Eivissa

1531 N. Wells St. (North Ave.) Send to Phone

Pintxos and tapas---not to mention very sweet sangría---offer a late-night alternative for bar-hoppers.

Cuisine

Open

Lunch & Dinner daily

Features

Private room(s)
Full bar
Reservations suggested
Outdoor dining
Open late
Valet parking
Casual

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Catalan for “Ibiza,” this haunt---where pintxos, tapas and sangría draw a scene-conscious crowd---began with chef Dudley Nieto (Adobo Grill, Zapatista and Xel-Ha, among others) at the helm. Certainly a departure from his mole-centric roots, he began by emphasizing airs, foams and flash-frozen and sous vide techniques. The thing is, sometimes all the trickery on the plate means flavor got lost in translation. Croquetas---one of the few straight-up dishes---arrived dry, lacking crunch and tasting more like chicken meatballs than the jamón-studded treats we’re accustomed to. Chupitos---liquid tapas---are drinkable shots that sound intriguing; as it turns out the cucumber-pineapple juice version, spiked with guindilla peppers and served with a cold hunk of pork belly, was one of the more flavorful things we tried. Lomo, grilled eggplant and zucchini arrived spread atop a crisp slice of bread---this is where the pintxos come in---but at $5 each, we failed to be wowed. Paella and a few more substantial meat offerings are available in small plate and entrée-size portions, too, but we recommend saving room for the sugar coated churros (just ask them to skip the vanilla foam, which makes the accompanying chocolate sauce runny). Now, Jorge Miranda (Adobo Grill) is in the kitchen trying to pick up the pieces and, hopefully, garner success.