West End Cafe
“The short ribs, shrimp and fusilli, goat cheese ravioli, duck tacos all are delicious.”
“This place is amaziing it is a hidden gem just across form the Roosevelt Field Mall and only locals really knkow about it.”
“West End Cafe is one our top 5 in Nassau County and we have been dining here for years.”
West End Cafe
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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West End Cafe is an awesome little restaurant in Carle Place. Their food is absolutely delicious vs the prices. I went with the duck tacos. OMG. It was phenomenal. I can't wait to go back and try some of their other dishes. West End is a hidden gem.
Went to West End for restaurant week in the fall of 2016. This place kicks ass. I was pleasantly surprised by the food and drinks here. I had a few different cocktails. All fall themed which was right up my alley. The menu is seasonal. I had duck tacos for my appetizer and they were to die for. I would go back to west end just for the tacos. For my entree I had steak which was cooked exactly to my liking and the mashed potatoes that the steak was served over were heavenly, so smooth and so creamy. To finish I had the bread pudding which was also very good. The star of the night was definitely those duck tacos.
The location is different and I would not have expected to find gourmet food there but I am sure glad I did
When this restaurant first opened years ago, I thought, "Wow!" finally a decent restaurant on Long Island. After a recent dinner, I now think that it is resting on its laurels a bit, and really needs to update its menu and look to reflect a more modern aesthetic and whole food dining trends. Where does the meat and produce come from, is it organic? These are things todays diners deserve to know. Otherwise, it continues to serve good food in a pleasant atmosphere. Bring along mom and dad to a fix prixe special meal and feel like you are getting real value too.
We came to celebrate my friends wife birthday, when we pulled into the lot and saw it was like the only place at the end I said not good.. (First time here). So we went in the decor was very nice. We had a reservation so as soon as we got in we were seated right away. Waitress came right over to get our drink order, bread and water came right over. So we order a couple of apps, honestly I forgot what we had as apps.(lol) they were good though… So they have a pre fixed meal from starter to dessert. so I ordered the steak (ribeye) with fries. the steak was cooked just right and for dessert I had the carrot cake which was made on premise(awesome) and a espresso. One thing I have to say that we didn't feel rushed and it was a good feeling not having to say anything.. overall great experience and will come back.. Great customer service:)
Overall I think the West End Cafe deserves a 3. It wasn't bad but it wasn't superb. Maybe they are better at dinner? Who knows? I came for lunch.
First things first… It's a good looking restaurant. The bar is long and the seating area is a good size.
Second of all… it wasn't a bad lunch just as I said to my mom and Aunt "I definitely ordered the wrong thing" and man I was bummed fo' sho'.
We ordered:
The Soup of the Day: which was Roasted Cauliflower, Pistachio, and I believe Raisins. Honestly it wasn't that great. I expected some chunks of cauliflower and the soup was thick but had next to no flavor. We all sampled it cause we were starving.
They brought over delicious Garlic Knots. Heavy but delicious. I could've skipped the soup and gone for the knots and been a happy camper.
The water situation was nice at first but a little odd after the fact. I love when I get a bottle/carafe of water to pour into my own glass…really. But when we're out of water and the water is warm cause there was no ice then I got a small problem. Nothing major but just.. noted.
My mom ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Sandwich with Fries. The lump crab cake was delicious. Her complaints were that the bread too much and the crab cake was falling apart. Therefore it wasn't as advertised; a sandwich and ate the crab cake with the avocado on her plate.
My aunt ordered the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Goat Cheese. Man I love almost anything with Goat Cheese. She had no complaints and her dish was delicious.
I ordered the Chicken with Brie and Double Smoked Bacon Panini with Fries. I also asked for Garlic Aioli. I'm sorry. Here I am thinking that this is going to be awesome and it was blah. Fries were good dipped in the aioli. What can I say? European Republic has turned me into a fry dipping connoisseur.
After our lunch we all decided we'd split the Molten Chocolate Cake. It came with a scoop of Dulce de Leche ice cream. It was your typical Molten Chocolate Cake.
Would I come back? Maybe.
Always dependable but never overly impressive. They do have some creative seasonal drinks, I had the southern (something) that used muddled peach and cucumber vodka, that was served in a cute little ball jar with mint on top. Note that I said little, after the ice and cucumber slices the drink was less than 4 ounces at best. I do not mind paying for an artisan drink but not if I get less than 3 good swallows. My chicken was excellent as was my wedge salad to start, although had they used a thick sliced bacon on the wedge it would be greatly improved. So overall, good meal, nice atmosphere but just misses from being much better in my book.
Still great service and classy setting, I just preferred what I ordered last time compared to this time. I didn't even realize until my 2nd visit, but the ceiling decor is beautiful!!! Drapery everywhere, adds to the classy vibe. We did the same thing where we got 1 prix-fixe menu for $30 plus a shrimp-lobster quesadilla to share between the two of us. I thought the shrimp-lobster quesadilla was okay (I'm not a huge fan of lobster but I definitely liked the cheesy shrimp with the tomatoes and mango that came on the side) and (as part of the prix-fixe menu) with the jumbo shrimp pasta I wasn't a fan of the sauce that was used. However, compared to last time, the burratta cheese was even better than it was originally (they added prosciutto under the cheese this time- YUMMM two faves in one). I also thought the molten cake was better this time with enough of the "ooze" that I was looking for during my last visit. The garlic knot balls they give in the bread basket are amazing- ask for extra 😛 Entree prices are on the higher end, so I think it's really worth it to do the prix-fixe menu to get more bang for your buck – we left superrrr full.
More like a 4.5. This really is the tale of two trips. I first came here like 10 years ago and I really wasn't wowed by my meal, I remember leaving unimpressed. Fast forward to last week and this might be one of the better meals I had all year. The restaurant is a little more upscale but definitely has a Cheesecake Factory feel to the decor, but the place has been around for a long time, so I forgive them. The crowd is much older, my friend and I were easily the youngest people there and we ain't no young chickens. The food is classic, very flavorful with a lot of developed flavors, this is a must visit especially after some shopping at Roosevelt Field or looking for a nice dinner. Also, the free garlic knots are good, don't fill up!
The food:
Burrata- Heirloom tomato salad/Prosciutto di Parma/balsamic-fig syrup. Where do I begin, first, this might be one of the best appetizers I had all year. Burrata and tomatoes are not a new combination, but this is by far the best version I ever had. The Burrata itself was amazing, so perfectly rich and creamy, the tomatoes were the best tomatoes I ever had and it seems crazy to me that I am raving about tomatoes. Every element of this dish was perfect. The prosciutto added a wonderful saltiness and the balsamic offered a wonderful sweetness. Then the few sprigs of basil was the cherry on top, this dish is an absolute must. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs- Black truffle potato purée/rainbow carrots/glazed baby carrots. I really enjoyed this dish a lot, the short ribs were amazing, it was a nice hunk of meat and it had a lot of flavor. The short ribs were so tender and flavorful but the only criticism, it was a smidge dry. I don't normally say this but the veg was outstanding, the carrots were cooked to absolute perfection, potato purée had amazing flavor and the cipollini onions added a nice sweetness. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Herb Roasted Organic Chicken- Roasted Yukon Gold potatoes/spring vegetables jardiniere/tarragon pan juices. I thought the chicken had so much flavor, it was so moist and tender and then the skin was nice and crisp. It was good but kinda a safe dish. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
House-Made Carrot Cake- Pecan-Cream cheese frosting. This is where they lost the half star, the desserts were just OK. The Carrot Cake had great texture, the cream cheese had nice flavor but was on the sweet side, it was interesting since you can actually taste sweet and salty at the same time, and I was not a fan of the raisins, the raisins didn't work for me. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Bourbon Pecan Pie- Belgium chocolate/creme chantilly. There were a ton of pecans and the flavor was nice but I thought the dessert was too sweet. The biggest issue I had with this dessert was the crust. The bottom was too soft, borderline mushy and the crust was weird, it had this weird chalky feel. But the whip cream was so perfect though, it was so light and airy and fantastic. yelp.com/user_local_phot…