Isola Trattoria & Crudo Bar

This is a great place to lunch with friends, which I normally do, actually it’s one of my go-​to spots. I also find this place very beautiful, the ambiance is just lovely and the food’s not bad either. If your lucky, You might spot a celeb or two. I know I did:)

So I first found out about this restaurant when I was watching The Other Women and I was like wow that place is BEAUTIFUL! So I decided to look it up and come for a visit. It was, just as beautiful going in person. I prefer going to Isola during the day than night, but both times were satisfying.
I guess I would not give it four stars because:
1) It’s a bit pricey. I’m sure it’s $$$ for the ambiance and the fact that it’s located in a hotel. But it’s still a bit much.
2) It has mediocre food. There’s definitely better Italian restaurants out there. But again, you go for the feeling. The food isn’t bad, just not amazing.
Still, I would go with my girlfriends, order drinks, get something small for a nice chat. It just feels nice and refreshing to sit in Isola, especially in the middle high chairs/​tables, and living in the moment with your friends. I would keep going back just for the interior.

It was a great place for brunch. Beautiful interior with excellent ambiance. Too bad the place seems to have closed. It was a perfect daytime spot especially in winters as there was ample sunlight flowing through. The food was not bad either. We tried a number of things which did not disappoint. The only thing that could have been better was their pizza, which did not come out as hot as it was supposed to be. Probably someone took it out of the wood oven and it waited good 10 minutes before it came to our table.

So sad this place closed! I’ll keep my review short and sweet since if you read more, you will just be sad that you couldn’t experience it.
The space is still there though — so just for the architecture, you could go. Though I hear the food isn’t as good.
Anyways — this venue was gorgeous. A ceiling full of windows and chandeliers. It’s like a gorgeous green room in the middle of Soho.
I hosted a private brunch party here and they were very helpful with determining the menu, etc.
The greek yogurt + fruit was so good and creamy. Lemon Ricotta pancakes were delish and this eggs in a tomato sauce were a little weird to look at but ultimately so delicious.
I will miss this lovely brunch spot in Soho!

Food was great. Service was okay but server was by himself on father’s day and it got slammed. A fellow server prob called out sick. No biggie. Got eggplant sandwhich, lemon ricotta pancakes, hashbrowns, muffins. Everything was excellent. If you get there before 11 on Sunday, they legally can’t & won’t serve booze till 11am. Drinks took a while to hit table so manager comped them. Awesome. Gorgeous lighting, atmosphere, and decorations. Also has outdoor seating. Fyi– menu pages menu is wrong & outdated. They no longer have nutella french toast. Also they ran out of a fruit foccacia we ordered & it wasnt until the food hit the table that the server told us –_​_​– would I return? Yes, bc the manager was extremely professional & the place is lovely & food was delish. Great portions. Very filling.

Wow… Awful…in a word! We moved into the city almost 2 years ago & I can say this was the WORST dinner ever!!! It’s a scene, which we love, the chandeliers are gorgeous. The food… I can’t!!! Cocktails were sent back, a simple orange-​raspberry Bellini tasted like raspberry purée. thick and with pulp. We ordered every appetizer for the table of 6, as the menu is small, but the looked selections great. Portions so small that the Kale Caesar was the size of a tiny goldfish bowl. Yellowtail was dry. Burrata so tiny, literally a mouth full.
Next the main courses. Steak was fatty at the first mouthful, topped with a dark slime of something… Salmon was jellied. Needless to say, not eaten.
Desserts also a disappointment. Tartufo Brownie, hmmmmm, dry and flaky. Ice– cream bland. I even forgot what the other dessert was.
The only thing memorable was that we were in great company and that none of us will ever go back. $ 686.00 lighter in the pocket for a meal not to be repeated. We will stick to finer restaurants that care about what they serve… i.e., Scarpetta, Quality Meats, Mulino a Vino, Zuma, etc

This restaurant is now NoMo SoHo.
Apparently they’ll be changing the menu soon. But not the décor!
All I wanted was pizza and wine (heaven) somewhere pretty and relaxed. Ask and you shall receive. We ordered a flat bread with arugula, sausage and goat cheese, they didn’t skimp on the toppings and they were fresh, the crust was thin and crispy. I thought it was delicious. Small and pricey, yes, ($ 18) but I can’t deny it tasted good. We splurged on a wine ($ 55) this was one of the cheapest reds.
I thought the servers were really friendly. It was 3pm so the place wasn’t crowded. And obviously this place is eye candy. I’d go back, but not often $$$.

I came here with my friend Hannah. That’s why I love it. She’s amazing she has the most beautiful eyes and flowy hair. She’s like Esperanza Rising. I have a lesbian crush on her. This is my secret.
Wait, this is the app «Secret,» right?

Though the atmosphere was great — it’s a very cute date spot — the food was subpar for the pricing. We definitely did not feel like we got what we paid for.
So basically it was over-​priced and not even very good.

There is an obvious hype when it comes to the Mondrian Soho Hotel and its Italian restaurant and raw bar, Isola.
Both the restaurant and raw bar are located in the hotel lobby, but they are separated from each other. Isola Trattoria, the restaurant, is a beautiful space with crystal chandeliers and glass baubles. It’s well-​lit and garden-​like during weekend brunch hours. And equally as gorgeous during their dinner hours, but sexier. The restaurant also opens up to a beautiful garden terrace during warmer Summer months, where a lot of hotel guests and tourists stop to take photos.
The raw bar, Isola Crudo Bar, looks more like a bar than a sit-​down restaurant. And it gives off a more casual feel, from the looks of it. I have yet to dine at the Crudo Bar, but after my experience at Isola Trattoria, I highly doubt I will be back. I will not be recommending the restaurant/​raw bar to anyone either.
I GET THE HYPE. I GET THAT THE HOTEL FRONT IS GORGEOUS, WITH ITS GREEN FOLIAGE ARCH AND GARDEN TERRACE. But that does not make up for poor waiter service and awful food.
SO THE STORY GOES…
I made a reservation for 7PM on a Saturday evening.
To my surprise, it was relatively easy to snag a last minute table on a Saturday night. That was a sure sign that Isola wasn’t as great of an establishment as I had been mislead to believe.
We were seated promptly and were handed menus.
We sat for 20 minutes, looked at the menu, stared at the menu, and decided that we needed to grab a hold of a waiter.
We stopped a waiter and asked, «Can you please get us our waiter?»
And this obnoxious, good-​for-​nothing waiter says, «I am not your waiter.»
I was shocked. I faked a smile and asked, «We have been sitting here for 15 – 20 minutes or so and want to order. Can you please get us our waiter?»
Then the smarta$$ clicks his tongue and says, «Not my problem.» as his walks off.
We sat for another 5 minutes when our waiter finally shows up.
We placed our food order, along with a nice bottle of wine.
Our waiter shows up 10 minutes later, to let us know that that the restaurant had run out of the particular bottle of wine. REALLY?
But the waiter got the okay to give us another bottle of wine, similar in taste and body, that was $ 20 more expensive than the one we had ordered for the same price. Fine, we’ll take it.
I haven’t been this DISAPPOINTED in a very long time.
We ordered the Fritto Calamari Nero as a starter, the Fennel Sausage pizza, Lamb Amatriciana Pasta, Chitarra Pasta, and the Campanelli Farms Chicken.
We had to wait 45 – 50 minutes for our food. Do you understand how agonizing it is to wait that long for your food?
The Fritto Calamari Nero was the only dish, along with the Fennel Sausage pizza, that we finished. It came with a bed of spicy aioli and arugula, and it was enjoyable. It’s shareable among three people, at most.
The Fennel Sausage pizza was tolerable. The dough was baked to a crisp but the herbed ricotta and caramelized onions complemented the sausage topping.
THE CALAMARI AND SAUSAGE PIZZA WERE THE ONLY 2 DISHES WE WERE ABLE TO FINISH.
The pasta was disgusting. The Chitarra Pasta is described to have Chitarra roasted tomatoes, basil & parmesan. We ended up with overcooked spaghetti with semi-​cold tomato paste. The spaghetti was mushy. MUSHY! And this was $ 20!
The Amatriciana Pasta, $ 26, is described to have bucatini, cured lamb, calabrese, eggplant & ricotta salata.
You’d think that there would be visible pieces of lamb for $ 26, right? WRONG! We had to ask our waiter to show us the lamb because we weren’t convinced. And again, the bucatini was MUSHY. And the black salata, made with eggplant and ricotta was too burnt to eat.
The Campanelli Farms Chicken entrée was anything and everything but a fresh, cage-​free chicken. And the waiter didn’t even know that it was FRIED! He told us it was a baked chicken!!! HOW ABSURD IS THAT?
And the fried chicken was too dry. And it came with a bland side of spaghetti squash.
The tab came out to be $ 300+ and it was such a waste of our time and money.
Awful food and even more horrific service.

If you’re looking to impress your date, bring them to Isola. This restaurant space, which is located in the trendy Mondrian Hotel, is a feast for the eyes. The glass ceilings, the natural light flooding in, & the abundance of foliage makes it feel like a green house, but the lush gold curtains & multitude of chandeliers make it glamorous. The atmosphere is lively, everyone seems excited & in awe… who wouldn’t be happy in such a whimsical place?
We both ordered the eggs al forno, which was baked eggs, roasted tomatoes, escarole, ham, all topped with herbed breadcrumbs. It was delicious & tangy, & everything was perfectly cooked. My only suggestion would be to offer a bread basket to accompany this dish rather than a single slice because the heartiness paired well with toast & I would’ve loved more…
It should’ve been easy to flag down our waiter to make that request, however after our dishes were brought out, he disappeared. We intended to order their lemon ricotta pancakes, but after being neglected for so long, we’d had enough sitting & lounging & asked for the bill instead of a sweet finish to our brunch.

The space is stunning. Conservatory with gorgeous chandeliers. Dim lighting. Very romantic setting.
We got the meatballs starter to split and I had the cauliflower pasta special. Everything was good but at these prices for pasta it was definitely underwhelming. Portions are pretty standard… until the dessert. We got the brownie dessert which was the size of a cheesecake factory dessert — that was yummy!
It’s a cool space for ambience but if you are looking for exceptional but pricey Italian there’s plenty of other, better options in NYC.

A for ambiance
B for food
C for music selection
I think around 9pm they transitioned from smooth loungey music into an odd mix of billboard hits/90’s dance/​butt grinding hip hop. I thought I was at a nightclub in Atlanta. Whattttttttttt? I could no longer hear my dining partners or taste my food because the music was so damn distracting. Might wanna check up on that mix, Isola.
That said, I’d come here again for special events. Or when I don’t wanna hear my date too clearly.

While visiting NYC, I went out to dinner with some friends and glad we decided on coming here. Located inside the Mondrain hotel, it was packed at 9pm on a Friday night. I’m glad someone made reservations. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is very nice, but it didn’t stop there, our food was delicious and our waitress was great.
Everything was brought out on time and tasted delicious, despite the place being completely full. I ordered the meatball appetizer ($ 9) which were delicious, covered in cheese and sauce and came with pieces of bread. Also had the sausage and fennel pizza ($ 18) which was more like a flat bread but still very good. I had a few of their mixed drinks from the cocktail menu, all were about $ 15. They had loud music playing through out the restaurant, and usually I’m not a fan of this during dinner, but it fit the setting and all their songs were on point. Would definitely recommend this place for a fancy dinner and drinks in a trendy atmosphere.

The short version of my review, «Quite possibly the best brunch I’ve ever had.» Now for the details… first off what a gorgeous setting in this sunlit room with a mixture of low and high bar-​like seating! We opted for seating at one of the higher tables. We had a reservation for a Sunday morning and were seated immediately as it wasn’t too busy yet (9:30 AM). Our waiter Jose was charming, and provided outstanding service. The atmosphere was so elegant, and ideal for our group of girlfriends to catch up on gossip, life, and everything in between.
I ordered the Nutella stuffed French toast served over a subtle bed of marscapone, and surrounded by roasted hazelnuts and blueberries. Life-​altering and amazing!!! I could only eat one of the French toast loaves and forced my 3 girlfriends to try it and surely they were equally swept off their feet and between the 4 of us we managed to finish off the gift because we couldn’t live with the idea of wasting something so heavenly. I also tried my girlfriend’s egg white turkey sausage frittata served with broccoli rabe and mozzarella. Divine! We enjoyed a leisurely Sunday brunch without feeling rushed, it was an outstanding experience and would be back in a heartbeat!

The good:
This restaurant has one of the most beautiful dining rooms I’ve ever seen. Rustic yet glamorous, simple but eclectic. I love the lighting, the combination of wood and marble, the sparkle and basically all of the details.
The staff was great and sooo polite! The hostess was super sweet and our waiter was a doll! He checked in often to make sure everything was a-​ok for our table.
They have a crazy wine selection — at least 8 pages worth of just about anything for anybody. Our table ordered a bottle of German Riesling. Delicious.
For an appetizer we ordered up the Taleggio Focaccia with caramelized onions & fig jam ($ 11). I l-​o-​v-​e focaccia and this one was really nicely put together with its salty sweet balance. Fyi — the fig jam isn’t really a jam so much as a syrup so be careful when pouring onto your plate.
The portions are fantastic here. The size of the focaccia was great for sharing and my Campanelli Farms Chicken came with a half chicken! A half of chicken! And that chicken was fantastic, had a great crunch on the outside and was so tender on the inside. I have half of my half chicken in my fridge right now and I can’t wait to put it over a salad this week!
and the not so good:
But not everything in that dish was great. For $ 28 (!!) the Campanelli Farms Chicken comes with a nice pile of spaghetti squash cacio pepe and a herb salad. The herb salad is just what it sounds like — a few greens tossed overtop of the chicken. The spaghetti squash cacio pepe was … interesting and not great. The squash didn’t bother me at all, I liked the texture of it. The sauce on the other hand… the «cacio pepe» was so buttery/​oily that I had a hard time getting it down. After a few bites I felt like the dish was just sitting like a brick in my stomach. And unfortunately it felt like this for the remainder of the night. Cacio pepe is supposed to be cheese + pepper. I was expecting a sauce with these ingredients incorporated… not a buttery mess w/​some cheese and pepper sprinkled on top.
The wait between courses was kind of excruciating. We got together for dinner on a Tuesday night — the place was definitely not packed. Where’s our food?!
For dessert we shared 3 scoops of sorbetti/​ice. The presentation was really cute but the flavors were just ok. Nothing to get overly excited about.
— — — —
Sadly there wasn’t a lot to get overly excited about. The room and the wine were the highlights of the night. When I asked the gals how their dinners were they had similar reactions «…good.» While the space is gorgeous I’m not sure we’ll be enjoying another gals night here anytime soon.

I still and will always heart this place. I always end up taking people here. I love how it is a bit secluded and hard to find. Like finding a bit of beautiful classy paradise on a rather ugly and uneventful street that always has way too much construction going on.
Today was the first time I came here during the day and it is just as beautiful during the day without the twinkly lights. Just the greenhouse thing this place has going on with natural light, ivy everywhere and chandeliers hanging about works for me.
The space feels airy, open and beautiful. I had their poached eggs and my friend had the egg frittata. Both dishes were good in a healthy breakfast way (her dish was better, btw). We ended up talking for three hours actually without really noticing and I really appreciated the staff not rushing us. There was one large party there for brunch and they even brought out a birthday cake for them and I noticed packs of girls asking the waiters to take photos of them. The place is just that picturesque a backdrop whether in the night or day.

A glitzy, glamorous dining spot that certainly attracts all sorts of good looking people as well as out-​of-​town visitors. This enormous, greenhouse-​like structure with its exquisite lighting and floral arrangements resembles that of a wedding banquet hall disguised as a trattoria/​crudo bar.
With that said, this elaborately designed venue is perfectly complemented with a very simple menu. The stuzzi and crudo menu items are perfect for sharing and enjoyed with cocktails and wine. If portion control is irrelevant, the Branzino is the perfect secondi and deserves lavish praise. Brunch also employs a simple menu populated with traditional egg dishes and assortments of individual-​sized flatbreads. To truly get a sense of what «eating a puff of cloud» is like, the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes will fit that billing.
A staff with all smiles and attentiveness caps off a great experience that patrons would enjoy frequenting. This one is a winner.

I love this place and the area it’s located in and here’s why:
1. The waiters where very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu
2. The food and I mean all the food is amazing! I had the pancakes which were to die for!
3. The atmosphere is so whimsical and romantic! Great for a first date, brunch, lunch or dinner!
4. They allowed use to leave our luggage there while we ate which was nice!
5. Nice outdoor seating !
Note: a must visit if in NYC!

Beautiful classy ambiance– this spot takes itself seriously without being snooty.
We stayed at the Mondrian and choose isola due to convenience before a broadway show. We came in for an early dinner and were seated without a reservation.
The dining room is beautiful and décor in this greenhouse style sun room is impeccable.
The menu & specialty items were really the crudo and raw ingredients.
We couldn’t resist a cheese & charcuterie selection with our red wine. We savored our first course which was followed by a yummy salad. I can hardly remember our entrees because we started running late due to our savoring the appetizer and chowed down & grabbed the check.
The only drawbacks were there was a large party happening soon and I witnessed a large spectacle about how to arrange and clean the glasses. Like 3 different people repeatedly cleaned the settings and it was distracting & stressful to see them waste the time & payroll on this lackadaisical OCD.

Restaurante muito bonito e «hype» de NY. A comida não é nada inovadora, mas é bem preparada.