Copperhill — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

When you want to unwind and dine with charm, there’s only one hill to climb… COPPERHILL!

Located in Williston Park, COPPERHILL is a beautifully charming restaurant nestled in a Victorian-style home on Hillside Ave. Modestly decorated with fresh flowers 💐, rich dark wood 🪵 floors, warm dim lighting 🔥, a cozy bar, and well-spaced tables, it creates the perfect atmosphere for relaxed, elegant dining. Whether for a special occasion or a night out, COPPERHILL delivers warmth, sophistication, and memorable food 🥘.

I hadn’t been here in over 10 years (back when it was La Marmite), but I’m so glad 😌 to have rediscovered what might be one of Long Island’s top 🔝 restaurants. BTW…This is a longer review—so settle in or skip ahead. Hope you enjoy ☺️!

Let’s start with the service, which was top-notch. Ryan, the manager, was professional and attentive, checking in to make sure everything was perfect. And it was—thanks in large part to our amazing server, Britney. She was upbeat, efficient, and made handling a lively table of six look easy. Dishes were well-paced, and we never felt rushed.

A standout detail: every course came with serving utensils 🍴—a small but often overlooked touch that earned a big thumbs up 👍.

After ordering our creative, well-balanced cocktails 🍹, we were served warm, crusty bread 🥖 with an airy 💨 center with warm olive oil glistening upon the loaf 🍞 —simple and satisfying.

Starters: We shared a warm olive 🫒 platter ( loved that they were warm) featuring marinated olives 🫒 and firm cubes of mild cheese 🧀—salty 🧂 , savory, and addictive. The wedge salad 🥗 was crisp and cool, generously topped with bold Gorgonzola and crunchy bacon 🥓 bits. The arugula 🍃 and strawberry 🍓 salad 🥗 was light and refreshing, with a touch of sweetness to brighten the palate.

Appetizers: The grilled artichoke had a lovely char and was lightly coated in crispy breadcrumbs, sitting atop a vibrant ramp pesto 🌿 and Parmesan sauce 🫕—zesty and rich. The grilled octopus 🐙 was tender and meaty, complemented by creamy white beans 🫘 and a smoky romesco sauce made with red peppers 🌶️, tomatoes 🍅, garlic 🧄, and olive oil—earthy and satisfying. The short rib taquitos 🌮 were packed with slow-cooked meat, balanced by a tangy smooth avocado 🥑 salsa 💃 and crumbly queso fresco—crispy, creamy, and flavorful in every bite. But the star for me was the Ramen Cacio e Pepe 🍜—a playful twist on the Italian classic. Silky noodles were lightly coated with cracked black pepper and Parmesan 🫕, finished with a buttery 🧈 touch. It was light, yet full of flavor—simply melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Main Courses: The pappardelle 🍝 with lamb ragu 🐑 was bold and comforting. The thick noodles 🍜 held the rich, slow-braised sauce perfectly, and a dollop of whipped 💨 ricotta added a cool, 🆒 creamy contrast. Several of us had the grilled halibut 🐟 served over fragrant saffron risotto 🍚, with bits of spicy chorizo 🍖 and briny olives 🫒. The fish was tender and moist inside with a light, crisp crust. I chose the grilled salmon 🍣, and it was exquisite—one of the best I’ve ever had. The skin was perfectly crispy, cracking like a wafer over moist, flaky fish 🐠. It came with pillowy-soft potato gnocchi 💨🥔, crisp asparagus, and a delicate miratake mushroom cream sauce 🍄—a luxurious combination of textures and earthy flavors.

Dessert: We shared a profiterole 🥮 stuffed with creamy pistachio ice cream 🍨, topped with warm chocolate fudge that was poured over the top 🔝. Sweet, nutty, and indulgent—a perfect ending.

The second dessert 🍨 was the rich chocolate 🍫 mousse. Topped with fresh whipped cream 💨 and sprinkled with clusters of crunchy toffee. You can only imagine how delicious 🤤 this was.

There’s no better way to reconnect with great friends, and COPPERHILL was the perfect place to do it.

So make a reservation, celebrate 🎊 your friendships, and enjoy a dining experience that brings people closer....

We walked into Copperhill on a Sunday afternoon a little before 2pm for brunch service. There was one table available for the outdoor seating area as their outdoor seating is on a first come first serve basis, the table outdoor had no shade whatsoever as opposed to the other tables that had umbrellas providing some comfort from the blistering sun. We inquired about the availability for seating indoors, and were pleasantly surprised to find one open table adjacent to the bar area. We waited a few minutes for the hostess to prep the table and were seated promptly. We sat for approximately 20 minutes before the first server came up to us to even ask us if we needed anything. Decided to go for the 1 Liter option of the Bellini drink, the waiter immediately told me that the liter option equated to 4 champagne flutes worth of drinks....upon having the drinks brought out we were told to mix the drinks ourselves. They provided 4 champagne flutes with blueberry garnishes, a peach puree and two small bottles of proseco(187ml of alcohol) I am not a math wizard but last I checked 1 liter = 1000ml. You'd also think that they could prep the drinks and bring it out at the ready for you.

The waiter we had was extremely impatient bordering on rude and lacked courtesy for customers of the restaurant. I would suggest that the staff could be trained in having better manners while speaking with patrons of the restaurant. Not once during our meal did we have a single visit from the waiter asking if we needed anything else or to check in and see how the meal was.

Onto the food, we ordered the honey harisa wings, and buttermilk biscuits with jam as appetizers. The best part of the meal were the appetizers, the wings with the honey glaze were cooked perfectly and on point. The buttermilk biscuits came with whipped butter and a small jar of raspberry preserves, it was the perfect combination for the hot biscuit.

For the main course, we had the lobster roll, hanger steak, potato hash and eggs, cheeseburger, and buttermilk chicken sandwich. The lobster roll came with a bland roll which was overly toasted to the point where the bun broke apart before it even came to the table. They served the lobster on top of two large pieces of lettuce which looked very pleasing but was not practical for eating at all. The lobster was pretty decent tasting however I did find a small piece of shell in the mix. The hanger steak was cooked to medium rare but felt quite chewy and not overly fresh, the best part of the dish there was the potato hash that was served on the side. The buttermilk chicken sandwich looked really delicious when it came out but upon further inspection we discovered that the lettuce served with the sandwich was not properly cleaned prior to service. The lettuce had bits of dirt and some dark looking bits which totally turned us off from eating anything on that plate. We brought the lettuce to the attention of one wait staff and were met by another person whom we believed to be the manager. We explained to the manager that we had discovered that some of the lettuce had not been cleaned properly and that we wanted to bring it to their attention. She immediately came back to us with an apathetic tone that she could offer to swap the lettuce out for some new lettuce and tried to give an excuse that often times with organic products there will be dirt on the vegetables. We didn't need the staff to air their condescension with us but rather to acknowledge that they had made a mistake. We often understand that no one is perfect but our whole experience here has been off putting and we will more than likely never visit this restaurant again nor will I recommend it to...

Dinner for 4 on a February Friday evening at Copperhill in Williston Park (the former La Marmite venue). Early on, at 6:30 p.m., the place was relatively quiet; 2 hours later, it was positively bustling. Each of us was drinking something different (Margaritas, and 3 different wines: a California red blend, a rose, and an Oregon Pinot Noir), so the wines were by the glass. I feel compelled to assure you that mine was not the rose (although I understand that theoretically some tasty roses do exist, I’ve never found one to my taste, and that included my wife’s rose…).

Service was excellent – the team took good care of us both early on when it wasn’t a challenge (other than our menu questions!) and later when they were stretched a bit more among the occupants of a full house. They showed great care and concern for our well-being and enjoyment in a variety of ways that I won’t detail lest this mini-review turn maxi. You can just trust me on this. Or not. ;^)

The food at Copperhill ranges from very good to excellent. We shared a couple of appetizers. Most noteworthy, based on the resulting assorted ooohs and aaaahs and other sounds worthy of the second-named protagonist in “When Harry Met Sally” (in the Katz’s Deli scene) was the “kunik” (warm cheese) dish. If you’re one of the three or four US residents who doesn’t know what scene I’m talking about, Google the movie’s title and Katz’s, and watch the YouTube video. Heck, even if you do know the scene, spend 3 minutes and watch it again – it’s still hilarious, IMHO. My skate entrée was borderline perfect (and matched nicely with my Oregon Pinot), and my wife’s burger was a 9.5 out of 10. I’m looking forward to returning to taste the other selections on the menu (and I’m thinking that 2 or 4 like-minded people could split the burger as an appetizer…).

Follow-up review in early April: A return visit to Copperhill in Williston Park last evening for dinner with a friend. The cooking is creative and well-prepared, the service is high-level, and the setting is an attractively repurposed old farmhouse. There's even ample parking, and a party room that can seat up to 60. The hosts are a lovely couple, husband and wife, who both aim to please - he is head chef and she runs the front of the house and events. You can tell that they're passionate about every aspect of their restaurant. There's nothing wrong, and everything right,...