The River Café: Dinner Hours, $215 Prix Fixe and How to Book

The River Café serves classic American prix fixe at 1 Water St, in a room set beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, and dinner runs Wednesday to Sunday, 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM, with Monday and Tuesday dark. The three-course menu is $215 per person; cocktails and bar items are ordered separately, à la carte. A jacket and a collar are both required, and the listed rating is 4.4 from 2,598 reviews. Reservations go through the restaurant's own booking page, and the dining room faces the Manhattan skyline across the water.

Address: 1 Water St, Brooklyn, New York
Dinner: Wednesday–Sunday, 5:00 PM–10:30 PM
Closed: Monday and Tuesday
Price: $215 per person for the three-course American prix fixe; cocktails and bar items à la carte
Dress: jacket and collar required
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 from 2,598 reviews
Phone: 718-522-5200
Booking: reservations through the restaurant's own reservation page

The café opens five evenings a week, so build the plan around a Wednesday-to-Sunday window and leave Monday and Tuesday out. Service starts at 5:00 PM and the kitchen closes at 10:30 PM, which leaves room for an early table before a Brooklyn Bridge walk or a later one after it. Because the week is short, a weekend table is the first thing to go; book the date before you arrange the rest of the evening. Those are the asset's listed hours, so confirm the night you want on the restaurant's own reservation page.

The number to plan around is $215 per person for three courses, and everything from the bar sits outside that figure. The cooking is classic American and the wine list is a stated part of the offer, so a bottle changes the total. The house asks for a jacket and a collar, which is worth knowing before anyone in the party packs. For a celebration dinner the arithmetic is simple: menu, drinks, and a room that expects you to dress for it.

The restaurant has been on this stretch of the Brooklyn waterfront since 1977, and the layout is built around the view rather than the street. Windows look across at the Manhattan skyline, so the room reads as a destination rather than a neighborhood stop. The description calls the atmosphere cozy and romantic, which suits an anniversary or a proposal more than a quick dinner. Arrive with time to stand outside first: the walk in along the water is part of the evening.

Where is The River Café?
1 Water St, Brooklyn, New York, beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

Which nights is it open?
Wednesday to Sunday, 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

How much is dinner?
$215 per person for the three-course American prix fixe. Cocktails and bar items are à la carte.

Is there a dress code?
Yes. A jacket and a collar are required.

How is it rated?
4.4 out of 5 from 2,598 reviews.

Do I need a reservation?
Book ahead through the restaurant's own reservation page; the five-night week fills quickly.

Keep the night in the borough. A Brooklyn fusion room serves jerk chicken noodles, and a Harlem supper club pairs seafood with cocktails. For a slower day, a bayfront bearing works as a full afternoon on the water, and fried seafood beside a longstanding waterfront picnic spot keeps lunch simple. A City Island crawl from Johnny's Reef to Sammy's stretches the same seafood idea into a whole day out.