Café Mars

Everything was great, and appreciated the friendly service. Highly recommend checking this place out. + Fires of Vesuvius was our favorite cocktail. Strong flavor and great spice level. + Enjoyed the crudo. It was light and fresh, packed with flavor. + Monkey bread seems popular, so I don't have much to add. I will say, it was larger than expected and pretty filling! + Definitely preferred the riggies over the rotalini. I just don't think we had the palate for the broccoli rabe. + Panna cotta had three or four layers, so satisfying to take a spoonful. + Baba-yaki was interesting. Great texture, and fun to eat. I don't think I ever tried amaro. It was definitely an adjustment. Overall, it was a lovely and creative experience, with lots of little surprises throughout the evening.

Cafe Mars is one of the most creative dining experiences I’ve had in Brooklyn. The gel olives were super unique a really fun, flavorful dish that shows how playful their menu is. The anchovies with the pizza seasoning were also surprisingly good, packed with flavor and a perfect bite. I tried the Riggies, which is originally an Ithaca, New York dish that’s normally made with chicken, but here they do a version with mussels. It ended up being really good and full of flavor definitely worth ordering if you want something different. The decor is beautiful, with a cool, modern vibe, and the service is extremely friendly and attentive. Overall, a great spot if you’re looking for something creative and memorable in Gowanus.

Café Mars is such a funky place from their creative dishes to their interior design. The staff were all super friendly and welcoming throughout our time there! My favorite was the girelle pasta. Very strong lemon flavor that reminded me of similar dishes I’ve tried in Italy. Overall, we thought they were all tasty but not too memorable. Ended up being pretty pricey for each person (I somehow forgot to take all photos, but we’ve ordered more than what’s shown here).

The inside is cute and we appreciated the creativity! The food was 50/50: monkey bread and lemon pasta were ah-mazing and worth the trip! The fried figs, while individually delicious, was overall a clunky dish. The scallop dish missed the mark. The service was good, however, it was really odd to have the utensil drawer being restocked at our table multiple times during our meal.