Giando on the Water

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Just south of the Williamsburg Bridge on the East River waterfront, this tri-level Italian compound offers stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and surrounding bridges. For those who find the restaurant’s mirrored walls cheesy, the “crystal” chandeliers ostentatious, and the tuxedo-clad waiters a bit much, the spectacular view provided by its floor-to-ceiling windows may ease the pain. The well-executed food is textbook Italian-American: gigantic portions of fried calamari, eggplant Parmesan, and veal done every which way. The scene inside the restaurant is as uninspired as its menu, with a piano player cranking out jazzy versions of Broadway hits on a detuned upright piano in the adjoining bar-lounge area as a few lone patrons at the black lacquer bar stare off into the East River. There’s an unapologetically suburban feel about the place; a scan of the dining room makes it clear that most patrons did not trek from Manhattan on the J train. — Tim O’Keefe

Weddings and other large gatherings are Giando’s bread and butter; there are two additional levels above and below the à la carte dining room that are available for parties, and both offer the same memory-making view as the main dining room.

Prix-Fixe Dinner Menu
Daily, 4 p.m.—close; four courses, $39.95

Prix-Fixe Lunch Menu
Mon.—Fri., noon—3:30 p.m.; three courses, $24.95

Rollatini di pollo, $16; scaloppina di vitello piccata, $20