Gatsby's Landing — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

Our server was very hover-y. Multiple times, wait staff tried to clear plates before we were finished with them. Main course came out less than ten minutes after the appetizers so we felt very rushed to eat. The breading on the calamari was great, but the squid was huge and uncomfortably chewy. Baked clams were so-so. A side of fries is $8 according to the menu, multiple party members accidentally ordered an extra side (after the waiter offered, thinking their meal came with fries), only for them to be overcooked-from-frozen shoestring fries with no flavor. 2 orders of unappetizing fries were cleared from our table untouched. (And still showed up on the bill.) As a picky eater, I was not interested in the fancy pasta or seafood dishes offered, and opted instead for the sliders—simple enough, right? Wrong. The burger patties did not appear overdone, but the taste of char from the grill was acrid and overwhelming. Ate 1/3 sliders ($6/18) and the remaining 2 were removed from the table without anyone asking if there was an issue or even offering to box them up. This restaurant clearly has no problem with wasting food and money. The location was delightful, right in the heart of historic Roslyn with a beautiful body of water behind the restaurant—we could see the swans from our table! Only complaint there was that it was very dark in the restaurant. We were seated near a large window, so this was not an issue at first, but as it got progressively darker outside, the lights in the dining room stayed dimly lit, and several of our party members needed to use phone lights to read the dessert menu. Wait staff was not observant to the needs or concerns of our table. Also, when serving wine, they did not ID the two younger members of the table (one legal—22, and one not—14), yet brought glasses out for both of us. We did not drink, but had we partaken, it could have been a legal issue for the restaurant if someone from the liquor board noticed a...

Let me start off highlighting the positives of our entire experience. The service is extremely friendly, prompt, and always catered to our requests! Danny took very good care of us and made sure we received everything we needed. Service is 5* without a doubt!

The restaurant's aesthetics looks very comfortable and modern, giving us a very welcoming feel as soon as we sat down. There's also a section that faced the water which was very pretty and soothing. This aspect is also 5*!

Now, the main reason for the 4* rating: the food we selected was a bit underwhelming unfortunately. The squid ink pasta was flavorlessly spicy. What I mean by that is imagine eating a spicy pasta dish where you do not taste any seasoning but a bland spicy sensation. Even after adding salt, the dish was still not that great unfortunately. The Gatsby burger was mediocre in that the pork belly added a salty addition to the beef patty, but it didn't really compliment the burger unfortunately. The chicken parm was also quite flavorless and the breading overly soggy, which is understandable since it is coated in sauce; however, the kids really liked it so it's at least kid-friendly (: One of our favorites was definitely the scallop appetizer, which was pretty good with a slight bitter char and delicious sauce; was definitely enjoyable! The creme brûlée was delicately smooth and delicious! The tiramisu was extremely sweet so it'll definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!

This restaurant deserves a higher grade for its impeccable and friendly service. Maybe our food selection was just not that great this time around, but I'm sure other selections might be a lot better! We have high hopes for this place and we hope they will continue to improve! Jerry was also incredibly sweet and took our criticism to heart to ensure they continue to strive to provide the best experience possible. Thank you to all the staff for its amazing service!

Thank you for reading and...

Came here recently for an early dinner. It was between the lunch and dinner time so the restaurant was mostly empty. I heard good reviews about the place and the waterside view was an attraction. Unfortunately it was raining so we couldn't enjoy the covered outdoor seating in the back. Note that the outdoor seating is tight and really only accommodates 2 people. The inside was tastefully decorated with accents reflecting the time of Gatsby. The waiter was very friendly and professional - definitely not your part time student. Basically the overall ambiance was "prepare to spend some money!"

First came the delicately baked roll with honey butter. The butter had flecks of salt embedded in it that was just wow. Our martini and lemon/grapefruit cocktails were tasty and strong. So far so good. We ordered the grilled octopus and fried artichoke appetizers. The octopus was very tender but a little bland. The vegetables and beans base was tastier. The octopus portion seemed a bit small. The artichoke was ... interesting. It was cut in half and deep fried. The heart was tender and tasty but the leaves were crispy at first but ended up being tough. Kind of a miss.

For entrees we ordered the famous brick chicken and a branzino. The brick chicken is basically a fried boneless half chicken. The skin was very crispy and the meat (good combo of dark and white meat) was very juicy and was flavorful. The branzino also had a very crispy skin with tender flaky flesh. The only negative was that everything was too flavorful eg, very salty.

So if you're looking for a place with glam and very well seasoned food, this is for you. If you're looking for a romantic place for two by the water, you'll...