Txikito

240 9th Ave., Chelsea, NY

7.4

map & more

Neighborhood
Chelsea

Cuisine
Spanish
Tapas

Nearby
Highline Ballroom
Hiro
The Highline

212-242-4730

Official Website

By Chris Stang
August 24, 2010

What does Txikito mean? Well, first of all, it’s a play on the ancient Basque language where a T followed by an X makes a “ch”. Therefore, you get the adorable name, pronounced “chic kee toh”. What does “chic kee toh” mean? That two straight guys can never meet here for dinner. “Dude, meet me at txikito.” “What? What is that?” “This super cute tapas joint in Chelsea.”

Aside from my hysterically immature observation about the name, Txikito really is a place best suited for a date. It’s a quaint, fun spot with ample bar and dining room seating. The people are friendly, the wine list is interesting, and it’s always lively. The food? It’s tapas, but from the Basque region of Spain, so things are a little bit funkier and have less familiar names. Almost everything on the menu is interesting and sharable, though certain items are overpriced, and at times underwhelming. Overall, the food is solid, and the wines are priced reasonably enough that you can both drink until you’re funny. Perfect recipe for a date spot.

Relevant footnote: Txikito is on a block that every single person in NYC should have on his or her radar. At this intersection of 25th Street and 9th Avenue, there are no less than three excellent First/Early In The Game Date destinations within a few hundred yards. Should Txikito not work out, there is always its sister restaurant, El Quinto Pino just around the corner. If El Quinto Pino is full, Co. is always there for a pizza and a bottle of wine. Still not feeling it? Cookshop is close, and Billy’s Bakery is only a few blocks away. If you can’t make it happen with those options at hand, you probably just can’t make it happen. Maybe you should look into getting a cat.

Food Rundown:

Pulpo
One of the most interesting octopus dishes we’ve ever had. This is an octopus carpaccio, sliced thin and spread beautifully across a large plate. Tasty, and impressive on looks alone.

Kroketas
A pretty traditional Spanish croquette, but two come in an order and they’re so small that you might not even know they are there. Skip it.

Arraultza
Delicious little canapes with chorizo and quail egg. This one you want for sure.

Morcilla
Three small crispy rolls that look almost like flautas, stuffed with blood sausage. Another good one, even if you’re not typically crazy about blood sausage.

Skirt Steak Canape
This was a special on one of our visits, and it was great. Basically skirt steak on a piece of toast. We’re suckers.

Txomin Etxaniz
I used to think I was really cool because I knew about this interesting white wine from a visit to San Sebastian. Then the New York Times wrote about it last week, and I was forced to stockpile many, many bottles of it before prices went through the roof. It’s an investment. Right?