Cafe Gitane: 30 Years - Limited Slipcase Edition

Through the voices of patrons, artists, and locals who have frequented the beloved Cafe Gitane, readers are sent back to an analogue New York, when NoLIta was still Little Italy, a quiet neighborhood 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 café, but a creative community—and a microcosm of New York itself. 

McNally Jackson Books, Nolita’s neighborhood bookstore since 2004, is honored to be publishing this celebratory scrapbook. Indeed, Café 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.

“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 of 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

“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

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.

Luc Lévy is the founder and owner of Cafe Gitane, established in 1994. He was raised in Casablanca, Morocco until he left for Paris, eventually making his way to New York, where he’s remained ever since. 

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.

Cafe Gitane: 30 Years • Hardcover ISBN: 9781946022769

Pub: Oct 15, 2024 • McNally Jackson Books

9” x 12”” • 288 pages • $150