Meson Sabika in Naperville, Illinois

I’m not embarrassed to admit that tapas confuse me. They tend to be both small plates and expensive. Like you don’t get to be both tapas. But in my quest of trying new food that also means I have to be more open minded with it as well. I’ve only had tapas one other time before so when my aunt invited me to try out this place in Naperville with her, I was ready to try it again. If you’re wondering what on earth tapas are, they’re a type of cuisine from Spain that tend to be snack or appetizer size. They come both hot and cold and depending on your table size, it ranges how many of them you may end up ordering. I came to realize that tapas is the ultimate family inspired cuisine. You’re not meant to have just your own singular plate. It’s about getting a group of people together and sharing and passing food with each other.

**From Left to Right: Queso de Cabra, Croquetas de Jamón y Pollo, Pincho de Solomillo**

Meson Sabika not only offers some delicious food, their building and surrounding gardens are equally exquisite. With a wide range of areas you can rent out, It’s the perfect place to host weddings or other life gathering events. The restaurant itself use to be an old mansion built in 1847. It definitely gives off that antique charm without feeling outdated. It’s clear that there has been a lot of work to maintain the house and almost four acres of gardens.

Would highly recommend bringing someone who has eaten tapas before as they will become the primary orderer and they know what’s good. Gets your to choose things you may not have normally. If you have not tried tapas before and aren’t really sure where to start, would recommend ordering 2-3 different dishes that look good and if the restaurant has paella (Spanish rice dish) ordering that as essentially the main course. It tends to be the most filling and comes with a variety of protein and veggies to chose from. A lot of the dishes we choose has some kind of meat, cheese and usually a veggie base. Would definitely recommend their paella, steak skewers with carmalized red onions, and their dates wrapped in bacon. Though I’m still kind of on the fence about tapas, I’m excited to try it again and explore more of Spanish cuisine. My rating for Mesón Sabika 8/10.