The Strand Cafe
Coffee · Ithaca
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About The Strand Cafe
At The Strand Cafe, you'll discover a warm and inviting atmosphere where great coffee meets delicious cuisine. Our outdoor seating area provides the perfect spot to enjoy a meal or simply unwind. With a variety of vegetarian and vegan options, including their signature rigatoni and vegan pizza, ther...
At The Strand Cafe, you'll discover a warm and inviting atmosphere where great coffee meets delicious cuisine. Our outdoor seating area provides the perfect spot to enjoy a meal or simply unwind. With a variety of vegetarian and vegan options, including their signature rigatoni and vegan pizza, there's something for everyone. Fast service and friendly staff ensure an excellent dining experience. We also offer takeout and dine-in options, making it easy to suit your needs. In addition to our great coffee, we serve a selection of beers to complement your meal. With its cozy ambiance and wheelchair accessible features, The Strand Cafe is the perfect spot for a relaxing meal or casual gathering.
What Customers Say About The Strand Cafe
The Strand Cafe receives mixed reviews. Many praise the delicious food, especially the rigatoni and vegan options, and friendly staff like Caroline. However, slow service, inconsistent food quality, and small portion sizes are recurring issues. Some had bad experiences.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Consider the pizza, especially with cauliflower crust, but be aware that service can be slow, especially midweek.
Features
What to see nearby
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Explore the area around The Strand Cafe
The Strand Cafe is located in Ithaca, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- Jamieson and McKinney Block (A 355m) — historic building in Ithaca, New York, United States Propiedad contribuidora
- Ithaca Gas and Electric Corporation Building (A 357m) — historic building in Ithaca, New York, United States Propiedad contribuidora
Religious Buildings
- First Unitarian Church of Ithaca (A 238m) — Unitarian church building in Ithaca, New York, U.S.A.
Parks & Gardens
- Treman Triangle Park (A 339m) — park in the United States of America
Other Points of Interest
- Griffin Block (A 100m) — building in Ithaca, New York
- Cornell Free Library (A 172m) — former public library and office building in Ithaca, New York
- Finch Block (A 196m) — building in Ithaca, New York
- Brooks Block (A 278m) — building in Ithaca, New York
- Ithaca City Hall (A 336m)
- Ithaca High School (A 343m) — historic high school building in Ithaca, New York, opened in 1915
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Frequently asked questions about The Strand Cafe
The Strand Cafe Ithaca Reviews
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.
Really good vegetarian options. Excellent rigatoni. We enjoyed it. Even their cheapest wine is my best this week.
Has some pretty solid vegan options on offer, including a vegan pizza. Very good ambiance. Worth trying!
Delicious. Great portions. Good prices, nice and chilled place to sit and eat. Spot on
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.
Really good vegetarian options. Excellent rigatoni. We enjoyed it. Even their cheapest wine is my best this week.
Has some pretty solid vegan options on offer, including a vegan pizza. Very good ambiance. Worth trying!
Delicious. Great portions. Good prices, nice and chilled place to sit and eat. Spot on
A group of friends and I visited The Strand Cafe this week. One of our guests complained that his chicken wasn’t cooked right. After listening attentively and very politely, super politely, the waiter asked what our friend disliked about the meal. He couldn’t say, he just didn’t like it. So the waiter sent for the Chef. The Chef asked how he could improve it. My friend couldn’t say, he just repeated that it wasn’t good. Never did either the waiter or chef roll their eyes or show any disrespect toward my friend. Finally, they both suggested that they would make him another dish on the house. My friend waved them away and said no. When the waiter delivered the bill, they told my friend that his meal was on the house. Now THAT is supreme service! Thank you Strand Cafe staff, you went way above and beyond.
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!
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.
We were staying at the Canopy overnight and stopped for a drink at the bar before heading out for dinner. The bartender was friendly. After a drink we left but came back after being turned away for dinner at two nearby restaurants. We again sat at the bar. The food was fine - we shared the calamari and bruschetta. We also had a slice of the chocolate torte and that was good but was more like a brownie than what I was thinking it would be as a torte. Our bar neighbors had a pizza and salad - they both looked good.
This is the restaurant inside Canopy Hilton. The pizzas came out fast and were delicious. Cauliflower crust available for my GF son. You can see the pizza made there in the pizza oven. The burger did take a lot more time to come out thus the 4 stars. Ambience was nice, wait staff friendly. Place was clean and comfortable.
For a hotel restaurant, I was thoroughly impressed! We were able to try quite a few different items, and everything was amazing. I do say this is the best burger I have ever had, I liked it so much that I had it again on our last night there. Try it, you won't be disappointed
The staff that we encountered were all very nice! The food was quite good! However, we were a little thrown off by the fact that all of the food we ordered to go was literally in the to go box. Not even in a sealed container. Mashed Potatoes? Right in the box. Cheesecake and Icecream? Right in the box. I would definitely eat here again, buttttt ordering to go is clearly not the best way to experience this restaurant 😂.
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.
We were staying at the Canopy overnight and stopped for a drink at the bar before heading out for dinner. The bartender was friendly. After a drink we left but came back after being turned away for dinner at two nearby restaurants. We again sat at the bar. The food was fine - we shared the calamari and bruschetta. We also had a slice of the chocolate torte and that was good but was more like a brownie than what I was thinking it would be as a torte. Our bar neighbors had a pizza and salad - they both looked good.
This is the restaurant inside Canopy Hilton. The pizzas came out fast and were delicious. Cauliflower crust available for my GF son. You can see the pizza made there in the pizza oven. The burger did take a lot more time to come out thus the 4 stars. Ambience was nice, wait staff friendly. Place was clean and comfortable.
For a hotel restaurant, I was thoroughly impressed! We were able to try quite a few different items, and everything was amazing. I do say this is the best burger I have ever had, I liked it so much that I had it again on our last night there. Try it, you won't be disappointed
The staff that we encountered were all very nice! The food was quite good! However, we were a little thrown off by the fact that all of the food we ordered to go was literally in the to go box. Not even in a sealed container. Mashed Potatoes? Right in the box. Cheesecake and Icecream? Right in the box. I would definitely eat here again, buttttt ordering to go is clearly not the best way to experience this restaurant 😂.
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.
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.
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.
I most invoke Théoden "what would you have me do [not review a restaurant that wasn't good]." No I will remain with the cause. All I would say is that perhaps just don't go here? Food was blah. Not sure they understand what vegan means (while not a vegan, even I understand that cooking fries in the same oil as meats -say calamari- would make those fries not vegan fyi). The drinks were ok, but took around 45 minutes to get ready. I'm pretty sure the agave plant and its distillation was done before hand by the tequila supplier so I'm still trying to figure that one out. Lastly the food came out in 15 minute increments which is insane given the price. If I was buying say a big Mac from McDonald's and my wife a quarter pounder - even that would come out together, so not sure where the staff missed that lesson. Sorry for the rant- I just started typing and went into a vogue state and then came too and the above was written. Oh, they laddled in French onion soup into a bowl. Im not asking for Michelin star food- but even I can add cheese on top of soup and bake it.
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.
I most invoke Théoden "what would you have me do [not review a restaurant that wasn't good]." No I will remain with the cause. All I would say is that perhaps just don't go here? Food was blah. Not sure they understand what vegan means (while not a vegan, even I understand that cooking fries in the same oil as meats -say calamari- would make those fries not vegan fyi). The drinks were ok, but took around 45 minutes to get ready. I'm pretty sure the agave plant and its distillation was done before hand by the tequila supplier so I'm still trying to figure that one out. Lastly the food came out in 15 minute increments which is insane given the price. If I was buying say a big Mac from McDonald's and my wife a quarter pounder - even that would come out together, so not sure where the staff missed that lesson. Sorry for the rant- I just started typing and went into a vogue state and then came too and the above was written. Oh, they laddled in French onion soup into a bowl. Im not asking for Michelin star food- but even I can add cheese on top of soup and bake it.
A very mediocre experience at best. The service was pretty slow and the waitress seemed shocked for a simple change in dressing on a Caesar salad. The IPA I ordered came in a can that was 2.5 months expired…zero carbonation when I poured it. We couldn’t find the waitress so I took it up to the bar to ask for a different beer. The bartender looked at another can of the same beer in the fridge, found the expired date, and just shrugged his shoulders. He then poured me a different beer on tap and it was ok. We asked to split a Caesar salad and they didn’t bring plates to split it. The bruschetta was overtopping with bland tapenade, pate, and cold tomatoes. I asked for a burger medium… it came well done and had some sort of sweet sauce which was not appetizing. I would not come back to this place or recommend it to anyone.
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.
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.
A very mediocre experience at best. The service was pretty slow and the waitress seemed shocked for a simple change in dressing on a Caesar salad. The IPA I ordered came in a can that was 2.5 months expired…zero carbonation when I poured it. We couldn’t find the waitress so I took it up to the bar to ask for a different beer. The bartender looked at another can of the same beer in the fridge, found the expired date, and just shrugged his shoulders. He then poured me a different beer on tap and it was ok. We asked to split a Caesar salad and they didn’t bring plates to split it. The bruschetta was overtopping with bland tapenade, pate, and cold tomatoes. I asked for a burger medium… it came well done and had some sort of sweet sauce which was not appetizing. I would not come back to this place or recommend it to anyone.
Our evening at Strand Cafe was a series of disappointments that I just have to share. We ordered a soup, a side as an app (roasted cauliflower), a pizza, and a burger. One of the mains (pizza) arrived first before soup and app. This was puzzling and just the start of a downhill experience. We waited patiently for the soup, which, when it did arrive after a 15-minute delay, was shockingly cold, not lukewarm, but actually cold. The wait for the soup to be reheated was just as frustrating, especially since our side dish was still MIA. When the roasted cauliflower finally made it to the table, it was RAW – barely touched by any form of cooking and lacking in flavour. We had to send it back, which is something I rarely do. The burger saga was no less exasperating. By the time it arrived, my husband had finished his pizza (which, remember, was served first). My request for sautéed mushrooms, an extra I paid for, was ignored. The burger missed not just the mushrooms but also the arugula, pickles (mentioned in the menu)and any kind of condiments. The server's solution was to bring these missing items on a side plate, leaving me to assemble my burger. This isn't what I expect when dining out. Mistakes can happen, but this was too much! We weren’t charged for the soup and cauliflower, which was a small consolation, but the overall experience was absolutely terrible. Would not recommend!
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
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.
Genuinely the worst service I’ve ever experienced in a restaurant, bar none. We had reservations, were seated, proceeded to wait 45 minutes for our drinks, 1 hour to order. No meal pacing at all, both appetizer and meals placed down at the same time, which our inattentive waiter did not leave napkins or silverware for us or notice us repeatedly trying to call him over while he attended the other two tables next to us very readily. Food was cold, salmon was bad - fish was turnt, should not have been served. Awful, awful, awful.
Terrible experience. Literally the worst restaurant experience I’ve had in years. This was one of the only later evening choices, we were told we could sit in the lounge and order from the bar, then they asked my daughter to move because the lounge was for people ordering food. Host moved my jacket to the lost and found, generally rude and inexplicably stressed out staff (not that busy). Food took a long time even though the restaurant appeared well below capacity. Really no excuse for our experience after a long emotional day of dropping my son off at college. I cannot recommend this place as there are many better alternatives (if you can get seated prior to 8:30 pm). Do better!
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
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.
Genuinely the worst service I’ve ever experienced in a restaurant, bar none. We had reservations, were seated, proceeded to wait 45 minutes for our drinks, 1 hour to order. No meal pacing at all, both appetizer and meals placed down at the same time, which our inattentive waiter did not leave napkins or silverware for us or notice us repeatedly trying to call him over while he attended the other two tables next to us very readily. Food was cold, salmon was bad - fish was turnt, should not have been served. Awful, awful, awful.
Terrible experience. Literally the worst restaurant experience I’ve had in years. This was one of the only later evening choices, we were told we could sit in the lounge and order from the bar, then they asked my daughter to move because the lounge was for people ordering food. Host moved my jacket to the lost and found, generally rude and inexplicably stressed out staff (not that busy). Food took a long time even though the restaurant appeared well below capacity. Really no excuse for our experience after a long emotional day of dropping my son off at college. I cannot recommend this place as there are many better alternatives (if you can get seated prior to 8:30 pm). Do better!
Our evening at Strand Cafe was a series of disappointments that I just have to share. We ordered a soup, a side as an app (roasted cauliflower), a pizza, and a burger. One of the mains (pizza) arrived first before soup and app. This was puzzling and just the start of a downhill experience. We waited patiently for the soup, which, when it did arrive after a 15-minute delay, was shockingly cold, not lukewarm, but actually cold. The wait for the soup to be reheated was just as frustrating, especially since our side dish was still MIA. When the roasted cauliflower finally made it to the table, it was RAW – barely touched by any form of cooking and lacking in flavour. We had to send it back, which is something I rarely do. The burger saga was no less exasperating. By the time it arrived, my husband had finished his pizza (which, remember, was served first). My request for sautéed mushrooms, an extra I paid for, was ignored. The burger missed not just the mushrooms but also the arugula, pickles (mentioned in the menu)and any kind of condiments. The server's solution was to bring these missing items on a side plate, leaving me to assemble my burger. This isn't what I expect when dining out. Mistakes can happen, but this was too much! We weren’t charged for the soup and cauliflower, which was a small consolation, but the overall experience was absolutely terrible. Would not recommend!
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About The Strand Cafe
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324 E State St, Ithaca, NY 14850
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324 E State St, Ithaca, NY 14850
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