Café Mars, the maximalist Italian playground in Gowanus, is shaking up its routine for a monthlong Italian izakaya takeover starting May 6. All through May, the spot will pivot to an itameshi menu, essentially a mashup of Japanese ingredients and techniques with Italian cooking, during dinner service Wednesday through Saturday. For the run, the team is reimagining the kitchen, bar and dining room as a Japan-meets-Italy experiment, with mashups like pepperonigiri on deck alongside other miso-and-parmesan combinations.
That early lineup, detailed in reporting from Time Out, includes fluke cured in parmesan and white miso, a tongue-in-cheek "pepperonigiri" (pepperoni sushi), a giardiniera-spiked potato salad topped with Slice Spice Pringles and pan-fried tortellini-gyoza finished with bergamot ponzu. According to that report, the idea grew out of a Japan-focused weekend the restaurant ran in 2025, and reservations for the May takeover are already open.
How it will work
Per Café Mars' website, the itameshi menu is scheduled to run Wednesdays through Saturdays at dinner starting Wednesday, May 6, with reservations handled via OpenTable. The restaurant’s booking page and contact details steer diners to Instagram for menu updates and to email for larger groups. The site describes the takeover as part of a broader "Global Italian" approach at Café Mars that plays with different regional lenses on Italian cuisine.
Design and drinks
The dining room will also dress for the occasion, with neon katakana signage, chopstick holders built to cradle rigatoni and a Suntory "Divine Foam" draft system behind the bar, details that Time Out notes push the pop-up toward a theatrical, bar-forward vibe. Drinks are slated to lean Japanese-inspired, with cocktails, beer, wine and plenty of sake meant to sync up with the plates. The goal is for the decor and beverage program to make the month feel like one extended, immersive dining performance rather than a handful of disconnected specials.
Café Mars opened in Gowanus in 2023 and quickly drew attention for its unapologetically playful spin on Italian food and high-energy interiors; that origin story and the early menu experiments were documented when the restaurant debuted by outlets covering its maximalist design. For more on the space and its reception, see coverage from Eater NY. The itameshi month carries forward the restaurant’s 2025 "Global Italian" series and a well-received Japan-focused collaboration that helped seed this project.
Seats are limited for the monthlong run, and the restaurant is nudging fans to book early through its OpenTable listing or by reaching out directly via the website. For last-minute menu tweaks and service updates before the May 6 kickoff, follow @cafemarsbk on Instagram.
-2.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
