Gjelina
Back open in New York (via pop-ups for now) and better than ever.
A year ago, The New York Times bravely asked the question, “Is New York Turning Into Los Angeles?” The article cites the surge of dispensaries (which is even worse now than it was in 2023), Eleven Madison Park going vegan and a whole lot of iconic Los Angeles restaurants opening offshoots in the city, like Katsuya and Sugarfish. And oh yes, Gjelina.
In the thick of the pandemic, even before Covid vaccines, I drove six hours by myself from the Bay Area to Los Angeles to see my friend Lauren. I had chosen to spend the year taking classes virtually from home, rather than move to LA and Zoom in from there. During this weekend, our one goal was to eat, and prior to my arrival we had mapped out an entire weekend filled with restaurants.
Since I didn’t have a car my first two years of college, this was my first time truly exploring Los Angeles unencumbered by car sickness or costly Ubers, and Lauren and I drove all over the city, from Hollywood to Manhattan Beach and back again. On Saturday morning, Lauren and I drove to Abbot Kinney Boulevard to eat at Gjelina, where I proceeded to have the best shakshuka of my life. Then, I drove the six hours back up California and dreamed about shakshuka for months. (Truly, to this day, I haven’t found a better version.)
When I moved back to LA for college my senior year, I had my lil silver Audi in tow, and with a very flexible schedule, the freedom of getting off campus and into the big, big Los Angeles abyss was always on the horizon. I loved driving (still do!), and I spent many random weekdays reading books at the Silverlake Intelligentsia… or Gjelina.
Gjelina is quintessentially LA, or at least Venice, with a vegetable-forward, stereotypically Californian menu. They’re known for having great pizza, actually, which was especially notable back when they opened in 2008, when LA was a pizza-less hellscape. (Or so they tell me.) But I’ve never had their pizza. To me, Gjelina is food that feels cozy—warm eggs and thick slices of sourdough, all served ideally outdoors in their brick-lined backyard.
Two weeks ago, a few friends and I headed to WSA for dinner on the 15th floor at the Gjelina New York pop-up. Gjelina actually opened in New York on Bond Street in January 2023, but a fire shut the restaurant down that same month, before I was able to dine there. And then Gjelina remained closed for over a year, and I had honestly completely forgotten about it until my friend Lauren texted me to let me know that the restaurant was popping up in Seaport. (Wouldn’t have known without you, Lauren!) It seemed like not many others knew about the pop-up, since it was pretty easy to make a reservation.
Not too important to this food-centric story I’m telling, but the vibe inside WSA was indeed retro and weird. But the dining space that Gjelina was operating out of had great views—throughout our dinner I watched the crowd slowly arrive at Pier 17 and boats going by in the East River.
I was informed by email that Gjelina wouldn’t have their signature pizzas available at the pop-up, since the space didn’t have a pizza oven. While it felt like their menu and dishes were simplified due to the constraints of not operating out of a permanent space, we had an incredible meal, an amuse bouche that has me drooling at the thought of Gjelina’s permanent New York location opening.
The highlight of the meal was the first two dishes we were served: Atlantic mackerel crudo with red currant, shallot, lemon, black pepper and horseradish and lamb tartare with preserved lemon and shallot served on top of a thick slab of sourdough, topped essentially with a large piece of anchovy. The red currants were sour while the fish was savory and acidic; the lamb and bread taking a back seat to the boquerones, a Spanish preparation of anchovies that includes submerging them in vinegar.
We ate mussels cooked with saffron, white wine, garlic, shallot, chili and parsley, dipped (once again) slides of toasted sourdough greedily into the sauce. The oyster mushrooms covered in tarragon butter and lemon were so simple yet the dish elegantly showcased the produce. We shared the poached halibut, with black garlic aioli, romano beans, shallot and fresno chili, and the wagyu picanha, with mushrooms, red wine and crème fraîche. Once again, these mains were simple, putting the protein front and center. I suspect that perhaps the dishes’ simplicity was due to it being a temporary pop-up and kitchen, but I also think the original Gjelina in LA thrived on just letting ingredients be themselves.
The Seaport pop-up is now closed, but Gjelina will be in the East Village for the rest of this month. Soon, after Gjelina completes their pop-ups and finally moves back into their NoHo location, I’ll once again be able to resume my solo reading sessions at the same restaurant, just across the country. Is that comforting? Or… did I move across the country because I wanted to be somewhere different, only to discover that I’m right back in the same generic, coastal-elitist city with all the same restaurants, just with better public transportation this time?
I’m not going to think too hard about this. Fingers crossed that Gjelina New York has shakshuka.
Bite It!
Gjelina is popping up at The Standard in the East Village until August 31. Book a reservation here.