Gypsy Bistro-Wine Bar

Décor: great place for a romantic/​intimate/​business/​after theatre bistro
Staff: attentive and knowledgable on what they are serving
Food: I ordered the Mussels on white wine sauce– very good
The flat bread pizza, excellent topping but the base was slightly undercooked, I shared this with the server and she immediately advised the kitchen on this
Wine: expensive for a glass of Malbec at $ 10 and up.
Overall: good little Bistro, will return

This place has a nice vibe, get in and get away from the world type of feel to it. The art on the walls is a mish mash of European influence and modernism that works and the décor reminds me of the small cozy street cafes I have seen in Europe. Except instead of wicker we have velvet seat coverings. The wine list is extensive and our waiter was very knowledge about all the selections, red and white, both times we were here. The menu had changed a bit from our last visit and I started my meal with Asparagus/​smoked bacon cream soup. Sounds heavy but it was whipped light as a feather and the bacon was hinted it, not overwhleming. The two flavours melded wonderfully. We were provided with flaky bread rolls to accompany our soup, in their own right, very soft and flavourful. The salads and main courses were very well done and all at the table enjoyed their meals from start to finish. For two people, 4 course meal and two bottles of wine, the bill was in the $$$ range. Excellent service by the staff. The Gypsey is small and fills early so be prepared to wait or eat late, after 9pm, like I do and you’ll get a table.

9PM on a Friday night and we weren’t sure where we should go for a meal. The Gypsy looked good and we asked patrons leaving and they said it was great food. We walked in and I didn’t like the vibe from one of the men working there. He didn’t seem friendly at all and was glad he wasn’t our server. The place was more than half full so that was a good sign. We were seated and the waitress brought water and took the drink orders.
Some of us ordered appetizers, salads, or soups and those came out first. I found the timing of the food was a little slow but likely it was because I was tired and wanted to eat and not spend all night there. I had the linguine with clams and the order was split with another colleague. There wasn’t as much taste as I would like but I liked there were some veggies along with the pasta. There was a decent amount of food in half an order for the price of $ 22. The menu consists of pastas, and entrees, and I think most of us were happy with our meals.
I would rate this place a 3.5 if I could as I liked the décor and ambiance of the place. It would be a good place to enjoy a date and glass of wine with a meal.

Gypsy has everything that someone would want in a good restaurant. The atmosphere is warm and interesting, the staff is always fun and engaging and the food is incredible. Whether you are looking for a place to eat for a business dinner, a first date or just a great time with friends, this is one of the best places to go in downtown Calgary!

This restaurant is very busy at lunch so I’m glad we had made reservations.
I decided to order the Salmon fillet on a crusty bun, and that came with salad. For being a busy lunch time place, it sure took a while for us to get our food, almost 25 minutes, which I think is a bit slow. Good thing the server brought us a few pieces of bread and butter to share.
I wasnt impressed at all with the presentation of the food, especially this being a restauratn that falls under the category of French cuisine, which is more known for the way their food is plattered. The bun had a bit of sauce and the salmon fillet plopped inside. That’s it. No lettuce, or anything else. It said it was a cilantro aioli I believe but it looked red, and soaked the bun making the inside of it soggy, not crusty as they said. It looked so pathetic. But the salmon did taste good. My salad was a bit old looking, cause it was somewhat soft, and had zero dressing on it. This was a common complaint with the others at my table, no dressing, just lettuce leaves, no tomatoes, cucumber, anything, just plain lettuce. I think for $ 16 dollars, you should get a few garnishes with the meal.
The other ladies I was with had the risotto (pretty good), the lamb burger (very good, minus the salad issue) and the hanger steak sandwich (a bit overcooked, but good).
I would try this place again, and hopefully this time if the food takes 25 minutes, that at least it looks like a good effort has been put forth when plating the food.
That being said, the service was good, and our waiter kept cracking jokes to make us laugh — which was nice.

I love the Gypsy! I’ve used this restaurant many times for work meetings at lunch and it’s always been great! But be warned, the tables are small if you’re reviewing documents at all.
Yesterday I met a friend for lunch and we had the best experience! Our waiter was fun, funny and appropriate. Definitely made the dining experience more enjoyable.
I had the scallop salad and it was divine! My friend had some pasta dish that had bacon in it and he loved it too. Some wonderful flaky buns were presented before the meal, along with a tiny little bit of butter. We made a joke about the butter being so tiny and our waiter not only got us more butter but also brough us more bread later through the meal! Yum!
The décor is warm and eclectic. I love the cosy atmosphere.
Definitely recommend the Gypsy for lunch. I hope to someday go for dinner!

Dwayne and Tibor are superlative hosts and extend to their guests a wonderful old-​world European welcome.
Their wine list is extensive, the ambiance a combination of art and seating which invites everyone to simply relax, the food never fails to tease and please the palate; it’s a treat, every time.

Let me start this off by saying that I am from New York, which has some of the best restaurants in the world and that I’ve been traveling all over the U.S. and Canada now for about a year. Having said that, the review that will follow this introduction will be as objective as possible.
I’ve been in Calgary for about a month or so now and I’ve eaten in a lot of the local restaurants here, and I can say I’ve had many great experiences. When my girlfriend came to visit we stopped at Gypsy for her final dinner while in town and we couldn’t have been more disappointed with the meal and the prices.
My girlfriend ordered a pasta dish with a vodka sauce and «prawn» and scallops for $ 22. Not only did we not get any bread or butter but the «prawn» that came with the pasta dish were more like frozen cocktail shrimp. To top it off the sauce was horrible, the pasta undercooked, and the seafood very over cooked. They included 2 scallops and 3 «prawn» in the meal. Overall a horrible meal.
I ordered the Leek Wrapped Salmon topped with a Dijon Hollandaise Sauce with Rice Pilaf. While my meal was much better than my girlfriends, it was still way overpriced at $ 33!!! The rice pilaf was good but I’ve also never had rice pilaf with diced carrots, peppers, and chunks of broccoli. The salmon filet itself was overcooked as well.
We also had 2 glasses of Chardonnay that was $ 9 a glass.
We had high hopes for the service because as we walked in we asked to see a menu to decide whether or not to eat there and a nice younger waiter said «trust me guys, there’s no need to go anywhere else.» This made us think… Hmmm, okay lets give it a shot. Then we had an older waiter that was attentive, mostly because we were 2 of about 7 people in the restaurant, but also had a slightly «slimy» demeanor, for lack of a better term. I normally wouldn’t make any sort of personal comment about any server, but both my girlfriend and I felt very uncomfortable with this server.
I have recognized that Calgary is a more expensive city… although I can’t quite figure out why… but I think that for 2 glasses of wine and 2 sub par showings for meals that we wouldn’t have paid $ 80. We left the restaurant feeling taken and unsatisfied. I would say to stay FAR away from this Gypsy.

i honestly and truly believe that Gypsy is Calgary’s best kept secret. And can we all promise to keep it that way?
Tucked across the street from the Paliser, you might miss the restaurant on first passing, but make sure you look for the red sign, you’ll be happy that you did!
They make a fantastic cocktail, mouth-​watering pizza and the service is second to none. On this particular experience we got served by the bistro’s owner Dwaine who was really nice, super helpful and like I already said, makes a MEAN cocktail
I have to say this may be Downtown Calgary’s best spot for a romantic date. The atmosphere is perfect, the décor is subtle and chique and big windows and the history of the place is evident in every corner of the restaurant.
Anytime I’ve ever come to Gypsy it has always been for some sort of reception, I can’t wait to come back for a dinner.

Went for appetizers and drinks. Great staff. Amazing food. Good wine selection. Will definitely have to try full meals soon.