Restaurant in New York City, United States
Chelsea's sharpest Basque kitchen. Book it.
Txikito is a Basque small-plates restaurant in Chelsea that ranks #126 on OAD's 2025 Casual North America list — a meaningful jump from #221 the year before. Open since 2008, it returned from a pandemic hiatus in 2023 with sharper cooking: pintxos that look traditional but carry real creative intent. Easy to book, mid-range spend, and one of the more focused Spanish kitchens in New York City.
Yes — and it is one of the more interesting Spanish restaurants you will find in New York City right now. Txikito has been ranked #126 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list for 2025, a climb from #221 in 2024, which tells you the kitchen is sharpening rather than coasting. For a neighbourhood pintxos bar, that trajectory matters: it means the food has continued to improve since the restaurant reopened in 2023 after a pandemic hiatus. If you are looking for Basque-rooted small plates that go somewhere unexpected, book this.
The editorial angle here is technique applied to tradition. Alex Raij and Eder Montero have been cooking this way since 2008, and the OAD description gives you the clearest picture of what separates Txikito from the average Spanish spot in the city: familiar tapas coexist with dishes that use their Basque DNA as a starting point rather than a boundary. The boquerones, for instance, look unassuming but conceal Vietnamese rau ram inside — zesty, herbal, nothing like what you expect from a cured anchovy. That kind of structural surprise, hidden in something that looks orthodox, is a kitchen signature. Crisp-skinned suckling pig and briny octopus carpaccio round out a menu that reads from the Bay of Biscay but draws on broader influences without losing its discipline.
For the food-focused traveller, this is the relevant comparison: El Quinto Pino does creditable pintxos in the West Village, and Leña at Mercado Little Spain covers the Spanish spectrum in a larger format. Txikito is the pick when you want a single focused room with a kitchen that takes creative risks within the tradition rather than simply reproducing it.
Txikito sits at 240 9th Ave in Chelsea and operates Tuesday through Sunday from 5 pm, with last orders at 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 pm Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means you are unlikely to be shut out with a few days' notice, though weekend evenings will fill faster given the 2025 OAD ranking. The small-plates format works for two or four; the room is designed around that scale. There is no dress code expectation consistent with the casual classification.
Price range data is not currently available in our records, but the OAD casual designation and the pintxos format place Txikito firmly in the mid-range. Expect a meaningfully lower per-head spend than the tasting-menu venues listed in the comparison section below, which puts it in the same accessible tier as El Quinto Pino.
Txikito opened in 2008, went through the pandemic disruption that reshaped the city's restaurant landscape, and came back in 2023 with what OAD describes as fresh inventiveness. The consistent OAD recognition across three consecutive years , Recommended in 2023, #221 in 2024, #126 in 2025 , is a reliable signal that this is not a nostalgia project. The cooking has a point of view, the technique is sound, and the setting is neighbourhood-casual without being anonymous.
If your itinerary takes you deeper into Spanish cooking internationally, compare the Basque sensibility here against ZURRIOLA in Tokyo or Arco by Paco Pérez in Gdańsk , both approach the tradition from different vantage points. Closer to home, you can browse the full New York City restaurants guide, the New York City hotels guide, the New York City bars guide, the New York City wineries guide, and the New York City experiences guide to build out the rest of your visit.
For reference on how Txikito fits into a wider national picture of destination dining, see Pearl's guides to Emeril's in New Orleans, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Alinea in Chicago, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, The French Laundry in Napa, and Providence in Los Angeles.
Go in with a small-plates mindset. The format is Basque pintxos and tapas , order several dishes across the table rather than treating it as a main-course restaurant. The kitchen is small, the room is casual, and the experience rewards curiosity. Given the OAD ranking and the Chelsea address, it punches above its neighbourhood-restaurant appearance. A first visit works leading as a two-hour exploration of the menu rather than a quick dinner.
Specific dietary restriction policies are not available in our current records. For confirmed information on allergens or specific accommodations, contact the restaurant directly or check their current menu before booking. The menu as described includes seafood, meat, and cured fish prominently, so vegetarians should verify options ahead of time.
Based on OAD's verified description, the boquerones with Vietnamese rau ram are the dish most clearly expressing the kitchen's approach: traditional form, unexpected interior. Crisp-skinned suckling pig and briny octopus carpaccio are also named as signatures. Beyond those three, the menu is designed to be explored broadly , the point is the range of creative and traditional pintxos together, not a single hero dish. Order widely rather than anchoring to one plate.
Txikito is dinner-only, open from 5 pm daily. There is no lunch service based on current hours. Friday and Saturday evenings run 30 minutes later (to 10:30 pm), which gives you slightly more flexibility for a late start on weekends. Weekday evenings from 5–7 pm are the practical choice if you want a quieter room; weekend slots after 7 pm will be busier.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so a few days' notice should be sufficient most of the time. That said, the 2025 OAD ranking at #126 has raised the restaurant's profile, and weekend evenings in a small Chelsea room will fill faster than the easy rating might suggest. If you have a fixed date in mind, booking 5–7 days out is a reasonable precaution. Weeknight tables are likely available with shorter notice.
No dress code is specified, and the OAD casual classification confirms this is not a formal-dress environment. Smart casual is appropriate , the Chelsea neighbourhood and the pintxos format both point toward relaxed. There is no expectation of jacket or formal attire.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Txikito | Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #126 (2025); ★ This lively Basque restaurant, which began serving a mix of creative and traditional pintxos in 2008, went on hiatus during the pandemic but reopened with a fresh inventiveness and look in 2023. Small plates issue from Alex Raij and Eder Montero’s tiny kitchen, from familiar tapas to idiosyncratic delights: crisp-skinned suckling pig, briny octopus carpaccio, and boquerones that seem unadorned until you bite into zesty minty leaves of Vietnamese rau ram concealed inside. Txikito’s wide-ranging cooking may originate on the Bay of Biscay, but it doesn’t stay there, driven by a relentless verve and curiosity that couldn’t be more Basque. Chelsea, Manhattan; Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #221 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Recommended (2023) | — | |
| Le Bernardin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Atomix | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Masa | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Per Se | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
A quick look at how Txikito measures up.
Txikito is a small-plates Basque restaurant at 240 9th Ave in Chelsea, open nightly from 5 pm. It reopened in 2023 with a refreshed menu after a pandemic hiatus, and has since climbed to #126 on OAD's Casual North America list for 2025. The format is pintxos and small plates — plan to order several rounds rather than a single large dish. It suits two diners comfortably; larger groups should factor in the compact dining room.
The menu skews heavily toward seafood and meat — the OAD-highlighted dishes include suckling pig, octopus carpaccio, and anchovy preparations — so pescatarians and omnivores are well served. Strict vegetarians or vegans may find the options limited given the kitchen's Basque focus. Call ahead if dietary needs are specific, as the menu changes with the kitchen's direction.
Based on OAD's editorial notes, the boquerones (anchovies concealing Vietnamese rau ram inside), crisp-skinned suckling pig, and briny octopus carpaccio are the dishes that define what this kitchen does. The interest here is in the unexpected detail — Basque tradition with ingredients that wander further afield. Order broadly across the small-plates menu rather than anchoring on one or two dishes.
Txikito is dinner-only, running 5–10 pm Sunday through Thursday and until 10:30 pm Friday and Saturday. There is no lunch service. Friday and Saturday evenings give you the latest last-order window if you want a later start.
Book at least one to two weeks out, particularly for Friday and Saturday evenings. Txikito has been consistently ranked by OAD since 2023, and its #126 Casual North America placement in 2025 means it draws a crowd beyond the Chelsea neighbourhood. Same-week availability is possible mid-week, but weekend slots fill faster.
Txikito is a casual neighbourhood Basque spot — OAD lists it under Casual in North America. There is no dress code implied by the venue's format or recognition. Clean, everyday clothes are fine; this is not a white-tablecloth room.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
