Basically I am a fan but over the years they have had a few missteps. Â
First of all I love the spiced olives that they start the meal with, though the portion has gotten smaller over the years.
Then my two favorite dishes are the bacon wrapped date and the baked goat cheese in tomato basil sauce. Â The dates are as good ever. Â Unfortunately I was very disappointed in the baked goat cheese this last time. Â The portion is now tiny. Â I used to have to ask for additional garlic toast to finish it all. Â No problem with garlic toast portion this time, there was so little goat cheese. Â To make matters worse they are using inferior goat cheese. Â Not the high quality of past visits.
Save room for dessert because they are terrific.  Our two favorites -Profiteroles and Flor De Plátano (Caramelized banana slices with vanilla ice cream, house made caramel and chocolate sauces and chopped pistachios)
Service here is always friendly, no complaints what so ever.
Do call and make a reservation. Â One time we went during an off hour but we couldn't be seated because the restaurant was closed for a private party. Â Just make sure they are open!
First visit here and it was delightful. I did feel some of the prices were a little pricey for the amount of food, but quality and taste made it palatable.
My favorite was the Tomate Y Queso Con Acertunas--tomato, fresh mozzarella topped with black olive & roasted pepper relish! The Tilapia Al Caparas was tasty with a white wine, artichoke, & caper sauce. The Grilled Shrimp with lemon butter was overcooked. I enjoyed the Montaditos de Cerdo--grilled pork medallions. I did not particularly care for the Pipirrana De Buey--grilled strips of skirt steak. One of the specials that day was a creamy baked asparagus custard that was oh so yummy!
Desserts were delightful as well. I really enjoyed the Fior De Platano--caramelized bananas with vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauce. The coffee flan of the day was a great choice! I just did not like the citrus oil added to the rice pudding but it was good.
I would definitely recommend it and will return
Great place to get some tapas. The pechuga de pato (duck breast) and Pincho solomillo (beef tenderloin) were amazing. The dishes are of reasonable size with decent prices.
The only reason why it got four stars was that I saw more fruit flies than I should see in a restaurant. I guess I can't complain too much, since my own kitchen is currently being taken over by them.
We went on a groupon and so glad we tried this place out.
Best tapas place! Tapas Gitana replaces my old fav Cafe ba ba reeba! Â
The place is very unassuming but the place was packed and very well-deserved reviews. It took  a second to be seated but after that the service was excellent.
We ordered the following Tapas:
Queso de Cabra al Horno - The mushrooms were seasoned perfectly in a delightful savory sauce with garlic and Spanish cheeses.
Gambas Al Ajillo - simple and delicious shrimp.
Patatas Bravas - It was a nice blend of potatoes and spice similar to a well sophisticated Indian chaat.
Corazon de Alcachofas - It was a nice and refreshing take on artichokes with shrimp or heaven on an artichoke.
Vegetarian Paella - nice blend of spices which tickled the taste bud and a hint of saffron. Perfect! It was on my culinary list and it was awesome.
Glad we came, saw, ate and conquered our tapas. My new favorite restaurant!
I will never forget how horribly my friend and I were treated at Tapas Gitana in Northfield, and the food certainly did not make up for the horrendous service displayed by one specific male host/server.
We walked in on a slow weeknight, and the host gratuitously showed his agression towards my friend and I because we did not have a reservation. Weird, right? The fun did not end there--he threw our menus on the table and ignored our questions. Never have I witnessed such ungracious behavior by waitstaff, or anyone for that matter. Â What a poor angry man!
Go to Happ Bar and Grill or Tapas Barcelona if you want to be greeted with a positive attitude and a smile to match!
I bought the Groupon deal for Tapas Gitana after frequenting the yoga studio upstairs and smelling all of the delicious smells.
My normal tapas place is La Tasca in Arlington Heights, which regularly blows me away on flavor but sometimes lacks service.
Tapas Gitana seemed to be the opposite. Â The service was almost overbearing, but the food was just okay. Â Our server didn't understand English very well, which made communication difficult. Â When he came to take our order, he asked if we were ready, and we said we'd need a couple more minutes to look at the menu. Â His response was "okay, are you ready?" Â We ordered all of our dishes at once, and one didn't come. Â When he asked if we'd like dessert, we said we'd look at the menu, and I asked him to just take the dish that never came off the bill. Â Instead, he brought us that dish. Â Unfortunately, it was the least appetizing of the dishes we enjoyed, and left me with a bad taste.
We ordered:
Canalon Frio de Atun - the tuna cannelloni.  This is the one  that never came that the server brought after the fact.  1) I don't like ending my meal with something cold like that at a tapas place, 2) it just didn't taste good.  The menu does not make mention of any olives being in this dish, and there was definitely A LOT of olive in the tuna mixture.  Too much olive.  We didn't even eat half of it.  I was bummed, because this is my favorite dish at La Tasca.
Patatas Bravas - this was the best dish of the night. Â The spicy aioli had good flavor and the potatoes were crispy.
Datiles con tocino - Bacon wrapped dates. Â It's a little hard to mess that up.
Pincho Solomillo - beef tenderloin skewers with caramelized red onions, crispy potato strings, and horseradish sauce. Â The beef was tender and seasoned well, but the horseradish lacked flavor.
We also ordered a bottle of wine which the server up-sold me.
When it was all said and done, it was still an expensive meal, after the groupon. Â I'm not running back.
The boyfriend and I had such a great time here that we purposely didn't use our Groupon so we could come back here to sample more of their delicious food.
We ordered four tapas - two savory ones and two sweet ones. Â For the sweet ones, we had the crepe with apples, goat cheese, spinach and pine nuts. Â We also had the bacon wrapped dates. Â The crepe was one of my favorites. Â I liked the sweetness of the apples mixed with the creaminess of the goat cheese. Â The pine nuts were a nice addition and gave a roasted flavor to the dish. Â
The bacon wrapped dates tasted good and are very similar in taste to other tapas restaurants I have been to. Â If you've had them before, I'd say skip them and try something different.
For our savory tapas, we had the lamb and the beef tenderloin. Â The lamb came with caramelized onions, potatoes and a herb aioli. Â The tenderloins were served on skewers and had 3 pieces of meat. Â They were served with very thin potato sticks, caramelized onions and had a horseradish sauce on them.
For dessert, we had the caramelized banana slices, which were served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces and were also served with chopped pistachios. Â Our ice cream was served in dish made out of the chocolate. Â This was a nice addition and a good way to keep the ice cream from melting all over the plate.
At first, the portions looked tiny, but they were actually pretty filling and I left satisfied not stuffed. Â The ambiance of the restaurant is nice and it was lively on the Saturday night we went. Â Our server was super friendly and our food came out quick.
We can't wait to go back here!
I would give this 3 stars for the food, probably one of the better Tapas in the burbs. Â I think the best one is probably Emilio's in Hillside. Â Can't compare to Cafe Iberico for the prices, quality, and quantity..... but it was OK.
Instead I'm giving it 2 stars because the portion size was so small. Â For the $83 we spent last night (4 hot tapas and 4 sangrias), we should of spent that money at Fogo or Brazzaz.
I think I would of been happier going to On the Border, if that was still in business.
I have been here twice. This is a very nice Spanish taps bar but very far from authentic. Dates wrapped in bacon are delicious, I really have to learn how to make them at home. The octopus can be sometimes overcooked and chewy. Service is very very slow. I recommend making reservations online it makes things easy. Also bring a sweater, the patio for some reason gets really cold in the late summer/ fall
Review Source:I love coming here because it's one of the closest places to get tapas on the North Shore without having to schlep to the city. I've paid 3 visits here and each one of them has been thoroughly enjoyable. Beware though that if you don't make reservations on a busy weekend night, be prepared to wait a good 40-45 minutes if you want it bad enough. But during the week it usually isn't a problem.
We've always eaten inside rather than on the patio because it's always either been too hot or raining. Plus the ambiance is a little nicer inside. Plastic chairs and table tops don't do it for me when you're shelling out $30+ for a meal. Yaknowwhaimsayin'?
The service is ALWAYS outstanding, I've never had a bad experience with waiter/waitress here, they're all fantastic and very knowledgeable about the dishes. I'm extremely indecisive and they're always very helpful. The Queso de Cabra al Horno is my go to dish. Every time. I order at least two of them because one just isn't enough and I don't really like to share (yes, I realize that defeats the whole purpose of tapas, but just hear me out). The combination of the melted goat cheese and tomato basil sauce is just heaven. I do wish the portions were a *skosh* bigger, but the idea is to order a little bit of everything so you get a nice variety. And the sangrias are ALWAYS awesome. Order a pitcher, even if it's just two of you. It's worth it.
And if you're not "busting at the gut" from dinner, try the Flor De Plátano. You won't regret it. Es muy delicioso.
Awesome tapas and great service. All the dishes we ordered were very good. I suggest the bacon wrapped dates as a dessert rather then an appetizer. Excellent but very rich. I like the food and atmosphere here but my preference is still Tapas Barcelona in Evanston for the same prices and service.
Review Source:I've been here many times with my family for brunches and holidays and always had a nice experience. The place is cozy, with a cute atmosphere, they do have a nice outdoor eating section, but we always prefer to sit outside because it's usually hott and it's nice inside :) We've tried at least one thing on the menu when all eight of us come here and everything is just a-okay, not fantastic, mouth watering tapas that I would prefer, but nothing grotesque either. We've had the calamari, squid, potatos, meats, shrimp and all is just eh, definitely edible and definitely worth trying once, but would I come here over and over again, nah, I guess we are over it. Good service and really good sangria though, so definitely try it out. Plus, location is closer than going to the city, but I'd rather hit up the city for the quality of the tapas...
Review Source:I have now enjoyed dinner here twice and cannot wait to return. My favorite cold appetizer is the Tomate Y Queso Con Aceitunas - sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and olive spread. The Crepe Rellena has apples, goat cheese, spinach and pine nuts with pimento butter - yum. A standard at many tapas places is the Queso de Cabra al Horno, with goat cheese, tomato sauce and garlic bread. It is the best I've had here. My favorite was last night's special - lightly fried artichoke hearts with an amazing sauce. Oh my! They do have carryout, and I definitely will return.
Review Source:I made reservations for Valentine's Day with the boyfriend and we left feeling indifferent...no "oh my GOD that was good" or "that was horrible." Â Just..."meh."
Being tapas lovers, we were both excited since we hadn't had tapas in a long time. Â We ordered 7 different tapas and though we did enjoy most of them, something about the entire meal itself was somewhat unsatisfying. Â It was very salty or there were just too many flavors going on in each dish. Â Not to say that it was bad, but I feel as though they were trying to do too much with each dish.
The paella was a real disappointment. Â It tasted heavily of tomato/tomato sauce and was very watered down. Â Also, paella should have a nice crunch on the bottom layer/outside layer from sitting in the hot pan and cooking, but there was no crunchy goodness at all. Â The only good thing about it was that the portion was big.
The prices are pretty reasonable compared to other tapas restaurants and the server constantly came back to see how we were doing throughout the meal.
While it wasn't the best tapas restaurant I've been to, it wasn't the worst. Â Just simply "A-OK."
I had lunch here with my regular Friday Lunch Bunch a couple of weeks ago. Â My dining companions aren't really familiar with Tapas, or any Spanish food for that matter, but they really enjoyed expanding their culinary pallettes on the various small plates. Â They are picky eaters, so we weren't all that adventurous that day...avoiding octopus, and some of the other fish dishes, and sticking with familiar chicken offerings and potato salad, which is really good here.
Service wasn't too friendly on the day we went. We got there just as they opened at 11:30. Â Maybe that had something to do with it. Our server wasn't unpleasant, but he wasn't particularly affable either. The quality of the food made up for his indifference and we had a very nice time trying the small plates. I think the best idea is to go with a group of three, maybe four, and order three or four small plates each. Â You'll get a decent amount of food to sample, and plenty of variety. Â Try both the hot and cold dishes.
I've been here a couple of times with my wife and we really enjoy the octopus and more exotic offerings.
Had dinner here with a friend of a Sunday night. The place was pretty empty but what do you expect on a Sunday evening. The menu looked so good we wanted to order everything off of it! We ended up ordering the Pechuga de Pato-duck breast, Queso de Cabra al Horno-goat cheese, Patatas Bravas-potatoes, Dátiles Con Tocino-bacon wrapped dates, Pimientos Del Piquillo-stuffed sweet peppers, Nido De Cordero-confit of lamb with potatoes, and 1 white sangria and 1 red sangria.
Overall, all of the dishes were very flavorful. The duck was soft and flavorful, could have been a little bit softer. The goat cheese with garlic bread was great! I am not a cheese person at all but this was delicious. The fried potatoes were very soft and flavorful, the sauce was great even though has a bit of a spicy kick(I do not eat spicy food). The bacon wrapped dates were to die for. The idea first grossed me out but they were so good! Perfect combination of sweet, salty, soft and crunchy. The stuffed sweet peppers were okay. They were cheesy, small, and not very hot. They weren't gross, they were just boring, I wouldn't recommend them. The lamb with potatoes was probably the best thing! It was sweet, soft, and hot, and just delicious. The sangrias were okay. They were not strong at all, tasted more like juice than an alcohol beverage.
The service was good. The waitress was not in our faces too much, which is what I like. The live band was good, a bit loud, but they were entertaining.
A bit pricier than what we would have liked to pay for a sunday night simple dinner outing on a budget. Even though the food was great it could have been more amazing for the price. I would recommend this place to other people, and probably go there again.
Great tapas in the northwest burbs? Â Who'd a thunk it? Â Not me. Â I was in the mood for tapas, was up in the burbs, so I yelped it and up came Tapas Gitana. Â Made a reservation for dinner and was pleasantly surprised that we had the option for indoor seating or outdoor in a cozy area with heated lamps. Â We chose indoor. Â
Service was good, not great. Â But I didn't mind as they were busy (literally every table was taken) and the place was bustling. Â It's definitely a NW suburban crowd, a bit older, definitely not your Cafe Iberico crowd. Â Ambience was very nice, very alive.
Sangria was about $25 but it kept us filled throughout the entire dinner. Â It wasn't the best sangria I've ever had, but not the worst. Â Every single dish we tried was extremely flavorful, and I'm all about flavor. Â Special shoutout to the patatas bravas (spicy potatos were damned good), canalon relleno (like a tuna salad), gambas marinadas (tiger shrimp with a boatload of dipping sauce), and the pollo al curry (curry chicken, people). Â All creamy, all delicious. Â Damn, my mouth is watering thinking about it, and all the other items on the menu I have yet to try. Â I guess I'm going to have to head up to the NW burbs more often... Prices here are fair, parking is plentiful, kind of difficult to see as it's stuck in the middle of a large strip mall, but well worth the search.
If you live near here, get over to Tapas Gitana and try it out. Â It sure beats ordering out for Chinese again tonight. Â And this is coming from someone who loves Chinese food.
Eat it.
What a nice surprise! I had heard some positive reviews of Tapas Gitana over the past year or so, but never gave the place much thought until I realized that they participated in the WBEZ MemberCard program. My wife and I grabbed a friend and stopped here on a steamy Thursday night to find a packed house of happy eaters, with overflow outside on the beautiful patio. It was about 95 degrees outside so we opted to wait in the bar area for an inside table. We ordered a large pitcher of sangria and experienced a bit of sticker shock at the $30 price tag, but once we realized that this would feed the three of us well for the entirety of our meal, the value was realized. A good potent sangria that was just a little heavy on the red wine, but boy did these start going down easy.
We enjoyed about five tapas as well as the included crusty bread. All dishes were very good, but the standouts were the grilled chorizo dish (Chorizo Ala Plancha), the goat cheese in spicy tomato/basil dip (Queso de Cabra al Horno) and the cold garlic potato salad (Patatas Con Alioli). The bacon-wrapped dates were tasty, but slightly mushy and overdone. There was also a dish on the specials menu that was a tube-shaped pastry filled with meat and vegetable. This was quite good with the great sauce putting it over the top.
Service was very good and we're already looking forward to returning with friends. I'd recommend driving a few minutes out to Tapas Gitana, especially if you feel like Tapas Barcelona is the only game in town on the North Shore. I think Gitana's got them beat!
This place has the best food.  Absolutely delicious!  My only negative was that they put my cranberry juice in a small glass with a ton of ice, so I had to order about 3 of them which became  pricey.  Other than that, great food, courteous staff and I love sitting outside on their patio in the summer.
Their menu is also very vegetarian and gluten free friendly.
The hubs and I dined at Tapas Gitana for a Father's Day dinner with the family. What a TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE!! After placing our order of tapas, we expected dishes to come in waves. However, after waiting for 1.5 hours without any food, we all started to get a bit nervous. I looked to my left and noticed that the wall was filthy: specks of crusted food had obviously been ignored and were left to dry on the outdated paint job and "art." Another bad sign: the ladies' room was very dirty.
Finally, after waiting and waiting and waiting.....the 5 of us received ONE TAPAS from our order of about 10. Like prisoners desperate for food, we each took one bite. Mind you, I am 8 months pregnant and was starving! Â Things were getting desperate. Suddenly, we noticed an enraged man yelling at a table nearby....saying "You've only been here an hour, what do you expect?" Apparently, this was the owner, screaming at his patrons. A few expletives were thrown around, and we learned from our pre-pubescent waitress that one of the chefs never showed up for dinner service. After glancing around the restaurant, I realized no one had any food. We received a few sub-par tapas within the course of another 45 minutes or so, and then canceled the rest of our food to go across the street to Happ Inn.
The owner obviously didn't give a crap about the wait, or the dissatisfaction of his customers, and didn't hesitate to scream in the faces of people that were just trying to celebrate father's day!! HORRIBLE!!
I've always wanted to experience a tapas place in Chicago's suburbs. Â This place is EXCELLENT! Â My first tapas experience was a success due to this amazing place. Â I came here for a birthday party. Â This place was able to reserve a table of 12 for us. Â Their food came out so fresh and hot. Â The food was spiced perfectly. Â Not to mention, pair your tapas with a delicious cocktail or sangria! Â
You are able to make reservations online. Â That makes it extremely convenient for big parties. Â I recommend making reservations, because this place was packed from the time we got there til we left!
My favorite things to get here are:
- Â Combination De Embuidos: Â House plate of Spanish slicing meats, Chorizo seco, Cantimpolo, and Embuchado de Lomo de Cerdo served with Manchego cheese drizzled with EVOO
- Â Mar Y Mar: Â Prince Edward Island Mussels in a white wine cream sauce accompanied by two grilled tiger shrimp
-  Dátiles Con Tocino:  Bacon wrapped dates over red pepper cream sauce
- Â Chorizo Ala Plancha: Â Grilled Slices of Chorizo served with Cumin mayonnaise and lemon
-  Vieiras Con Espinacas:  Grilled jumbo sea scallops served over sautéed spinach with tomato lemon garlic sauce
I've been saving my 500th review for something special and I have to say the food at Tapas Gitana is special. They have an excellent selection and it is probably the best tapas that I've had. It is also almost double the price of most places, but price is not factored into this review. It's amazing that they are getting 2 stars after the horrific service that we had.
My parents and I each had a groupon. We had 5 total in our party and since the rules of the groupon require that you can only have one per table we decided to make two reservations for 7:30 (table for 2 and table for 3). We showed up at 7:30 and were told we "would be seated shortly". We asked if it would be possible to put all 5 together and use both Groupons and they said no. That's fine we didn't mind being split up. What we did mind was waiting 30+ minutes to be seated. There were lots of open tables and it wasn't until we pointed out that our reservation was 30 minutes ago that we were seated. They never apologized or offered a drink during our wait. It was downright horrific service! What pissed me off even more was that we waited 30 minutes and we were still separated!
After being seated we ordered a first course and drinks. The drinks and the first course came quickly, but I downed my iced tea quickly since I had been waiting forever to be seated. Our came back and told me she'd be right back with another iced tea. 20 minutes go by and we getting really angry because not only has my iced tea not come, but we haven't seen her to order any more food. I finally grabbed another waiter and asked him for an iced tea. Our original waitress came back with my tea and it was warm and had a couple pieces of melted ice in the glass.
This place was one of the most disappointing dining experiences that I've ever had. There are a lot of very good tapas places in Chicago and I will not be coming back here.
What a nice place! Â It took a while to review it....all of the apps I had were good. Â Normal, tapas portions and prices. Â We were there later in the evening so the restaurant was pretty quiet.
I would go again if I was in the area, but probably wouldn't make a special trip out there.
My wife and I went here on a Saturday for lunch. We've been to a few area tapas places in the past, and they've been pretty good. Then we went to Barcelona and had tapas at Paco Meralgo. One year later, I found myself having the closest food to Spain that I have had til now in the Chicago area.
The big lunch started with bread and butter, and olives on the side. The olives were marinated well, and dusted in paprika, I think. Â Bread and butter were also served on the side, and the bread wasn't anything to write home about.
We started cold tapas with the plato de queso españolas. I do wish that they had told us just what cheeses were on the plate (surely manchego was one of them, but I have no idea what the other two were) but everything on the plate was fresh. The grapes were so fresh as to almost be crispy. And the apples were also fresh, though these weren't tart apples; they were pretty sweet.
We had the queso with tostadas españolas. I think secretly every slice of Pancetta is actually trying to be Iberian ham. Much bigger bacon flavor, unique texture, sort of chewy... this was like the perfect ham and cheese sandwich. Definitely authentic; I think maybe you might find something fresher at the Boqueria off Las Ramblas in Barcelona.
As is our tradition, for hot tapas we had the calamares a la plancha. This was as good as they can make it, considering the calamari has to be flown in from somewhere at least 1,000 miles away. Still, it was well seasoned and balanced; worth getting.
We also had the patatas bravas. Great crunchy texture. Most days french fries aren't made this crispy. It was topped with peppers (pimiento comes to mind, but I can't confirm that for sure) and tomatoes, and a mayo/hot pepper sauce that cranked up the heat. Very, very good.
Which gets us to dátiles con tocino. Anything wrapped in bacon is good. Wrapping dates in bacon, frying, then serving it over a sweet red pepper sauce? Wow. This was the best dish of the night, as the sweetness of the sauce matched perfectly with the sweetness of the dates.
For dessert, we went with arroz con leche. Rice desserts can be, frankly, weird. So it was a good thing that this one came out clean but not too rich. The citrus flavor was actually pretty complex, but balanced. Definitely orange zest, a little lime zest, and possibly a little lemon zest. It wasn't all that sour, though.
Service was... terse, but not unfriendly. This was over lunch, so there were only two other tables. It's safe to say we were given our space.
I'll keep trying different tapas restaurants throughout the suburbs, but for now, Tapas Gitana takes over the top spot in terms of authenticity and big flavors on small dishes.
If I was rating the food it would be a FIVE STARS, but since I'm rating the service, three stars will have to do. I'm being quite nice here.
I don't know what it is, but the last four times I been here, the service gets worse and worse. Honestly, how long does it take to grill squids. Tonight, we order squids as our last dish and it took about 45 minutes. Our dinner from start to finish was 3 hours long. That's insane! It wasn't based on us taking our time, but from the time we sat down and order our sangria to the time our waiter finally brought us our credit cards.
If I didn't like the food so much, I would never come here. Even the other times I come when I was one of the three tables filled, the service is still bad. I think most of the waiters just seem to not have a sense of urgency. If you are lucky, you will get the older woman who works on Saturday nights. Tonight there was a young teenager boy who seem to be running the show; refilling our glasses, taking away plates and asking us if we need anything. I much of rather tipped him than our waiter who we had to remind him we order the squids and empanadas. He said he never got our order of empanadas, but what I really think is that he never put our order in and when he realized that he forgot, he acknowledged the squid knowing it would take 10 minutes to grill.
Also, something so rude. The hostess moved us to another table so they can seat some customers together. In the middle of our dinner, they had us move to the bar. Never experienced anything like this.
Overall, I don't know the next time I will go. The food is good, but not that good to waste 3 hours waiting around.
We've come here a few times in the last few years. Â It's a cute place in the suburbs that's hidden in a strip mall, which a little weird. But don't let that stop you from coming.
Upon entering you'll notice there is a pretty decent sized patio in front of the restaurant. The inside is smaller than what you would probably imagine it to be given the size of the patio, but it's nicely decorated.
The time before the last time we came there was a group of four of us. The house-made marinated olives were great- they included different types of olives and we asked for multiple plates in which they were happy to oblige. We ordered a bunch of dishes including the goat cheese in tomato sauce, the grilled calamari, the patatas bravas, the Pipirrana De Buey (grilled skirt steak with blue cheese sauce and awesome red wine caramelized onions), the Montaditos de Cerdo (pork medallions), the house plate of meats and cheese, the poached octopus in viniagrette, the seafood paella and a few of the specials offered that day. Â All of the items we ordered were delicious! We even re-ordered plates of the patatas bravas and the one of the meat dishes. (The spicy mayo on the fried potatoes is AWESOME.) Everything was cooked well that day and everyone enjoyed the meal.
Though we've had mostly good experiences here, the last time we came was a little bit of a let down. Â The food wasn't as great as it was previously was and it was disappointing. Â Every dish we ordered was off somehow, i.e. the patatas bravas were cold, the calamari a la plancha was overcooked, etc. However, it might have just been an off-night. Â I'm sure we'll be returning sometime in the near future to try it out again.
Tried this place for the first time for lunch today and I was impressed. Ordered the patatas bravas and they came out just like the ones I enjoyed in Barcelona a month ago. Alberto was the only waiter on duty and he managed to take care of both the outdoor and indoor customers quite well.
The only drawback I observed was a somewhat small selection. And a pesky fly that wouldn't leave me alone! I plan to go back soon.
This is one of those little suburban gems that are hidden away inside a strip mall. Yes, I could go to Cafe Iberico all the way downtown, or I could enjoy just a delicious tapas close by. Since I'm in the suburbs and it's getting cold, I prefer to keep my driving to a minimum.
The first time my friend and I went there, it wasn't very busy but it had live entertainment - this guy playing spanish guitar by the bar area. We also had a coupon from <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a>, which helped cut down on the cost. We filled out the little comment cards when we paid our bill, and settled down to finish out the sangria when the chef actually came out to meet us & address what we had written on the cards! I was impressed, because it wasn't as if we had complained or anything. Andy had come out to personally let us know that they were planning to put boquerones on the menu in the upcoming weeks! I had to say I was impressed.
The next couple times I've gone, the service has been just as wonderful as the first time, although it seems like more people have found out about the place. The food there is consistently delicious, and I love love love the bacon-wrapped dates. I have yet to have anything there that isn't delicious. Definitely recommend this place.
Nestled in the midst of midwestern suburbia, I was dubious that we'd find anything ethnic that didn't come from a big box franchise purporting Tex Mex in the form of sizzling fajitas and magaritas.
Behold, Gitana! This gypsy roamed into a sleepy strip mall corner and offers dishes that dance a lively jig in your mouth.
Since we had a party of seven, we were able to sample a fair amount of the vegetarian, chicken and seafood menu so I'll make note of the dishes that stood out. Hats off to the vegetarian paella. Usually this much-known dish is unnotable, but Gitana's paella was studded with fresh peas, asparagus and thinly sliced zucchini. The rice was cooked to a separate grain doneness and was bathed in a thin tomato broth that revealed a smoky, spicy hit of paprika. The stuffed portabello mushrooms were presented in a candied sweet sauce that balanced their meatiness. The batatas were crispy and soft and tasted like the best gourmet french fries garnished with piquant green onions and a spiced mayo. The veggie crepes also offered a pleasant surprise with pieces of apple that added a special freshness.
Sadly, Gitana did lose a star for their sangria. It lacked fruitiness and a balanced sweetness so much so that our table left a whole glass untouched. That star also got knocked for their bread basket which served thin slices of dry baguettes that seemed to be portioned miserly to our large table.
Overall, it's an oasis in a culinary desert, but I think it's food would stand out even in a city center.
If I had to describe Tapas Gitana in one word it would be ORDINARY. Â
Decent tapas, would come back here if looking for tapas in the burbs. Â I don't think anything was too special though and quality was just ok...not high. Â I think the bread basket the meal started out with set the tone for the rest of the food. Â The bread is served at cold/room temp, the outside is not crusty, and it tastes like day or two old french bread.
I was expecting something amazing though after reading all the four and five star reviews. Â What I got was decent ordinary tapas. Â I came with a friend for a weekday lunch and there was no wait. Â We had 4 dishes between us and the bill came out to a little over $40 total. Â Not too expensive, but not cheap either.
The server was very nice, attentive, and quick. Â There were only 2 other tables though so I would expect nothing less than stellar service.
Wow. This place is nothing short of amazing.
I had 4 tapas, 2 paellas, and still was around $50 plus had enough for lunch the next day. That's a pretty good price.
Having never had tapas before, I must say it was an experience. The waitress was polite and the tapas came pretty fast. Likewise they warned us upfront that the paellas can take a while, so we order tapas with paellas.
The food is extremely good, very unique. I also tried that bacon-wrapped dates dish, which I've never had before. Absolutely a place to go back to again, explore the menu more, and suggest to other people.
Kind of funny how I found this place, because I was searching for another tapas restaurant in Naperville and this place popped up under that name. Â When I called the number I was told by the hostess that Tapas Gitana broke off from the previous name and is much better in quality. Â Whether or not I believed it, I still made the reservations, and I considered the invitation as a challenge. Â My goal was to set a time and pace for my sister's b-day celebration, and considered the driving factor for all guests in the party. Â
Prior to the date I was put in contact with the chef regarding a set menu. Â Emails were sent and menu selections were discussed. Â There was also a drink menu offerings which came out to a good deal if you drank more than 2 glasses of wine, or sangria. Â I think $11- $13 per head.
The Saturday night of the party was memorable and the our waitress (can't remember her name) was efficient and knew to refill drinks. Â She was kept with busy many other patrons filling up the restaurant and noticed ppl waiting for a table. Â
The food was as described and very tasty. Â Only thing was I had to share a half of a shish ka bob and the skewer was not all meat. Â There was a mushroom hidden between pieces. Â All the food was fresh, eye appealing and a party for the taste buds, but the amount of certain dishes seemed ineffective to actually get a taste of the item. Â
At the end of the night, the bill came out to $$$ cuz the birthday gal didn't have to spend for herself, but there are <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> GC to be had and only one per table allowed. Â Couple of quirks about the bill which were easily settled. Â
I am most definitely coming back for more, especially during the summer weather for the al fresco dining. Â Currently there are specials throughout the week. Â If I can remember Wednesday's are martini specials, and Thursdays are live music. Â Check before you go. Â Enjoy!
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