Isle
282 Bleecker St
(between Commerce St & Jones St)
New York, NY 10014 (212) 929-5699
- Nearest Transit:
Christopher St (1)
W 4th St (A, C, E, B, D, F, V)
Christopher St (PATH)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
32 Reviews for Isle
The restaurant is clean and the atmosphere is nice. The food is pretty good. I don't think it tastes that great though. Personally I'm not a big Thai food fan so that is probably why. Its a nice place to go if you're a youngin (20s/college) wanting to have a good time at a Thai place.
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I've come to accept that the reason I like Isle so much is mostly due to the decor. You feel like you're dining in someones stylish apartment...it's cozy ad the color choices are warm and welcoming.
As with most Thai restaurants, the service is quick and the food is cheap, and filling. Isle is great for a quick lunch...or if you're being made to dine with someone you don't like...
You'll be in and out of there, so the meal will be quick and painless!
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The decor and overall ambiance of Isle is very stylish, fresh and hip. The prices were also refreshingly decent for the West Village. The food was tasty and filling, I have absolutely no complaints about Isle. I went to dinner with a friend here, but it could definitely be a place for a group of friends or an intimate date.
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While this place isn't the best, it's definitely good and very reasonable. For me and three girlfriends to eat an entree each and share an appetizer, the bill came out to only $41!
The vegetable cakes appetizer was really good. I can't figure out a way to describe it other than a bit chewy in texture and delicious. We had pad thai, drunken noodle, eggplant, and pineapple fried rice. Everything was good except for the fried rice. That was just okay.
The decor and presentation is cute. It's a little mismatch, but there's some effort there.
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I tried the curry here and it was pretty good, with one minor problem - the rice portions here are TINY! I'm guessing this isn't an issue for most, but coming from Cali where there's always plenty of rice served at every Thai restaurant, my friends and I ended up ordering 2~3 extra side rices each before we finished our currys.
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I really enjoyed my meal at Isle. My friend and I were in the West Village one afternoon to meet up with another friend in front of the Caliente Cab Co. on 7th Ave S. When he decided to be a no-show (thanks a lot, dude), we (both irritated and cold), decided we were hungry and to get a bite to eat before we headed back to NJ. So we walked up a block to Bleeker in hopes of quickly finding anything Thai. Luckily, minutes after swinging a right on Bleeker, we came across Isle.
Isle was warm and inviting, so we asked to be seated. We ordered quickly and just stuck to the basics. I had the Pad Thai with Tofu and I believe my friend had the Pad Thai with Chicken. Our meals were very good, as were the Veggie Spring Rolls we ordered for our appetizer.
The portions were large and I think the check came to about $25. Yes, that's right, $25. Yes, that IS outstanding!
So, if you're the neighborhood and looking for a relaxing place with decent food, cheap prices, and good service - check out Isle, as I think you'll be pleased with what you find.
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First stumbled upon this place looking for a decent Thai restaurant for a lunch date. The prefix lunch menu was only $7 with a free appetizer. The interior had a nice modern feel but I wish they would add more lighting. Reading the menu in the dimly lit space can be hard on the eyes. The pad thai was good but it taste even better in spring roll form. Yepp, they make pad thai spring rolls. I could just sit there and eat a few dishes of that and I'd be a happy camper though my arteries would probably disagree. The place isn't terribly crowded, even on a Saturday night.
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I've been several times, mostly on a whim. Consistent, good service, good food, reasonable prices and at times, I wonder why it's not busier than it seems, but with so many thai places to choose from, this place just gets lost in the mix with the rest.
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I did some research online for a cute, little restaurant in the west village and stumbled across Isle. The place looked rather cute online, but when I go there, it was a lot smaller than I had imagined. Nonetheless the place was still pretty cute and cozy.
So my girlfriends and I had a get together at this place and it went pretty well. Everyone was satisfied:
- the food and presentation of the food was great (and the prices are very reasonable) - ie. pinapple duck, panang curry, crispy basil duck - were the most memorable ones.
- the drinks were just okay
- i swear they had dessert, but I can't remember for sure
- but the service was pretty good for 10 roudy girls who stayed there for 2.5 hours celebrating 3 birthdays (but we could tell they were a bit annoyed towards the end - we were there on a Saturday evening).
Overall, if you're in west village and craving some thai food, stop on here.
I think this is one of the better thai restaurants you can go to in New York.
The food is awesome but the only problem for me is that the service can be a bit understaffed. even if theres no one there =/
HoweverI do make recommendations:
app-crispy mixed chicken and shrimp fritters
entree-basil udon
dessert: taro pudding.
they have this version of deep fried ice creem, but I think the coating of the ice cream is too thick you cant eat it properly.
Great, cheap eats. Good and casual yet roomy, and I've never seen it crowded. Great for instant online date-to-hookups! You don't have to worry too much about breaking the bank and still not getting get laid after. But if you do get laid, it's still that great Thai place you both went to together.
I'm writing this review in reply to 5-star ROTD for this place yesterday... I just couldn't agree. The appetizers we had (crab balls and dumplings) were dry and not very flavorful. And most importantly, the drunken man's noodle was JUST okay. It wasn't nearly as good as what we had at Thai Taste in New Haven, Connecticut. Nothing beats that, ever.
I went to this place with 3 girlfriends (4 of us total) and it was so cute! We had a huge dinner (4 apps, 3 entrees, and 5-6 drinks) for $100!! The food was really good... they have some safe entrees and some more exotic entrees. My favorites were the Black Noodle dish and Salmon Tamarind. I'm sure that there are probably more authentic Thai menus in New York, but this place was yummy and a lot of fun.
I can't find a thing wrong with this place. It just might be the best Thai experience I've had in NY.
The decor is cool. The location is great and perfect for people watching if you get a seat by the front. The service was friendly and very quick, but not in a hurry up, we want you out of here kind of way. The pad thai was delicious, a perfect portion, and a measly $8! I would definitely love to come back and try some of the more adventurous things on the menu.
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Why do they call 'em Drunken Man Noodles anyway? This place makes a great version of that dish.
I am officially a Drunken Man Noodles man.
That is a terribly awkward title.
ANYWAY -- a good, cheap and relaxing spot in a neighborhood where it can be hard to find all three of those qualities at once.
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the pad thai spring rolls I could pretty much live off of.
the end.
As for the rest of my meal, the lechee martini was watered down and tragic. The Rama (peanut sauce veggies with choice of meat) was along par with all other thai places in town (hence my theory they all have one giant kitchen) and the service was .. neglectful.
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Excellent service and good food. Makes me break out of circling the restaurants in my own neighborhood and cross the few avenues to the West Village.
Their hot pot ginger glass noodle dish is perfection. Love the pumping house music during dinner which is never too loud and intrusive. Cocktails also very good. Have a lychee martini with dinner and relax for the evening.
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So Yummy and Fresh* A friend and I were actually headed to Dragonfly, however they are closed for reno's, so we just found this place! We had black noodles with tofu, the tofu was beyond perfect, saturated in flavor and texture.... We also had veggie fried rice, summer rolls and cold sake* The decor in this place is so simple..... There is like a wooden deck that flies across the ceiling, giving the feeling of a large leaf cascading through the air... We had all of that food plus tip, for $21 per person. It was someones birthday and they closed all of the lights and they played a song of lil kids singing happy brithday. I highly recommend this place.
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am i too critical giving this place only one star? well, i gotta go with how my experience was at this place so...no, i don't think i'm being too critical.
i hated the food here. it was simply way too salty. my friend's dish was the same.
cool decor though(that's how it managed to get one star from me). so if a thai place with cool decor is what you are into, this is it.
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isle is delicious. i order the lunch special at work during the week. service is a bit slow but the food is great. the $8 lunch special includes an entree w/ a free appetizer. the spring rolls with plum sauce are AMAZING. i wish the portions were a little bigger but this place really hits the spot every time. recommended!!
Great service, I didn't have anything more extraordinary then at any other Thai place in the neighborhood but it was good-good place for a date ; )
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My new favorite Thai restaurant in NYC. I had been going to Spice for years, but recently Spice has kinda...sucked (that's for another review...). Anyways if you like the food at Spice, you'll love the food at Isle. I got the curry puff and the spicy basil noodles. Both were really tasty!
If you want cheap thai food without the crowd, Isle is a great option. It's also close to Magnolia if you want to pick up some dessert! My only complaint is that Isle kinda smells like a box of crayons....
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Good "trendy" thai restaurant with a decent drink selection (mixed drinks, sangria, at least 5 different kind of beer, etc). The food and prices are comparable to other similar Thai restaurants (Sea, Spice) but Isle lacks the crowds, and you can even score a table next to the window to people watch on Bleeker. Recommended!
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Is this Spice?? Is this a Spice-sister restaurant?? No matter. Although the menu is more or less EXACTLY the same and my waiter was one of my old buddies aka waiters from Spice. I felt right at home. I loved the earthy, garden decor and especially the green chopsticks.
We ordered a round of drinks, cold sake, cabernet, beers, and I settled on a Sapporo (after choice one of Lychee wine they were out of, and choice two of Tsing Tao they didn't have any more of). The food was pretty decent. I went with some old favorites which was just okay. I still think Spice is much, much better. I loved the atmosphere and we ended up casually lounging there without any bothering sipping our Sapporo's way longer than we should have. Which is the perfect way to end a weekend.
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Isle has consistently served my friends and I very good food. No, exceptional food. The food combinations, whichever you pick, are clean, you can taste the individual flavors as well as the ensemble. The mango salad is refreshing. Portions tend to run somewhat big, so you might want to consider sharing.
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Another one of my favorite Thai restaurants, very reasonable prices, the atmosphere is serence, and the staff are super cute and friendly. Make sure to get their Thai Iced Tea!
The prices here are very reasonable, the decor is really interesting and it's not crowded, which is always a plus. The food was good, but my meal was kind of drowned in sauce, which was upsetting, but it was still fine. I've had better thai at other places, but I'm glad I tried out Isle.
overall - good place to check into if you just want a quick meal. they are quick and courteous and the food is pretty good.
price: very reasonable - almost like getting normal prices in ny
decor: well, it is cute enough, but the place is accented with a bunch of table candles, which sounds pretty and it is, but makes the entire restaurant smell like wax - which is weird. we almost walked out because of it. they need some flowers in there or something to balance out the overwhelming scent of wax. again i say weird. (makes me want to take out)
food: loved the eggplant basil with chicken - really really good. the chili string beans with chicken just eh - string beans were overcooked. the tom yum soup was awesome and the green papaya salad was pretty good. and actually the banana spring roll dessert was surprisingly good - i'd go with that.
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this place is truly great. being as I live less than 20 steps from it, its also convenient.
the food is always very very fresh, the ingredients havent wavered (as most places do, they start good and then go for cheaper stuff...) over the years.... always reliable for some good, quick thai. Im a lover of the spicy beef salad. a lot nicer than numerous others. another great try is the whole tamarind fish as well as the lime fish (and I NEVER order fish unless I know the chef, when they got their delivery, etc...)
if you pass by, walk on in, and you wont be dissapointed.
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eugene and i were walking around, looking for a place to eat, and stumbled upon isle. i was wary, since the restaurant seemed pretty empty. there was only one waitress, and she took forever to come over to our table and take our order. however, the black noodles with tofu i ordered were pretty damn good. the isle fried rice that eugene had tasted kind of ordinary, so i'd recommend being more adventurous when dining here.
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My favorite Thai restaurant in New York! Though Isle is sandwiched between lots of other great Bleeker Street eats, it's definitely worth the special trip. The turquoise walls and mahogony create a charming and serene dining atmosphere; the service is extraoridnarily quick, and the food is both aesthetically pleasing and sumptious. The portions are about right and the prices are reasonable. As with all Thai food, be adventurous!
super cool and trendy... yummy traditional thai in a beautiful ambiance... their lunch special is a great deal... everything is scrumptious, but I love their version of the caesar salad...
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