Café Mars, an excellent ‘unusual’ Italian restaurant, opens In Gowanus  

By Scott Lynch

Paul D’Avino and Jorge Olarte, the co-owners and co-chefs at Café Mars, a self-described “unusual Italian restaurant” that opens this week in Gowanus, first met 11 years ago while working at the now-shuttered Gwynnett Street in Williamsburg. The duo had been around — credits include wd-50, Ssäm Bar, Noma, and Narcissa — but when they decided to open a place together, finding a great location was tricky … until suddenly it was right there in front of them.

“We looked all over New York and couldn’t find a space,” D’Avino told Brooklyn Magazine. “Then during the pandemic this place in Gowanus opened up, and it just so happened to be across the street from where my great grandfather arrived in Brooklyn, from a little town called Tramonti, in Campania, in 1901, so it was just perfect. Plus it has really tall basement ceilings, which sealed the deal.”

(Scott Lynch)

You don’t get to see those apparently impressive basement ceilings when dining at Café Mars, but there are plenty of other things going on here to delight your senses, design-wise. There are the bar chairs, for example, by Brianna Love of studio apotroes, and their squiggly neon pink legs. And Todd Higuchi‘s tables, complete with silverware drawer and Café Mars easter egg hidden in their shape. And the playful logos (grab a sticker on your way out) and signage by Massimo Mongiardo. And the colorful neon lights in the portal-looking windows. And Serene Bacigalupi’s large painting, titled “Unusual Italians,” in the sunny back dining room.

Really, all of it is amazing. Very “Memphis Milano in the 1980s,” according to D’Avino. “So even though Café Mars doesn’t look like a normal Italian restaurant, we still think it looks pretty Italian. And it’s fun. We want people to have fun.”

That you will. In addition to all the visual splendor, there are a bunch of surprises coming your way as you proceed through your meal, which I won’t spoil here. Just know you will smile often while eating here.

Plus, and most important, the food at Café Mars is outstanding, taking cues from all regions of Italy, as well as Italian-American traditions (from Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco), and international takes like Argentinian “tipa Italiana” Argentina and itameshi in Japan. “Both Paul and I came up with a gigantic list of different dishes with different inspirations,” says Olarte. “And just kind of kept whittling away at them and exploring and looking at different things.”

Start with a snack or two, the most Instragrammable of which is certainly the jell-olives, which are basically negroni jello shots with a Castelvetrano olive floating inside. The chicken liver mousse studded with raw rhubarb and served with puffed-up carti de music (music crackers) was great. And, with the crackle of the crackers, really ASMR-y to eat. Keep an eye out, too, for the garlic knot monkey bread and the pizza-flavored oysters.

Music crackers with chicken liver mousse, $12 (Scott Lynch)

The “market cukes” made for a bright, refreshing salad course, with plenty of complexity courtesy of the mozzarella whey and generous spoonfuls of smoked salmon roe. The grilled octopus with pepperoni cups and ranch dressing will be a popular choice in the starter section, as will the lamb sausage sticks with Sambuca.

Market cukes with mozz whey and salmon roe, $14 (Scott Lynch)

The toughest choice you’ll face when ordering is in the housemade pasta section. The loaded baked potato gnocchi, with bacon, broccoli, and cheese, seems a sure-fire winner, and the bucatini with “lemon, lemon, lemon, capers, basil” is ideal for a summertime supper. Don’t sleep on the waves, though, which are rolled-up, wavy-looking macaroni sharing space with plump, snappy shrimps, asparagus spears, and loads of zippy, ridiculously good Calabrian chili butter.

Waves with shrimp and Calabrian chili, $27 (Scott Lynch)

Vegetarians and everyone else will appreciate the pancake primavera entree, which D’Avino likened to Italian okonomiyaki. But the obvious order for me was smoked pork ribs parm, a quarter rack or so of fall-off-the-bone-tender ribs given the traditional parm treatment. Brilliant. As was the tangy spaghetti salad with mortadella chunks that came with it.

Smoked pork ribs parm with spaghetti salad, $32 (Scott Lynch)

The party continues with dessert, and the olive marble cake (the black part is super salty and olive-y) covered in whipped cream and syrupy amarena cherries really hit the spot. Cocktails, both classic and creative, cost $15, as do most of the glasses of wine. There’s a full list of wine bottles too, most of them in the $70 range. Reservations are already getting booked up; walk-ins will be limited in the beginning while everyone gets their footing.

Olive marble cake with amarena cherries, $11 (Scott Lynch)

Café Mars is located at 272 Third Avenue, at the corner of President Street, and is currently open on Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from 5:30 to 10:00, and on Sunday from 3 to 6:30 p.m. (347-987-4225)