Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in Gowanus

We were warmly welcomed, enjoyed aperitifs at the bar, and then went upstairs for our Pasta Tasting menu with wine pairings. It was heavenly from beginning to end! Kudos to our attentive and friendly staff, who described each course in detail, as well as describing each wine pairing. Special thanks to Henry, our primary server, who made each course extra special and described each wine pairing. The wait staff was professional. welcoming, and added extra charm to the evening. For me, it was the kick-off to my birthday season, full of delight and delectable food and wine. Babbo deserves every accolade in the book, except for too-dim lighting. Can't wait to return! Mille grazie!!!

Great food , great variety and great service , very nice wine list and cocktails , had a great experience

I’ve been going to Odeon for decades . It’s like going home .

Outstanding dining experience shared with out of town family who were guests for the holiday season. The River Cafe did not disappoint. The menu offered a dazzling array of options for each course and given the large selection, we were a bit concerned about their ability to deliver… we were extremely happy and quite frankly blown away by each course. The food was of the best quality, presented beautifully and tasted absolutely DELICIOUS. Our only disappointment was the water service - it seems so silly but we had to ask NUMEROUS times for water and wait and wait for our glasses to be refilled. This seems like a minor detail but a major annoyance that can be readily corrected. One other troubling detail that surprised us was the lack of toilet tissue in the Ladies Room- it appeared that no staff attended to the bathroom during our three hour meal. We raise these two points in support of The River Cafe’s commitment to excellence. A warm thanks to the Chef and their team for a wonderful meal and lovey dining experience.

Gorgeous setting. We had river views in summer there are outside tables. A stylish restaurant with a central bar area. The food was fast and delicious and had a great vegetarian selection. About 5mins walk from York Street. Really can’t recommend this place enough.