We were recommended this place by locals a few times so we decided to try it out and are very glad we did! Staff is very friendly and also gave good food recommendations. We both got the Candied Apple cocktail and it was the best cocktail of our trip. For an appetizer we got the Brie; it was pricey but so delicious and looked pretty. Woulda like just a couple more crostinis but either way, we still enjoyed it very much. For our mains I ordered the Cajun Chicken Fettuccini and my fiancée got the Blackened Salmon and we both absolutely loved our meals, everything was cooked and presented to perfection. Highly recommend stopping by! read more

See all

We got seated on the patio which we were really excited for but no one told us that there was a limited menu available on the patio and you couldn't order the specials. We had to be moved inside as we wanted on of the specials. Our servers changed 3 times and not consistent. Our drink order got taken 3 times before we actually got them. The food was mid range. Nothing to write home about. The restaurant is starting to look dated and has seen better days. Overall I don't think we will be back any time soon. read more

Gypsy Tea Room - Lobster roll - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

See all

Great service. Wings were a little messy but good flavour. Wanted to try more menu items after seeing other tables. We will be back. read more

Gypsy Tea Room - Butter chicken wings - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

See all

While the salmon was good enough, and I appreciated you can get a dairy free option, the meal I had here took basically 4 hours. I was in a group of about 12, but they were delaying bringing out the food for far too long. At that point, you hope the food is the best thing you've ever eaten, and it was all just fine enough. read more

Went to Gypsy to celebrate mine and my sisters birthday, our server Gary took 40 minutes to take our drink order while the table that ordered after us (finally!) received their starters and meals before we received our starter. We were not pleased with Gary when he replied to my sisters request to change a side with "what do you want" when my other sister asked what the side options were he repeated "what do you want?". We then had to ask at the bar for drink refills since he didn't come back to check on us at all. This leads me to the server who took over, Ally (Allie?). She made sure to take over and get us our meals which were absolutely delicious and also apologized for the wait. Since we were not in a rush we didn't mind the wait but we were hungry and celebrating so if we'd gotten our drinks earlier it would have been ok ish but the delay and rudeness from the original server Gary put a damper on the evening. Ally was amazing and we can not say enough good things about her. Gary, if you're having a bad day and won't be able to be civil to your customers I'd suggest leave the attitude at home or better yet, just stay home! read more

I had my wedding here last week and we had the most wonderful experience. For starters-everyone needs a Doug for their wedding. He made sure everything went off without a hitch for our reception and coordinated everything right down to the music so all we had to do was show up. The food was absolutely incredible, all our guests were so pleased with their meals and everything was perfectly timed. We're so glad we chose the Gypsy Tea Room for our wedding reception, we had our ceremony elsewhere (outside) and they made themselves fully available to us had the weather not cooperated (it did :)). Beautiful venue, lovely location and the sweetest staff. THANK YOU!! read more

Our server was amazing and the drinks were good but that's where the positive ended. Reservation at 7 for 4. It took 20-30 mins to get my first drink. Every drink after took an average of 15-20. We got our app around 8 and mains at 9. Had birria tacos - tortillas were completely crispy, what little cheese was there was burnt. The meat wasn't cooked in a birria stew, no spiciness, no clove/cinnamon taste. My "consommé" was 95% meat and bland. Side of fries was cold. One of the other party members also had the birria tacos and hers were awful as well, same reasons. So disappointed, normally have a good experience but this was incredibly bad food. I was too hungry to complain, just wanted to finally eat. read more

Firstly, Service is top notch. Some food is great I'm sure. I wasn't feeling super hungry so I decided on a light lunch with a friend and a pint. I ordered the summer salad, described on the menu quite deliciously with exceptional ingredients. It was 20$. Shredded lettuce, some corn, some black beans, some taco bits on top, honestly probably the most depressing and limp salad I've ever seen at that price point. I should of taken a picture, but I'll assume if management sees this they know exactly what I'm talking about because they price the menu items. Unfortunately I was enjoying my drinks with my friend, and my server was lovely, so I decided to pay, tip and leave without talking to management about this overpriced, weak menu item. I mentioned it to the server and she said "I completely agree, this is not a $20 salad." Take it as you will, but I certainly will not be returning for any of their salad options in the future. Maybe next time just for a pint and we will eat somewhere where the quality of food is at least representative of the price. Don't be greedy, just simply serve fresh quality food at a price point that makes sense, instead of trying to take advantage of the summer tourism season and walking mall on Water St. read more

Nice lively place. George was very helpful in a NL dish which was good and the Mexican Riviera was a really good drink! read more

Hubby & I ate lunch here & was impressed. Decor is nice in this restaurant. I felt kind of under dressed, wearing casual clothing but they didn't snub me for that, which I liked. I'm visiting as a tourist so I liked that I didn't have to be dressed to the nines to eat here. Anyway I had the gypsy burger & hubby had the fish & chips. The fries were perfect! Crispy on the outside but not overcooked. They were very generous with the fries, which is too bad because I couldn't eat them all. I hate wasting food.The burger was absolutely delicious & hubby's fish wasn't heavily battered (unlike some places we've tried). The fish inside was cooked perfectly. Waitstaff were friendly, service was fast too. The bathrooms were clean. They were a bit cramped but oh well. I would come back to eat here. read more

See all

This review is specifically for the courtyard. Nice summer courtyard...too bad about the food, beer selection, service and prices. Horrible food...we had a chickpea "meal" salad that was worse than just some side salad served to you on a plane... Not worth $5 let alone $15. Burger also could be improved upon by porting in from a bad fast food joint (and small). Servers were pleasant enough to offset the negative side of being overwhelmed and poorly trained. read more

Decided to try this place as the Google reviews were high, 4.3 stars. Made a reservation online and had no issue getting a table. The server was knowledgeable of the menu and courteous throughout the meal. The food? It was okay for the price. $38 for a steak with half cooked fries and vegetables smothered in olive oil. The oil was a little ridiculous that I couldn't even finish the meal. If you're in St John's for a limited amount of time I would not recommend this place. read more

From the name, it's hard to tell that this is a higher end restaurant. They have a bar/lounge in the front and more of a fine dining experience in the back. As other reviewers have mentioned, the execution of meals is not the best. The hostess at the front was also kind of rude but it seems like this is the service norm in the downtown core. Not sure why... Our server was great though and made the experience good overall. We started with the seafood chowder, which was delicious. I had the cod and my partner had the surf and turf. The cod portion size was very generous and the sauce purée was excellent. The vegetables were very salty though. My partner requested his steak to be rare when asked, but it came out on the more cooked end of medium rare. The scallops/prawns were also over cooked. As this dish was $46, we decided to sent it back so it could be cooked appropriately. Our server was very nice about it and the dish came back cooked perfectly! We both enjoyed our meals here. It would have been a five star experience if the hostess wasn't so pretentious/judgy (come on this is St.John's not NYC) and if my partner's dish was cooked properly the first time! read more

Gypsy Tea Room - Cod/steak dishes - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

See all

Mediocre food at high prices! Made a reservation for early evening and arrived upstairs to blasting dance music, near dark room and only two people sitting at the bar. Was brought to table downstairs in nice area however could still hear bass and music from upstairs the entire time. My wife ordered the recommended seafood chowder said to contain "loads of fish" and I ordered the number one seller on the menu the Cajun Chicken Fettuccine. Seafood Chowder was really bland, mostly full of potatoes and next to no seafood. (Bread was an extra $4 to have with your chowder?!) Cajun Chicken Fettuccine was also very bland with hardly any flavour on the meal. I honestly felt as though I was eating a pasta dish from East Side Mario's. The waitress was nice and the drinks were good but not enough to ever return or recommend the place. For an $70 meal I expected more. read more

Excellent service and even better food. Pricey but worth it for a great dining experience. read more

More of a tip than an full-fledged review: On a nice day the patio offers full menu and bar service. I had really good service, a decent sangria and a cold Stella. The patio has trees and angles where sun and shade are often available at the same time. read more

Scallops and the blackened salmon were amazing however the lobster bisque would be different then what you normally except it is more spicy less creamy like it read more

I brunched on Sunday at the Gypsy Tea Room for my mother's birthday. My hopes were high as I was led to my table. I had heard that the food was good if not a bit pricey. The selection features a few traditional Newfoundland foods like toutons and molasses. Waffles and French toast littered our table when the orders arrived. I love the name huevos rancheros so I tried it. Sadly I was underwhelmed. It wasn't bad tasting, it just lacked the flare and flavour that I expected from an upscale downtown restaurant. Mallard cottage beats this brunch by a mile. On another note, I found the bathrooms not overly clean and cramped. Again, not what I was expecting. I definitely am not rushing back to the Gypsy Tea Room. read more

See all

Good: Nice atmosphere and deck Bad: Food very basic and just not very good. Owners background is clearly not food. Not sure why every restaurant in the city wants to say they're fine dining. $8 bottled beer. Had brunch here. The options were very basic and the sides with the meals made no sense. You serve potatoes as a side of french toast? Really? Why not just serve a big bowl of sugar. The hash I had was terrible. Hash is supposed to be diced, not cubed. They didn't know different. The "shredded" chicken that came with it was cubed as well. The crab cakes were really potato cakes. There probably was crab in there somewhere but I couldn't taste it. They served it with aioli, but they put it all on the crab cake, so if you didn't want the aioli, tough. No thought in the presentation of anything. The bar area was nice. The owners should probably stick to running a bar and leave food to people who know what they're doing. read more

Small group arrived and immediately ordered burgers, fries and fish tacos). Order took over an hour. Asked waitress three times why the delay and was informed that the delay was because someone ordered an appetizer. Food was basic, service ordinary (just refused water no feedback or extra bread etc.) and paid over $100 for essentially sitting down and having fast food delivered VERY VERY SLOWLY. Won't be back. read more

A very hip / trendy / chic spot to dine on Water Street in downtown St. John's. 1. Comparable in price and quality to other downtown fine dining establishments such as The Pepper Mill, Olivers, etc - Although the owners REALLY need to update their website menus. Some meals were listed online as being $4-$8 cheaper ONLINE than they were in the actual menu. Of course you are charged the menu price. So that's on the shady side. 2. The scallops are very well done and I'd highly recommend. The Vegetarian Spring Rolls don't have any sort of unique flavour, but everyone enjoys them. The Phyllo Wrapped Brie with Wild Berry Coulis is somewhat disappointing. The phyllo pastry is just too flaky and it quickly becomes a crumbly mess as you start to eat the brie separate from the phyllo. Magnum and Steins has a phenomenal Wildberry and Brie if you really want good stuff. 3. Entrees are solid at The Gypsy Tea Room. The Beef Tenderloin, Thai Peanut Chicken Satay and Blackened Salmon are all winners. The Cod Dish is underwhelming. Excellent portion sizes regarding the actual meat, but the vegetable sides are lacking. Only 3-5 small baby potatoes and a tiny amount of coloured veggies decorate each plate. 4. When making your reservation, I'd recommend asking to be seated DOWNSTAIRS. It's quiet which is enjoyable. Upstairs, you are adjacent to the loud and popular bar and it would really take away from a fine dining experience. 5. Share dessert or don't bother. At $9 it's pricy, but also huge. For one person it's a waste of money. The Lemon Curd and Poppy Seed Cake is extremely tart, so unless you LOVE lemon, I'd avoid this one. The Chocolate Torte seems to be the best dessert option. Suggestions For Improvement: - Cut down your dessert sizes and lower the prices to $5-$7 range. - Add greater amount of sides / veggies to entrees. Not a lot, but a 20% increase would be noticeable. - Add The Roasted Red Pepper Soup to the dinner menu in addition to the lunch menu. - Adjust your website to match your menu's regarding pricing so as not to deceive customers. Overall it's a very nice restaurant. I would compare it with The Peppermill and Olivers amongst the downtown locations and I will certainly be back. read more

OK - if you have ever thought about a Gypsy Tea Room - this is nothing like that! This is ultra modern deco - excellent paitings on darkened walls, exposed beams - and a kind of neon lighting - but I am not sure how/where. The setting is modern and chic - very nice mix with the exposed brick fireplaces. We chose the dinning room at the back. Great feel - lots of room to share a four way discussion. The food was supurb! The special, braised lamb with blue cheese mashed sided by asparagus and brussel sprouts was "flavour, flavour, flavour"! The meat fell off the bone to be mixed with the demi-glase in a dish full of yummy. There were two dishes of salmon at the table. They reported an excellent dill sauce - and of course there was the unmistakable shrimp on top. Deserts were reported to be excellent - non-gluten cheesecake and some sort of double layer carrot cake. But now for the best part our waitress. I hope for her sake that she goes on to great things in life. But for your sake, I hope you have the pleasure of being served by Jess. Intelligent, knowledgable and able to hold her own in discussions on the origins of salmon, the hoppiest beers, etc.! What great fun. Overall this is a spot not to be missed. This is no ordinary Tea Room (inside info says that there is just four types of packaged tea - but you didn't hear that from me). From start to finish a great experience! Thanks! read more

My wife and I were at the Gypsy Tea Room for her birthday, the night was indeed a good one. The appetizers we tried were; Seared Scallops, Duck Confit and Tomato Beet Soup. (They were out of mussels) The Scallops were perfectly seared and were artfully presented on a beautiful, creamy, parsnip and vanilla puree. The rhubarb chutney that came along with it got a 50/50 out of each of us. This dish was a winner! Vanilla and parsnips? Yeah, it works. The Duck Confit with sauteed greens and very rich, flavorful reduction was to die for I could have eaten my body weight. The soup was a pleasant surprise! I recommend. My wife enjoyed the salmon feature, lobster/cream cheese crusted with horseradish smashed fingerling potatoes. She couldn't detect much of a horseradish flavor and the potatoes were quite plain regarding seasoning. My $40 rack of lamb was to have a wild mushroom reduction and caramelized vegetables. The lamb was delicious, although a little longer sear before hitting the oven would have elevated the dish, as would caramelizing the veggies as advertised. When I see caramelized on a menu I get very excited. The service was four star. The atmosphere was great, romantic. The only things keeping the food from the four stars is the lack of seasoning, horseradish and "smash" on my wife's potatoes and the lack of wild mushrooms on my plate and the absence of caramelization on my root vegetables. All in all a wonderful night for this picky diner. We will return! Why am I (and other Canadians too shy to help a restaurant out by actually saying something to the staff when it just doesn't measure up? I missed an opportunity to help this restaurant elevate its game.) read more

Best meal ever last Friday night. The appetizers were perfect, scallops for me and lamb chops for my partner. The presentation was worth a picture - which I didn't take! Since we like dinner to last a while, we have learned to order the main course after the appetizer. In this instance the main course was well worth waiting for. We switched it up. I had the lamb chops, she had the fish (Blackened Salmon). I'm not telling you anything she doesn't know - she's pretty picky, and she loved it. She gave me a taste, I loved it. The salmon was delicious, as were the lamb chops. We topped it off with a great chocolate dessert (sorry can't remember the name of it) and excellent coffee. We ate upstairs, a word of caution. Sit at a table if possible. The booth seats are uncomfortably high for the tables. The place was fairly quiet when we arrived at 7:00, when we left at 9:30 it was hopping. We left thoroughly satisfied with the evening. So after all that, why only 3 stars? It was our 4th time eating there; the other meals were only so so. We were given a gift certificate for Christmas so gave it one more try. Given this experience we'll definitely go back again. read more

TL;DNR - Food had decent flavour, bad execution. Service was meh. Do not waste your time and money. Our experience started off on the wrong foot. First we were seated at a table that was not to our liking and when we asked to move it had to be OK'd from above. This was in a half-empty dining room that never filled up the entire time we were in the restaurant. (Foreshadowing?) Strike two came when I asked if it was possible to see the lounge menu in the dining room. This must be a cardinal sin as it was denied before I even got the full request out. Having viewed the menus online, the lounge menu looked to have better apps. If I am at your restaurant and am willing to give you money for the food your kitchen prepares, wouldn't it make sense that I would be able to order what I would like? Strike three came when our mains arrived. I ordered a medium-rare tenderloin and what I got was an overcooked slab of meat. Another person in my party ordered the same and got the same. A third person ordered the salmon and it wasn't cooked enough. The ejection for arguing balls and strikes came when I ordered the creme brulee for dessert. It started off good but then the most offensive licorice taste filled my mouth. I think it was the Gypsy Tea Room's way of saying "Thanks for your money, but don't bother coming back." Don't worry, I won't. read more

St. John's restaurant scene is filled with great gems. This restaurant definitely counts as one of those gems. The atmosphere is a mixture of gastropub food with a very large wine, champagne, scotch... pretty much any bottled alcohol library. The exposed bricks and cool atmosphere makes this a great relaxing upscale place to hang out after work. I ate lunch here and our large group tried almost everything on the menu. My meal was the flavourful seafood chowder that had large pieces of fresh cod, mussels, scallop, and shrimp. It was practically a meal in itself! The appetizers did wow us but unfortunately this is where the service had a bit of a hiccup... the beers were flowing but the food wasn't. We waited a good half hour before our mains came out. It's a good thing the the portions were large because we were just eating tons of bread to keep our hunger from taking over! The salmon was cooked nicely with a hint of deeper pink on the inside. My pan seared cod came with 2 nicely seasoned pieces and they were hot and crispy. It also came with the most gigantic serving of mashed potato. It was 3/4 of the plate. The asparagus was a nice addition but too bad it was cold. It seems like the entire table's green vegetables were tepid. The prices are on par with downtown Toronto prices but the atmosphere and good selection of mains make this place a nice option. It's great to have lunch or dinner here for those who food a bit on the upscale without being unapproachable or too expensive. read more

Hard lessons learned at the gypsy tea room: the 'special of the day' doesn't necessarily mean the food will be all *that* special, and don't forget to ask how much it costs before you order. On vacation in St. Johns, I thought I would walk on the wild side, so to speak, and order the special of the day (I'm a yelper, after all, and I tend to side on the tried, true and reviewed menu items), which was grilled halibut on a bed of couscous. The meal, when it arrived, looked tasty - a medium sized piece of flaky, tender fish on a bed of citrus couscous salad. A portion I could easily eat and not feel overfull. The fish was good, but not overly tasty. Neither was the salad - in fact, as I was eating I kept thinking to myself "Damn, I think I had a pinterest recipe for this I could have made at home". When the bill came, I grabbed the copy with the lower amount, considering my friend had ordered a beer, soup (which was a Cod Chowder that was watery and mostly tasteless, ultra disappointing in a seafood city) and appetizer. Turns out my special with a glass of water was $40. Oh, lessons learned. So many great eats in St. Johns, no need to spend your dollars and calories a mediocre, over-priced meal. read more

Just came in for dessert, $9 per dessert but they were all made in house. I had a chocolate ganache cheesecake and my colleague had the carrot cake (served with homemade ice cream), both were AMAZING and well worth every penny! Combined with friendly and quick service I will most likely be returning! read more

Gypsy Tea Room - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

See all

Very nice place, stone and brick mixed on the walls. Nice wine room and blue lighting. We had amazing meals - and both were off the pub menu! We had a 1/2 pound angus burger which was one of the tastiest I've ever had. The other meal was fish and chip - again, amazingly fresh. We will be back! read more

See all

Came to enjoy a nice business dinner here with some customers while in St John's. The place has a nice eclectic feel to it and a very diverse tasty menu. There are some meals where to "geek out" and take photos of your meal is inappropriate and this was the occasion with these important clients. I had selected the dynamite calamari as an appetizer which came out nice and crusty with tentacles and tube portion on a nice peppery dusted blend. Serving size was not huge but adequate. For my main course I had selected a simple pan seared cod. No fancy schmancy dressing just a simple cod with vegetables and potatoes. The cod was so fresh and just lightly broke apart with a fork. It was one of the best fresh cod's I can recall eating. The cod was light tasting generous serving and just perfect! To wash it down I was enjoying a few iceberg lagers on tap. Our server seemed to be overwhelmed and service was a bit slow but everyone in our group appeared to enjoy themselves. Everyone's meals looked deliciously prepared and visually appealing. I'd rate this as a definite comeback for a place to return! read more

The lounge is a contemporary looking establishment that seemed way too nice for me to wander into with my grungy street clothes. Dark wood and steel and red paint... oh fancy. I will say that the music absolutely sucked... but I hate jazz. Our waitress was polite, but not genuinely nice. Something behind her eyes tells me she would have been a mean-girl in high school. Cajun chicken fettuccine was absolutely fantastic. Spicy but not overly. Cheesy but not overpowering and gross. Pan-seared halibut... roll eyes and drool good. Blueberry creme-brûlée. You will not forgive yourself if you do not try this dessert. read more

Went there for diner and it was just ok. Very nice place. That is what got me in there but the food would keep me away. I had the scallop and had to send them back. They were cold. Next time around they were the same but just gave up and eat them. Then I had the steak. That was good but the crab rice was sad. Not a good match for both. Service was soso. They offered us bread and olive oil with balsamic vinegar and goat cheese. My friend was allergic to the goat and instead of offering us the oil without the cheese they offered us to pay extra to have Another cheese. And they run around but don't pay attention to the patron. read more

See all

Our drinks here were amazing. The waitress out of this world. The cherry on top was having the Exec. Chef of all the Murray Premises restaurants (Daniel) came and said hi. Just a great experience with great staff and a great vibe read more

I was out walking and this place looked good for dinner. Unfortunately, service fail in a few ways. Also, for a slightly upscale restaurant (the prices suggest that very clearly - and the food is... good... but not fantastic as you would expect based on their prices). The chairs were uncomfortable - like the stuffing had collapsed. I noticed other people had sank into centre of their seats also. Comfort and ambiance fail. I was thrilled to stand up. If I was local I wouldn't bother going back. When I come back to St. John's I will certainly try other options. read more

Although I've only been once, the Gypsy Tea Room left an great impression on me! I visited during a business trip to St. John's and had the red pepper soup for starter and the salmon for my main meal. The food was delicious and plentiful, without being over whelming. Service was fantastic and the atmosphere was beautiful. A great setting in downtown St. John's. read more

I had another fantastic lunch here again. Arctic Char and shrimp, potato parsnip purée and wilted spinach. Really, really good and the servers are excellent. read more

Went for there lunch recently. Desperate service - waited for over 45 minutes for a basic order and ended up having to leave. Needs improvement badly as it sends the wrong message to the area. read more

I don't know about the bar and the drink menu but I can tell you the food menu and the skill of the chef is terrible. They should remove steak off the menu because they have no idea how to cook it. At $42 for a 10 ounce strip loin the price was excessive and the quality and presentation was terrible. The hold ambiance of the restaurant is much like a university cafeteria and Similarity continues with the food the preparation and the presentation. The tables come without any tablecloth there are no cloth napkins paper towel quality paper napkins and how the food was presented is very similar to what you would get in A university cafeteria. This Has to be the first time I went to fine dine and actually got served tin green peas as a veggie on my steak. The bourbon sauce that was touted to come with the steak never arrived the steak itself was very thin and although requested medium rare it was Over cooked on one side and under on the other. Obviously the chef forgot to flip the steak. Just a terrible food experience save your dollars and go to a more reputable restaurant. read more

Great place for a nice dinner or just drinks and pub food. You can get a really good meal here or if you just want simple, at the bar they have the best nachos in the City! read more

Great spot. Emir, the owner, is a very personable guy. He warmly welcomes one and all. Brenna K. is spot-on about the toilet problem. If nature calls, you may find yourself in a queue. I wonder if that can be sorted out somehow? Toilets downstairs, perhaps? read more