Gypsy Café/Pittsburgh/Pan-European

by Imogen V. Shahrazad

Pardon the cliché, but Gypsy Café on Pittsburgh’s South Side is buried treasure. Located on Bingham Street on the same block as the City Theatre, it’s easy to walk by the restaurant and never notice. However, it’s well-worth breaking out your treasure map.*

Upon entering the establishment, one is struck by the inviting warmth of the décor. The lighting is gentle and accented by tealights in purple votive holders that complement the exposed brick, gold-framed mirrors, and local art on the walls. Oriental rugs add further coziness, and one wall even includes an old church pew as part of the table seating. Basically, it’s pretty.

While I’ve been to Gypsy for dinner a number of times, I have only been to their Sunday brunch a few times, including this past Mother’s Day. The best part about Gypsy Café brunch is that each Sunday is a different theme; appropriately, the most recent was entitled the Famous Mothers Brunch, and each of the entrees incorporated names such as Carol Brady.

A lover of all things pasta related, I ordered the scallion gnocchi with a side of sour cream, a petite salad with creamy Turkish feta dressing, and a mimosa. The mimosa was a delicious opener, not too heavy on the champagne. The petite salad is a delicate blend of field greens, chickpeas, and thinly sliced carrots and radishes. Occasionally I find that field greens taste like dirt, but these were fresh and light. The creamy Turkish feta is, in a word, incredible. Again, no flavors are overwhelming; rather, they are deliciously harmonious.

Finally, the gnocchi was a gamble for me, as I have a fraught relationship with the flavor of onions. I decided to try it based on the fall/winter special sweet potato and pumpkin gnocchi with sage brown butter, a meal I’d sell a kidney for. Fortunately, I was not disappointed. My mother ate the onions from my plate, and the scallion flavor in the gnocchi itself was subtle. The pasta was dusted in parmesan cheese, and the sour cream on the side kept it from being too dry. In summation, I ate until it hurt to live.

I highly recommend that anyone living in or visiting Pittsburgh plan to visit Gypsy Café. At entrées ranging in price from approximately $14 to $22, it’s definitely not an affordable everyday dining experience (unless you’re fabulously wealthy, or not a graduate student), but it’s a great place for a date or a celebration dinner. I give my solemn promise that you will not be disappointed. If I’m wrong, you have permission to smack me.

*Bad joke. Sorry.