I think our party may have tried everything on the menu? Or almost everything! Literally kept ordering more dishes because everything was so delicious! My out of town friends initially asked to come because of the jell-olives. It did not disappoint. The drinks were also delicious! The only not completely high note was the dessert but I think the fact that the starters, mains, and drinks were so so so delicious that it just did not compare. Will absolutely be recommending this place to everyone! If you go, we highly recommend the garlic knot monkey bread, fluke crudo, and bucatini con mackerel. (sorry we were too busy eating that I did not take pictures of all the items we ate but here are a few for reference)

Delicious and bold menu! The welcome drink was so special with picking your own glassware! The lemon bucatini was amazing especially! Love the funky decor and the fact that the servers were so knowledgeable about the menu! Will def come back!

Came with a group of 5 for a birthday so we did the prix fixe menu. That set up was perfect for us, you got to try 1-2 bites of every single item on the menu. Specifically, we LOVED the meatball dumpling with sesame and the lemon pasta were excellent. Two friends do not eat pork and they were flawless in respecting that and maintaining the integrity of the dishes. Service was very friendly and enthusiastic about the culinary work. The decor and vibes are fun/kitschy, not your typical Italian spot with brick and old timey vibes, it’s modern and colorful. I would highly recommend a group dinner here.

Sanketh Bhaskar (S3)

Best place to watch Chicago Bears games, free hotdogs at halftime & cheap drinks during games. Gets packed, so arrive early!

Kristjan

Ben’s a cool guy. Lively crowd on a Saturday. Will return.

Chirag Gururaj

Great little bar with an awesome outdoor space. THE spot in Brooklyn to watch the Chicago Bears, with a great atmosphere and friendly staff. Free hotdogs for all at halftime too! Great little gem - will be back.

Joe Connor

Ben rocks! Kevin succckkksss!

Laurie Robinson

Great dive bar! Friendly staff and patrons! Definitely a fun vibe!

don edwards

The best bar in Brooklyn for your weekly trauma therapy centered around the Chicago Bears Fandom. You will def make a friend and what bar will gives you complimentary hotdogs at halftime??? Just don't ask for ketchup for your hotdogs as that's for kids, and not a Chicago thing ok - grow up lol anyways they put up with my not so drinking habits of ordering hard ciders and lightweight drinks 😜 so they get a great rating for a local dive bar for games and crying into your beer 🍺 😭

Lorenzo Veneziani

I'm here often when the Bears or the Cubs are playing. I'm neither a Bears nor a Cubs fan, and yet I find the experience rewarding. I think that on game days there's hot dogs (included with your purchase of alcohol ? ?)

Confessions of a Food Freak

5 stars for any place that is Dog friendly and makes good bloody Mary’s

Matthew Morgan

One of the best dive bars in the neighborhood, honestly probably in Brooklyn. Drinks are cheap, the space is great, they have all the major sports games on, a nice backyard area, and a great place to watch Bears games and be miserable (if that’s your thing)

KK Glore

why is this place so great it has no right to be chicago themed bar in gowanus that I'm so glad I stumbled into. the bartender was wonderful, the clientele was friendly and eccentric, they had a $9 Modelo + shot combo, really just a perfect bar. will be returning!

Kim

Popped in as the bus we had been waiting for hadn't turned up, and it started raining, so thought why not get a drink. Small little place with long bar and a couple of tables towards the back. Fairly busy at the bar, so we opted to sit up the back. The server obviously realised we had no idea what we wanted and pointed out the beer menu on the wall behind us, which we had totally missed. Nice selection of beers. Sport on the TV, server, and clientele chatting, which made for a good atmosphere. Two restrooms also located at the back. Some quirky decorations, too, look out for the shark 🦈

John Russo

Just absolutely my new favorite bar it has everything you could ask for comfy small feeling popcorn and great assortment of beer. The bartenders where great attentive and very open to chatting and keeping everything upbeat. I have been looking for a bar like this to replace my old favorite bar which closed. In closing the prices where good not pricey at all and just overall just a great bar and my new home

Leo Chan

Happy hour till 8pm on a Friday? Great way to start a weekend. 2 dollar PBR on draft! Don't think I had it on draft before. Hipster throwback at it's best. Also got 3 TV showing sports on mute while playing great rock. Something for the semi anti social or group.

Joanna K

A very mellow bar with kind staff, colorful regulars, and a great selection of beers on tap. There is seating for about 25 in the back, but watch out for mosquitos. Inside can get a little noisy. Very cool free popcorn which is very tasty and a nice plus.

R Kimmich

Most excellent dive bar tucked away in Gowanus. Met some visitors from Chicago, where were disappointed that the bartender wouldn't take music requests. I was reassured by the policy. Chicago dames were consoled by the free popcorn.

Traci

This is totally a dive bar in the nicest was possible. Super friendly staff, clean bathrooms and a beer selection that's pretty impressive. From Miller High Life Nips to delicious Peak Organic, you've covered. Board games available up front and a garden for warmer weather. I'll return...often!

Jocelyn Borgner

canal bar is hands down, one of the best dive bars I've been to in a while. laid back atmosphere, awesome bartenders and absolutely no judgment. come in for a couple of drinks on a lazy sunday and play some games with your friends - and enjoy the back patio! it's totally worth going a little out of your way for the right atmosphere.

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).

Everything that was breaded and fried were excellent— the asparagus, mushroom. The breading was so light and crunchy and flavorful, and perfect with all the sauces that came with it. The monkey bread was amazing with the garlic butter. The lemon pasta was great as well. Portion sizes are on the smaller side.

i loved this place! we came after searing an water review and really wanted to try the “whimsical” experience. we weren’t let down. the olives are fun and should be gotten. lean into it!!! if you’re not here for fun why are you here? after we really enjoyed the lettuce and the octopus with pepperoni. both not just satisfying but delicious. in terms of the pasta we got the girelle (lemon) and triangle penne (beef cheeks). i 10/10 recommend the triangle penne, but i do wish we got the waves (prawns) instead of the lemon. next we had the bluefish with kohlrabi agrodolce — SO GOOD. wow. who knew bluefish could taste so tangy and meaty and yummy? lastly - the strawberries and olive cake. the olive cake - being made literally with black olive purée - was a total winner. i also got an espresso martini with mine which was a little too bitter for my liking. other than that one drink - beverages were great. really like the candy with the check and the first welcome drink on the house. our only negative comment - just wish service was faster. it seems they have limited staff, and way too many tables for their small kitchen. we waited quite a long time between dishes and were there over 2 hours. not a big problem but would prevent us from dropping by on a weeknight again. all in all - a great new spot.

There are some amazing items on the menu. And the staff is fantastic. We ordered almost everything. Favorites included the jell-olives, the anchovies, the chicken liver mousse, the grilled octopus, the roasted kabocha, and for dessert, the breakfast in sicily. That said, the whole concept is a bit too gimmicky for me. Bottom line, I'm really glad I had a chance to check it out but it may be a while before I come back. It reminded me a little of when (back in the day) molecular gastronomy was all the rage.

Ernest Buckley

Tiny bar with old school vibe. I was catching up with a friend last night and we just stumbled upon the Canal Bar. We arrived around 10p and there were around 8 people there. We ordered some beer and sat in the yard. It was pretty humid back there with lots of bugs so we ended up back inside. I prefer local little pubs like this rather than the neo-hipster hangs...

Song Smullen

If you are a Chicago Bears fan, this is the bar. If you are another teams' fan, this is the bar to get free hot dogs during Bears game. All other times, free popcorn much like at the High Dive. I like this bar except men's bathroom. There is no urinal and only one toilet. Price for drinks are very reasonable and bartender is very attentive even during the Bears game.

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.

The place is fun, the decor is great, the service was very attentive. Fun surprises, like a complimentary drink at the beginning of the meal. The cocktails had really strong flavors. The menu is interesting, features creative dishes that are well executed. The menu changes regularly which is great. Have been here twice and would come back again.

More fun than good. The quirky atmosphere and great service was unable to fully compensate for the meal - that while beautifully plated, failed to live up. The lemon lemon lemon pasta was the standout dish. Bring friends and a light mood and you will have a good time.

Adam Mims

Walked in just now and the bartender looked me directly in the eye then proceeded to looked down at his for an entire two minutes until I just walked right back out. Weirdly unwelcoming place; don’t waste your money there. Plenty of nice breweries and taprooms in the area.