Isola Trattoria and Crudo Bar is one of the coolest restaurants and spaces in NYC. AWESOME glass ceiling. DELICIOUS menu. Truly, a unique find in NYC. Have your next date, bar drinks, dinner party or celebration here. Chic, classy, cool.
You truly feel like you're in Europe or Miami or LA -- or maybe a mix of all three. Whatever it is, the food wows, which is what this is really about. This 5,000 sq ft greenhouse space modeled after Italy's Bobboli Gardens in Florence make the ambience romantic and magical. Tucked a way in the Mondrian Soho, this is one of my favorite hidden restaurants in Soho.
Isola is great for a light, but refreshing meal. Inspired by the Amalfi Coast, the Italian Riviera and Sicily, Chef Victor LaPlaca knows what he is doing. We had an Italian menu celebrating everything tuna. My kind of meal! Perfect summer meal to boot.
To start, we had tuna stuffed with olives -- an interesting and satisfying salty, citrusy, olive oil lush flavor. Tuna pizza came next with robiola, pickled eggplant, caramelized onion, arugula salad, caper aioli. The portion was quite large -- and the flavors were bright. The crudo, salami and cheese menu are all wonderful. Entrees include fish to meet to burgers. Endless salads and veggies too. Something for everyone here. For dessert we had fresh figs on a plate with creamy, homemade hazelnut gelato. A light, but flavorful way to end the meal.
Isola is a romantic get a way, especially for summer. Although, in winter with snow atop of the greenhouse glass ceiling, this place will be pretty magical too.
Isola Trattoria and Crudo Bar
Mondrian Soho
9 Crosby Street
NY, NY 10013