Tapas Gitana Chicago

Lamb. Good. Tasty
Bathroom. Not good.
Price. Reasonable. Good quantity.
Service. Ok. Accomodating.
M. Romney

I guess the one point off is because of the ambiance. The place isn’t that good looking to be honest, I thought it was someone’s old house. But while it could do with a makeover, the food was amazing. I will definitely come back just for that.
We had the avocado and shrimp, and the eggplant with goat cheese for appetizers. Both were well flavoured and seasoned. My top picks for the evening were the beef tenderloin and the crêpe with apple and goat cheese. Defintely get the dessert here, that was what most people seemed to be ordering. We had the honey pecan tart, which comes with caramel on the side. The caramel was too sweet for me, but the pecan tart was delish, comes with chocolate too for the cacao lovers. We also had the half sangria, which is the just right quantity for 2 people, who don’t want to be under the table post dinner
I would say the place is good value for money, we paid about 50 for the whole meal, for 2 people.

Food was ok. Not much flavor and bland. Some of my hot plates were brought out cold. The sangria was decent. I got annoyed that they were out of every dessert that I wanted off the menu which was ok because I ended up going to forever yogurt instead for something much better.
The staff here was also very sloppy and unclean looking. I was scared their sweat was going to drip onto my food.

Went to Tapas Gitana last night and had a great experience. I’d highly recommend the patatas bravas and the tiger shrimp dishes, both were excellent. Also make sure to sit outside on the patio if you go when the weather is nice.

This place was cool. When we got here there was a flood or something in the kitchen and they asked us to come back, which was alright.
The food was alright. It wasn’t as good as I’ve had at other tapas places, but it was good. The staff was very friendly and were able to explain the menu well.
If you’re looking for a decent place to eat in Boystown — you should try this place out! I would return here when I’m back in the area.

First tapas experience and while it was great I expect better. I know that there are a ton of excellent tapas places near by with similar or better prices, but regardless this place is still good. They have outdoor seating in the back and it’s so-​so, but the indoor had a nice décor (but it was freezing). The service was excellent and the food came out quickly and was overall great.
The major setback is the price. I KNOW you can get better tapas for the same if not better price. Overall though, great restaurant.
Atmosphere: 7.5÷10
Service: 8.5÷10
Food: ⁸⁄₁₀

I have visited this restaurant many many times and literally never have had a less than 4 star experience. If you’re looking for gluten free options this restaurant offers a great variety, or if you’re looking for vegetarian options, I’ve tried them all and they’re delicious.
The service here is always quick, everyone is friendly and all of the servers are extremely knowledgable about all of the menu options.
There used to be a belly offer for your 9^th tapa free, I went there last night and it was gone. Maybe they’ll bring it back one day, but you can still get your belly points there!
Oh lastly, I don’t want to forget this, their dessert coffees are amazing. Don’t forget to order one of them!

A really pleasant surprise. I small place but the service we got was great and the food was delicious. Went here on a Living Social coupon which helped defer the cost. Who knew that small plates can add up so quickly?! At least the food is worthwhile and a good variety.
What was also good here is that one person in our group is vegetarian and she was able to find lots to order as well.
Very enjoyable and a good place to go to with a few friends to share and try several things.

I used to frequent this establishment when it was Arco, and I had heard that several staff members (including the cooks) had remained when the ownership changed hands. My last visit had literally been 4 or more years ago, and indeed I did recognize at least a couple people still working from the old days. Unfortunately that is really all I recognized.
The food is generally ok, but many of the old dishes that I loved are gone or have been retooled with not the greatest success. The prices are still fairly reasonable, but the portion sizes also seem to have decreased. We had 5 dishes (shrimp with chili flakes, potatoes allioli, lamb, empanadas, and bacon-​wrapped dates), and all were decent but only the lamb and empanadas stood out as really being prepared nicely with bold flavors.
In addition there were some facilities problems during our visit. Mind you this was a cold, cold, cold Saturday night in January, but there were major temperature fluctuations in the back of the restaurant even though we were well away from the front door. Also there was a constant leak dripping water from the ceiling onto a rag near our table. A couple of times my arm got splashed with water from a source I would not like to think about. The visible microwaves in the kitchen (noted in several other reviews) are also a constant source of distraction when thinking of how your food is being prepared.
In summary this place is only OK, but there are MUCH better tapas places throughout the city I’d visit before this place. I’d give this place 2.5 stars, but I rounded up out of nostalgia.
I miss the old days…

This place is good. But not great. It’s a small, trendy restaurant up north and I was happy with the ambiance when I walked in. The service was good. Their sangria was stronger than usual, which I liked, and was pretty tasty for white sangria, and I really liked that they gave me a lot of fruit pieces in my glass. We ordered one of the hot tapas shrimp dishes, the patatas bravas, and the beef and pork empanadas. I’m not sure if I didn’t love this place because I’ve had better tapas, or if it was because the food just wasn’t really that awesome. Not sure if I’d rush back here, but I would return, however, next time I think I’d try some different dishes, and the patatas bravas again, that was pretty good.

Food: It was just OK. I’ve had much better at Twist and Café Ba Ba Reba; save your money and go there. The one thing that I really liked was my dessert. Crema Catalana De Chocolate 5.95 Creamy vanilla custard with bittersweet chocolate and caramelized sugar topping.
Service: 5 Stars. Our server was AWESOME! This was our first time there, and she took the time to explain things to me and made some really good recommendations. She was just great. If this location needed a server trainer, they should utilize the services of Natalia. *(If this name is incorrect, blame it on my old age; my memory fails me.
Drinks: I had the Sangria. I wasn’t wowed. :(
We had a Groupon. That’s probably the only way I would go again.

Overall great experience! My girlfriend and I were starving and not in the mood to mull over the menu, so we entrusted the bartender with placing our order. I wish I could remember her name because she was friendly, attentive and provided us with a fabulous meal.
The music in the place was an eclectic remix of hits and lesser-​known goodies from 1990s to present, at the perfect volume (meaning you could have a conversation with the person next to you while talking at a normal level). The service was great and we never felt rushed– the bartender checked back in when she should and never hoovered. The busboy politely asked if we were finished with a plate or dish before even reaching for it.
When you stop in (and you should– no, you HAVE TO, stop in), try the following:
— Sangria: mixed on the spot and fruit cut to order, no ice in the pitcher so it didn’t get watered down — perfection!
— Vieiras con Espinacas (scallops with spinach): cooked perfectly and the reduction it was served over was so delicious that we sopped up every drop with our bread
— Nido de Cordero (confit of lamb): the best dish that we had! The seasoning on the lamb was flavorful and sweet, but didn’t overwhelm the dish– you could still taste the shoestring potatoes.
— Aguacate Relleno (avocado with prawns): Refreshing palette-​cleanser; equal parts prawn and avocado and very tasty
— Datiles con Tocino (bacon wrapped dates): The bacon overpowered the flavor of the dish. It was good, but I’ve had better at other places.
— Empanada de Dos Solomillos: Average. With so many other wonderful options, don’t waste the room in your belly on these.

I had a really great experience here after purchasing a 10-​for-​20 groupon and coming for dinner. The girlfriend and I are sticklers about tapas, but Tapas Gitana passed the test with flying colors.
For starters, service was fantastic. I’ll admit that we didn’t have a whole lot of competition for our waiter’s attention as it wasn’t a very busy night… but this was some of the best service I have had in a long time. Staff was very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and wine list and got us out on time for the show we had afterwards.
We had four dishes and all were excellent… fresh and delicious. Patatas Bravas were authentic and yummy. I was also really impressed by some stuffed mushrooms and a savory crêpe.
Oftentimes when I get a groupon it’s a one-​and-​done deal, but not this one. I will certainly be back for more after a thoroughly impressive first trip to Tapas Gitana.

Four of us walked into Tapas Gitana at around 9:00 on a Saturday night and the place was packed. After sitting at our table for about half an hour without anyone greeting us, it was obvious that service was in the weeds. When our server finally arrived to our table, she mentioned the bartender was a no call no show that night and they were slammed. The staff was having a rough night, so we were still willing to give the place the benefit of the doubt.
As we sipped on our Sangrias an hour after being seated, we noticed that the restaurant has an open kitchen with a microwave sitting out for the entire place to see. If you are going to have an open kitchen, why in earth would you let customers see it? This was a complete turn-​off.
We ordered a bunch of tapas, all of which we thought were average. My husband and I do not eat ham, and we ordered a dish without it. Apparently the ham was really cooked into the dish and flavorless, because after we took a bite of the dish the server came over to our table to warn us that they accidentally made it with the ham, which initially we did not notice. Now, I understand that this happens, and although it upsets me, there is nothing that can really be done about it at that point. I was, however, unhappy with how the restaurant dealt with the situation. The owner came to our table and although she apologized, the situation was brushed off. She offered to make us a new one, but did not make any compensations in hope that we would decide to return.
In summary, we all agreed that we would rather spend our money at a tapas place that does not serve above average food and treats their customers with more courtesy.

I enjoyed Tapas Gitana for a friends birthday. The service is really good and the outside back patio is really comfortable too. I had heard mixed reviews about it, so wasn’t really sure what to expect. My go to Tapas restaurants are Café Bar Ba Reeba and Tapas Las Ramblas.
I would say the food and service here lived up to my expectation. The Sangria on the other hand was my least favorite of the tapas restaurants I’ve been too. The white wine just wasn’t that good in my opinion. The apples seemed to be somewhat brown within the glass.
Outside of the Sangria it was a great experience. I’d go back.

Came here with my mom late at night (around 9:45). Located in boystown so it’s surrounded by men goign to the clubs. Luckily, there weren’t too many people in the restaurant so we were seated and served fast.
EXCELLENT sangria. For a half pitcher it was about $ 8 and it was perfect for two people (two glasses each). The tapas were also great! The only downside about the evening was that the cook forgot to take off the sticker on the tomato. It ended up on my dish. However, we notified the waitress and she took it off our bill as an apology. Super nice!
I would def come back!

It was probably not a good idea to come here after the Unilocal és D’or Elite Event at Mercat a la Planxa. The food cannot compare.
My friend and I ordered the following:
— Gambas Al Ajillo (tiger shrimp sautéed in olive oil garlic and chili peppers). Good and our favorite dish, but it wasn’t anything special, so that said a lot about the place already.
— Champiñones Rellenos (mushroom caps stuffed with a blend of mushroom,
spinach, garlic and Spanish cheeses). Also good, but again, nothing special.
— Queso de Cabra al Horno (oven baked goat cheese in a tomato basil sauce served with garlic bread). Meh, this was okay. I’m picky about my bread. The bread wasn’t all that fresh.
I think we had our hearts set on escargots that night after talking about it at the Unilocal event, and we were sadly disappointed that Tapas Gitana didn’t have it (but my friend swears that she remember eating it there). Oh well.
I may give Tapas Gitana another chance one day since I live just around the corner.

Yum

I have to echo the recent reviews citing poor service; sadly that was our experience with dinner at Tapas Gitana on Fourth of July weekend. We dined outdoors in the patio, which was a nice feature, though a bit noisy from the bar over the fence. Sadly it went downhill from our initial positive impression of the patio. When the waiter took our drink menus, my wife asked for a recommendation on which Cava to select (the first section of the drinks menu was titled Cavas, i.e. sparkling wines from Spain). The waiter had no idea what she was speaking about and when we explained and pointed to the menu he claimed none were available. I went with red Sangria (which was decent) and my wife with iced tea.
We ordered seven different tapas and none were bad, but only two would I classify as good (the Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce was our favorite and the Warm Goat Cheese was tasty as well). Despite decent food, the unsatisfactory service overshadowed the cuisine and fluctuated from poor to absent. A few of the highlights (well, lowlights):
*My wife finished her ice tea and our waiter walked by the table multiple times ignoring her as she tried to get his attention for a refill; we eventually were able to flag down a busboy. And my wife is far from shy.
*There was a long pause after our sixth dish. Eventually the waiter came over and asked if we wanted anything else. We indicated that we had not yet received our Beef Tendorloin. He meandered off and more than ten minutes later another waiter came out and said he had already brought us that dish (he had not) and eventually almost reluctantly set down the long awaited Beef Tenderloin.
*The few times we did see our waiter he acted bored, disinterested, and cold. While he was not overtly rude he did not introduce himself, make any recommendations, check on us to see how the food was, or ask if I wanted more Sangria when I finished my glass. The only time he seemed remotely chipper was when he dropped of the bill.
With so many other options nearby offering better food, better value and significantly better service we will not be back.

Solid.