We made a quick stop to escape the snow and cold. It was warm here. Coffee and cookies were good. And the people were nice. A nice short stay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
amie Lennon
Use to love this place. Got the Dutch baby and no blueberries but apples , which is fine if they had given me a heads up . Breakfast sandwich had paper thin sausage and scant sauce. The lady delivered the food to the table without a word. Just not great experience like we use to have there
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Islander Dutch Baby
cynthia rodriguez
What a GR8 little place! The food, staff and quaintness of this hidden Gem 10 for sure! Homemade Everything daily! Best coffee I ever had! Not to mention the beautiful ride to get there. Stop in and say Hi to Tim, Tim2, Dan and Cyn. Grab a sandwhich, a coffee and enjoy❤
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Hendrix
Literally the best donut I have ever had
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Katalin Toth
No question why this place is a 4.9. De-li-cious, everything! And the donuts are better than at any donut shop! This place is a clear 5 star for me. Could not add photos, we ate it all too fast
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephanie Jesse
Excellent breakfast food that was well above expected quality and flavor for breakfast sandwiches. The homemade English muffins were an unexpected pleasure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gene Grossi
Friendly staff, great iced coffee.
Sam McKenna
Food was delicious. So many layers of flavor in the breakfast wrap with sausage. Even though the portion was more than generous I found myself wishing there was more when I finished, wanting another bite of that taste and texture. My wife got the breakfast sandwich which is what I’ll be getting tomorrow - I tried a bite and couldn’t believe how good the biscuit was. Atmosphere was classic coffee shop but oddly quiet with full tables and everyone buried in their phones. The coffee was fantastic.
Parking: When I arrived all spots were filled and cars were lined on both sides of the street. I circled the block three times before I was able to find a spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Wrap
Heather Ford
Such a great place!! Delicious food and such nice people!
UPDATE July 11: Had a great talk with Deb the owner who reached out quickly after my first post. I have every confidence this issue will be resolved, but am moving my rating to a neutral 3 stars pending actual resolution. Every business has a misstep now and then and so it is the response that separates great ones from mediocre ones. Looking forward to our next visit there.
<original post> This cafe is excellent BUT the counter/barista person working today (Tues Jul 9, 2024) simply must be let go or retrained. We had the same problem with them last year when we were here. We simply want a classic 6/8 oz. cappuccino JUST LIKE THEY MAKE AT LIL'S (the listed "sister cafe" in Kittery). This barista instead lectures me that it cannot be a cappuccino in less than a 12 oz cup. So they try to make me order a flat white or a cortado or whatever. YESTERDAY'S barista (Mon Jul 8, 2024) had no problem with this and made us delightful classic cappuccinos in the "cortado" cup. I am half Italian and in fact was just in Rome with my cousins and on business last week. Italian cappuccinos are, of course, 6 oz. While I understand that there is a large market for 12 oz "cappuccinos" in the US (Italians AND American espresso aficionados know and agree that a 12 oz beverage is NOT a cappuccino), true espresso cafes even right here in Portsmouth area will of course serve a classic 6 or 8 oz cappuccino. Again, just go to Lil's OR to Wild Valentine here in town that serves *only* an 8 oz cappuccino. WHAT I AM MOST OFFENDED ABOUT, however, is that today's barista recognized us and I thought we had worked this out well enough last year (and had a great experience with yesterday's barista), but they said "so you want a flat white?". I said "No, a cappuccino in the cortado size cup." To which they replied "I can make you anything you want but you have to be able to articulate it." as if I were a child. (And last year we danced around with me SPECIFICALLY "articulating" that a classic cappuccino is about 1/3 each of espresso, steamed milk, and frothed milk, but that wasn't good enough either as this person apparently has to work exactly to some script/recipe that doesn't include a 6/8 oz cappuccino). I have been making and drinking all manner of espresso based beverages INCLUDING AS A PROFESSIONAL BARTENDER since before this person was born. The exchange was beyond insulting and we gave up on getting any coffee drink there. This person NEEDS TO EXPAND THEIR HORIZONS and learn that they in fact are the clueless person here. Meanwhile, we are off to Wild Valentine to get a classic cappuccino and will not patronize Islander Cafe (even for their excellent food) ANY TIME WE SEE THIS PERSON STILL WORKING THERE.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
Eddie Webbinaro
Such a great little cafe.
Despite being busy, things moved quickly and staff was all really friendly, keeping place happy. Sandwiches fresh and delicious.
Baked goods (crullers) from Lil's across the inlet and killer coffee make it a win win win.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Cruller
Sheila Taylor
Our go-to breakfast spot on our morning walk. The breakfast sandwich is delicious and it can be made gluten free!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Cruller
Tom Scontras
What a gem! I almost hesitate to share this 5-star review, but I suspect the secret is already out. The Islander embodies the essence of a New England bakery and coffee bar. With top-notch food, delightful coffee, and a warm, welcoming staff, it offers an unforgettable experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beffy Blocker
A beautiful breakfast/coffee spot in the middle of a gorgeous New England neighborhood. Walking distance from the water, it was nice to have coffee and a walk! Enjoyed the breakfast options and the mocha latte was made perfectly and had great presentation.
We made a quick stop to escape the snow and cold. It was warm here. Coffee and cookies were good. And the people were nice. A nice short stay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Use to love this place. Got the Dutch baby and no blueberries but apples , which is fine if they had given me a heads up . Breakfast sandwich had paper thin sausage and scant sauce. The lady delivered the food to the table without a word. Just not great experience like we use to have there
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Islander Dutch Baby
What a GR8 little place! The food, staff and quaintness of this hidden Gem 10 for sure! Homemade Everything daily! Best coffee I ever had! Not to mention the beautiful ride to get there. Stop in and say Hi to Tim, Tim2, Dan and Cyn. Grab a sandwhich, a coffee and enjoy❤
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Literally the best donut I have ever had
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
No question why this place is a 4.9.
De-li-cious, everything!
And the donuts are better than at any donut shop!
This place is a clear 5 star for me. Could not add photos, we ate it all too fast
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent breakfast food that was well above expected quality and flavor for breakfast sandwiches. The homemade English muffins were an unexpected pleasure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Friendly staff, great iced coffee.
Food was delicious. So many layers of flavor in the breakfast wrap with sausage. Even though the portion was more than generous I found myself wishing there was more when I finished, wanting another bite of that taste and texture. My wife got the breakfast sandwich which is what I’ll be getting tomorrow - I tried a bite and couldn’t believe how good the biscuit was. Atmosphere was classic coffee shop but oddly quiet with full tables and everyone buried in their phones. The coffee was fantastic.
Parking: When I arrived all spots were filled and cars were lined on both sides of the street. I circled the block three times before I was able to find a spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Wrap
Such a great place!! Delicious food and such nice people!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Parking: Limited off street spots.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Islander Dutch Baby
Restaurantji Recommends
UPDATE July 11: Had a great talk with Deb the owner who reached out quickly after my first post. I have every confidence this issue will be resolved, but am moving my rating to a neutral 3 stars pending actual resolution. Every business has a misstep now and then and so it is the response that separates great ones from mediocre ones. Looking forward to our next visit there.
<original post>
This cafe is excellent BUT the counter/barista person working today (Tues Jul 9, 2024) simply must be let go or retrained. We had the same problem with them last year when we were here. We simply want a classic 6/8 oz. cappuccino JUST LIKE THEY MAKE AT LIL'S (the listed "sister cafe" in Kittery). This barista instead lectures me that it cannot be a cappuccino in less than a 12 oz cup. So they try to make me order a flat white or a cortado or whatever. YESTERDAY'S barista (Mon Jul 8, 2024) had no problem with this and made us delightful classic cappuccinos in the "cortado" cup. I am half Italian and in fact was just in Rome with my cousins and on business last week. Italian cappuccinos are, of course, 6 oz. While I understand that there is a large market for 12 oz "cappuccinos" in the US (Italians AND American espresso aficionados know and agree that a 12 oz beverage is NOT a cappuccino), true espresso cafes even right here in Portsmouth area will of course serve a classic 6 or 8 oz cappuccino. Again, just go to Lil's OR to Wild Valentine here in town that serves *only* an 8 oz cappuccino.
WHAT I AM MOST OFFENDED ABOUT, however, is that today's barista recognized us and I thought we had worked this out well enough last year (and had a great experience with yesterday's barista), but they said "so you want a flat white?". I said "No, a cappuccino in the cortado size cup." To which they replied "I can make you anything you want but you have to be able to articulate it." as if I were a child. (And last year we danced around with me SPECIFICALLY "articulating" that a classic cappuccino is about 1/3 each of espresso, steamed milk, and frothed milk, but that wasn't good enough either as this person apparently has to work exactly to some script/recipe that doesn't include a 6/8 oz cappuccino). I have been making and drinking all manner of espresso based beverages INCLUDING AS A PROFESSIONAL BARTENDER since before this person was born. The exchange was beyond insulting and we gave up on getting any coffee drink there. This person NEEDS TO EXPAND THEIR HORIZONS and learn that they in fact are the clueless person here.
Meanwhile, we are off to Wild Valentine to get a classic cappuccino and will not patronize Islander Cafe (even for their excellent food) ANY TIME WE SEE THIS PERSON STILL WORKING THERE.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
Such a great little cafe.
Despite being busy, things moved quickly and staff was all really friendly, keeping place happy. Sandwiches fresh and delicious.
Baked goods (crullers) from Lil's across the inlet and killer coffee make it a win win win.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Cruller
Our go-to breakfast spot on our morning walk. The breakfast sandwich is delicious and it can be made gluten free!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Cruller
What a gem! I almost hesitate to share this 5-star review, but I suspect the secret is already out. The Islander embodies the essence of a New England bakery and coffee bar. With top-notch food, delightful coffee, and a warm, welcoming staff, it offers an unforgettable experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A beautiful breakfast/coffee spot in the middle of a gorgeous New England neighborhood. Walking distance from the water, it was nice to have coffee and a walk! Enjoyed the breakfast options and the mocha latte was made perfectly and had great presentation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
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