“Fabulous restaurant - one of my all-time favorites”
I was given the responsibility for organizing a dinner for 50 people,
and The Island came highly recommended. I reviewed their menu on their
website in advance; it provided a wide variety that was very interesting
and provided affordable options for all of the guests.
The
service was excellent - timely and friendly. The atmosphere was lively;
the decore was warm. The food was some of the best I have ever had
(including relative to big city restaurants with $50 entrees). The
standard fare (ie steak sandwiches) was well done, and the more eclectic
dishes (ie scallops in a dill cream sauce and prawns in a delicious
boozy glaze) were outstanding.
If you are in Golden, do not miss this restaurant!
Luke N - Golden, BC - TripAdvisor - Jan 19, 2012
“Pizza is great”
The services is fantastic and the food equally so. My Wife is lactose
intolerant, so we have to watch for that stuff. They were more than
happy to alter the pizza and do something a little different. The ribs
that i had were amazing!
bem - Googlemaps - Jan 2, 2012
of the varied menu, but loved the food. Fine dining in a ski town. Definitely recommend!
Liked: Great service, Awesome food, Ceasar salad! Fettuccini!
Wayne & Julie Nadon, California - December 24, 2011
"Dear Aaron & Staff,
We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and the ambience
of the restaurant. The bonus was when you invited us to stay in your
beautiful little wood home. We will be back! Merry Christmas."
KennyB - UrbanSpoon - Dec 2, 2011
We went to 3 restaurants in golden one of which being the BBQ smokepit
and waited almost 2 hours only for us to find put that the items we
ordered were no longer available... Starving and running out of options
at a later hour we came here to the island and soo happy we did. We
would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in or visiting golden..
The service was friendly and welcoming eventhough they were about shut
her down for the evening... The service was very friendly and fast and
the food was great!!!!!
Bobo Obob - GoogleMaps - Nov 28, 2011
Awesome value.. Fine dining at it's finest.. You gotta check it out...
Liked: Food, Service, Atmosphere, Value, Best sushi this side of Japan...
Kaeleigh E, Calgary, AB - yelp.ca - Nov 23, 2011
I can't believe I haven't written this review yet!!
The customer
service at this place is off the hook. Everyone was so amazing, and
nice, and efficient, and just all-around awesome. You rock, Island
staff! Don't ever change!
The building is like a log cabin kind
of. It's beautiful inside and out. Just lovely. We ended up sitting
inside as it was a touch chilly for outdoor dining, considering we wore
dresses. I would like to try the patio one day as it looked stunning.
I
had the Aussie burger for my entree. My "beef" with this is it's just
too big. The egg on the burger tasted delicious but for me the beets
didn't add anything and it just made the burger even more difficult to
eat. I wouldn't say I disliked it but I wouldn't order it again for
sure, it's just too challenging to get it from plate to tummy. The appy
we had was the goat cheese phyllo. For me, I would eat these every day
of the week if I lived in Golden, I swear! I loved them so much, and the
side salad they include was a nice refreshing compliment to the rich
goat cheese. SO good, I'm craving it as we speak.
I can't wait for my next trip to BC when I can make a stop here again. I'm dying to try some other things on their menu!!
Emma G, Calgary, AB - yelp.ca - Nov 17, 2011
My best friend and I were planning a trip to Kelowna with a stopover in
Golden, and stumbled upon The Island while looking for fun places to
eat.
She phoned to make a reservation and commented to me
afterwards about how polite and friendly they were on the phone. They
asked if it was a special occasion, where we'd like to sit, and
suggested if we sat outside that we bring extra warm clothes. Very
thoughtful and shows that they really wanted us to enjoy our experience.
I
checked the menu out online and found myself salivating over almost
their entire menu. It's a pretty big menu but it has lots of variety and
I think it could appeal to even the pickiest eaters. So many delicious
looking options!
When we got to Golden earlier than we expected,
we phone and asked if we could come in earlier, which was no problem. It
turned out this was because the restaurant was pretty quiet, but
whatever - I appreciated the flexibility as my tummy was rumbling at
this point.
The hostess was friendly and lead us in right away to
a cute table in the corner. This is a beautiful restaurant, inside and
out. I was very impressed by the bar - it's a huge chunk of wood hung
from the ceiling - hard to describe but beautiful!
Our servers
were very polite and professional, however it did seem like nobody had
specific sections so we had a few different servers and sometimes were
looking around trying to find one. It wasn't a big deal and everyone we
dealt with was polite but it did seem disorganized.
As a starter
we had the baked goat cheese phyllo, which came with a side salad, which
was a bit odd to me. However the phyllo was very tasty - the flavours
went well together and we gobbled it up. It was sliiiightly cold which
was a bit of a turn off but honestly it tasted delicious.
As a
main I ordered the black pepper fettuccini (a tough choice amongst so
many tasty looking things!), which was delicious. It was a fairly large
portion of deliciousness and I loved it. When I go back, I'll be tempted
to try it again, although there are so many other things I'd like to
try...
Sadly we were too full for dessert as I wanted to try the rosehip creme brule and the bumbleberry tortellini, but next time!!
Overall
this is a beautiful restaurant with delicious, well-priced food and
friendly service. I don't remember how much we paid in total but it was
comparable to some of the most mediocre chains, so not much at all.
Definitely a beautiful place to stop for a nice meal if you're in the
area! I'll be back.
Cazhall - Urbanspoon - September 23, 2011
This small town has a lot of restaurants but
this is easily the best. We returned repeatedly - great service,
amazing views from the patio, and I couldnt get enough of those buffalo
burgers! Husband loved the spicey poblano and the platter was divine.
Highly recommend to all travellers.
Robin B - Golden BC - TripAdvisor - 21 September 2011
“One of our Favorites!”
We always love to come to the Island. The family like atmosphere and
staff always makes for a pleasureable, relaxed visit. Plus they bring me
a glass of Malbec right away :) My children love the pizza and burgers,
calamari is a hit as well as the caesar salad. My personal fav is the
Asian short ribs, and dessert hands down is the creme brulee. All around
great place to eat everytime. Highly recommended!!
jackie o - TripAdvisor - 5 September 2011
“amazing building, patio & food!!!”
"Great selection of BC wines to compliment the amazing food! The patio is
one of the only in Golden to get sun all day and it overlooks the
Kicking Horse river with views of the mountain ranges! Great service and
meal! Would highly recommend to anyone!!"
BushBeast - TripAdvisor - 1 September 2011
“A nice place to eat in Golden”
Restaurant was suggested to us by the owner of our B&B. Nice
atmosfeer with sufficient space. We ate inside. The spring roles were a
nice starter, followed by the dish of the day (pork) as main course and
espresso as dessert. A place we would advice to friends.
OSfromSask - Stockholm - TripAdvisor - 30 August 2011
“Amazing place to eat!”
"Our group of 10 dined on the patio with an amazing view of the mountains. The incredible food complimented this very beautiful view. The servers were welcoming and warm which lead to a very comfortable atmosphere. We would definitely dine at this restaurant again and recommend it to anyone."
Veronica M - Francavilla di Sicilia, Italy - TripAdvisor - 30 August 2011
“FRIENDLY SERVICE AND GREAT DESSERT!”
"My husband and I stopped in after a long bike ride and we're greeted by smiley staff who provided bottomless beverages! The patio is right on the kicking horse river, which is a really pleasant spot to sit on a sunny day. Food was excellent and I especially loved the dessert, a berry pie :) After trying out a few spots in town, we'd definitely choose this patio & food over any other place in Golden."
ScootsGMB TripAdvisor - 28 August 2011
"This place is fantastic! The Log building creates a really nice atmosphere. The patio is definitely their gem with views of the Rockies Mtns, Purcell Mtns and the Kicking Horse River. You can watch the rafters tours paddle by. The servers are always very friendly and helpful, with lots of local tips for visitors. Now the food. It is great, from serving everything from breakfast to dinner they make everything in house any it shows that time and care goes into each plate."
"My wife, son and I were staying at the municipal RV campground and we wanted to dine somewhere that we could walk to. Golden has a couple of pubs but the Canadian pubs do not seem to admit children. Forlorn we were making our way back to camp ground when we passed by The Island. The menu suited as did the prices. Inside, upstairs was a warm inviting wood log style, with a friendly welcome. My wife started off with a Marguerita the size of a fish bowl and I had a local bottled dark ale. The lad was introduced to root beer. The lad and I went for burgers, which were tasty, ample well presented, The wife went for a veggie burger and we all commented on how excellent the food was. We had puddings too! This was an unexpected little gem."
ValerieR_23 - TripAdvisor - 24 August 2011
“Excellent”
"We enjoyed an evening meal - delicioius lamb. The service was excellent and the server was friendly and helpful."
t_bennet - Calgary, TripAdvisor - 23 August 2011
“B E A U,tiful patio!”
"a favorit restaurant of mine, especially in the summer. there patio over looks the kicking horse river, with a great view of the mountains in the back ground. The beer is always cold, and the staff friendly (with good knowledge of the local area). There menu is broad and keeps me trying new things every time I visit.
I would suggest this place to anyone looking for a great dinning expearience, as well as picking up a few tips about vacationing in the golden area!"
"We sat on the beautiful patio overlooking the Kicking Horse river and had the most wonderful experience. The food was delicious.. house made spring rolls, braised asian short ribs that were so tender, brome lake duck and a wonderful bumbleberry dessert! The wine list had a wonderful selection of BC vineyards and the service was exceptional!"
RMcFamily - TripAdvisor - 20-Aug-2011
“We have to go back Kate!"
"We have eaten at this restaurant 4 times now and each time has been great. It's worth the few minutes detour off the main highway to get there. Excellent porch and patio right beside the river. We each had a chiabatto club which had real turkey fresh buns and crispy bacon. Loved it! Must go back."
"We always have the best time at the island - the servers will go out of their way to go the extra mile. They don't make you feel bad for requesting substitutions like some restaurants do. The food is amazing, there are so many delicious items on the menu that it keeps us coming back to try them all! Oh and the building is amazing, a log building with a great patio overlooking the river."
Munlaw2 - TripAdvisor - 1-Aug-2011
“Great find. My reward for leaving the long weekend traffic jam on HWY 1!”
"Seeing what the Germans call a 'stau' worming its way east up the hill from Golden, a moment of clarity sent me into the heart of the older part of Golden. Crossing the Kicking Horse river, I stumbled upon 'The Island' (a restaurant and not the Ewan McGregor / Scarlett Johansen movie). A relatively tranquil location, despite the adjacent thoroughfare. The upper outdoor deck was full, so the riverside patio was my option. The food was well prepared and flavourful. I started with a half dozen oysters, followed by a black pepper linguine. Both items were on the specials list. A tall bottle of Mt. Begbie dark ale washed it down. My server was cheerful and attentive. The only negative were some pesky mosquitoes and, when advised of their irksomeness, my server promptly lit a repellant candle. Recommended summer or winter. "
Cynthia F. Vancouver, BC, yelp.ca - July 20, 2011
An inviting new log restaurant in the downtown area, at the intersection
of the river, and the road to the municipal campground and outdoor
pool.We were welcomed upon arrival by a cheerful young lady, and
it was a bonus that she then became our server. I think her name was
Jocelyn. She always had a smile on her face which speaks volumes.
Hubby had the Black Pepper Fettucini with Chicken for $16. It was the
right portion, good flavors spiced nicely. One son had a $16 Steak
Sandwich which was dry; the other son had a $12 Island Burger which he
said sufficed. He also had a fish chowder soup which was somewhat
gluey-ish but otherwise had pleasant flavours.
The menu offered bumbleberry perogies for dessert which sounded yummy and different. Next time, because we will return.
Janet - GoogleMaps - 22 Jun 2011
Great food and wine, very relaxing place."
Liked: Food, Service, Atmosphere, Value
Deane - GoogleMaps - 8 Jun 2011
business meeting. They provided the entire upstairs and it was so private and spacious! The service was amazing. They disappeared when we needed privacy and appeared when we needed them. The patio was a very nice during breaks. The snacks were fresh and wonderful, the dinner and wine following was out of this world. "
Rubae & Veerle, Belgium - April 2011
"We ran into this place by coincidence, and it was a nice surprise. Thank you for your warm welcome and the great meal at the restaurant...."
Pat, Whitehorse, Yukon - April 2011
"Tell Aaron I miss his cooking. He has spoiled me for all the restaurants in Whitehorse."
Robert - March 2011
"What a wonderful little place. If you have not stumbled upon the Island Restaurant then you should. The Sushi was fantastic and the whole experience was amazing."
George Koch - Ski Canada Magazine - Winter 2011 edition
"One evening, photographer Henry Georgi, Colorado pro skier Sven Brunso and I had a phenomenal dinner at The Island, a new restaurant in a log building beside the Kicking Horse River."
Pat & Jim, Mark Lake, Yukon - December 2010
"The Island was the best food I've ever tasted. Aaron and Petra were very welcoming and we had many good meals there."
ZenAltitude - Trip Advisor - 6 November 2010
“Charming dining in the heart of Golden BC”
"This relatively new restaurant is located in a gorgeous log cabin structure on the small island adjacent to the bridge into and out-of town. The owner is a charming Australian woman and her husband (who grew up in town) works the kitchen with great skill. The staff is remarkably personable and attentive. My wife and I loved their inspired specials and returned several times to repeat the experience (I picked it for my birthday dinner). We dined on the upper deck outdoor seating area on a perfect fall afternoon and were completely won over. We will be returning here often!"
"The location has main floor, second floor and outdoor patio seating. The good selection of food will satisfy everyone. The decor offers a warm and laid back feel that is perfect when on vacation. The pakoras were addictive and the soup of the day was full of flavour.
The island special pizza with goat cheese and prosciutto was one of the best pizza's I have ever had. The service was good and small town friendly."
Doug & Annette, Sudbury, Ontario - September 2010
"... great food in the restaurant"