Tapas Gitana

As always Tapas Gitana continues to be my favorite tapas restaurant. A lil bit of everything. Scallops with Israeli couscous, Garlic shrimp, meat balls, queso de cabra, charcuterie board with THE MOST AMAZING OLIVES, lamb chops, chicken skewers, banana chocolate bread pudding with Dos Nueces. I honestly go there when I crave their olives. Bonus is the amazing things that come after.Saving the best for last. Alberto the server has been there since I've been going. Sigh... aging myself.... Probably about 20yrs now. He stays on top of it all, remembers minute details from the last dinner conversation and your orders. Fun and a jokester, takes his time to converse while not taking too much time. Just pleasant conversation while still making sure you and his customers are well taken care of. This is probably the longest review I've posted, but it had to be said.Thank you Tapas Gitana staff!

Food was good. nothing struck me as better than other tapas choices I've have in Chicago area. What was memorable was the very hurried and borderline obnoxious service we received. First when ordering we thought we could use the numbers next to the menu items. Were told no because the menu had changed. we needed to tell him the name of the menu item then he laughed at our mispronunciations. They close at 9pm at 8:40 we were told if we needed to use the restroom to go now as they would be locking them soon. we were not the only table remaining. I really don't get it. we were still finishing a second drink they had served 5 to 10 mins earlier. I have NEVER had such treatment anywhere. I will not return.

Great spot for outdoor drinks and food. Lots of shade and easy breeze. Our favorites are always the gambas in garlic oil, cheese plate and flan which is super creamy and custardy. Good selection of bottles of red and sangria is great for sharing. Manager Ivan and staff are super friendly and accommodating. Great place for small and large groups.

This place should be packed. It is tucked away toward the back of a Northfield strip mall between 2 buildings but take a stroll back there. The food is really good. I love octopus and we had the hot tapas over potatoes. Good and so inexpensive compared to other places. Also had chicken skewers over rice as well as beef skewers as well as eggplant. If you want paella--and they have a few varieties--you must order at the start cuz it takes time to make, but good things come to those who wait. There are so many tapas on the menu that you need to pace yourself. I love the variety! Full bar and a wine list. Burp.

Best tapas in town!! The Paella is amazing!! service is outstanding, and the owner is very attentive to detail which make all his dishes amazing!! Love this place!!

While the food and pricing is good, with a bit of outdoors, I have to take some points away for the atmosphere. It reminds me of a worn out bar/diner and if it weren't for the outdoors we wouldn't have even gone. The service was just OK and a bit of a language barrier existed. If you don't mind those items, the selection and flavors of the food were good. Not outstanding, but good. There is a large variety. I had the warm tapas octopus and couldn't tell I was eating octopus, just nuggets in a sauce. To me a few minutes to determine based on texture and hint of flavor. For a minute I thought I was eating my wife's potatoes. LOL.

Walked in to an empty restaurant at 5:30 as a party of 4 (2 adults 2 kids) hoping for a quick bite and was told they are completely booked at the moment and were unable to accommodate us. The whole restaurant was EMPTY and they said in order dine with them we required a reservation. I was really excited to try this place considering we only frequent cafe ba ba reeba and cafe iberico in Chicago. The snubbery we received was loud and clear. They didn't want our service despite having a completely empty restaurant. Watching the staff line up and stare at us blankly with nothing to do added additional insult. Clearly this place doesn't want our service nor deserves it. What a disappointment. I'd understand if the place was packed with covers but you could hear a pin drop over the music they played. Don't go here. Not worth your time.

Drinks were not good, we got the sangria with margarita and it was just sweet with barely any liquor. Appitizers were good but the paella was tasteless, we had to ask for salt and pepper. Just not what we expected

Decent Tapas spot for the suburbs. Unfortunately Cafe-Ba-Ba-Ree-Ba is way better, with much better ambiance.Overall the tapas are good though. The octopus and papatas bravas were my favorite, lamb chops are just okay, Paella was bad unfortunately. My absolute biggest complaint though, is the stemless wine glasses. As a sommelier it drives me absolutely crazy getting served wine in a round glass cup. A small issue for most I know. But I just can't get over it

My family has been patronizing Tapas Gitana fairly frequently for several years. We all love tapas, and often come for birthdays, anniversaries, and this year Mother's Day brunch. First, the food is yummy and authentic; they scored 5/5 for my favorite Dátiles Relleños (Bacon-Wrapped Dates), one of my tapas benchmarks. Their selection is fairly extensive, with a good balance and variety of dishes. The ambiance is comfortable, well-appointed, clean, and airy. They have a large outdoor patio; it's well set back from a fairly quiet street, among shade trees. For some, the service may seem a bit slow. To me, it is reminiscent of the more (soooo much more) relaxed, leisurely pace of Spanish life. This suits a tapas meal -- no rush, plenty of time to chat and digest before the next round of tasty morsels. *N.B. The above should *not* be construed as a slight on the staff. To the contrary, they are uniformly friendly, cheerful, and attentive.