The Strand Cafe

324 E State St, Ithaca
(607) 277-0230

Recent Reviews

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Fanqi Liu

Horrible experience, I ordered dine in and one yogurt for to go. They made it all to go and we have to wait for almost 1 HOUR! They did NOT even bring in any water!!n DO NOT come for any reason

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

sharifa sharifi

Terrible service! The staff were unfriendly and rude. The food came late, and the Margherita pizza was the worst I’ve ever had. Our server disappeared before bringing the rest of our order, there were no forks, knives, or napkins on the table, and she even dropped the check while we were still eating. Completely unprofessional — I will never come back to this restaurant.

Jennifer k Thibodeaux

Great place for a quiet night out.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Yunong Shi

Beautiful and cozy space inside the Canopy Hotel, with friendly service and clear effort from the kitchen to deliver quality dishes. That said, the overall dining experience was mixed. Most of the food was just average—the flavors leaned too salty, and portion sizes were noticeably small. The coffee was inconsistent; one of the cappuccinos I had was unfortunately among the worst I’ve tasted. The pizza was fine, but nothing memorable. The serving time is quite long, most tables wait for 20-30mins to get their food.

On the positive side, the black bean burger and the pan-roasted shrimp stood out as well-executed and flavorful. There’s potential here, especially given the stylish setting, but it still feels like they’re working out some inconsistencies in both the kitchen and barista station.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Zachary Estefan

The food was fantastic but let me tell you, the service was out of this world. Caroline was a fantastic server and gave me the best experience I could have gotten. Thanks a million Caroline!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Lake Kubilius

Has some pretty solid vegan options on offer, including a vegan pizza. Very good ambiance. Worth trying!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Michael Apollo

Consistently Excellent – A Highlight of Our Annual Stay

We’ve been staying at the Hilton Canopy in Ithaca annually, and The Strand Café has become a beloved part of each visit. After long drives and early mornings, it’s the warm, inviting atmosphere and reliably delicious meals that make this café a true haven for our family.

Breakfasts are especially outstanding. The cappuccinos are top-tier—smooth, rich, and perfectly crafted (we’re quite particular about our coffee!). The Roasted Tomato Omelette is a standout, and we appreciate the thoughtful variety of both meat and vegetarian options on the menu.

On this trip, we were especially grateful for Blythe, whose warmth, attention to detail, and genuine care elevated the experience even more. Her bright smile and attentive service didn’t go unnoticed—thank you, Blythe!

Looking forward to many more meals here.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Harry DeVoe

Solid hotel bar/restaurant

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Karen and Scott

If you’re in the mood to waste time, this place is perfect. Think Zootopia’s DMV, but slower and with less charm (and honestly, the DMV isn't that bad these days!). Bonus: they’ll even forget your order!

When we arrived for breakfast, there were only a few groups seated. 4 or 5 staff were working the floor, but no one seemed to know what they were doing. It took 5 minutes just to get seated. Not a huge deal, we weren’t in a rush. But 30 minutes later, most tables were still waiting on food. After 50 minutes, we had to follow up on our order... and guess what? The manager cheerfully informed us (instead of the server who took it) that our order was never placed. Brilliant and thank you!

Melissa Grey

Great little place. Friendly staff. Good food. We ordered salmon, black bean burger, Mac and cheese, and some appetizers between the 3 of us. All very good. Highly recommend. The service was a bit slow but it was midweek so maybe that is why. Nice cocktail menu and wine list.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3

Melynda Wissar

Update to this review: Within minutes of posting this review, the hotel manager was tableside and apologized. We were a table of former restaurant workers so we know the staffing challenges for a Tuesday lunch shift. The food and portions are worth giving them the benefit of the doubt and another try.

Courtney Bower

I spent two years coming here to work and can say there is no better place in Ithaca for an Americano.

Caroline Bolton

Food is delicious and so reasonably priced!

Dan

Service was just "OK"... We had a table for 5 people, and the wait time for food to come out was much too long. This also happened last time we ate at this restaurant too, and while the food, prices, and convenience is good, service is lacking. After ordering beverages, we waited a long time for drinks to come out. Eventually, one mixed drink was served, but none of the others, including one that was just a soda, and one that was a can of hard cider. Drinks should all be served at the same time. After the first drink, we waited another 10-15 minutes for the rest of them, and then another long wait before food was served. I realize you may not have full kitchen staff, but you need to communicate this, if that's the case. Just letting people sit for almost an hour with no communication, and only one beverage served out of five, is not good service.

Kayla Rowan

I used to get the most delicious gluten free pepperoni hot honey pizza from here, however recently crust and pepperoni changed. I picked it up and it was cold. Staff is nice, but definitely won’t be back again for gluten free food.

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