I started coming here in 1968 and I'm still a fan tho the food is ok but not the best. They have excellent prices and nice presentations of food and tea. Nice home made desserts like apple crisp. Creme brûlée too sweet for my taste--so sweet you can't taste the custard. Burger w/fries both tasty. Crab cake w/mashed and vegi fresh and delicious. Black bean soup looked and tasted homemade. In summer the back garden is open and you sit on old fashioned wire back ice cream parlor chairs at marble top tables and enjoy fantastic sundaes and banana splits. I was here for Sunday brunch a few times...wonderful taters, omelette, scrambled and sausages. My only criticism was not enough whole grain breads and bagels. On this they have to get with the times and updated tastes. Only bagels they had were plain white. And cantaloupe was carelessly cut leaving some hard inner rind. The setting is homey and inviting. This place started out as an antique shop. Gradually tea and muffins were served. Then food. Lots of regional antiques are gone but enough remain. I much prefer this place to the outrageously overpriced , often under quality, seafood restaurants on City Island. The setting is romantic too. If you go for Sunday Brunch, arrive by 11:30 AM. Last time, we came 12:30 ad the scrambled eggs were mostly gone and were swimming in water at the bottom of the serving tray....don't know how to explain that but it looked ugly. No attempt by any staff to replace or restock it. You had to order omelet or no eggs for your meal. Best item: the hash taters were made in heaven. read more

One of my favorite restaurants! I have come to the black whale on several different occasions, including brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert. My favorite has always been brunch, with it's buffet type style course. Dinner is superb and so is dessert. I especially love the outdoor seating in warm weather, as you are seated in a garden. I tend to be someone who loves themed restaurants, and the black whale, although not having an exact theme you can put your finger on, is certainly a very unique restaurant with a unique atmosphere. Filled with a collection of antiques, and décor, certainly gives the restaurant personality. A bit pricey, but I suppose what else can you expect form City Island restaurants? The one thing I did not like and I do not recommend from here is the chocolate fondue I order once with a friend. Instead of melted chocolate we received hot chocolate syrup! I will not get that again, the other meals I can agree have quality read more

The first time I went to this place for brunch the food was pretty good and reasonably priced. I made a reservation for 1:00pm but the restaurant got it wrong and thought it was 2:00pm when I clearly had an email that said 1:00pm. My family and I ended up waiting 45min for a table. But stuff happens and it was Mother's Day so I really could understand they were probably swamped that day. I then went a second time and found the quality of food was not the same and there was not much food out either at the buffet. I was highly disappointed. Then a few months later a friend of mine really wanted to go and I figured I would give it another fair shot third time around. Well after emailing on Tuesday and then leaving a voicemail on Thursday I never received a reply back. Needless to say I did not go that day. Beyond the food I have to say I was really disappointed when it came down to making a reservation. Either they get it wrong or don't even bothering to check their email or voicemail to reply to request for reservations. And for a place that has extremely limited hours, this is something they really need to improve on. read more

I give four stars for the Sunday brunch, but maybe 2 for all their other meals; lunch and dinner. It has great potential, but we won't come here for lunch or dinner again after many attempts. Everything from the wrong temperature on meats, under-seasoned food on over promised meals, and in some cases over-priced. Disappointing in those regards. read more

Unfortunately, our planned college reunion brunch did not go as planned. Although we had a 12:30 PM reservation set for the 9 of us, and although most of us arrived way before that time, by 12:45 PM it was apparent that seating for us would never materialize. The staff were not helpful in the least, there is really no place to stand and wait without being in the way, and it looked like the owner/manager had no idea what to do with us, especially when another group of 8 walked in with the same reservation time. The place has several small tables, but few larger tables, and I suppose is more suited to a large group in the summer, when you can sit outside. It being March, that would not help us. The hostess avoided us as much as she could, and being a buffet brunch, which ends at 2 PM, had no words of help when 1PM rolled around. Learned our lesson, fron now on I will check out the size of the restaurant before reserving large groups. The management/owners really don't have a clue. read more

The food was excellent. I had the St. Louis BBQ ribs, which were so tender, the meat was just falling off the bone. My wife had the sesame seared tuna, which I tasted, and it too was delicious. But the part of the meal was the decadent desserts. Key lime pie was OMG good! read more

Great brunch...I will continue to eat my low key, high quality Sunday brunches with my girlfriend as often as possible.

The good 'ole Black Whale. I've heard about this place from my friends for so long so I finally decided to try it out this past week and I was expecting a delicious experience. What I ended up with was a lackluster one. There is nothing to rave about here...besides the kind wait staff and the quaint outdoor garden in the back. It would've been nice if the food could've lived up to everything else. The crab cakes are nothing short of "Blah!" as it isn't lump crab, so it isn't anything special. The Shrimp Scampi (what else do you get on City Island?) was fishy and odd tasting. My friends has the Salmon and Tuna dishes and I was told they were just alright. The only dish that was enjoyable were the Potstickers...but they seemed like the kinds that you can get at the grocery store. The Black Whale leaves a lot to be desired. I'm not sure if I'll be back save for enjoying a summertime drink in the outdoor garden. read more

way overrated, the place is nice, the staff is efficient, but the choice of food is small for the price.The bacon was all crumpled, the hollandaise on the eggs benedict was kind of dry. read more

Been to this place probably a dozen times since I was referred here by my sister 4 years ago. The prices are reasonable. They make a good drink. My personal favorite meal is not even seafood (which is usually why people go to City Island in the first place)- it's the grilled chicken sandwich on a croissant with caramelized onions, sliced apples, and bree. Drove there this past Saturday from NJ just for that. My husband loves their ribs. My daughter likes the mussels and eats that as her meal even though it is an appetizer. The wait staff has been there for a while and is very friendly. The deserts are pretty standard- the portion sizes are generous with ice cream- I recommend sharing. I had my college graduation dinner there and they let us bring our own custom cake (my sister is a pastry chef) and set us up with utensils. Brunch is a lot of fun- large selection. The ambiance is my favorite part.- you can eat outside on warmer days or inside with the funky decor and artwork. I like to think the floors are crooked because it is supposed to feel like you are inside a boat...haha. Great place. read more

My family and I had a reservation for 7 people at 1:00 (5 adults and 2 young children) for today, Mother's Day. We arrived at 12:50 only to not be able to walk in the restaraunt, so we had to stand outside in the rain and when we were able to get in, there were so many people waiting that also had reservations for 1:00 and we were told that they were not sure how long of a wait it would be for us to be seated. It was even a challenge to find someone to check in with. Quite honestly, after taking one look around the room, people could definitely not enjoy their meal bc they had people squeezing by them with either their stomachs or butts rubbing on them during their meal while standing waiting to find out when they would be seated. I'm not quite sure why they would overbook a holiday like this. It says the room's capacity is 50 people, meanwhile there were definitely more than that booked. We waited a few minutes and got so disgusted that we told them to cancel our reservation and we left. What a disappointment to have gotten all dressed and ready with a set reservation to have our day ruined. We wound up coming back to my house and thankfully my brother was able to cater us food last minute from the catering hall that he manages. I would not recommend this place of business to anyone who even has a reservation for a holiday. We purposely did not leave the island because of the traffic and had our family come here early to spend it with us. VERY disappointing and not good for business... So much for going out for Mother's Day because this place ruined the day. read more

Great little place in City Island. The brunch was pretty good - it was a buffet & I was impressed by the amount of food we had to choose from! There was even a omelet station & the chef was so nice!!! The hostess - Gabby was a bit snippy with us since we didn't make a reservation - there were so many available tables that it didn't seem like it would be a problem... and those same tables were still unoccupied when we left. Our waiter was beyond awesome! He asked us if we needed anything every 5 min & it was well appreciated! We'll be back, hoping Gabby changes her attitude. read more

Don't waste your time. There are many restaurants in City Island to choose from. The staff was inexperienced. I presented a GroupOn and got substandard service. Wasn't their intention to bring in more business? Disappointing dinner with My husband and Mother whom we were treating. read more

Had dessert at The Black Whale last Saturday. Great place with atmosphere. Friendlys doesn't even compare.

Great place. We ate outside in the spacious and quiet patio. My pasta, shrimp, and mussels dish was prepared perfectly with the pasta having been drained at exactly the right second. I'd say its a good value for City Island. read more

like the steak salad. pretty awesome. the wait staff are cool. the deserts are bomb. cool place. classy. you will find decent people eating here, not low life trash that go to all the other places on city island. read more

We had a lovely meal in the back garden. Eat outside without cars! And the salmon and the tuna were both first rate with delightful sauces. Simple but good wine list and a first rate Margaretta on the rocks. read more

I absolutely LOVE this place. I've tried many of the places on City Island which are pretty good, but The Black Whale is my favorite. Besides looooving the food and its presentation, I appreciate that they've been open for over 50 years. Their old rustic decor and oh-so-cool courtyard gives this little place a great vibe. Looking forward to going back and trying out their Sunday brunch (which I heard is amazing!). read more

Amazeballs! Definitely indulge in dessert too. The chocolate brownie with ice cream will change your life.

Great food with a romantic setting! best hidden secret on city island

The best place on city island! The food is great with a good selection. There is something for everyone. The price is right and the atmosphere is great. Very friendly service. read more

Eat here once a year for 9 years on our summer cruise from Nyack to points east. Never had a bad meal. Staff is great and family-friendly (with a 5-year old). Hope to eat here for years to come. read more

This place was great. The staff was attentive, the food was excellent (and since I was there for brunch, I consider that no small feat. After all it is difficult to keep a tray of eggs looking and tasting great when it is served buffet style!) I liked the fact that the choice of foods changed over the time we were there. And, most of all, I was glad that the cost of beverages (coffee, tea and juice) were included in the cost of the brunch (it would really have annoyed me if the beverages weren't included). I will definitely be returning and introducing other friends to this place. read more

A family place. Lots of good food, good service and save room for dessert! Their sundaes are heavenly!

This place serves 'diner' standard of food for a premium price. Not bad for a basic burger and beer but don't expect anything fancy.

Another Island favourite for us locals. The Sunday brunch is really fantastic and quite varied serving yummy b'fast items and sometimes even offering paella as a chef's lunch special. For dinner I suggest the grilled NY sirloin or the braised pork osso bucco from the Land, or pan roasted Maryland crab cakes and panko-herb crusted cod from the Sea. Lunch offered on Saturday only. read more

The last time we had dinner at the Black Whale was about 6 years ago, and we weren't very impressed, but tonight was a beautiful late August evening for a drive to City Island and for trying the Black Whale once again. When we arrived, we were informed that they don't take credit cards but there was an ATM across the street and a Chase Bank a couple of blocks away. My husband and I checked our wallets and we found we had enough cash on us so we decided to stay for dinner, our son was with us as well. I ordered a sangria, which was so watered down and tasteless that I complained to the one of the servers. The hostess came to our table, grabbed my drink from the table and said she would have the server bring me another one. She didn't ask me if there was something else I would prefer, she just took the drink. My husband and I looked at each other in surprise. A few moments later the hostess walked back to our table at which time I told her that her actions were rude - she replied that she realized that and then asked what I would prefer. As for the food, the angel hair pasta with shrimp that my husband and son ordered was way too garlicky, and the grilled chicken croissant with brie and green apples and carmelized onions turned out to be nothing more than a big open faced sandwhich - the brie wasn't even melted. Too top it all off, a very noisy band was playing at the park directly across the street making it very hard to have a quiet, relaxing dinner. I'll try again in 6 years. read more

I'm giving this 4 stars for atmosphere. Its old school in the best way - very friendly, great service (and they don't rush you), and a homey vibe. I'll definitely be back. I went for brunch which is all you can eat for $15 (including coffee) until 2pm on Sunday. The food is solid not great but they have everything you could want - scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, waffles, pancakes, french toast, pasta, fruit, bread pudding, rice pudding, bacon, sausage, hash browns, corn beef hash, etc, etc. They also make omelettes to order. It was a beautiful day so I sat in their outdoor patio which has about 20 tables, half of them shaded. It was incredibly relaxing. For round one I went with savory - scrambled eggs (very moist), bacon and sausage (the latter was tastier, both were somewhat overcooked), potatoes and fresh fruit. For round two I went sweet - french toast (thick, soft, lots of egg), bread pudding (disappointing), cinnamon roll (grocery chain variety) and mini cinnamon muffin (dry but tasty). I was not alone. Everyone around me helped themselves to at least two mains and endless rounds of coffee. And nobody tried to rush us! I was there for 1.5 hours and the tables to my right and left 2+ hours. This place a great excuse to get out of Manhattan/Brooklyn and even better place to catch up with friends. read more

cute and cozy....came here a few times, crab cake are really good, and the starving artist is always my first choice.