Editor's Note: closed Summer 2019
New Spanish restaurant
El Chipirón (meaning
little squid...yeah, I had to look that one up) opened at 2717 South Lamar at Manchaca at the end of June, after what seemed like a very lengthy process. Looking back at their
Facebook page, the exterior sign went up in May 2016, a full 15 months before they actually opened. While I haven't spoken to anyone with the restaurant about the delays, I would guess it has to do with the City of Austin and various delays in being able to get permits issued and certificates of occupancies authorized. I can only imagine how maddening and expensive it is for new restaurants to get started. Anyhow....
While the exterior is your standard and somewhat blah new-build apartment building with street-level retail (it's seems that's all there is on South Lamar these days), El Chipirón's interior is a beautiful light-filled space. Big windows facing north and west and a modern design, anchored by a huge white (limestone?) bar. Though the use of vertical elements as space dividers did remind me of South Lamar's other Spanish restaurant,
Barlata, I also wonder why El Chipirón would open so close by, just 1.2 miles south per Google Maps. But apart from a few tapas dishes, their menus appear to be quite different.
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| El Chipirón's interior |
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| The bar (restaurant entrance is in the back right in this photo) |
We arrived a little before 7 pm on Monday night, which turns out to be all-night food specials (aka
Pincho Mondays) at the bar. Here's a look at our evening.
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| Tempranillo, red sangria, and the Gypsy Flower. They are becoming quite well-known for their gin drinks. |
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| Each diner was given a little plate of olives and manchego cheese as a starter. |
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| Padron peppers (also known as shishitos) with a light mustard aioli sauce. |
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| Patatas bravas; these were ok, but unexciting; I couldn't tell you what the sauce was. |
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Oxtail empanadas, while small, had a wonderfully flaky pastry and very tender meat inside, served with garlic aioli.
Would definitely get these again! |
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Mejillones (mussels) + chorizo, with a broth made from an Albariño wine and garlic,
that definitely called for more bread. Great flavors! |
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| Churros with a nice thick bittersweet chocolate sauce (there was a fifth churro that got snatched before I could get a photo!). There was a density to the churros which I liked, and a lack of grease which I loved! |
All in all, a nice experience. Both the gentlemen tending bar were personable, but it was my dining companions that really made it a fun evening! And not that it really matters, but I am curious about the El Chipirón logo up top, is the stylized "ó" a squid ink stain or a drippy wine glass? Clearly I need more sangria!
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| Dali spies on you as you head to the restrooms. |
