Best Solo Dining Sanctuaries Restaurants in Gowanus
2 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Runner & Stone
A true grain-to-plate bakery and farm-to-table restaurant using local flours, produce, and house-made everything.
Notable Picks
8.3
Runner & Stone is a bakery-restaurant and bar in Gowanus where everything from the breads to the pastas is made in-house with local grains, dairy, and market produce. By day it runs as a counter-service café for pastries, sandwiches, and salads; at night it shifts into a cozy farm-to-table dining room built around seasonal vegetables, house-prepared meats, and handmade pasta.
Must-Try Dishes:
Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie, Grain Salad with local spelt berries and roasted vegetables, House-extruded ziti with seasonal sauce
What makes it special: A true grain-to-plate bakery and farm-to-table restaurant using local flours, produce, and house-made everything.
Spanish colmado and tapas bar in Gowanus combining shelves of tinned fish, jamón, and pantry staples with a small café in back. Guests snack on boquerones, tortilla española, and squid-ink rice with vermouth or wine, making it feel closest to an in-Spain pintxo bar experience in the neighborhood.
Must-Try Dishes:
Tortilla Española, Boquerones with Olive Oil, Squid-Ink Rice with Piquillo Peppers
What makes it special: A Spanish specialty market certified as an official colmado where you can both shop for imports and sit down to serious tapas.