Basque-English Dictionary

Txoko
n., Basque, pronounced “tchoke-oh”
1. getting together to eat, drink, and be merry.
2. founded in the Spanish region of San Sebastián.
3. appended, May 2011: latest addition to the North Beach culinary scene, from the guys who made Naked Lunch a daily ritual.

With a full bar and last call at 2 a.m., the dinner and late-night spot opening today in the former Enrico’s space is a Spaniard’s version of its former self, with rich leather seating, warm red accents, and rustic lighting.

Learn how to pronounce pintxos while ordering snacks (hola, crispy Chesapeake Bay soft-shell crab, wild mushroom empanadas, and a foie gras torchon) at the communal bar. Or snag the coveted back booth for a so-very-Euro, hours-long dinner with larger plates like oven-roasted suckling pig.

Of course, there’s always the 35-seater patio. That’s Spanish — for patio.

Txoko, 504 Broadway, at Kearny Street (415-500-2744 or txokosf.com).

Photo: Courtesy of Txoko