13 Gypsies — Restaurant in Jacksonville

We've dined here countless times over at least 7 years, many for special occasions & referred this place to everyone we knew. We've spent over $400 since December 30th and it was the only place our child wanted to dine. As a former bartender, server, manager and local restaurant owner, I was dumbfounded at our treatment. To support the accuracy of this review, read YELP post by another customer about same server on 1/31/24. WED EVE, 4/24/24, after years of begging friends to make a 100 mile+ round trip, several friends booked using OpenTable, 1 table for 6pm,1 for 6:30. Some needed to arrive/leave @ various times for work & parental obligations(which needn't be explained,I do so for insight). We had the 6:30 reservation, so we promptly arrived @ 6:15. Noting our friends with the 6pm booking looked displeased, we were saddened that "An**, who's the BEST FOH mgr in Jax, WASN'T working. The person instead was dismissive, rude & annoyed-specifically with us-from the moment we entered the establishment. We waited for this person to greet us, which never happened (not a big deal as it was nearly full). Our friends informed us the only empty table next to theirs was ours, so we sat ourselves.That table of friends explained to us they were told 3 rules: 1)they had 1.5 hours to complete their meal, 2) it's "against the rules" to push our tables together, 3) I myself had broken the 3rd rule by not calling to confirm my reservation. Being ignored/not served for at least 10 mins + being spoken of in a derogatory manner was unnerving and obviously deliberate, since we only had 1.5 hours to eat. We were uncertain whether we'd be served at all, having "broken rules". Having proof of confirmation text @7:10pm 4/23, I walked away from the dining area to the corner to address the false info inferred to other table. When I showed the server our confirmation, I was accused of purposefully avoiding their confirmation phone call. My reply was I didn't even know of the call, and as I don't work there I don't know "the rules". The disgruntled server began a tirade as elaborate as a Hollywood script. Then the server shouted bizarre theories, started to become emotional when I defended myself, then complained to the back of house when I asked who was the owner or mgr. One critical tirade about my prior bookings was shouted to the entire restaurant, which could've been falsified considering they did as much thru Opentable by reporting we were no shows. So a gaggle of "loud and rude" middle aged women accused of "abusing the system" were escorted out by a cook for attempting to meet, greet and eat. The vitriol and contempt displayed towards all 7 of us by staff was unsubstantiated, scary & disturbing. We were yelled at, jeered by several presumptuous people, ridiculed & ejected-all within 25 minutes. It should also be noted we've had 7+people at tables pushed together...

One of the most disappointing and unprofessional dining experiences we’ve had — made even worse because we used to love this restaurant and had looked forward to this night.

We made a reservation at 13 Gypsies for my husband’s birthday, confirmed it the day of, and at no point — during booking, on the phone, or upon arrival — were we told there was a time limit for our table. Tapas is meant to be a slow, shared, conversational experience, not something you rush through on a timer.

Yet 1 hour and 45 minutes into our meal, after ordering several dishes and still enjoying our night, our server suddenly told us we had hit a two-hour table limit and would need to either move outside or pack our food to go. She admitted she should have told us earlier — but that doesn’t undo the disruption or the complete lack of professionalism.

To make things worse, a back-of-house chef stopped me on the way to the bathroom to inform me the time limit is actually 1.5 hours for reservations — contradicting what our server had just said and adding a layer of condescension to an already rude experience.

Multiple staff continued encouraging us to order throughout the night, never once mentioning we were approaching any kind of limit. We spent $60 just getting there, expecting a relaxed and special evening. Instead, we were rushed out, confused, and treated like a problem.

If you have strict time limits, you need to communicate that upfront — at the time of reservation, when confirming, and again before the meal begins. You can’t promote a slow tapas-style dining concept and then pressure people to eat like they’re at a fast-casual restaurant.

We will never return — not after being treated so poorly at a place we once recommended often and enthusiastically. Hospitality matters. Sadly, that was nowhere...

Transformationally Delicious!

Quaint, nostalgic feel with next level tapas (small plates) combinations that bring out the depth of thought and execution by the chef. Combining Brussels in a creamy blue cheese sauce, ahi tuna with diced apples and a wonton crips, braised cabbage so delicate but popping with flavor with a hint of heat. Seems like each dish came with a sauce that you just had to order the peasant bread to soak up the goodness to ensure waste not, want not. The risotto by the way was pillowy, creamy deliciousness cooked to PERFECTION!

I would recommend finding your best couple to enjoy this experience with as the place isn’t large enough for a big group. It would also probably complicate the ordering and delivering process to the table. Dishes come out when ready and not in any particular order. The waitress was very knowledgeable and guided us to the perfect amount of plates to share leaving us satisfied but not over the top full.

At the end of the night one of our party asked the table what our favorite dish was. I started by saying one thing, and then another thing, then another and then another. It was a good problem to have when you couldn’t decide which was your favorite dish since they were all so originally spectacular. We...