The beaches of
Ibiza will always possess an unshakable hold
over you. But this summer, you might want to stick a little closer to the beaches of North Avenue...
Introducing
Eivissa, a two-story tapas and sangria haven in Old Town that's like a Catalan mad
scientist's lair, opening today.
You'll enter to find soaring windows and murals inspired by the films and paintings of Spanish artists. So,
you know, nothing too wacky…yet.
But grab a seat at the lively front bar, and right about the time you hit the
Eivissa Foam
Party—herbed sangria punctuated with a tiny cloud of unidentified deliciousness, or the
Ostia—a martini sweetened with a pillow of toasted-almond cotton candy, you'll sense your night
is destined for a place somewhere between insane and brilliant. Turns out chef Dudley Nieto, who elevated
tableside guacamole to an art form down the street at Adobo Grill, is now dabbling in Spanish molecular
gastronomy.
So when it comes time for dinner in the
cozier back room, warmed up with
timber ceilings and burnt-orange fabric, you'll find your usual über-premium Ibérico ham and rare Spanish
wines…but also a collection of
Liquid Tapas, including drinkable seviche.
After that, expect a whirl of C
heese Air, passion fruit "caviar" and a "frozen lake of lobster
bisque."
Consider it surrealism you can eat.
VITALS
Eivissa
1531 N. Wells St
(S. of North)
Chicago, IL 60610
312-929-2951
website