Cafe Gitane

After a friend took me here a few years ago, this cute little cafe has become my favorite place for lunch and dinner when I'm downtown. I love that the food is really yummy, simple, and fresh. The salads are fantastic and I love all the options for starters. I usually order a little mimosa too which is always fun. Its nice to have a place you know you can stop, sit, and have just a snack if you don't want a whole meal. Since I don't live in NYC anymore I only end up getting to eat here once every month or two, but I have to say, the staff has always been very lovely, and more often than not they recognize my husband and I. I was shocked to see any negative reviews of this place as all my friends really enjoy it as well and have always had good experiences. I'm even wondering if other reviewers mixed it up with another place down the street?

This is a pretty good place to eat in Soho, but beware - some of the sandwiches are already prepared; they simply warm them up for you. The waitress even told me flat out that the menu items cannot be altered in any significant fashion because they are premade. Nonetheless, the food is good and service is good enough to warrant me coming back.

Great place to hang out, fun atmosphere. We had a really good experience with the service, unlike other people. Food was disappointing. I had the baked pasta with roast tomatoes and gorgonzola - very bland. Overcooked pasta flabbing about in a nondescript creamy sauce with some virtually flavorless tomatoes. The breadcrumbs on top were nice, but when that's the only good thing you have to say about a dish, something's seriously wrong.

Oh God this place is sooo good. I've never had bad service or food here. The grilled chicken sandwich is amazing, ask for Harisa, their roasted pepper sauce, spoon it all over that sandwich and dig in! Yummm, I wish I was eating it right now. Also, the Avocadi toast is a great start to your day, or a light lunch. Thick, moist bread with spread with avocado, a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkled with sea salt and chili flakes. mmmm. Or try the parmesan bread salad. A thick cut of cheesy grilled soft moist parmesan and herb bread served with cantaloupe balls wrapped in prosciutto and a little salad with that amazing cinammon-y dressing...put Harisa on the grilled parmesan bread too....My only complaint, no delivery before 5:30! Or I would be eating it right now!

We went for a quick dinner after a movie. Very rude waitress, no manners no common sense, full of attitude and not worth a penny of her tip! I have also been there for lunch..same "what are you doing here?" attitude. I thought they were just tired and overworked, but they are just a bunch of mean losers. If you are willing to put up with this for a simple overpriced sandwich and poor selection of wine, go there... better on a weekned for lunch, so you can stay in line for an hour, eat your sandwich or whatever else - WHATEVER, it is nothing special... and leave feeling like a total fool :)

Wow, very disappointed after a dinner we just had at this place. I've been here for lunch before and loved it but had a 180 degree experience tonight. Poor wine selection. Tart and bland ceviche full of cabbage bits which always means filler to me. A trout salad that basically consisted of mostly ground walnuts and dried cherries (not to mention a disturbing surprise big chunk of what they called prosciutto but just looked like raw meat scraps mixed into it). And then a chocolate bread pudding that hardly had any chocolate anywhere to be found in it (a token few chunks melted on top as an after thought), was basically a slice of bland croissant custard. Our waitress was completely checked out and her opinions really missed the mark. After her first couple of recommendations I should have learned to order the opposite of whatever she favored. Have to say, my husband ordered the meatballs and they were delicious. But c'est tout and c'est domage! Never again.

This haunt appears to be everyone's neighborhood favorite. And with good cause shown. The food is classic: a comfort if you like post-colonial french food on the Riviera. Contrary to the prior review, the waitstaff did right by us, moving us from the genuinely uncomfortable bar stools (my lunch companion and I lack the leg length to sit comfortably at mile-high 1950s style diner stools) to a table, notwithstanding the steadily growing line of hopeful lunchoneers. And though the clientel are undeniably scenesterish, an appropriate list of aperitivi provided ample distraction. Now, if they would only add an anisette and water option!