Isabella's

I have never been for brunch - so I was surprised to see all the poor brunch reviews when I have had nothing but delicious meals with good service at lunch and dinner. It sounds like brunch is a busy time - if that bugs you, don't go (I don't). I suggest you have lunch or especially dinner and see for yourself; I especially recommend a gnocchi special I once had, their salads, lobster/shrimp appetizer, and short ribs.

we stopped in for a drink before dinner. the place was empty. we mentioned we were there for just a drink and they made us feel like they were doing us a big favor by giving us a table - said they would ask us to leave if the place got crowded (we know better than to sit there nursing a drink if there is a line to get in!) anyway, one of our drinks was made incorrectly and they were not very nice about acknowledging it. wouldn't go back based on the snobby treatment we received.

We were an hour late for our reservation because of an accident, and they were very understanding and pushed us up and got us a table very quickly. It was a little crowded, but it doesn't get outrageously loud or anything, and I was there for sunday brunch. My banana french toast was the best i've ever had, and everything i asked our waitress was done within 4 minutes. good service, really cute place, great food.

Drinks are small and overpriced. Our server disappeared at the end of the night, and the two hostesses didn't say anything to us as we left. My salmon was fishy tasting. My friend got this pasta called straw and hay, what a joke! It tasted like something a college kid would whip up in his dorm room! Don't waste your cash.

I am so glad to see that other diners agreed with my review of Isabella's. I went to Isabella's for brunch yesterday after remembering that it is a popular place to go on the UWS. From the moment, we arrived, we were disappointed. The waitress would come and go and disappear for long periods of time. At one point, we spotted her having lunch on the second level! Unbelievable! The bread was a type of sweet banana bread with artificial pink butter - trying to appear gourmet but we just wanted regular bread with real butter! We ordered regular bread and they brought us 2 slices of sour dough and 2 slices of multigrain and then charged us $4.50 at the end for each bread plate! The waitress never told us there would be a charge. I also asked for a straw twice and finally gave up and just drank from the glass. I proceeded to order the filet mignon benedict and it was literally 2 bites of steak on a stale english muffin. My friends ordered salads which both came with cucumber not stated on the menu and had to be sent back. At this point, brunch became kind of frustrating instead of a pleasurable experience. When the bill came, there were extra charges for everything including the 2 pieces of plain toast. There are definitely many many restaurants in NYC where you can have a better brunch!

My husband and I had managed to avoid going to Isabella's, as we figured there was NO way it was worth the wait considering the bevy of excellent choices in the neighborhood. However, we were pigeonholed into going for brunch by family. From the time that our entire party of 5 was there, at 12:15 on a Sunday, we waited a half hour to be seated. The restaurant was also very loud. The included beverage with brunch was a nice touch. The bread basket had some decent banana bread, some awful carraway raisin slices, and the raspberry butter was okay. I had pancake crepes with berries- the berries were tasty, as was the real maple syrup, but the pancakes were nothing special. My husband described his banana french toast as fine. Essentially, if you want to go to say you had brunch at Isabella's, then you should go. But if you're in it for the food, you can get the same, if not better, food for no wait and probably less money elsewhere.

Of course it's crowded but the wait was reasonable and the service with a smile and accommodating. Although it's pricey you get a glass of champagne or other beverage is included. The bread basket was not fresh and the pink colored butter tasted and looked artificial. The menu choices are diverse as a brunch can be but it didn't say that you get potatoes with the benedicts and if I would have known I would have opted for the quiche or omelette. The potatoes were cold and oily. The crab meat on the eggs benedict was nice and fluffy but dry, which I prefer over oily. However the english muffin was terribly hard. It made me wonder whether the dishes were pre-made since they came out from the kitchen 2 minutes after we ordered. I'll go back just to try the omelettes or quiche but wouldn't order the benedicts again.