City Island Lobster House — Restaurant in New York

TLDR: The lack of service literally hurt my feelings and made us feel bad.

My family came in for a birthday lunch for my grandmother, and while the food was good, unfortunately the service was almost non-existent, and left us feeling basically neglected. I am very much not someone who expects a ton of service, but this was possibly one of the worst feelings I've felt being in a restaurant.

Especially as a table of 7 there for a birthday party for an elderly grandmother, you would expect that we wouldn't have to beg for someone to come to the table and help us in basic ways.

No one came to take our order until we had to basically get up and search for someone to take our food order, which was not easy. When the food eventually came, an order was wrong. Literally not one single time in the approximately 2.5+ hours we were in the restaurant did anyone come to fill water or check if we needed more water. Eventually we had to get up again and look for someone to bring us water. So we got a pitcher of water set on the table, and no one ever checked about it again.

No one checked to see how our food was. Normally I wouldn't care about this, but this is definitely the type of restaurant you would expect service to check and see if you need anything, if anything needs to be refilled, if the orders were correct (especially as one was not), if we were thirsty, etc. Pretty normal basic things that were literally not checked on ever.

Someone came to clear plates and didn't check that people were finished. Someone came to take dessert orders, and when we brought up my grandma's birthday, they said "Get anything you want on the menu." (We were still charged for it though, which, in that case, don't phrase it like it's free. That's misleading.) When it came to me, I wasn't sure, and while I was in the middle of deciding, he left.

I'll mention, when we were eventually able to get someone to come to the table, it was whoever was nearby. We didn't even have a consistent person helping us.

The table we were at was right near the waiter station (with supplies, computer) so there were tons of waitstaff steps from our table the entire 2.5 hours we were there, yet we still maybe had 2 minutes of interaction with literally anyone the whole time (only after basically becoming desperate and begging).

I don't think I've ever felt more personally insulted at service than during this visit. The food was fine though. But if I could put the experience into one sentence it would be "We literally could not care less that you exist and do not care about you."

Would not...

Pros: -Valet parking -Large portion size -Friendly wait staff

Cons: -Dated atmosphere -Lack of a host person -Overcooked lobster -Portions are too large? -Noisy dining area -Cheap silverware and dirty napkins -Actually underpriced

By far not the worst place to eat, but I would not recommend this place to anyone that is serious about their restaurant experiences in NY.

Upon arrival, there was a lack of a host so we stood in the middle of the restaurant for at least 15 minutes while. Countless staff passed through and no one asked if we needed help.

The atmosphere reminded me of a diner. Cheap silverware and dirty table linens.

You get free bread, salad, olives, and cheese which is nice, but it felt gimmicky. Appetizers and main dishes are too large. Given the current price of seafood, the math doesn't add up. I was worried about the quality of food given the portion sizes and I was right. I had the lobster tail and steak. The lobster tail was overcooked and I barely ate it. The steak was smothered in red peppers and onions for some unknown reason. The onions and peppers were soggy like they had been cooked, but didn't have any seasoning so it was a pointless addition to the dish.

My friend got a rack of ribs and I think she got the entire rib cage of whatever animal it came from. There was so much leftover, we were given the takeaway in a catering pan. Moreover, I noticed that every customer was getting multiple bags of take home. That is an indication that servings sizes are too large or the food just isn't that good.

I don't want to be mean. The food was ok at best and given the large portions, it has a good bang for the buck feel. But if you kept the prices the same and focused more on quality, I think the place would be more of a destination for foodies in the area.

The waiter was great. I could see in his eyes that he knows the real deal in this place and he tried his best to hustle a good tip.

I would expect to see this place on Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay in a few years if they don't...

I know this place usually gets between 3 and 4 stars. The way I rate a place is not decor but how comfortable I am dining there, the quality of the food and the service provided.

I pulled up in my car and was greeted rapidly by a young guy who scooped up my car. Their parking lot is not large, so they squeeze in many in the back. I walked in and it looks like most people were seated not near the entrance but towards the rear wear the big windows were. I had eaten here before but we are going back about 10 years, in which I remembered the experience vividly. I remember having a great time then. As soon as I was seated the waiters were on me welcoming me and I told them how hungry I was and they went into turbo mode. I got some shrimp cocktail which had 3 fat jumbo shrimps with the sauce and chopped olives. The shrimps were quite fresh! I also ordered the surf and turf, besides a beer and chilled shot if patron. The wait staff, headed by Antonio were on it fast. I figured it was getting about 9pm, and they had the same energy i expected as if it were 5pm. These guys hussled to make my experience well. Antonio kept checking in on me and the other staff members including a young guy helping him. This young guy I also saw bussing the tables later on. These wait staffers really made me feel at home, and they ask me to please return to take care of me again. Just based on that, I would certainly return. The steak I had was flavorful and juicy. I believe it was a rib eye and the lobster was prepared nicely with loads of butter to dip!! Included was a baked potato, a small corn on the cob and some brocolli. I finished my lobster and ate most of my steak.

I really felt I was at home. They decor is functional and the different dining areas allow for fast run to the kitchen and back.

I would definitely return for the food and...