barcita has pintxos (basically the Basque version of tapas).
There are limited seats around the perimeter of the bar as well as about 15 seats at the bar, thus their motto, «Stand and Eat» making the vibe in Barcito much more casual that it’s host restaurant. For this «Sit and Eat» girl, the concept, while fine on a corner bar in San Sebastian, didn’t really work well for me here.
The drink menu is different from Tavernita as well. I ordered a martini and it was a bit of a disappointment as it came in basically what was a water glass. .. .somehow just didn’t taste as good as that tall. sleek glassed one does. Guess «when in Spain, do as the Spaniards do» and order a sangria or a «Booty Collins» as those were much better (surprised that these are on «tap» and still taste so good)
For food– we had the chacuterie and cheese plates– both were good and perfect for a snack to go with our drinks.
Service was friendly although very slow at times. We were constantly having to flag someone down for service.
My advice– grab a drink here while waiting for your table at Tavernita. But in my book– food always tastes better when you can sit down and enjoy it!