The name Café Mars might conjure images of Mars 2112, the legendary shuttered Space Age Times Square restaurant, but there are no rocket ships, aliens, or freeze-dried space food to be found here. Either way, opening on Wednesday, May 17, at 272 Third Avenue, at President Street, Café Mars is unusual for Gowanus, a neighborhood due for a culinary shake-up.

Format Architecture Office designed the 55-seat space in the style of Memphis Milano, the design and architecture movement started by Ettore Sottsass in the 1980s in Italy, that’s seen a resurgence here in New York over the past couple of years. At Café Mars, the door handles are made with fettuccine and spaghetti dies from the nearby D. Maldari & Sons, which first opened in 1901.