Students of ancient Greek mythology, and moody teenagers with an unhealthy interest in death, will know the River Styx to be the dividing boundary between the mortal realm and the underworld, with a boatman waiting to ferry souls across for a small fee. One might expect a restaurant so named to be a Gothic affair full of skull motifs and shadowy candle-lit corners, but here in Brooklyn, not a bit of it. There are a few flames, but at River Styx they aren’t for roasting the eternally damned, but rather for crisping up a nice pizza in the wood-burning oven.
In fact apart from the bright red oven it’s all laid-back, pale tones in a bright and breezy interior at the Greenpoint Avenue eatery. The space has been separated into two zones – a bar at the front, and a dining area where the premises opens out a little at the back. In keeping with the neighbourhood mores, we find distressed walls, vintage mirrors and a reclaimed Carrara marble and walnut bar among a wealth of recycled and re-purposed features. With an emphasis on fun rather than formal dining (it’s a small plates kinda place), and some devilish cocktails, it all adds up to one hell of a cool ‘hood hangout.
