The Water Club Review

I definitely agree with the three and a half star rating here. What sold me on this place is the location. I have been wanting to try this spot ever since I moved into the city 4 years ago. It is right on the water and has AMAZING views.

I came for Valentine's day, so obviously didn't get the full menu and maybe not even the full experience.

Although I've dined at The Water Club a number of times, the Crow's Nest upstairs is a great summer spot. The also have amazing lobster rolls! Don't think I've eaten much else there. Just lobster rolls and cocktails!

Came here for a Zagat Presents dinner with @GoogleNYC. Liked the scallop tartare and the oyster. The biscuit was really good, surprisingly. Thought the stuffed calamari was dry, and the vegetables were over-cooked. The wine pairings were nicely done. I'd definitely go back, but would be selective in what I ordered. Service was very good, and the ambiance was nice.

Haven't been inside. If you enjoy looking over the river or like helicopters, then this us the spot. No seats.

Best seafood place in NYC. Being on the water on a nice warm night makes it a complete evening with your date. Great place to take clients

Absolutely love it. One of the very few places on NYC where you can sit outside with your drink, food etc and still smoke! Kudos to the owners for providing that rare commodity

They had a private event in half of the downstairs area. Wouldn't open upstairs bar. Lame.

Beautiful club great atmosphere, and obviously fantastic views

Lovely place, high quality food and service. Price is moderate

Great food and a great view. If I could renovate my house, I'd make it just like this restaurants beautiful interior

It a good restaurant for dinner. Haven't visited during day light as yet. But definilty will do.

Attended a private event. Service was great and food excellent.

Great setting for a romantic dinner on the East River.
Food and servive match the view

One word describes it, "Exceptional", from the food, service and view of Midtown Manhattan. Had the grilled hangar steak and my wife had the carmelized sea scallops. The summer salad and mushroom polenta appetizers were awesome. Nice table overlooking the East River and great service to boot. It is pricey but worth it.

Great river views of Long Island City and Brooklyn. Staff were attentive and food was top notch (see pics of filet mignon and halibut below). Great place for special events

Waited a while for order to be taken for 2 appetizers. Service very slow with only 2 tables.

Loved this venue when it was operating as an up scale restaurant. Celebrated many occasions here. So sorry they changed to a private event location.

Wonderful food, service was beyond excellent and the surroundings were beautiful. Highly reccommend this restaurant.

Very nice location, right on the river. Food was excellent.

I am a native New Yorker and will keep to the directness of how we are known to be :)

*They were impacted by Hurricane Sandy so they should be reopening soon.

Drinks: Excellent.
Food: Excellent. Try the salmon or lobster.
Space: Very elegant, romantic, and modern. It's designed to make you feel like you are floating while dining. You have wonderful river views. The venue is multilevel: dining room, lower level and upper level. The rooftop is very intimate and romantic.
Scene: Very romantic. The rooftop is an open space and conducive to mixing and mingling. Good for get-togethers and date night.
Crowd: 20-50s
Service: Very attentive and professional.

We came here for July 4th. I completely understand that holidays and special events are how restaurants make money so I understand the elevated prices. The service was fantastic, the waiters and manager were very accomodating. The view of the fireworks was great. The food was very disappointing. It was a BBQ buffet that had fairly blah burgers and dogs. For a place like Water Club and the price of admittance, I expected something far better. Very disappointed in the food.

Cool place that let us make last minute reservations. They open at 12 p.m. Sundays every other day at 5 p.m. We made the reservation for Sunday brunch around 11:15 for the 12 p.m. brunch they gladly accepted us. Be careful getting there because you have to cross the FDR and try to avoid the runners/bikers in both directions it seems like everyone and their mama runs this path. Nicely decorated clean with a snooty feel but actually had very nice Waiters/hosts that check on you numerous times... I got up once during my meal and came back to a folded napkin and straightened area my friend informed me the waitress did that. The views of the East River were great and the food was surprisingly tasty I have to admit I thought it would be bland. They bring you warm cranberry scones and banana nut bread while you wait we got them straight out of the oven. Reservations should be highly considered this place fills up fast with groups of people and I do mean groups... about 98% were senior citizens dressed to the nines we felt kind of out of place for a minute but it was cool. I'm sure dinner time is a madhouse.

I enjoyed cocktails and dinner in this place. Chick place with the combination of family groups, and romantic couples. good food, good service, extraordinary Piano player/Singer that creates a lovely ambiance with well known collection of classic sexy music.

Talented Chef, Great View. Bit difficult to travel to if you're a city dweller (make sure you choose the right block to walk over or take a cab) but on the right night, the view of the East River and Brooklyn is beautiful. Combine that with a talented chef who tries his hardest to use local ingredients in fine ways & it's a beautiful thing. Take a risk and go to this place for a fancy night out.

For anyone who's been to The Water Club right on the East River in Manhattan - for a wedding, for dinner, even to the Crow's Nest upstairs for a casual drink - I think it goes without saying that this is one of the most beautiful, fantastic, most delicious of locations in all of New York City. BUT... I'll say it anyway!!

If you're looking for a classic, beautiful, elegant, memorable, city-on-the-water wedding, where all of your guests are fed the most exquisite food, treated to the most beautiful and iconic views New York has to offer, and provided such professional service they rant and rave about it for weeks, you must book The Water Club. Our wedding was my dream and beyond, but my guests, too, can't stop talking about it!!! One of my guests said "my filet mignon was so tender I skipped the steak knife and used my butter knife!" Another of my guests, a professional chef, remarked that the quality was that of a fine, restaurant, served beautifully and impeccably.

The photos on social media from my guests of themselves against the water and iconic Coca Cola sign in Queens were abundant - it was more than clear that the vistas charmed all 130 of our guests.

For my part, as the bride, it was the BEST experience I could have imagined. Joanne O'Connor, the events director and wedding coordinator, is a brilliant gem! She was accommodating always from the original inquiry, to booking, to tastings, to day-of organizations and tending to all of my request (personalized cocktails, assembling of framed family photos, pacing the evening perfectly - everyone had their food at the same time!, coordinating with all of my other vendors, and generally putting my mind at ease and feel like everything was taken care of. She even sent me weather updates as we got closer!

And I even got to eat at my own wedding!! Joanne had some cocktail hour appetizers sent to my bridal suite directly preceding the ceremony, and I was able to eat ALL FOUR (!) courses of the main meal! I'm still dreaming about the mashed potatoes! The bartenders made my specialty drink to perfection! The wedding cake was delicious and gorgeous (so many tiers!) and beautifully designed with flowers from my florist, We Create and Co. by the Cake Chef.

All in all, I cannot recommend The Water Club for your wedding (or brunch, or dinner, or cocktails!). The event was beautiful, ran perfectly and seamlessly (a bride's true dream), and none of my guests can stop talking about it!! Thank you, Joanne and The Water Club, for making me look like the best event planner of all time to my guests, when it was ALL YOU!!!

I promise you won't be disappointed, brides! Go check this place out before it's booked for your date!

Too expensive... long wait time... The food is Goooood. Just too expensive. 2 ppl cost $100

Great venue for a winter wedding. With snow falling over the east river the views made me think of the magical realism of the book A Winter's Tale. Food was great, service was exceptional. Attended a wedding of just under 100 there and the space was great for ceremony and reception.

Very good food. Little pricey for food amount. Very nice atmosphere

Had to go try this place out just for the novelty value, even if it did sound like it might be a bit touristy. As it was I was pleasantly surprised to find the food was pretty good.

Having the view out to Queens, over the east river is certainly something interesting to discuss over brunch. It was also nice to see people made the effort to dress up a bit. The crowd seemed to be split between people that go there frequently and people going there for a special occasion.

We were sat right in front of the pianist who seranded the room throughout our meal. He had a good singing voice too.

We had pancakes to start + sides of sausages. It was a huge pile of pancakes as well, but nice and fluffy. Had I known how big the portion was I'd probably have skipped the side.

Would have said for the main course I had some fried Crab cakes, but the pancake dish was the main course in my eyes. The crab cakes were nice though.

Unfortunately, I was so full by that point I couldn't try out any of the desserts. Another time, I'm sure!

The service was excellent and ambience great.

Enjoyed dinner with my girlfriend in celebration of her birthday. Our first time at the Water Club, but hopefully not the last.

In terms of location, ambiance, and views - this restaurant will not be bested. We arrived just before the sun began to set which made for a romantic dinner on the water.

Service was phenomenal as multiple waiters and servers assisted us seemelessly without ever missing a beat.

Food was good, but not exceptional (7/10) and the reason I am not rating at 5 stars. While more than decent, it was a bit bland and not as flavorful as one may expect given the menu prices.

A different kind of place to have a drink with a view of the east river

Amazing view, great service, delicious food highly recommended to anyone us realtor and travel agent Valentina Aved

The service was top notch. The view was stunning. I ordered the grilled scallop lobster ravioli. It was delicious definitely on the weight conscious side as it did not have any alfredo or fattening sauce. It comes with a splash of tomato sauce and basil and oil 3 scallops and 3 ravioli just enough fill my small gullet. My wife ordered the bone in NY STRIP steak 18 oz. Her meal was delicious as it came with some delicious mashed potatoes. I definitely enjoyed her meal more as the steak was cooked to perfection and it was well seasoned. Needless to say I had a large portion of my wife's food. We also ordered grilled asparagus which were heavenly even for me.
The staff made me feel as though as if I was at home.

the big draw here is the decor, actually the view. go at night to enjoy the city lights. the food was good as was the service.

The food was delicious. The Venue has class and Character. The kids were kept intrigued by the boats and the beautiful city lights at night. Enjoyable for all. Amazing how kids friendly this venue is.

Excellent views, tucked away from hustle and bustle. Went there for an event, food was ok.

the view is the whole allure. feels like you are dining on the set of the sopranos.

I had a company Christmas party @ the water club. Beautiful view and nice setting for dining. A lot of finger food to taste.

Cool views of Brooklyn from the top area. Lower area is a little nicer, while the upper spot (Crow's Nest) is more of a casual vibe with outdoor seating and good cocktails (if a little pricey).

Just a great place. Food, service and drinks. Private events only.

The experience was great! For a party of ten the staff customized our menu to fit our budget and still provided great food and beverage choices. Highly recommend to all.

Overpriced for what it is. You're going for the views and the romantics, not the food.

Not impressed one bit. The cocktail room was small setup with booth style tables off a two step walk down.... Very inconvenient and uncomfortable when trying to be social and eat in evening attire.. Main room has a door off on the side for smokers.If you decide to have a winter event advise patrons to bring blankets as the door pretty much stays open for the smokers while everyone else freezes... I expected more from the food as my eggplant parmigiana was mush.... complete mush. please explain to me how it is legal to water your liquor down so much *side note I hadn't eaten all day as to running around for the event* get to venue, had 3 vodka and cranberries before eating and was perfectly fine. Had two more drinks with dinner and still fine.... (note.. I drink like once a month, having a drink or two) I just expected way more for the popularity/price of this place... REAL BUMMER...

"we've been coming here for over 20 years. the main draw is still ""sitting on the dock by the bay"". this has to be one of the best sites to dine at. while in recent years it had appeared tired in appearance we have noticed a recent refreshing atmosphere. the service remains excellent and the food is quite good."

The location is awesome bit the food wasn't great when I went.

My husband and I had our wedding reception at The Water Club. We planned a small reception last minute. Joanne made the planning stress-free for us. Her communication was great and she was very accommodating. The evening of our reception was perfect. The food was amazing; our guests are still talking about it! Thank you for creating an unforgettable evening!

Very elegant dining with a great environment, including live music. The brunch was simple dishes, but perfectly executed. Highly recommend a visit.

The place offers a nice view, the staff look mad and not coordinated.

Had an interview dinner here and the food and atmosphere was really nice

A really nice place to have seafood. Beautiful views!

Fabulous bouffet brunch ... gorgeous views ... what more could u want?

Great place with great food and a lot of fun. Wonderful place for kids, they can play as much as they want with all of these boats. We had amazing time.

Views were great food was so-so. Room was FREEZING!!!!!! Ac blasting on a cold fall day. I m still trying to get feeling back in my fingers and toes