Just had pizza at the strand. This place would make Dave Portnoy’s list of unstoppable pizza. One bite… everyone knows the rules. Our waiter Daniel was the only waiter on, and was working ten tables like a total pro. He was patient, courteous, and very attentive. Chef Ryan delivered two of the best pies that we have ever eaten. Don’t let the hotel bar stereotype fool you… this place puts out a fantastic pie. Great work by the team. We will be back, and we will order in larger quantity.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza
Dhara Thaver
Our evening at Strand Cafe was a series of disappointments that I just have to share. We ordered a soup, a side as an app (roasted cauliflower), a pizza, and a burger. One of the mains (pizza) arrived first before soup and app. This was puzzling and just the start of a downhill experience.We waited patiently for the soup, which, when it did arrive after a 15-minute delay, was shockingly cold, not lukewarm, but actually cold. The wait for the soup to be reheated was just as frustrating, especially since our side dish was still MIA.When the roasted cauliflower finally made it to the table, it was RAW – barely touched by any form of cooking and lacking in flavour. We had to send it back, which is something I rarely do.The burger saga was no less exasperating. By the time it arrived, my husband had finished his pizza (which, remember, was served first). My request for sautéed mushrooms, an extra I paid for, was ignored. The burger missed not just the mushrooms but also the arugula, pickles (mentioned in the menu)and any kind of condiments. The server's solution was to bring these missing items on a side plate, leaving me to assemble my burger. This isn't what I expect when dining out.Mistakes can happen, but this was too much! We weren’t charged for the soup and cauliflower, which was a small consolation, but the overall experience was absolutely terrible. Would not recommend!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Katya Samoteskul
Great cocktails, very tasty food, friendly staff and the décor is very stylish and cozy. It feels like you are in a big city. Really enjoy this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adam Brumberg
Good drinks quiet, easy place to
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Jonathan Flaherty
Not worth the money. Hard pass next time in Ithica.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Wanda Willard (Construction Safety 101)
For a hotel restaurant, I was thoroughly impressed! We were able to try quite a few different items, and everything was amazing. I do say this is the best burger I have ever had, I liked it so much that I had it again on our last night there. Try it, you won't be
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza, Burger
Amala L.
Not showing on Yelp is the fact that they serve a lux breakfast at reasonable prices. The food is delicious and beautifully presented with vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options that are flavorful and healthy. The service is very good though sometimes they are a bit overwhelmed when busy. Perhaps the nicest thing is the ambiance which is California meets Brooklyn hipster vibe - lots of wood, industrial chic black iron, Edison lightbulbs and most of all a central fireplace with sofas and deep armchairs to relax and converse. The dining area has upholstered chairs too. And the prices are very reasonable - great value!
Timna M
I'm coming back because they have fantastic food and drinks, but the service is awful. I'm regularly waiting 45 minutes for a drink. Totally under- staffed. They could have so many more costumes if that would change.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza
Chanelle Spencer
Food was good. Ordered the french toast veggie omelette and sausage. Sausage could have been browned a little bit more. Waiter took a while to come by to give us the menu. Overall good experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Teresa Hedrick
This restaurant is in the Canopy Hotel by Hilton and well let’s just say the service doesn’t really even deserve one star. Had to ask for them to clear a table. Cleared a table and didn’t even wipe it down. My husband had to go up and get menus. They are extremely short staffed here. Out of ingredients for omelets. We also had dinner the previous evening since we wanted to try out the pizza. Pizza was amazing. French onion soup tasted strange. Alcohol here is way overpriced (as with most hotel bars) and the pours are Utah pours (VERY measured). Would not recommend.
While in Ithaca for 3 weeks I have dined at most of the surrounding restaurants and have to give the Strand Cafe 5 stars. The food is really good and not over priced. The menu has a fair amount of selections and breakfast, lunch and dinner is available daily.
Ian K.
I was there for breakfast. Despite few customers, service was slow and everything arrived cold.
Heath Robinson
I most invoke Théoden "what would you have me do [not review a restaurant that wasn't good]." No I will remain with the cause.All I would say is that perhaps just don't go here? Food was blah. Not sure they understand what vegan means (while not a vegan, even I understand that cooking fries in the same oil as meats -say calamari- would make those fries not vegan fyi).The drinks were ok, but took around 45 minutes to get ready. I'm pretty sure the agave plant and its distillation was done before hand by the tequila supplier so I'm still trying to figure that one out.Lastly the food came out in 15 minute increments which is insane given the price. If I was buying say a big Mac from McDonald's and my wife a quarter pounder - even that would come out together, so not sure where the staff missed that lesson.Sorry for the rant- I just started typing and went into a vogue state and then came too and the above was written.Oh, they laddled in French onion soup into a bowl. Im not asking for Michelin star food- but even I can add cheese on top of soup and bake it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza, Burger
Sandy Lee
This is the restaurant inside Canopy Hilton. The pizzas came out fast and were delicious. Cauliflower crust available for my GF son. You can see the pizza made there in the pizza oven. The burger did take a lot more time to come out thus the 4 stars. Ambience was nice, wait staff friendly. Place was clean and comfortable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
julianna manrique
Incredibly poor service, we waited 10 minutes before our waiter Charles came and gave us water, 25 minutes for an appetizer and, subsequently 50+ minutes for our entrées. Other tables nearby, who had ordered after us, got their food before hand, and one was even comped for the wait. I feel this is due to the fact that myself and my date were on the younger side, I do not plan on returning, the service was less than adequate, but the food was delicious. Even after the wait we endured we received no discount or apology for the wait. We also ordered gluten free pizzas because my date has an allergy and we are not sure it was gluten free at all, the pizzas both looked very different, but tasted well. Also never brought plates for our appetizers which he told us he would bring us. He also never checked in on us to check that our food was okay. It was a real great way to ruin a belated Valentines Day dinner.
Just had pizza at the strand. This place would make Dave Portnoy’s list of unstoppable pizza. One bite… everyone knows the rules. Our waiter Daniel was the only waiter on, and was working ten tables like a total pro. He was patient, courteous, and very attentive. Chef Ryan delivered two of the best pies that we have ever eaten. Don’t let the hotel bar stereotype fool you… this place puts out a fantastic pie. Great work by the team. We will be back, and we will order in larger quantity.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza
Our evening at Strand Cafe was a series of disappointments that I just have to share. We ordered a soup, a side as an app (roasted cauliflower), a pizza, and a burger. One of the mains (pizza) arrived first before soup and app. This was puzzling and just the start of a downhill experience.We waited patiently for the soup, which, when it did arrive after a 15-minute delay, was shockingly cold, not lukewarm, but actually cold. The wait for the soup to be reheated was just as frustrating, especially since our side dish was still MIA.When the roasted cauliflower finally made it to the table, it was RAW – barely touched by any form of cooking and lacking in flavour. We had to send it back, which is something I rarely do.The burger saga was no less exasperating. By the time it arrived, my husband had finished his pizza (which, remember, was served first). My request for sautéed mushrooms, an extra I paid for, was ignored. The burger missed not just the mushrooms but also the arugula, pickles (mentioned in the menu)and any kind of condiments. The server's solution was to bring these missing items on a side plate, leaving me to assemble my burger. This isn't what I expect when dining out.Mistakes can happen, but this was too much! We weren’t charged for the soup and cauliflower, which was a small consolation, but the overall experience was absolutely terrible. Would not recommend!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Great cocktails, very tasty food, friendly staff and the décor is very stylish and cozy. It feels like you are in a big city. Really enjoy this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good drinks quiet, easy place to
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Not worth the money. Hard pass next time in Ithica.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
For a hotel restaurant, I was thoroughly impressed! We were able to try quite a few different items, and everything was amazing. I do say this is the best burger I have ever had, I liked it so much that I had it again on our last night there. Try it, you won't be
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza, Burger
Not showing on Yelp is the fact that they serve a lux breakfast at reasonable prices. The food is delicious and beautifully presented with vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options that are flavorful and healthy. The service is very good though sometimes they are a bit overwhelmed when busy. Perhaps the nicest thing is the ambiance which is California meets Brooklyn hipster vibe - lots of wood, industrial chic black iron, Edison lightbulbs and most of all a central fireplace with sofas and deep armchairs to relax and converse. The dining area has upholstered chairs too. And the prices are very reasonable - great value!
I'm coming back because they have fantastic food and drinks, but the service is awful. I'm regularly waiting 45 minutes for a drink. Totally under- staffed. They could have so many more costumes if that would change.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza
Food was good. Ordered the french toast veggie omelette and sausage. Sausage could have been browned a little bit more. Waiter took a while to come by to give us the menu. Overall good experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
This restaurant is in the Canopy Hotel by Hilton and well let’s just say the service doesn’t really even deserve one star. Had to ask for them to clear a table. Cleared a table and didn’t even wipe it down. My husband had to go up and get menus. They are extremely short staffed here. Out of ingredients for omelets. We also had dinner the previous evening since we wanted to try out the pizza. Pizza was amazing. French onion soup tasted strange. Alcohol here is way overpriced (as with most hotel bars) and the pours are Utah pours (VERY measured). Would not recommend.
Restaurantji Recommends
While in Ithaca for 3 weeks I have dined at most of the surrounding restaurants and have to give the Strand Cafe 5 stars. The food is really good and not over priced. The menu has a fair amount of selections and breakfast, lunch and dinner is available daily.
I was there for breakfast. Despite few customers, service was slow and everything arrived cold.
I most invoke Théoden "what would you have me do [not review a restaurant that wasn't good]." No I will remain with the cause.All I would say is that perhaps just don't go here? Food was blah. Not sure they understand what vegan means (while not a vegan, even I understand that cooking fries in the same oil as meats -say calamari- would make those fries not vegan fyi).The drinks were ok, but took around 45 minutes to get ready. I'm pretty sure the agave plant and its distillation was done before hand by the tequila supplier so I'm still trying to figure that one out.Lastly the food came out in 15 minute increments which is insane given the price. If I was buying say a big Mac from McDonald's and my wife a quarter pounder - even that would come out together, so not sure where the staff missed that lesson.Sorry for the rant- I just started typing and went into a vogue state and then came too and the above was written.Oh, they laddled in French onion soup into a bowl. Im not asking for Michelin star food- but even I can add cheese on top of soup and bake it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza, Burger
This is the restaurant inside Canopy Hilton. The pizzas came out fast and were delicious. Cauliflower crust available for my GF son. You can see the pizza made there in the pizza oven. The burger did take a lot more time to come out thus the 4 stars. Ambience was nice, wait staff friendly. Place was clean and comfortable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Incredibly poor service, we waited 10 minutes before our waiter Charles came and gave us water, 25 minutes for an appetizer and, subsequently 50+ minutes for our entrées. Other tables nearby, who had ordered after us, got their food before hand, and one was even comped for the wait. I feel this is due to the fact that myself and my date were on the younger side, I do not plan on returning, the service was less than adequate, but the food was delicious. Even after the wait we endured we received no discount or apology for the wait. We also ordered gluten free pizzas because my date has an allergy and we are not sure it was gluten free at all, the pizzas both looked very different, but tasted well. Also never brought plates for our appetizers which he told us he would bring us. He also never checked in on us to check that our food was okay. It was a real great way to ruin a belated Valentines Day dinner.