Chicago Avenue in West Town has no shortage of great restaurants, and now something different just opened on this popular stretch. Gilda, a self-described “dirty Basque” pintxos tavern, opened on Thursday, July 23. For historied Chicago chefs Jeremy Leven,
Rafael Esparza, and Anthony Baier, alongside beverage director Inés de Haro, bringing a San Sebastian-inspired Basque taberna to busy Restaurant Row has been a true labor of love and a lesson in the power of community.
Leven says that after years working in kitchens around Chicago, he and his partners were ready to bring their own creative vision to life. “We’re just trying to bring something that’s authentic to ourselves and hope that it connects with people,” says Leven. His partners, Esparza and Baier, bring experience from restaurants including Evette’s, Momotaro, and Kimski, as well as popular pop-up FAFO. Leven, himself, worked in kitchens at MFK and Mama Delia, where under the instruction of chef Marcos Campos, he gained appreciation for the culinary traditions of northern Spain and Basque Country. While undertaking a fellowship at Noma in Copenhagen, Leven visited San Sebastian for the first time and fell in love with the food.
Pintxos tabernas in San Sebastian are generally casual, and the food is simultaneously traditional and innovative. “There are hundreds of these little, informal bars and restaurants where visitors can sit at the bar or at a communal table, or stand and enjoy a beer with their food, instead of having a formal, sit-down experience at a restaurant. That’s what we’re going for,” says de Haro, who is from Madrid and brings a deep knowledge of the region’s history, culture, and cuisine to the team.
Gilda’s space is designed to be convivial and intimate with shared tables and a small seating area at the bar. A bold mural by Chicago artist Caesar Perez celebrates the restaurant’s namesake, Rita Hayworth in the 1946 cult classic film noir Gilda. (Notably, it’s a double entendre referencing a common pintxo of skewered anchovies, olives, and pickled pepper). The menu adheres closely to Basque tradition, heavy on the anchovies and sardines in this peak conservas era, and lots of jamón Iberico. Leven recommends ordering a gilda, a matrimonio anchovy toast, and the cod croquettes. De Haro also shares that there’s a secret burger for customers who sit at the bar, first come, first served. And of course, stay for dessert. Leven is particularly excited about the Basque cheesecake served with seasonal sweet and sour fruit sauce. “I promise you, it is the best in the city,” he says.
On the beverage side, customers can expect cocktails such as the Working-Class Muscle, a riff on a Marianito, which employs Zissou with a “whisper” of Malört (a rather Chicago touch) in place of Campari, and a “Fog” in the Machine, described as a mix between a Fog Cutter and a Long Island Ice Tea — but make it Spanish. The menu also wine and vermouth.
This aim is to make fine dining less formal, more enjoyable, and more accessible. “We’ve really found ourselves and our voice in this whole process,” says Leven. “We’re just cooking food that we would love to eat and we hope that guests connect with that.”
The pathway to funding Gilda forced the team to think outside the box. When traditional funding fell through, de Haro suggested an idea that was successful for a previous establishment where she’d worked. Gilda launched the “Companero Card,” an investment program where the community could support the launch of the business, building a crowd of instant regulars before the restaurant even opened. Leven says that gaining as many as 40 “companeros” helped to breach the gap when traditional loans weren’t a viable option. In return, “companeros” receive a percentage of their donation back through discounts when they dine at Gilda. “In restaurants, especially here in Chicago, it’s very difficult to be in the middle. You’re either a venture capital-backed group, or you are a hot dog stand,” Leven says. “We had to adjust quickly and luckily the community stepped up for us.”
Understanding the economy and need for reasonably accessible community spaces informed their decisions in creating the ambiance and menu for Gilda. “I think people are looking for this right now. I think people are excited about places that are backed by people who really love and care, and aren’t just trying to meet a bottom line,” says Leven.
The Companero program has paid off for the team even within the opening week. “We’re booked up completely the first two weekends, and we have reservations all the way up into October,” Leven adds.
West Town residents used to long lines in the neighborhood still can enjoy Gilda. “Mondays will be walk-in only with a wait list, so that people from the neighborhood after work can come home, walk their dog, then come over to this third space to decompress at the end of their day, instead of finding a place that is not accessible to them,” says de Haro.
Gilda is located at 1421 W. Chicago Avenue; open 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday; closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and reservation-only from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with the last seating at 9:30 p.m.
