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yes, it's a lovely spot, but the food doesn't warrant the prices. new york city is full of amazing food at much better pricing structures. yes, the view is lovely, but one can have the same view from the park next door and still have cash in your wallet. within the last year the management established a $25 minimum (per person) to sit on the deck and enjoy a glass of wine or appetizer. For $25 per person you can have an entire meal at numerous nearby restaurants and then stroll down to Fulton Ferry Landing and enjoy an ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. River Cafe - get over yourself!

Pros: view
Cons: $25 per person minimum outdoor seating - what a rip-off

Just went to a brunch this Sunday. In a nutshell: over-rated, appetizer portions more like tasting portions; entree portions like appetizer portions, everything but the water and bread extra cost. At $55 prix fixe for an appetizer and entree (no dessert included) plus gratuity and tax, would have expected more. Had a short ribs and filet mignon entree. Short ribs were 4 one half inch square "chips" buried in 1/3 cup of mashed potatoes!! Filet was about 2x3 inches, maybe four ounces on the outside. And had to pay a $5 surcharge per person for this selection! Nothing like adding insult to injury....... Other observations..... Martini : $12. Small glass of house wine: $10. Desserts start at $10. COFFEE IS $6 A CUP!!!! $6 a cup and served in an expresso cup!!!..are you kidding me?!?
All in all the ambience and view not worth the price which, even by New York standards. is wwaaaaaaaayyyyyy over priced. My advice: eat elsewhere, then stroll on the pier next to this place. Same view, and you won't come away hungry and broke!!!!

Pros: View of financial district and South Street Sea Port
Cons: Ludicrously expensive, minute portions, limited selection, most expensive coffee I have every had in a restaurant!!.

My husband and I went to the River Cafe twice in the past year. The first was for an incredible wedding in the private room and the second for our 1st wedding anniversary. Both times our expectations were surpassed! The view is absolutely breath taking, the staff was excellent and the food was amazing! We had the tasting menu and it was exceptional. I can not believe some of the reviews. I will admit there is a bit of snobbery in the air..but it wasn't from the staff, it was from the patrons. (Half of which were foreign tourists). We had such a fantastic, romantic, and memorable time. We will definitely be back on our next special occasion. It should be known that men must wear jackets, it's very old school, and don't expect to spend less then $150 a person for food and drinks. There are two options, Prix Fixe at $95 where you choose an appetizer and entree or Tasting Menu $115 for 6 courses!!! ALL AMAZING!!! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

Pros: Words can not describe the view, food, and service!
Cons: None

Nikusha, quietstorm and joni davis (reviews below) are absolutely correct: the staff treatment of customers here is inexcusable. We were four young professionals on a Tuesday night, and I only refrained from walking out to avoid upsetting our London guests (one of whose birthday it was). I swallowed my initial skepticism about the dress code, and went with it. But when at the table I began to perspire and hung my jacket on the back of my chair (button-down shirt and necktie still on) the maitre d' rushed over and told me I had to put it back on. I mentioned the heat problem and he responded by "diplomatically" threatening to remove us from our window table if I did not comply. God knows how they would treat someone from a non-Western culture.

Other disappointments were that our waiter did not remember who was drinking what; that we had to ask for a wine menu; and that we received no advice from the sommelier. Even the young women at the host station (entirely men working on the floor!) toed the line of pretence by refusing to provide an elderly patron with a water taxi schedule. Moreover, the bartender made our mint juleps sloppily (and, frankly, wrongly) and did not offer to replace them when I complained. I can suspend my food snobbery at the right kind of place, but this is NOT that kind of place.

The food is intelligently prepared (if heartless) and the setting lovely. But ultimately the view was a superficial backdrop against which the staff played a series of insulting games. The River Cafe belongs in Brooklyn as much as Red Lobster does in Manhattan: it is a bridge-and-tunnel outpost whose petty pretences resonate with any of a thousand exclusive American suburbs (I grew up in one and moved to New York to get away from it). If you enjoy toeing the line on gender and class stereotyping then you'll do just fine here. If not, it will be a very expensive mistake. I would have been masochistic to feel any pleasure from the $750 I spent there.

Pros: Physical setting and food.
Cons: Staff attitude and subpar service.

If you are considering going here, the first thing you need to do is get over the price. It is very expensive. The mandatory 3-course price fixe is $95 per person, excluding beverages, tax, and gratuity. If you can't stomach paying that much for a special meal -- as some of the previous reviewers clearly cannot -- then you should take your business elsewhere. If you can forget about the price, you are in for a very nice evening. I went here on a Friday night in January 2008, and we were able to get an 8:30 reservation on relatively short notice. The service was friendly and attentive. The food was really great: I started with the tasty buffalo tar tar, and my girlfriend got the special appetizer consisting of three tasting plates -- all three were delicious and unique. All of the appetizer portions were pretty large. For the main course, we both got the special: lobster tail gently sitting in the shell, on a bed of lightly curried spinach. OMG. The lobster was so sweet and yummy, I am still dreaming about it a week later. Somehow they made even the spinach the most delicious thing, too. Both desserts were quite good, too. We left full and happy. It probably doesn't need repeating, but the views of Manhattan are stunning. Also, the restaurant provides free valet parking.

Pros: wonderful food, great views, romantic setting
Cons: expensive