New York Magazine

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Home > Restaurants > Cafe Gitane

All Reader Reviews of...

Cafe Gitane

242 Mott St., New York, NY, 10012
at Prince St.
212-334-9552

Avg. Rating

7
Food: 8
Service: 6
Décor: 7
"Recommended"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

60% would go back.

 Write your own review

How rude!

By cec2153 on 1/20/2013

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 6
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 4
  • No, I would not go back!

I used to love Cafe Gitane... but after my last meal there I am surely never returning. Minutes after ordering, my food was slammed onto the table. Not one person came over to see how everything was. I was hardly finished chewing when my plate was whisked away, and the check placed down without a word from the waitress. In surprise at how quickly we were being asked to leave, I made a comment and the waitress grabbed the check back with some serious attitude! I was shocked. When my friend and I finally left, the Host accosted us at the door, demanding what was wrong with the service. When I told him that we felt extremely disrespected, he said that there were other customers waiting outside! That is certainly no reason to treat your current guests in such a rude manner. Not once did he apologize.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Bad Food! Bad attitude of personal!

By DinnerGuest on 12/30/2011

  • Overall Rating: 2
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

Not only was my chicken satay dry and burned to the skewer, but the manager Emma said I was rude for complaining about the uneatable food!! Go figure.... If you go, only drink there - minimum $12 a drink...

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
25 out of 46 people found this review helpful.

Gitanist by habit

By JohnnySky on 10/6/2011

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 6
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

My girlfriend absolutely loves this place, and whenever we have time to have lunch together we often end up at Cafe Gitane. It can be a bit of a wait to get a table, especially if you want to sit outside on a sunny day, but it is a great place for people-watching, so we usually don't mind. We are both very much habitual diners, so I usually have the cous cous with merguez and she usually has the fruit salad and the famous avocado sandwich; all of which is excellent. Service can be on the stingy side, but it reminds me of french cafes in southern France, so they kind of get away with it. They do have excellent half bottles of wine for very good prices; you can't beat a half bottle of Chablis for around $25, so that would be my number one tip. They also have a great tea selection.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
25 out of 39 people found this review helpful.

Used to love the place..

By herve on 6/17/2011

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

till yesterday when a waitress gave me such an attitude i decided to leave. I would hope the owner would cast the waitresses not because they are pretty or are hipsters but because they are professional and nice.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
39 out of 67 people found this review helpful.

Delicious, healthy food - shame about the service

By HC83 on 5/3/2011

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 3
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

I'm surprised to see how many people have praised this restaurant - we got such a bad attitude from the hostess that I wouldn't go back, despite a delicious meal. She was rude, unsmiling and unhelpful - and we saw her give the same attitude to other waiting customers too. I don't mind waiting for a table at a good restaurant, but I do mind being spoken to as though I'm inconveniencing the staff. Our waitress was much nicer, which is why I've rated the service a 3 rather than a 1. Thankfully the food was great - I had avocado toast followed by yoghurt, mint and hummus with pitta bread. Fantastic. Shame the evening started on such a bad note.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
42 out of 89 people found this review helpful.

Great food and atmosphere

By hanselyttkens on 3/31/2011

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

We went 8 people of mixed ages the other day to Cafe Gitane. The service was great, they managed to get us a table after i nice wait at the bar. The waitress was very nice and personal, she joked with us and took care of us in a great way. The food was also very good, and definitely out of the ordinary meny with lots of interesting courses to choose between. Finally it was one of our cheapest meals in New York, around $ 15 for most courses. You can´t reserve a table, but if you are flexible, just go there!

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
46 out of 91 people found this review helpful.

café gitane, the best one in N.Y.

By pabloguiroypedrosa on 11/22/2010

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 4
  • Yes, I would go back!

My third time in N.Y., my 5th time in Café Gitane. Thank you for the best food and the best cooker in the town. I´m from Spain and I´ll be back next year to swee all of you

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
59 out of 108 people found this review helpful.

nice ambience, terrible food

By hectorlongears on 10/19/2010

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 2
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 8
  • No, I would not go back!

if you want to feel part of the fashion scene, sit next to a couple of models, wear your cool sunglasses while drinking a glass of rose wine and watch people walk by in their nice cardigans - this is the place. if you're looking for food that is edible try something else. Had a towering goat cheese and eggplant salad, looked like dog food and tasted like something that you would get for lunch on a rail road-building indian chain gang.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
60 out of 110 people found this review helpful.

Great, well-cooked food

By simann on 9/29/2010

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

I really loved this place! I'm from Sweden and me and my girlfriend visited NYC in mid September. One night we ran in to this lovely restaurant and we thought the food was magnificent. The interior felt like a big living room where friends met to chat an drink a glass of wine. We went to Cafe Gitane twice during our week in NYC and I will surely go there again when I revisit.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
63 out of 123 people found this review helpful.

Can't wait to come back

By mattjay on 3/15/2010

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

Maybe the folks at Gitane read the harsher reviews on this website and fixed the areas of complaint. I had been eager to try Gitane for a while and I finally did tonight where I was met with exceptionally kind service- a friendly waitress who warned us about hot plates, and even gave my girlfriend a fresh cup of mocha free of charge when she asked if she could have her first cup warmed up. The food was delicious and the atmosphere fantastic. I cannot wait to sit outside on a summer day with a coffee and croissant.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
99 out of 206 people found this review helpful.

Add Comment

You will be prompted to sign in with your NYMag or
Facebook account.

  awful average excellent
In determining overall rating, food and service are given more weight.
Rate
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Food
Service
Décor
Would you go back?

Some Hints:

  • The best reviews give a clear sense of why you liked or disliked a restaurant, bar, or store. And that means details. Mention specifics dishes, type of crowd, pros and cons...
  • If it's helpful to compare one place to another, go for it.
  • Come up with clever, funny, pithy subject lines, and write in the first person.
  • Don't forget to read the user rating guidelines and rules.
CloseUpdating your review
By
| Not you?
Advertising
Advertising