Giando on the Water — Restaurant in New York

As my fiance and I were planning our wedding for about 200 guests it was really important to have it in Brooklyn; as we wanted our guests to get a small glimpse into our everyday lives that we built together over the years. After researching endlessly and visiting several locations it was looking like we would have to relocate elsewhere if we could not find a place in our budget. Giando on the Water was one of our last stops of the day, a random choice on our list that we found because we drove past it several times when we were out in Williamsburg late a couple of nights. We are so so glad we found Giando on a whim after we met with Joe and his assistant that day, it was one of the best decisions we made while planning our wedding. We wanted to have a modern affair and Giando had a vintage vibe and fairly clean look compared to more of the traditional catering halls we had steered away from and could work with our tastes. The huge selling point was the amazing view of the Williamsburg Bridge we would have as a backdrop all evening long and the huge outdoor patio where the cocktail hour would take place. If you are looking for a place for any kind of catered affair Giando is a complete diamond in the rough that you have to see in person to experience and appreciate. After discussing all our wants and our limitations with Joe we were able to negotiate a reasonable rate for a wedding in Williamsburg on a Saturday night due in large part to having it during the "off season" in March. Joe and his staff were so great throughout the entire planning, answering every question we had, managing every special request, and planning out every detail and moment of our wedding timeline including the little details that we had never even thought of or considered. We were able to bring in our own wedding cake instead of the one Giando would provide and were able to get additional items in cocktail hour to compensate the costs. Our wedding reception at Giando on the Water was so perfect and pretty much went off without a hitch, the entire staff was so helpful the whole evening and handled every request include our Mr. Met appearance. The cocktail hour was huge hit with our guests and we received rave reviews about the roasted pig station. The patio was a huge wow factor and everyone was outside to see the sunset over the bridge. The ballroom felt transformed after we brought in all our decorations and floral arrangements complimented by Giando's white tables and dishes. Good amount of floor space for our guest tables and nothing felt too packed or overcrowded, had plenty of space for our DJ, dance floor, and photo booth station. The dinner was surprisingly better that we had expected since we did not have a traditional tasting in advance, but understood in order to get a better price things would have to be sacrificed. We were concerned about the food since we never had a chance to taste anything, but were happy to try it for ourselves that night and heard from our guests that everyone's meal was delicious. Our wedding reception at Giando on the Water was so amazing and better than we could have ever expected, we cannot thank everyone there enough. All of our guests had an wonderful time from beginning to end and have told us how it was one of the best weddings they have ever been to and think we spent a fortune on it when we wound up spending a fraction of that. Thanks again Giando on the Water for an unforgettable evening...

I've come to this location for 3 occasions/events. I've been to their lager room upstairs 2X and the smaller room downstairs once. The New York City view is beautiful and adds a nice scenery to your event. On my occasion, my experience was the food wasn't as good on my visits. Looks good but don't be fooled. Loss of 1 star rating there alone. So this was a major concern to begin with. I received a bad meeting and unprofessionalism from one individual on negotiations/customer skill. Lost 1 more star again. That's why I give them a 3 star rating only. I believe they're overpriced, they let the views/location talk in their decision making.

I live about a 5 minute walk from here. Came to see what they would offer for my wedding event to be held here. I was interested in the lager room upstairs with hopes of some access to the Garden area on the lower level for my guest to enjoy the views and it was a summer wedding as well so outdoor space adds a plus to your event. I was willing to pay a little extra for that service also. I was looking to book on a Sunday. My dates were open and both rooms were not booked. They had a set price and management just falt out refused to negotiate any changes at all. You just don't do these things. Hey I see it as, some money is better than no money at all. In the end, you still make a profit. Very disappointed and even more with the attitude we received from that individual. End of talks after 10 minute meeting, I'll take my business elsewhere. Hey maybe it was his off date and his mood was on the downside, I was thinking. After reading a few other bad reviews, you see there's a routine that seems to happen more often than one would like. My feelings are, when you have a business like this, there's needs to be openness for negotiations and more if both rooms are open. We all don't need to play by your rules only.

I was very happy with the other location I did book. They offered wedding occasions package deals. Yet some of the items and things they offered, I didn't want or have need for. Let the negotiations begin. They worked with us from beginning to end. From making changes from their package deals on taking items off and substituting others in their place. Even my menu was changed a bit. These changes below came free as well. I got the smaller room to be open for appetizers as my guest entered, then they were asked to enter the main Bathroom after about an hour. They didn't have it booked and gave it to us as a last minute add on. Valet parking for my guest also. Plus the chocolate fondue with cut fruits was throwing in as part of dessert setting with the cake cutting ceremony. I was like, take my money and where do I sign the contract at?

My guest had no complaints at all and we all had a great time. Food was delicious and staff was on point. (5+ star rating) I want to thank "Events By Bruno's" for everything they did for us. Thank you for your openness to work with your customers. See, they/he made money on that night.

All I lacked was the view from New York City skyline but all those changes and freebies...

We had a christening at this place in April of 2019. I cannot tell you how unprofessional and terrible John and this restaurant is in treating their customers. We rented a room on a Sunday afternoon and were told that if we guarantee 50 guests we would have the room to ourselves. I signed a contract for 50 guests and invited 80. Upon our arrival, there was another party setup in one-half of the room. We were not happy about this and spoke to John who offered ice cream as a reconciliation (which was not at all helping the issue). We paid a substantial amount for the room and would have gone elsewhere if we knew we were sharing the room. John said he would call me on the following Tuesday to "talk like gentlemen" regarding some compensation for this issue. John never called me and I had to call over several weeks and he kept giving me excuses such as "it's so busy, its wedding season;" "there is a lot on the owner's plate and they cannot review this right now." I work in the customer service industry and these excuses are sign of a terrible business as he has no ability in service recovery. I kept checking in with John over several weeks and he always said he would return my calls but he never did. So I gave up. Good Work John.

In addition to the latter description; the pre-planning service was terrible. The person assigned to help you pre-plan the party does not sound like he wants to help you; you can also barely understand him and every phone call ended with another question mark and no confidence that he was going to do with what I requested. I asked if a welcome poster and a few pictures with some flowers be placed on a table to welcome the guests as the entered my party. He placed my welcome poster in the other party's area; he also placed my pictures in a corner of the room where nobody could see and he did not place the flowers in the right location. In addition, I requested for the cake color to be white and it came out as an ugly lime green. It is as if they needed to use up this disgusting color and embarrass me and my family.

My 5-month old son needed a diaper change at the start of the party so I asked a waiter where I can bring him. He took me to the coat check and gave me a metal fold up chair. I responded and asked if they had a changing table in the bathroom or if I can use the bridal suite as no other party was going on that afternoon. He shrugged his shoulders and did not care.

Giando on the water has a nice view but its management is absolutely terrible. John lied to us about what we were getting for the money we paid even though we repeatedly confirmed that we would have the entire room if we signed a contract for 50 people. He and the management are terrible in service and service recovery. BEWARE as this place; they will charge you a hefty price tag and ruin a special time in your family's life. SHAME ON YOU for running such an irresponsible business. You should be ashamed to open your doors on a...