Review The Velvet Gypsy - Browns Bay

Large menu, and small share plates are actually quite big. Wings good, wedges meh and arancini amazing. Good drinks selection at reasonable prices. Outdoor high tables are too close to road - people get out their parked cars literally next to you (less than 30cm), like they have joined your table

While I was at The Velvet Gypsy Bar And Restaurant, my family and I ordered two original Monteith beers, two Tohu Merlot, one original Cokacola, and a portion of garlic bread to share; this came to nealy fifty dollars. We sat on the couches outside but found it too windy, so we went inside; When we sat down we saw seven peices of black and white, old fashioned artwork of browns bay when it was first founded.

Great food and drink. Friendly staff and lots of choice on the menu. Loved the squid and halloumi fries! Iced chocolate was perfect on a hot Summers day!

Thank you Velvet Gypsy for great food and drink - after our Team social event. The guys were thirsty and hungry. Love your outdoor area - great for team functions and the platters and pizza were yummy.

Good coffee and the pizzas looked (and smelled) great! Also great ambience and beach views!

Lovely location great atmosphere friendly staff good food except that our steaks were over cooked and maybe childrens meals could be served first 😊

The atmosphere and service here has always been good. As a family group we have been to this place quite often. Good seating options. Accommodating and welcoming for young kids. The menu has a good couple of options for kids too, so they are easily catered for. Good selection of beers. Heineken on tap is always a winner for me. Food quality is good. We have tried everything from their small bar snacks to the full dinner menu and every meal has been out reasonably quickly and well prepared. Highly recommend this place if it is your local.

Great service, really friendly staff. Brought out a fresh iced dish of water for our fur baby Daisy. Good selection of beers and wines. Can keep an eye on the kids in the playground in the outdoor seating.

Only bought chips. Was a bit more expensive than normal. BUT it was AWESOME! The chips wasn’t too oily, outside was really crunchy, and the aioli was really nice. I know where to get chips next time I am in the area. $ well spent.

I’ve eaten at the Velvet Gypsy on several occasions and have always found the food to be consistently great and the atmosphere relaxed and friendly. The view overlooking the beach is an added bonus as is the extensive wine list. I would highly recommend the Velvet Gypsy to anyone looking for a great place to catch up with friends/ family in Browns Bay.

What an amazing little café! The prices are great for the quality and quantity of food and service you get there. It's atmosphere is homey and comfortable. The staff were friendly, happy and ready to serve you no matter what was going on and just an overall wondeful place to be. Definitely my favorite place/café in Browns Bay now

Fantastic food, so much flavour & great size portions. Service was pretty casual. Awesome location, outdoor dining facing the beach.

I give a 4 star rating due to the outstanding level if service and professionalism of the staff. Super friendly, respectful and helpful. Food was good too.

Just been to the Velvet Gypsy dinner . Thursday night special Wagyu Steak . Sorry but that was not Wagyu Steak. It was more like over cooked rump steak. I have had Wagyu steak several times before at different restaurants this was not Wagyu.not only that but the salad was limp and dry . Looked like it had been sitting out on the bench all afternoon. Very disappointed. Won’t be hurrying back there. We have each one and two ten there several times and was really disappointed tonight.

Soooo ... quite disappointed. Ate here a week or so ago, and felt it was necessary to post a review of my time here. Had two super rude waitresses, one who wanted my ID for my drinks, I showed her a photo of mine. For her to say it was fine, come back, and say, no they cant accept it! Then to have my driver license assessed with great interest, under the assumption it was fake. Did have a really sweet waitress though! Such a shame that her colleagues are super rude and uptight! Also got told we cant drink anything that wasnt bought at their restaurant! Never had this service before! My sister was forced to throw out her Red bull! On a brighter note, the mojitos were nice. However, the Pizza was bland and tasted cheap.

Visited for our first time a few weeks back. We ordered mains and desert. The dessert was a very generous portion.  Food was pretty good and service excellent.

We come here on Sundays for the 1+1 pizza! Our favourite is the Chicken Brie-Bee. It’s delicious and has the right amount of toppings. Chips are served fresh and hot 😋 Friendly staff, has a good view of the water in Browns Bay 🙂

Came here with a colleague for a working lunch, staff were very friendly & the food came out quickly and was fresh and tasty! I will definitely be back and would recommend to others :-)

Been here few times.. Food is okay, but the waitress is very rude every time. Same blonde waitress extremely rude every time. Not recommended.

Good food, great environment to meet someone for a business breakfast. Quick service, quiet enough to talk and good food. The food was actually really good, just had a bit of a limited menu for my taste.

My boyfriend and I used to be usuals at the Velvet Gypsy - we’ve been going for about a whole year, and every experience has been great for us. Awesome service, great food, a good selection of drinks. However, our last two trips have been pretty disappointing. On one occasion we waited 35 minutes for one entree we shared, and then another 35 minutes for our mains. It wasn’t busy, and this wait wasn’t communicated to us at all until after we had our meals. The second time we visited, we’d been informed that our favourite entree - the soft shell crab tacos - weren’t on the menu anymore, and the meals we had were pretty average at best. It’s really disappointing to see an establishment we loved so much not live up to its expectations.

We went to there for dinner on a clod night last month and it was good. We ordered the pasta and chicken legs. Both dishes were cooked well and very tasty. However it was a very disappointed experience when we went back again for lunch. My beef burger was very dry,  the chips were soggy and beef Thai salad were just like coleslaw.

Velvet Gypsy is one of our local restaurants.  Quality can be very mixed.  However on our last couple of visits we have enjoyed the food and thought it was nicely cooked and presented with a nice waitress.  We had the steak and fish on our last visit.  No complaints with either meal.  Portions were a good size.  Velvet Gypsy is in a prime location and it is a shame that the restaurant cannot be more consistent instead of hit and miss.  Bar area is good with a good selection of beverages.

Booked for a large birthday party, whilst they were accommodating, the service was extremely slow and often confused at who ordered what, despite not having many other patrons in the restaurant. Ordered the Thai beef salad and requested the dressing on the side, to which the waitress replied that they couldn't do that since it was already mixed in. I should have known then! The salad was soggy and drenched in sauce, with extra mayonnaise and fatty pieces of beef that were unchewable. My partner ordered the beef burger which was dry and tasted extremely fatty. Best thing about this place was probably the feta and sweet onion pizza bread we ordered. Which was average.

Oh dear, such potential with such a fabulous setting and view at the outdoor dining area but the food was awful and took so long to arrive even though they weren't busy.  I had the Fettucine and it had partially cooked onion in it.  Normally I wouldn't expect onion in Fettucine but if they felt a need to add it, it should have been properly sauted.  It wasn't. The onion was still crunchy and undercooked enough to overpower the more subtle flavours of a fettucine.  Onion doesn't need to be added to everything.  Also we waited for nearly an hour after ordering before getting our meal even though there were very few people at the restaurant.

Absoloutly shocking place! Drinks are expensive & the customer service is below zero. The staff just do the bare minimum of customer service. The ambiance is weird and tacky. The food isn't bad but mega expensive for what you get. Probably the most expensive place I'm Browns Bay.

Such a great location but the worst service! I can't believe how slow it takes to get anything!! A simple glass of wine can take up to 15 minutes or more of you don't push the waiter for your order. It's such a shame that a restaurant with so much going for it continues to offer slow service as that standard

Terrible service. Got our order wrong a day the waitresses were just plain rude. Food is overpriced. It's the same as getting a Dominoes pizza for triple the price except way less toppings. There were 3 pieces of pork on a pork pizza.... too many bites without anything but cheese and sauce. <br/>Nope, wouldn't return. What a shame.

"Taco Thursday"These tacos are amazing for what you pay! Love the idea of making your own taco and also that you can pick two meats from a few choices. They usually do a comp on their face book page to win a voucher for "taco Thursday" which is amazing - I actually won but tbh the price of it is so good for what you get anyways. Defs recommend 👍🏼👍🏼

Was informed by a friend to try The Valvet Gypsy, apparently they have mid-week specials but when I went there were none. <br/><br/>I wanted the catch of the day but apparently I was too late, sold out! So decided to go for two starters. Calamari and chilli prawns, both were delicious!<br/>

Me and 6 of my friends came here, sat on the only free table that was big enough to fit all of us which happened to be covered in the last peoples plates/cuttlery. Asked twice for the plates to be cleared ended up doing it myself, putting it on the table becide us. Waitress finally came after 20 mins. In the time we were waiting for the food the manager came out saying we would have to Move (everywhere was full) because a booking was were we were sitting, he ended up letting us stay there after much convincing. Food finally came 40 mins into our visit. Had to ask twice for cutlery which i ended up getting Myself. Disappointing would not come here again.

The food here is good, but the customer service is terrible. We had the 2 for $20 pizzas which were so so good! The staff just made our experience bad, they were rude and didn't really seem to care or be bothered. "Have you ordered? I can't really remember" - a staff member.

Well after waiting a life time and watching every one else around us to order and get their food well before us we were told that the food will be 5 minutes after waiting 45 minutes with no update ... Taking total time from order to food arrival to approx 1 hour ... The meal had little to no taste very disappointed place didn't even seem that busy when we where there first and last time for this customer will not be telling anyone to custom this business anytime soon was a waste of money and time

Came here in the afternoon for a late lunch. Place was very cozy. Food was over expectation for a place like this. Had a chicken fettuccine and it was rather tasty.

Good spot to chill in Browns bay. 2 Gourmet pizza for $20 on Sunday's. Ok service. Had the small seafood chowder today and was pleasantly surprised. It came with a good amount of garlic bread. Good coffee but ordered a large and it came in a normal size cup which is a small to me.

great food, the pizzas are amazing as well as the rest of the menu, the service is really great, friendly, attentive staff. would highly recommend and will definitely be back!!! Also the cocktails are delicious and very reasonable at $12!!

Went on a Sunday for the pizza deal. Two for $20. Pizza very average and wouldn't pay full price. In fact there was gristle on the chicken (ugh). But it's a great location, the drinks are cold and service is very friendly. Would have a drink here again but plenty of other good eateries around.

better than average but nothing special. there are a few nice options in the menu. great decoration and location. good service. food tastes just ok but not anything delicious. a bit pricey for what you get.

Ok so first things first. I travel for work and this place was recommended to me by a colleague. I've had at least 3 takeaway pizzas and desserts which have always been fabulous. I've eaten there the last 2 nights in a row with colleagues. The service is simply appalling. Shit actually. Last night was beyond the pail. Note: the food has always been fantastic but the feeling that as a customer I'm getting in the way is simply foul. I'll not hurry back here although it's such a fabulous spot a day food is great. Would have stayed for dessert and a couple more drinks had the service been anyway near bare minimum. Very disappointing. Time to lift your game!!

The salad was amazing and the portions were very huge. Liked the paste as well! Even though I liked their foods the service was not good. One of the staff (one guy) seemed very unhappy. Don't know the reason but never smiled. His look was very unpleasant.

Would love to give a higher review, but unfortunately whilst the staff are very pleasant, their drink mixing skills are a bit lacking. It's a great location but just seems to lack something. That said I haven't eaten here in a while - last time the meals were adequate but not a rush back ! Have had a few drinks on occasion so that is what they r reviewed on

Staff weren't too friendly <br/>They have specials on each day which is quite cool<br/>2 pizzas for $20 on Sundays is always a treat<br/>Their main menu is not bad either<br/>But their steak and fries were disappointing<br/>If you're at browns bay beach and in need of dinner this is not a bad choice.<br/>Prices are reasonable <br/>Outdoor white couches looked like they needed replacement, getting a bit grungy

I been to this restaurant. My family was sit down and waiting for 20mins but waiter naver come to my table. My wife was angry and just go front ask menu and we just watched menu for 10min then took our order. And naver give a water until we ask. Service was horrbly poor. Food was.....little bit under.....naver go back. Even 1.0 point even worst ever....

We came here for dinner tonight with family and enjoyed it. To start we shared a garlic pizza bread and chicken bites. The garlic bread had a really intense garlic flavour which wasn't very nice and it was really dry, the chicken bites were quite dry and tough aswell but luckily the sauce was there and the coleslaw was bland - nothing special. For main I had the lamb shoulder with mash and sautéed capsicum/onion. The lamb was extremley tender and falling apart, the mash was quite thick, dry and bland. My partner had the scotch fillet which he really enjoyed and the others all had the beef burger which was extremley big! Which wasn't a bad thing!! For dessert I had the passion fruit cheesecake which was amazing. One of the best cheesecakes I've tasted. My partner had the brownie which had quite a bitter cocoa flavour to it. The staff were very friendly, I would probably return if I was in the area!

Yay....and finally! New staff has made the world of difference to the ambiance at Velvet Gypsy. But also the food is really good; tonight I had snapper with prawn sauce and baby potatoes which was delicious as was my husbands seafood chowder. Very happy to be able to put this restaurant back on my favourites list.

No service! Staff were 2 half awake guys who seem really clueless...not sure how this place is still in business tbh. Super frustrating when you really want to eat but it's seriously quicker to go to the supermarket and cook something yourself...

Had lunch there last week, 2 pizzas for $20, Bargin. Nice food, outlook $<br/>& service.<br/><br/>They also have a really nice giggle ale brand, I've never tried b4, awesome lovely.

I've been here before and I would say that the food is okay depending on what you order. The pizza's are nice but nothing fancy. It's a beautiful place to dine in the summer. I've spent a couple of relaxing afternoons here but mainly for nibbles like their small plates. The small plates are nice to share with the girls.

Service was very good I had the maple glazed pork belly it was awesome flavors worked really well my friend had the lamb shoulder looked good he also said it was really gd

This restaurant has two faces to it and can be hit and miss dependent on the flow of the day. The beach side has outdoor tables as well as a seating area that caters for about 70 people whilst the main road side is more like a pub which has quiz evenings and the occasional low-stakes poker tournament. <br/>Food wise it has a daily special which varies during the changes of the season. Servings are reasonably generous and they also have a decent kids menu.<br/>If they got more consistent with speed of food service I would rate the Gypsy a lot higher.

Woww its a great place to have a date . I been dining around the shore and why i missed this place. Me and my partner went there to have dinner , what a warm welcome from the staff. It was very busy there but the meals were on our table in 20 minutes which was good as we could drink our cocktails and the meals were absolutely fantastic. I will go there every week if i can. Cheers

Did the fabulous gourmet pizza Sunday deal. Fabulous food, cocktails good too but service shocking! We waited far too long for drinks and the wait staff had really bad attitude. One in particular actually seemed annoyed to have to serve us and when one of our party advised her soft drink was flat the duty manner felt it necessary to sample the drink & rolled her eyes to the amusement of her colleagues. We've been here many times but wont be back.I don't expect silver service at a beachside eatery but I wont accept contempt either.

I phoned this place to order some take away pizzas and they told me they were 'too busy' to make take away pizzas?<br/><br/>I certainly won't be trying to place an order with them again.<br/><br/>lol

DId the 2 pizza deal for $20 on a sunday We have done this many times. The pizza are fantastic. We have eaten here before and the food was very good. The service however is a bit slow. Not just from the last time we went but also previous times before that. On a nice sunny day it is a great place to sit and enjoy Browns bay with a beer and wine.

Was okay the food is pricy for the proportion of food you actually get . Service was ok , would if been better if they would be nice enough to smile and to be greeted nicely . Overall was good

Enjoyed their 2 for $20 gourmet pizza deal last Sunday evening. Such a bargain, the pizzas were large, had a good amount of quality toppings and the flavour combinations were very good - the ingredients chosen complemented each other well. Crayons and a colouring menu for children which I wasn't expecting from a place like this. Nice touch! Our server was friendly and efficient, also the table next to us had a man seat them & he was very welcoming & sounded like he knew the menu well. Cute cushions and funky colours inside and comfy outdoor seating with a stellar view. Only complaint was that my squid entree was over cooked (chewy) & that the lights inside were dimmed a bit too low - I felt at times I was squinting to see the food. Overall an enjoyable experience & would definitely return.

I'm normally a steak girl so we came down to this restaurant for their Thursday Steak special, but this night I decided to venture out and try something else. We are certainly glad we did. <br/><br/>This is a hidden gem on the North Shore! I had the Thai Beef Salad - it was delicious! My partner had a pizza which was huge and on a homemade base - we were dubious about this place but they certainly proved us wrong. <br/><br/>The location right next to the beach is beautiful for an afternoon beverage and topped with excellent service and smiley staff we will definitely come back.<br/><br/>I have given 4 stars not 5 as food did take a little while to come out, however this was expected as the restaurant was full and it was kindly pointed out by the staff upon arrival.<br/><br/>I'm surprised at all the bad reviews as this place really doesn't deserve it.

We came to Velvet Gyspy a little while ago wanting a nice local restaurant for our anniversary. We don't get to eat out much so this was a treat. It took 15 minutes for our drink order to be taken and another 10 for it to be delivered. We both ordered burgers which were literally 2 pieces of over grilled buns,a piece of old lettuce, chicken thigh (in a burger?) and aioli. No tomato, no other salad ingredients. Total rip off. The staff were un-enthused and there was nil evidence of hospitality or customer service to be found. Didn't even ask how our meals were. We are definitely not going back. Velvet Gypsy have ruined what was an amazing place to eat and drink.

Slow service and they were not busy. Fish was greasy and chips at $29.79 is over the top, won't go back again. This included holiday surcharge and did not mind that, but for a plate of boring fish and chips, come on Velvet Gypsy get your price act together. On their menu are full meals less price that take some cooking and art, not just deep frying something very very poor.

On our first experience at Velvet Gypsy, previously Flax restaurant, the pizza we ordered had a sauce base which tasted like sweet chillie sauce straight from the bottle, and the topping was appalling. The staff were not all interested in our comment.<br/>We hadn't been back since, until last night, we thought we would give it another go.<br/>My partner's 'sticky pork' consisted of three small, thin slices of pork place on a bed of potato. $25.90 When he finished the meal an apologetic waitress came over with a small plate of apple that chef forgot to add to the dish. <br/><br/>My salmon salad came in a big shallow bowl with a mound of salad greens, shredded cucumber, some green beans, croutons and shreds of salmon. No dressing. To get to the shreds of salmon I had to wade through the greens, far too much trouble so I gave up. $22.00<br/><br/>Velvet Gypsy, we'll take our patronage elsewhere.

There is a distinct lack of urgency at this restaurant , where we waited for 40 minutes for pizza and fish and chips . The staff seemed to employed for there appearance rather than any real interest in serving , they seemed completely indifferent to the fact that we had been sitting there for 40 minutes waiting for food . This is the second time we have tried this restaurant , and will not be trying it again . The food was unremarkable . The service dismal .

Beautiful location and lovely atmosphere. We had great food and cocktails! I'd highly recommend the pork belly and pizza, they were delish! Only wish you guys were open for lunch midweek.

What a fantastic place! You get the best of both worlds with a restaurant and bar! Beautiful place to sit with coffee and good friends- which is what we did a few months ago. Have eaten there a few times since and everything I've had has been wonderful. Can't wait to go back for the halloumi salad again.

Great food and excellent service from the staff in the restaurant! We headed to the bar after eating on a Friday night and there was awesome live music, people dancing and everyone just having a good time. Will definitely be going back!

Came to this fantastic spot last Sunday to try out the pizza special. The place was packed when we walked past but had a great atmosphere so thought we would try it out. The staff were busy but very friendly and gave us great service throughout the time we were there. The food was awesome, the pizza's are a great deal, which people have obviously picked up on as we were surrounded by others enjoying the same thing. We would no doubt recommend this place and will definitely be coming back ourselves. Thanks again!

Don't come here if you're hungry and definitely not if there's a quiz night in the pub part which is attached. We booked for 7.30, waited ages for our order to be taken, received our entrees at 8.25 and the mains arrived just before 9pm. By that stage we were all tired and not hungry any more. It was a Wednesday night and there were about ten other diners in total. Only two waitresses - one was friendly but the other looked like she'd rather be anywhere but at work. Most of the time they were nowhere to be seen so we couldn't even find out how long our meals were going to be. I assume they were taking orders in the pub which was busy. Food was ok, nothing special. If owners are going to charge $25-$30 for a main, employ some more staff and make sure they want to be there.

A very unfriendly staff member told us to move on after we sat down at an outdoor table to wait for the rest of our family to arrive for brunch on a Sunday morning recently. They were setting up, not quite opened, but it was 9:45 (quite late for a Weekend breakfast), apparently opening at 10. She explained that if we sat down, others would and they weren't ready. Just in the manner she said it (ie she seemed annoyed and didn't smile) made us feel embarrassed and awkward. Consequently our party of 11 people ate just down the road. Funnily enough, we walked back past an hour later and no one sitting outside! Just a reminder to cafe staff, you need to be careful how you deliver a message.

The Velvet Gypsy is officially one of my favourite places to eat out in Browns Bay.<br/>A friend of mine and i went on a Monday night. The atmosphere was extremely relaxed and the moon was out as the sun set along the waterfront. We sat outside in the booths, our service was friendly and efficient. We ordered Mojitos.. of course :P which were by far the best tasting mojitos ive had!<br/>The meal deal that night was buy any main and recieve a free dessert. Though i could barely fit in dessert after my ridiculously delicious vegetarian fettucine we ordered a chocolate mousse cake and a chocolate brownie. The mousse cake was to die for and the icecream that came with the brownie was heavenly! <br/>Huge fan of The Gypsy!