Paola’s Vinum

I have been coming to Paola’s for years and they just get better and better with age! Tonight I had the Pan-​Tumac (Spanish ham bruschetta) that still has my mouth tingling! Spicy but in a good way. And the paella (on Wednesday only) was phenomenal. Felt like I was back in Spain. Everything on their menu that I have tasted is so good. And the wines are phenomenal. Rafael will make you the best bacon wrapped dates you will ever have! Armando, the bar keep, was so awesome. Our glasses were never empty and he was very knowledgeable about the Spanish wines. This is my favorite tapas bar in Chicago.

Overall, eh…
Pros: great ambiance, quick service with both drinks and food
Cons: lack-​luster and burnt food (similar to another review, burnt bacon wrapped dates), small wine by the glass offerings (reasonable, but not if the location touts it is a wine bar), no wine by the bottle list (select off the shelves), kitchen closes at 8pm according to the bartender during my visit.
Overall, only good for a happy hour if you are in that area.

I really like the tapas here and felt the pricing is reasonable. I enjoyed the cocktails, beer, and wine. The atmosphere here is fantastic. My only criticism is that the service was slow.

Great service, tapas was delicious, and even better was the beautiful bartender from madrid. Love the fact that she was very knowledgeable in different selections of wine they carried. The chef for the evening even came out and greeted us… I’ll definitely will be back to try out more food!

Go! What cool ambiance! I’m absolutely trying to reserve the little corner nook for a holiday gathering. Low light, pretty cool art, variety of tables, mash up of patrons… I stopped in for one glass of wine and as soon as i tasted the Garnacha, I knew I’d have two glasses. My friends were pleased to see they offered a reasonable selection of beers since they don’t like wine as much as I do. We enjoyed the grilled octopus. The peppers in the dish absolutely made it. They were a little sweet and the perfect texture paired with the octopus atop crunchy, tasty bread. I do wish the wine selection had been a bit larger, but I loved the wine I had… so I don’t think that even matters. I’m going back again soon, for sure. Oh and hey, the staff is friendly too! BOOM! GO!

It’s overpriced. Small pours too. It was almost empty when I was there early evening.
Fraz

I’ve been in that place about 4 times now wanting to like it so bad– but I just can’t. The wine is over priced, under poured and the service is sub par at best. The bartender was rude to too it off.

So yummy this is my Friday lunch spot anddd I sneak some wine lol just one glass. The server is super nice and she knows her stuff I recommend this place and I recommend the salmon and the rose wine

I came here with my wife and her co-​worker after work last week. I had high hopes given the ambiance and the fact that I usually really like wine bars. But the food we were served was not very good. We ordered bacon wrapped dates and fried calamari. The bacon wrapped dates were over-​cooked to the point the bacon was charred black. And the fried calamari was overly breaded and over-​fried to the point these tasted like crispy hush puppies.
Despite the warning signs, we were still hungry and decided to order a few more (different) things. The items were better. the Spanlish Combo (wings and fried mozzarella sticks) and the charcuterie plate. But it took nearly 45 minutes for these items to come out after we ordered them!
The only saving graces to this place for us that night was the good selection of wine, the beer and the general ambiance. I’d be willing to write this off as a one-​off but we won’t be going back any time soon.

Over priced for small tapas. Had a tiny $ 8 bowl of olives. $ 7 bacon wrapped dated. Decided it wasn’t anything special and asked for the check.
Wine was ok. Overpriced sangria too. Really wanted this place to be more since it is in the neighborhood. Sad to say I don’t think I will go back.

The person answering the phone when I was making my reservation was very perceptive, and I did reach out to the owner to see about doing a pre-​set menu. I wish we had done this as the food would have been ready on time as it takes a while to prepare with a group of 14 ordering off the menu. Our waitress did get some help, but she was quite busy with us refilling our water. Her recommendation on the sandwich was very spot on. The morcilla bocadillo was delicious and flavorful probably even better than what I had when I went to Spain. The ham croquetta was also very tasty. I was quite impressed. I would love to come back and just have tapas and of course consume some sangria. The prices were reasonable.

Stumbled upon this place while looking for a place to eat near Union Station that wasn’t fast food, and was generally impressed.
The ambiance is very nice, with varied seating areas to fit everyone from couples to larger groups. Staff were very friendly and attentive, and food came out of the kitchen quickly. We enjoyed each of the tapas we ordered, especially the garlic potatoes in the potato sampler.
However, I have to ding a star for a few reasons. The sangria essentially tasted like a fancy grape juice, with no kick from the wine or taste of port present. This didn’t do anything to help with the perception that things were a bit overpriced, as we gulped down our $ 8 glasses so that we could order a different glass of wine.
Overall, I’d probably go again if I was in the mood for splurging on tapas.

I really like this place. Is a classic CA wine bar. Good food. Great service. And the ambient music is classic 70−80s rock. At a low level. So you can chat with others. And enjoy the surroundings. It’s not pretentious. Is casual or dress-​nice. I would give it a try as the sun sets. It really is a nice place.

I am regular here. Felt in love with the goat cheese and the cheeses.
Highly recommended

We are in the same building as Paola’s Vinum and visit the wine bar on a weekly basis. (Usually multiple times a week!)
A few things that always make our visit fantastic.
First, the staff. We have become friends and on a first name basis with all the employees. We obviously keep going back, because the service is incredible. They always welcome us with open arms and take very good care of our clients and employees.
Secondly, the food is quite amazing. I have had almost everything on the menu, whether for lunch or a happy hour appetizer and it’s delicious. Small plates and would recommend the meat and bread tray.
Next, the space is really fun and upbeat. The actual wine bar has a great vibe, music and energy. It also has a private room for entertaining and outdoor patio, which is incredible in the summer.
Finally, Paola is a great host/​owner and ALWAYS makes sure her customers are well taken care of.
I would HIGHLY recommend you see Paola’s Vinum soon. You won’t be disappointed.

‘Thoroughly enjoyed a biz lunch here. The tapas sampler got things started with tasty salmon, bruschetta, and thin sliced chorizo with melted cheese on baguette slices, followed by a terrific minestrone. Our sandwiches were terrific– omelette, Spanish sausage– both served on toasted baguettes. The mini pudding squares dessert was a perfect finish– just sweet enough and nice, bite sized portions. Heads up for the premium prices. Lunch for two was $ 60 sans alcohol.

Nice spot for a quiet glass of wine, bite to eat, and conversation. The list of tapas is quite long, and includes lots of creative choices. I had several, and they were very good. The waiter was knowledgeable and friendly in helping me decide among all the tempting dishes. I’ll definitely be back.

This place kept popping up on my Unilocal feed with their daily drink specials — I was intrigued. Wednesday’s deal was 50% off cocktails — what a great deal! Their menu online is not extensive — for food, cocktails, or wine, but enough of a selection for us to mosey on over at 3pm on a Wednesday.
We arrived around 3:15 and were the only people in the place. The place itself is very cute, definite 4-​stars for the atmosphere. The bartender, only work in the joint, was friendly and welcoming. We both chose a cocktail off the menu, after verifying the 50% off deal. I think they had 6 cocktails to pick from, all but 1 included vodka. Oh no… they ran out of vodka, at 3pm on a Wednesday, for their 50% off special. WTF? Seems kind of scammy — they had just posted their special on Unilocal,but don’t have any hard liquor to make their cocktails???
We each ordered a sangria ($ 7/​glass and was not part of the cocktail special), and we ordered the Spanish olives and a cheese tray. The sangria was decent. The olive and cheese both seemed old — not very fresh. I would definitely pass these two food options up.
We stuck around for about 45-​minutes, in which 2 other people showed up. I can’t imagine they get a big crowd; it is a bit of a low-​traffic area. I don’t imagine myself ever going back here, but if you worked within a block — maybe it would be an after work drink option, but I am taking a pass.
P. S. — The woman’s bathroom was lovely!

Keep in mind I only came here for the tapas, not the wine experience.
One fine day at work I got a sudden and strong craving for tapas so I looked for nearby Tapa places and Paola’s Vinum was the closest. I ordered small plate tapas: pepper, bacon wrapped dates, and Ham Croquetas.
One word: Disappointed.
The croquetas’s cheese was not even gooey and hot– instead inside of it was some weird mush textured filling. I even had to ask for the aloli sauce; which also tasted very funky also with a weird texture.
You would think a tapas place with small portioned plates would be able to take the time and effort to make the food tasteful and delicious. Its a good thing its also a wine bar… people will hopefully be too tipsy to noticed they got ripped off on their tapa food experience.
All in all this was the most disappointing $ 16 lunch ever… will not be returning!

I have never heard of this place but I thought what the Hay I will go and see what it is about especially since they were having a free wine tasting event today.
I have to say that I truly enjoyed myself and the gentlemen that was telling us about the wines really knew his stuff and made it interesting he gets a two thumbs up from me.
There were 6 wines that they showcased but he mixed some whites with the red and it expanded the tasting. I’m more of a white wine gal but when he mixed the white with a dash of red it made the dry white taste sweet. What also made it fun was the passion that the guy had about the wine. The way he told stories which were fact about the wines but he didn’t make it boring
We did end up getting the bruschetta which was good but it had a little to much lime or lemon juice and not enough basil.
I love the art on the walls and the inviting homey feel of the place. I wish I could remember the hostess name she was so nice telling me about the different wines which they also sell on site.
On Monday and Tuesday there is no corkage fee but on the other days it cost 10 dollars which is kinda of pricey in my opinion so I wouldn’t go any other time or I would just get a glass.
From the bottles that I saw the price range was pretty cool 12.99 to 48.99 so it is reasonable.
They also have outside seating which is nice on a hot summer day.
I want to come back and try some of their other food selections as well as get me a bottle of wine.
I say if you are in the neighborhood you should stop by and give them a try. I’m so glad we did because it was truly worth our time to hang out at their event and also find a place that was so intimate and inviting.
Enjoy!!!