Best Restaurants with a Scenic View in Gowanus

Surprisingly good food. Not a huge menu, but what they have is executed very well. Clams were a huge surprise and totally delicious. Cauliflower tempura is perfect and crispy. Ribeye was huge and seared well, but over by one grade - recommend you under order your desired temp. Pork chop was tender and served in a velvety sauce (was it a demi glace?). I didn't prefer the pasta with pork belly, thought it needed more sauce even though it tasted fine as it was. Service was fine but not as attentive as you night want for fine dining. Given the setting, it was ok. The view of course was amazing but do expect lots of tourists with small children speaking loudly. Not a good option for a romantic quiet chat. That having been said, the prix fixe lunch was a pretty good value at $80pp. I think the dinner menu is identical, so at $150pp that's a bit pricey. Go for lunch up to 4om, and save yourself some money, plus you get to watch the sunset, then see the city in both day and night. You can stay as long as you wish after your meal. Remember to arrive at least 15-30 minutes before your reservation since you have to go through several lines, a 1 minute elevator ride, and a 2-minute movie before you actually can get into the restaurant. Go to the west entrance of the building, then head down the escalator to guest services where you get priority tickets to the observatory floor. You also have to go through an airport-style security checkpoint complete with xray and metal detector, so be careful what you're carrying. Overall,, this is definitely an experience i would recommend, even to a long time native New Yorker.

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.

Delicious food. Great views. Cute outdoor igloos - heated! Definitely recommend!

We did the $45 pre-fixe menu and it was a great value. The food was quite delicious and the service was attentive and hospitable. Loved the poached egg with mushrooms and spinach appetizer! It was flavorful. I could eat that everyday. Will definitely be back again.