Gorgeously produced and full of fascinating interviews, profiles, and recipes, Cafe Gitane: 30 Years tells the story of the vibrant downtown New York culture that thrived in the '90s and 2000s through the lens of an iconic institution nestled at its heart.
Through the voices of patrons, artists, and locals who have frequented the beloved Cafe Gitane, readers are sent back to an analog New York, when NoLIta was still Little Italy, a quiet neighbourhood tucked between SoHo and the Lower East Side, and downtown hummed with creative energy. Here a tiny, cosmopolitan French Moroccan cafe evolved into a cultural nexus: a meeting place and playground for everyone, from the most talented emerging artists to out-of-town visitors.
Cafe Gitane: 30 Years invites readers to savor the sights, sounds, and tastes of an establishment that has left an unusually lasting mark on an ever-shifting city. It chronicles not just a unique cafe, but a creative community
and a microcosm of New York itself.
McNally Jackson Books, Nolita's neighbourhood bookstore since 2004, is honoured to be publishing this celebratory scrapbook. Indeed, Cafe Gitane commemorates the enduring spirit and connection shared by two downtown institutions and gathering places, whose entwined histories and evolutions help define the fabric of the city.
By:
Isobel Lola Brown
Photographs by:
Melanie Dunea,
Melanie Dunea
Imprint: McNally Jackson Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 304mm,
Width: 228mm,
Spine: 25mm
ISBN: 9781946022769
ISBN 10: 1946022764
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 04 December 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword by Luc Lévy A Brief History of Cafe Gitane Creating the Menu New York’s First Avocado Toast Architecture, Ambiance, and Environment In Conversation with Father Andrew O’Connor First Press Write-Up Balthazar x Gitane In Conversation with Ralph Toledano Grilled Eggplant Stephen Gaghan on Writing at Gitane Betsy Gaghan The Little Green Dress Pomegranate Glazed Salmon In Conversation with Serge Becker Supreme x Gitane Heart of Palm Salad In Conversation with Norman Reedus The Blue Workwear Jacket Roasted Chicken Sandwich In Conversation with Justyna Hammond Hope, Dolan, and Bryn A Shift in the Life with Valentina, Maria, Olivia, Grace, and Amanda In Conversation with Jennifer, Sydney, and Ron Crawford Le Labo x Gitane Smoked Trout Bowl In Conversation with Inez van Lamsweerde The Jane Hotel Baked Feta In Conversation with Glen Luchford Patrick Wright Cafe Gitane Vinegar Hill Spicy Oranges and Olives In Conversation with Carlos Perez Spicy Meatball Tagine John Baller In Conversation with Melanie Dunea Cafe Gitane Tokyo In Conversation with Thomas Hayo Gitane Mixtape Moroccan Couscous In Conversation with Luc Lévy Afterword Acknowledgments
Isobel Lola Brown was born in California and grew up shuttling between coasts, spending most of her childhood at Cafe Gitane in New York City. She is a recent graduate of Bennington College, where she studied Literary Journalism. Melanie Dunea is an award-winning American photographer and author, best known for the book series My Last Supper as well as her revealing portraits of some of the world's most celebrated artists, chefs, politicians, and intellectuals. Her works have been translated into several languages and have sold more than 70,000 copies worldwide. She has received awards from American Photography, PDN, Communication Arts, Graphis, the Society of Publication Designers, International Photography Awards, and the Lucie Foundation. My Last Supper, The Next Course won the Gourmand Award for Best in the World, USA for Photography. A native of Chicago, Dunea makes her home in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood.
Reviews for Cafe Gitane: 30 Years
“Gitane is one of those spots you always met your friends at. Everyone knew it. It was a secret but not even sort of a secret at the same time. I used to roll around in the ’90s on a BMX bike with my friends and we’d always stop by there. Cafe Gitane: 30 Years is an electrifying tour of the cultural explosion downtown and my personal favorite cafe that was in the middle of it.” —Norman Reedus “I started going to Gitane soon after Supreme opened. It’s always been an authentic and naturally cool spot that has stood the test of time. It’s probably the restaurant that me and my family have eaten at the most over the last thirty years.” —James Jebbia “There was nothing comparable in the city . . . I felt so comfortable at Luc’s place that in some ways I dreaded Balthazar opening, because it would bring an unwelcome end to my daily meetings there."" —Keith McNally “In ’95 there was not much else open in the neighborhood. It was the mafia and Luc. Gitane was the only place in the neighborhood where you could go and have great food. Ever since we discovered it, we’ve come at least a couple times a week, always for breakfast or lunch. You know you can go and you’ll get exactly what you want and what you’ve been craving. There’s just a few places left like that in New York."" —Inez and Vinoodh
