Best Seasonal Restaurants in Carroll Gardens

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.

We arrived at our reservation early and they allowed us to go ahead and sit. Such a warm, friendly restaurant! The appetizers (delicata squash and meatball sliders) were delicious, as was the special ravioli, roast chicken, risotto, and all the desserts! The only underwhelming dish was the daily fish, but it really didn’t matter because everything else was so great. We felt super welcome, even with two young kids. Please go visit them if you want a special meal while in NYC!

We booked a Saturday reservation and were seated immediately which was nice. We ordered the dumplings, Branzino and Pas Thai. The dumplings came with truffles on top and were excellent. The sauce could have been a bit more exotic than just the soy sauce and vinegar for a Thai place. the Pad Thai has very good taste with very tender shrimps. The fried Branzino was great with spicy mixture with hot pepper, papaya and other flavors. At $45 maybe it was a bit pricey. Service was great with right amount of taking empty dishes away and asking how the food was. Overall vibe was great because the tight space and antique look of the dining room. The decor is not fancy but has a certain style of its own. We also ordered a Thai iced tea and a beer which were tasty as well. Next time I will try curry dishes and Tom Yom Soup.

The dinner was spectacular in every way. Hygge in New York! The atmosphere was cozy, congenial and filled with Christmas cheer. Flowers and soft candle light everywhere. The punterelle salad was perfectly dressed with ample anchovies, the sea bream en papillote was tender and infused with deep flavor. Add a perfectly balanced negroni sbagliatto to start and the evening was perfect.

I absolutely love this restaurant. I’ve been twice now and have had the best experiences sitting at the bar just taking it all in. The energy is calm but assured, the food is absolutely incredible and at the heart of the whole operation is the wine. This is a restaurant that pairs food to the wine and if you’re a wine lover like me, it’s an excellent educational experiences! All of the stars for Chambers.