If you’ve been to Spain, then you’ve experienced Tapas, a magical type of finger food. After I left Spain, there was an urge for sangria and tapas that I was unsure how to fill. But there is good news, Chicago offers several Tapas restaurants to fill the gap of the spanish finger foods.
Tapas Gitana is a quaint restaurant that offers an intimate settings for dinner. The colors found in the restaurant are warm and the feel in light an airy, as if stepping into a spanish summer evening. I went for a girls night, with one of my friends on a Friday night. Once we were seated we were promptly ask if we would like a drink and like any 20 something after a long week, we gladly ordered a pitcher of sangria.
The menu is very Gluten Free friendly, with more tapas options then I’ve seen at places like Cafe Babareeba (though I think there food tastes amazing). Each item we could have was marked as Gluten Free. My friend spent 6 months in Spain so she handled the ordering. I’m always happy to try new things, especially from someone who knows exactly what to order at a place.
Here’s some of the food we got:
PLATO DE QUESO ESPANOLES (Spanish cheese plate), PATATAS CON ALIOLI (Potato salad), COMBINATION DE EMBUIDOS (Spanish meat plate),DATILES CON TOCINO (bacon wrapped dates), CHORIZO ALA PLANCHA, PATATAS BRAVAS (Spanish potatoes), and TORTILLA ESPANOLA (Spanish omelet).
Everything was amazing, more spice then you find in Spain, which to me was refreshing. Perhaps that’s my Italian roots showing through. The Potato salad was perfect and the portions were right for the two of us. If you’ve never tried bacon covered dates, you need to find a restaurant that offers them, much like this one. I think we ordered every dish we could eat on the menu and still managed to keep the bill at a reasonable price. The best of both worlds; great food for a great price.
The last two things we order were desert. 
It was one of the most amazing deserts that I’ve had during my gluten free existence. Not to mention Tapas Gitana offers
7 deserts that are gluten free. That in and of itself makes it a place worth stopping by if for nothing else other than some sangria and desert.
MOUSSE DE MIRTILOS Y CHOCOLATE BLANCO
I love white chocolate so the idea of combining it with blueberries lit my sweet tooth on fire. It was light and airy, but felt rich.
FLOR DE PLATANO
Caramelize bananas and ice cream are a classic spanish desert. If you are a banana lover this is a must. The salty and sweat flavor profile mixed with the hot and cold play perfectly on your taste buds.
The staff at the Tapas Gitana were very pleasant and helpful in accommodating our GF needs. It was a great place to spend a 3 hour dinner.
No doubt in my mind Tapas Gitana is a must try for every wheatless wanderer in the area.
They are located at: 310 Happ Rd, Northfield IL 60093
Make Reservations at: (847) 784-9300
