Little Bucharest to close in fall; new restaurant set for its space
Anearly 50-year-old Eastern European bistro will close its doors in Avondale this fall to make way for a new American restaurant from a San Francisco native.
Gurst, named for a simultaneous gust and burst of wind, will open before Christmas at 3661 N. Elston Avenue, according to new chef and owner Phillip Martinez. The space currently houses Little Bucharest Bistro, which will hold its last service October 31.
Martinez plans to infuse his minimalist style into Gurst’s menus and decor — he eschews elaborate plating in favor of simple dishes with restricted ingredients.
He plans to remove the Romanianstyle decor, replace windows to bring natural light into the dining room and knock out a wall so customers can feel engaged in the cooking process.
Branko Podrumedic, who goes by “Mr. Branko,” opened Little Bucharest Bistro on Ashland and Wellington avenues in 1970. He relocated the restaurant to Avondale 10 years ago, and said he has watched the neighborhood develop into a restaurant hotspot. “The old-school European restaurants are fading out one by one,” Podrumedic said.
Citing prominent closures like Harwood Heights’ Old Warsaw Buffet and German stalwart Mirabell Restaurant, he said he felt it was time for him to retire. “Many of these young people, they don’t know where Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria are,” he said. “I just simply think that I’m getting older and it’s time to pass the trophy to younger generation.”