Gitano Garden of Love: Outdoor dining in a jungle in the heart of the concrete jungle

SOHO, New York City -- Grupo Gitano and founder James Gardner have officially returned to New York City with its dramatic outdoor restaurant and mezcal bar with The Garden of Love, for its fourth summer!

Spanning a 24,000 square-foot city block, the largest outdoor space in Manhattan, the restaurant transports guests to a garden oasis filled with lush, tropical plants, 30-foot palm trees, twin pergola dining decks, an open-fire kitchen, and a reflecting meditation pond.

At 76 Varick Street, step off the busy streets of Soho and into a magical jungle setting with your friends, with a backdrop of the Freedom Tower and downtown NYC skyline.

Of course, we had to check out the Garden of Love for ourselves and see how this experience worked!

Born just a couple of years ago as an all-outdoor, tropical oasis the Garden of Love launched in 2018 as a seasonal restaurant bringing upscale Tulum simplicity to chic New York.

No one could have guessed it would soon be the city's top spot for safe pandemic dining with an abundance of New York's most precious commodity: space.

Before you go, you should reserve a table through Gitano's website. Seating is limited and reservations book fast - especially on weekends - so definitely make your group a reservation.

Executive Chef Antonio Maldonaldo was nice enough to greet us and serve us up some of his most popular dishes... everything was fantastic!

"All of the ingredients we use are such that you would find in Mexico," said Chef Maldonaldo. "I put in a little kick of ingredients from the United States too."

This season's theme is a love letter to New York City, celebrating its culture, diversity, and the legends of art, music, fashion, gastronomy that have made the city what it is today.

"The weather is the same pretty much all year," said Chef Maldonaldo. "So we get a lot of ingredients from there, so you can find some things that you don't normally find in New York."

Brunch is being served daily and new menu items, including Grilled Octopus, Biria, Lobster Tostada, and Pork al Pastor. New grab-and-go G-CAFE, serving fruit paletas, homemade ice creams, coffee, and tea.

A new concept store SOUK GITANO, sells essentials and exquisite, curated goods for the modern free spirit, including GITANO branded merchandise for the first time.

Daily wellness programming in the Meditation Garden, complete with tipi cabanas, water features, and the reflection pool!

Gitano Garden of Love is open Monday - Wednesday (11am - 11pm) and Thursday - Saturday (11am - 12am). Don't miss this incredible outdoor dining experience!