Island

I was staying at the Hotel Wales and needed a close place for dinner. This was right next door. It was an interesting experience. There is quite a bit of seating. There weren’t a lot of people while I was there, maybe about 4 or 5 other tables. I felt like I could hear everyone’s conversation. It was a weird experience. It seemed so loud with so few people.
The food was delicious. I started with a ceasar salad. I ordered the rigatoni which was prepared with crumbled sausage, tomatoes and broccoli. It had a nice little spice to it and was so flavorful. I finished off the meal with Maine Blueberry Cobbler. Served warm with vanilla ice cream… YUM!
The downside was the service, not only at my table but at the others. The waitresses were standing around talking while people were waiting to order, or wanted drink refills etc. I waited quite a long time to order my dessert and had to ask the hostess to have my waitress bring the bill.
Other than that it was a good experience.

Food quality and overall experience were great 5 years ago — was a place to come for a tasty and fancy meal. Portion sizes have tripled since, with a corresponding drop in quality. Service sloppy, prices too high. At brunch last Sunday, plates were greasy (yuck), French toast was a huge sugary mound, salad came without dressing. Took 15 minutes and 2 requests to get dressing and an extra popover (popovers were good).

I really enjoyed the Sesame crusted Tuna medium well. Also had the salmon carpaccio which was excellent… It has a neighborhood feel, but definitely ‘Haute cuisine Americaine’…

I like the décor, it looks like the inside of a classic ship.
Service is good.
Timo is the hostess with the mostest.
The lobster role is the thing to get here when they have it.
A buttery pile of lobster, so fresh and well prepared. Nice crispy shoestring fries on the side.
Crab cake also very good, nice pretzel topping.
I don’t like the steep and dark staircase leading down to the restroom.

I’ve been to this restaurant once or twice before and it was reasonably good. This time I was taking a friend to a birthday lunch. We both ordered the chicken caesar salads. The salad part was dry (in other words, the person who made the dressing did not know what they were doing) and the chicken was dry as well. Almost like they used leftover chicken from last night’s meal. The brownie dessert tasted like the brownie had been stored in a refrigerator and microwaved. Not to mention, the brownie tasted stale. So while I would love to like this restaurant as there are not enough good restaurants in this neighborhood, I have to say not worth going.

great atmosphere, service and food!
I want to come back asap– we had the lobster quesadilla, caesar salad, sausage rigatoni and burger. All were amazing!

We try this restaurant every couple of years as we live a block away and so want to like it!
The food, amotsphere (smells like a fish shack), and service are really not up to the neighborhood. If the owners hadn’t purchased the building a million years ago, it would have closed long ago.
It is the worst place in he neighborhood! Try ANYTHING else!
However, not a bad place for a drink, excellent local gossip.

Food was delicious! We ate a steak burger, a lobster quesadilla and penne.
The service was super fast and nice. All food was super fresh. We also liked bread rolls a lot.

I thought this place was very good. Atmosphere was lively and fun with a well heeled very mixed crowd, bankers, brokers, hedgefunders etc. and their wives & fam’s. Service was friendly and on point. The standard bistro staples were nicely done. Salads were delish. Crab cake was light and tasty and hubby reckons the filet au poivre was a home run. As Tosh would say, a solid D-​Cup!

Pretty unimpressed with Island. This was my second visit, over a year ago I had a great experience but this visit was not as good. I ordered the steak and found it very bland — I was really disappointed. We came for dinner and felt completely ushered out at 10:30 on a Friday night — they were flashing lights and carrying in the patio tables before we paid our bill!

I have been at this restaurant many many times. Always enjoy what Dino serves!
The only problem seems to be their bread selection, not good! They should order their bread from Kayser Bakery, it’s delicious !

This place has really fallen. It was always a second to Sarabeths next door. However, I was in there a few times recently before a neighborhood function. I wanted a burger, which was mediocre, but not TOO bad. I went back again and ordered a Caesar salad. The whole thing was stale and limp. I still wanted something else. The bartender recommended the lobster quesadillas. The lobster was frozen and had been so for weeks. It tasted like soggy paper towels. I complained to the bar tender. In an indifferent manner he told me they get their lobster once a week. Well, that is a guarantee that it will not be fresh. I said to him it was obvious that the lobster had been somewhere sitting around before it arrived. he just shrugged. Any place with any class at all would not have charged me. I’m not going back.

Went here for a large family style dinner and it was fabulous! Has been on the UES for quite some time. The salad I had was amazing and I’ve recreated it at home since– it had cherry tomatoes, shallots, feta cheese, onions– I wasn’t sure it would all taste great together but it really hit the spot! Bathroom is a bit awkward to get to down a tiny flight of dark stairs, just hold your breath and pretend you’re Nancy Drew.

One of the few decent to good lunch places in Carnegie Hill and with the proximity to Sarabeth’s it can get crowded for brunch and weekend lunch. Very strong on specials and has a wonderful rotation of fresh salads and soups. Brunch is always solid and most breakfast style dishes are tasty (omelets, waffles, etc) Try the deserts sometime for a decadent treat. They are deadly good! Be mindful of small space and sometimes less than attentive service but they have a real charm and excellent blood marys if you are in the mood!

Awful dining experience last night. We waited nearly 45 mins for our food to be served and only a few tables were seated before us. With hindsight I know why– the two burgers we ordered were burned to a crisp. We had to send both back and my daughter was starving. We ultimately reordered only one burger and the waitress still wanted to charge us for the other burned burger. We also requested pasta with butter and it arrived at our table with tomato, broccoli and what looked like sausage. The manager ultimately took the second burger off our bill. Overall a dissapointment.

One of my favorite places to brunch on the Ues. We were planning to go to sarabeths but there was a long line so we popped in here, just next door. This place seemed much more relaxing to me anyway.
The popovers with strawberry perserves are my absolute favorite. Today I had the scrambled eggs (added cheese), smoked applewood bacon and thick cut hash browns. So delicious! The coffee was great too. Service was good as usual and the wait staff was not pushy or aggressive. I came here recently for lunch and they have a great selection of salads too.
Such a charming spot!

I have been here twice. To me, it has been solid. I have never ordered anything particularly exotic — salads and cold appetizers. I dined alone mid to late afternoon and service was good, if not rising to a super attentive level. I was comfortable and pleased throughout.
As to the other reviews of prices, yes, it I somewhat pricey, but in keeping with the neighborhood. Could someone walk over to 3^rd avenue and get as good, or even better Cobb salad, for less? Helllll yes. But if you’re at Islnd, it is to drag your uniformed kid in there to do battle with the new queen.

This wasn’t bad but just not that great. The menu itself was not impressive, the service was mediocre, nothing special about the décor/​space. Came her for brunch and the food was fine but nothing special. Many better places in the area.

Its a perfect little neighborhood restaurant that feels like a local clubhouse. Great for right before a movie. It has a very cozy feel.
The restaurant attempts to have more than predictable food but it somehow misses the mark. The gazpacho is fun with mango and papaya but the tomato base tastes like it came from a carton. The lobster chowder was too spicy. A salad had a bit too much dressing but still tasty.
The service is always excellent.

We had a nice dinner at Island. The food was excellent, and the space is lovely, though our server was amateurish. She had some difficulty taking our order, and when we paid the bill with a credit card, she came back to tell us that we hadn’t put in a tip (We had left the tip in cash). When we left, she didn’t bother to stop chatting with the hostess to say good night.
Go for the food and the ambiance.