Butera's - Bay Shore — Restaurant in Town of Islip

I came for dinner on a Sunday with my 2 year old son. Considering it was Labor Day weekend the restaurant was pretty slow being most people were doing BBQ’s and spending time outside before summers end. I approached the hostesses desk and asked to be seated. The manager was there doing something and I was told to wait even though nobody else was waiting and the restaurant was pretty empty. After he was done doing what he was doing he then called someone else over to seat us! I would have expected him to seat us himself being he had us wait until he was finished. If he was gonna call someone else to seat us he could have stopped doing what he was doing for 2 secs and called someone 1st place. I requested a high chair and to be seated outside being the AC was very cold but i was told there wasn’t a lot of room out there for me ( aka me, my stroller, my kid, and a high chair ) and also that dumpster SMELLS! Eww gross! You shouldn’t tell customers that and your dumpster shouldn’t smell. Unfortunately it was way too cold inside for my child so I asked if I could take a look outside for myself. There were 3-4 tables free and people outside eating. There was more than enough room and the dumpster didn’t seem to be an issue so my son and I took a table outside. There was no kids menu and the server said he would just tell what they have. All of theses things were a major turn off and not making for a very nice experience. I ordered rice balls for my son which were small and dry and a Penne Ala Vodka dish for myself. The menu indicated it was a tomato vodka cream sauce. It was not creamy at all, lacked flavor and tasted like it came out the jar. The chicken was over cooked and dry and also tasteless. For an establishment that charges $28 for pasta dishes I would expect the food to taste good as well as better service. Needless to say. I will not be...

One of the best Italian meals we have had in the entire NY metro area, and we've had a lot of them! We sat outside on a beautiful summer evening, after hearing great things about Butera's. Every single thing we ordered exceeded our expectations. First of all, they do not skimp on portions. Starting with a very healthy pour on the glass of wine I ordered, a delightful Montepulciano. Then our waitress Stephanie dropped a big hunk of fresh Italian bread and a couple of garlic knots on the table along with a perfectly spiced virgin olive oil dipping sauce. Next came one of the best and most original arugula salads I have ever tasted. I love to be surprised by flavors and this salad was full of surprises: arugula, fennel, mint, pistachio, sheep cheese in a zesting lemon dressing. Sublime! My wife ordered the Ravioli Pomodoro with fresh mozzarella, pecorino, & basil. The ravioli homemade in absolutely scrumptious tomato sauce. She's a huge ravioli fan and tries them in every restaurant we go to, and this was positively the best one either of us has tasted in a long time. For my main course I had for the first time in my life Chicken Meatballs. I asked our waitress what she recommended and she said everybody raves about the Chicken Meatballs. So I ordered the Rigatoni Broccoli Rabe with cannellini beans, fresh tomato, lots of fresh garlic and Chicken Meatballs. OMG was this dish out of this world! I have had many versions of this dish, usually with Italian sausage, and this was the best one I have ever tasted. It was also so huge that I took home half of it and eagerly wolfed it down for lunch the next day (as my wife did with her dish). I don't know if the other two Butera locations are as good as this one in Bay Shore, but boy are we happy...

I had the best meal of my life here. I know that is a bold statement but I’m being serious. I came here with my family. There were 9 of us and Stephanie was our waitress. Stephanie was lovely, very attentive and knowledgeable. I ordered the pistachio crusted salmon with a risotto cake. Everyone in my family enjoyed their meal. Also had the rainbow cookie cheesecake. My palate was in Heaven from start to finish. Favorite favorite favorite restaurant ever.

UPDATE - I’m genuinely disappointed to be writing this, especially after previously giving this restaurant a glowing review. My first visit here was incredible—I came with my family and had one of the most delicious dinners we've ever had. The service was top-notch, and I couldn’t stop raving about it. I talked about it so much that for my birthday, my mom, brother, and sister each gave me a $50 gift card to this restaurant, knowing how much I enjoyed it.

Fast forward to my recent lunch visit with my mom and husband. Our bill came out to around $140. I handed over my three $50 gift cards, thinking it would be a smooth transaction. But to my shock, I was told that only two gift cards could be used per visit. I’ve never encountered a policy like this, and it honestly felt like a bait-and-switch. My family gave this restaurant $150 of their money in exchange for gift cards, yet I wasn’t allowed to use all of them as intended.

We used two of the cards, and I paid the balance with my credit card, but the experience left a bad taste. It's upsetting to feel penalized for being a loyal customer who brought in more business through word-of-mouth and gifts. Unfortunately, I won’t be returning after this. It’s such a shame because I...