Dressed with tropical palms, golden sands and driftwood, one of New York’s hottest day clubs transports party-goers to worlds away from the city, with a Mexican beach theme at its core.
British nightlife darling James Gardner was the mastermind behind Gitano, which opened on Governors Island in spring 2022, and he told DailyMail.com that he has been swept away by its success.
Over the past two years, the atmospheric outdoor venue has become a celebrity hotspot with Dua Lipa, Paris Hilton, Adam Lambert and Emily Ratajkowski among those attending events, while come the weekends, droves of regulars flock there for the early evening fiestas.
Quizzed on what the crowd is like at Gitano, Gardner replies that it is ‘a place where people come to get dressed up, see, be seen, and connect.’
He continues: ‘Our guests put together an island look that takes all forms, and they come to celebrate life. Our overall design aesthetic is bohemian glam and disheveled elegance, like a pair of silk pajamas and Kate Moss’s hair!’
Dressed with tropical palms, golden sands and driftwood, one of New York’s hottest day clubs transports party-goers to worlds away from the city
Brit James Gardner was the mastermind behind Gitano, which opened on Governors Island in spring 2022, and he told DailyMail.com that he has been swept away by its success
Quizzed on what the crowd is like at Gitano, Gardner replies that it is ‘a place where people come to get dressed up, see, be seen, and connect’
Over the past two years, the atmospheric outdoor venue has become a celebrity hotspot with Emily Ratajkowski among those attending events
Getting to Gitano is an adventure in itself, with a short five to eight minute ferry ride from Manhattan taking you to the shores of Governors Island.
From there, it’s fairly easy to pinpoint Gitano’s location on the ice cream cone-shaped isle, with the party beats louder than birdsong.
Gitano Island New York isn’t Gardner’s first foray into the beach club scene, and he debuted his brand in Tulum in 2013.
There are now five Gitano locations split between Mexico the U.S. and the next one is set to open in Dubai.
Along with the restaurants, the Tulum site includes a stylish beachfront boutique hotel.
Before opening on Governors Island, Gardner launched a pop up location in Soho in 2018 called Gitano Garden of Love to get a feel for the Manhattan crowd.
However, there were a few teething problems with this venture and it was shut down before its grand opening by the Health Department ‘for sanitary violations that could not be corrected during the inspection.’
After correcting the violations, the restaurant was able to reopen and it ran for several years before being replaced by the island location.
Paris and Nicky Hilton (pictured at a different outdoor venue) are said to be fans of Gitano
Getting to Gitano is an adventure in itself, with a short ferry ride from Manhattan taking you to the shores of Governors Island
‘When we took over the property, it was just a grass hill,’ Gardner reveals
Gardner says the construction of the Governors Island spot required lots of vision.
The charismatic entrepreneur explains: ‘The venue is set on a triangular property that slopes dramatically down to the water, surrounded by historic buildings and ancient oak trees.
‘When we took over the property, it was just a grass hill.
‘I envisioned an amphitheater where each part of the restaurant is set on a different level: the Upper Dining Deck, the Lotus Lounge and Jungle Gardens, the Lower Dining Deck, and the Beach Lounge, closest to the water.
‘We had to work with engineers, arborists, archaeologists and the Department of Buildings to come up with solutions that enabled us to safely position our structures on the slope.’
Steadily, Gardner’s plans came together and ‘Gitano evolved into a stunning 27,000-square-foot, 950-capacity outdoor tropical jungle garden restaurant and beach lounge directly on the water!’
When the beach club opened, he reveals that ‘Demi Moore, Rumor Willis, and Orlando Bloom were among the first to hit our limestone dancefloor!’
Gardner says the construction of the New York spot required lots of vision
When the beach club opened, Gardner (pictured) reveals that ‘Demi Moore, Rumor Willis, and Orlando Bloom were among the first to hit our limestone dancefloor!’
In terms of the food menu, Gitano Island serves up an array of Mexican inspired bites which are ‘designed for sharing and served family-style’
In terms of the food menu Gitano Island serves up an array of Mexican inspired bites which are ‘designed for sharing and served family-style.’
When quizzed on his favorite bite, Gardner finds it hard to pick one and instead serves up four savory suggestions in the form of a lobster tostada, the mushroom sope (a thick corn tortilla-like masa cake), the crispy chicken and steam-roasted branzino in a banana leaf with spinach.
On the dessert side of things, he plumps for the ‘cazuela de chocolate,’ which he describes as a ‘steaming hot volcano cake with cacao nibs and a dollop of cajeta sweetened whipped cream.’
Prices are fair by New York standards, with the most expensive item being a prime ribeye for $50, while brunch items start from $16.
As there is no indoor space at Gitano Island, it operates seasonally from May to September.
Before heading off to plan some of the closing week extravaganzas Gardner sums up Gitano Island simply in three words, exclaiming ‘Bohemian! Glam! Fabulous!’
