Turtle Island Cafe

Now this is a true restaurant. Locally sourced meats and produce that change almost weekly. Wines that embody the culture of the people. Holiday features that encourage community wellbeing and happiness. Make sure you call to reserve your table especially for the theme dinners.

Our winter getaway to ice fish in the Adirondacks always includes Friday night dinner here! A cozy place with yummy food and friendly people. Friday nights have live music which tops off the start of a fun filled weekend! See ya next year!

Our family went for a day trip and stopped by for dinner. There were 2 or 3 other tables occupied. The staff was friendly. The ambiance and décor were pleasing and the menu had a good variety of options.
The server took the drink order promptly. I ordered a craft IPA and my spouse selected a bottled hard cider. It took a long time to get the drinks (roughly 15 mins). We ordered an Asian dumpling app (which was excellent), a lobster roll and a burger.
The kids meals are $ 10, they wouldn’t substitute a side salad for the steamed vegetables even though it was an option with other kids meals. They offered to sell us a house salad instead. $ 10 for seemingly boxed mac and cheese and our 47lb just turned 7yr old was still very hungry and was asking for food as we left.
Everything was appealing and tasted good, but portion sizes were small. I don’t plan to go back.

After a day paddle-​boarding we looked for a place to grab some food near Wilsboro. Unfortunately we ended up at the Turtle Café or as we renamed it the «TURDle Café.» When we walked in we were the only customers there. The place was dead.
We chose to sit outside at first, which was the wrong choice because the chairs were so uncomfortable! Also, the music… it was worse than Elevator music and louder than it needed to be. I can’t even explain how bad it was, but I’ll try… So picture a drunk Kenny G who is probably completely deaf. It was that horrible! Nothing about it was enjoyable. It would have been 86% better to have nothing so we could enjoy the sounds of cars passing. So, we moved to the back/​side porch where the chairs were waaaay more comfy, but the music was still blaring out there!!!
After about 30 minutes the drinks we ordered came out (granted our waitress said the bartender was new and that’s why it took so long) they were served in tiny plastic cups for the low price of 5.50. Totally not worth it at all. I can only imagine the bartender used a thimble to measure out the liquor in them. It was absurd!
About 5 minutes after our drinks came out our food appeared. I ordered their «award winning burger» without a bun and a side salad. The burger was the color of the outside of the building (a grayish color) and tasted like it wasn’t even cooked. I was really confused about the whole thing. It wasn’t the worst burger I’ve ever had, but it reminded me of when I went to summer camp and it was burger night… not the happiest memory. Maddie ordered the ravioli appetizer and wasn’t impressed. She also got the side salad, which was very basic, but the dressing was really yummy. Max ordered the veggie burger and said «it was pretty good, but it didn’t have a pickle on the side». The French fries that were an additional charge to Max were homemade and looked tasty, but we’re super greasy.
The waitress was nice and seemed pleasant enough.
When I got my bill I was shocked at how much it all came to…26.00. The burger was 12.00, the tiny drink 5.50, and the side salad 7.00…total rip off of quality and quantity (drink size).
At the end of our dinner Max went to the bathroom and came out with a disgusted face and a story of a free range pube stuck the the toilet.
Overall, we probably won’t be revisiting this place. If I do my eardrums will probably bleed from the shitty music and my stomach would explode after another gray raw burger consumption.

We’ve been vacationing in this area for the past 5 years. We passed this restaurant on every trip to the ferry to VT. We finally decided to go in today-​and I’m so glad we did. The inside is very nice. It has a more upscale feel but without the pretension. We asked about the chef (after the meal) and he’s a local boy who went to CIA Albany, did a stint selling wine and then came back home. He bought the restaurant 12 years ago. His passion for good food comes through clearly in the food. We had the turkey chili. We were told it was a menu regular. They should really bring it back. You wouldn’t believe turkey chili could make a nice presentation, but this chef does. It’s served in a bowl with a visually beautiful and well dressed salad. The chili comes with 2 triangles of polenta, with nice char marks. Such a smart touch from the usual corn bread. The chili very good, made with turkey and black beans with melted cheese on top. To top it all off, the check was very reasonable. We were so pleasantly surprised and so glad we went. We will make this a regular stop in future trips!

We have eaten here before but it seems like the value is going down a bit. The prices are high for the quality and ambience, and two times when we ordered fish it was dry and somewhat old tasting. Probably frozen. Waitress seemed hurried and distracted. We left disappointed.

We were looking for a quick bite to eat after taking the Charlotte-​Essex ferry. Traveling down the road to Willsboro we decided to eat here based largely on the positive Unilocal reviews. The prices initially seemed high, but, if the food were great — or the portions large — it would have been fine. Sadly, they were neither. Scared off by the highest priced items we decided to have some appetizers for our lunch. The $ 8 wings turned out to be 6 deep fried pieces with a squirt of franks red hot and butter. Good, but certainly not «seriously, the best» as they menu promised. No celery or carrots which may have helped justify the price (more than $ 1 per wing seems really excessive!). The fondue was fine, again very small, and served with stale bread, apples, red peppers and broccoli. The taste was pretty good but for $ 15 it should have either been mind blowing or much bigger. My son ate the dumplings — trader joes sized steamed pork dumplings smothered in a sticky teriyaki sauce. Probably the best value but still. The service was nice and the Andes mints with the check were a nice old-​school touch. Hopefully, next time we’re on the ferry we can find some place either cheaper or better.

After a long day of climbing at Poke O Moondshine, my buddy and I staggered into this quaint restaurant, disheveled and likely quite gross looking. I expressed to the hostess that we were underdressed and unsure if it was appropriate to eat there, but she was very reassuring and made us feel right at home. Following, the waiter was very friendly and accommodating.
I liked the restaurant’s commitment to food that’s good for your and good for the world. It felt right eating their meals because I could tell a lot of thought went into sourcing and creating the food. I had a delicious garden salad and the Mediterranean sampler. Both were kind to the vegetables, meaning the flavorings and spices were complimentary to the tastes of the vegetables, not over powering. The local draft beer was awesome, too.
I guess my only gripe would be the price. A little too much money for a little bit to little food. But it was great food so I won’t detract a star.
Definitely check it out if your looking for excellent service and finely crafted food.

Excellent all the way around. You would drive right by and never go in but you would miss out. Great food. Good music. Excellent dessert.

This is an excellent restaurant, the best wings I have had in Northern N Y and the burgers are the best. I’m going back to try the rest of the menu and their beer selection is great (bottle) the draft only two, also has very good wine selection.

Talk about a find — in the quiet little town of Willsboro, in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, is this amazing restaurant. Chef Dave is incredibly personable, will often makes the rounds of the tables, and has put together a really fine menu, with both the familiar and the sophisticated. The wine list is surprisingly extensive (I bet you cannot find Shafer’s Hillside Select Cabernet in a restaurant within 100 miles), fantastic beer selection, and a very homey atmosphere, with attentive service. A pleasing selection of small plates, extremely affordable, makes you think about ordering two or three and skipping the entrees — not a bad choice — and a great way to try out many different flavors! For entrees, the Asian Roast Duck is simply exquisite. We take the ferry from Vermont regularly simply to dine at the Turtle Island. The entire experience is well worth the half hour ferry ride back and forth — and have brought many friends over the years, who fondly remember their dinner at Turtle Island Café. This, my friend, is the type of restaurant that deserves support and applause from locals and visitors alike.

We were just passing through and tried it because of the Unilocal recs; glad we did. Looked a little run down from the front so we weren’t too sure. Owner and staff were lovely. Great reasonably priced wines. Killer onion soup. Local fresh veggies. My husband loved the scallops and I liked the mussels. Both entrée and tapas size plates available. Steak looked great as well.

If you have not dined here yet, I’ll make you one promise. You will be scratching your head trying to figure out why these people are operating this place — this wonderful place — in Willsboro, New York. You can easily picture the Turtle Island Café in a vineyard in Napa, or Burgundy. The kitchen is as proficient, and creative, as you will find in these parts, or outside these parts for that matter. Do give it a try. On my list of Adirondack Favorites.

An anomaly for Willsboro, perhaps, Turtle Island is well-​loved by a discerning group of New York, Montréal and Vermonters. Count me among them. I had the good fortune to find this place after biking through Willsboro recently. Having toured Southern France (Avignon) and California (wine country) by bike, Turtle Island appealed to my love for accessible European-​style café/​bistros with outdoor seating and a friendly wine list. A glass of wine and look at the menu informed me I needed to return. Two months later, I enjoyed two courses here and they were nothing less than spectacular. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone traveling through the Willsboro area, or Vermonters looking for an interesting alternative to the crowded and over-​rated restaurants in Burlington. Located 10 minutes from the Charlotte/​Essex ferry, Turtle Island is unique, delectable and atmospheric. Fresh local ingredients, an original and knowledgeable chef, and excellent service are highlights. I highly recommend the Asian salad, topped with tender coconut shrimp and pot stickers (best I’ve ever had), as well as the chicken piccata. Can’t wait to go back!

This is as good as it gets. We vacationed in Essex NY last week and had the good fortune to find this gem early in the week, it was so good, we went back on our last night. The salmon was about as fresh as you can get, was swimming in Alaska waters on Thursday, on our plate on Monday, and perfectly cooked. The lobster rositto excellent as was the thai style shrimp with pork dumplings, the duck the best my son ever had.
The front of the house is run by Dyaln, the kitchen by Chef Dave. Both are personable, knowledgable and welcoming. They have an extensive wine and beer list. Talk to Dylan, tell him your preferences in beer and he will recommend something you probably never had before that would be spot on. Dave is fun to talk to about his food, sking, experiences with PBS and featured spot on Rachael Ray Vacation.
If you are vacationing in Lake Placid, take the trip to this restaurant, it is worth the beautiful drive.

When a member of our dinner party voiced a complaint to our waitress we were then passed along to the manager who was rude and unhelpful. He did offer us a complimentary desert– but was unable to successfully satisfy our complaint. We then were confronted by the owner, Dave– who was also unable and unwilling to satisfy our complaint. We were given lots of excuses and asked where we were from like that makes a difference– poor customer service and will not be making that trip again.

this place is beautiful destination when you are in the area. the food is wonderful and the service is personal and welcoming. i have been coming here every year, and never been disappointed. the chef is always willing to talk not only about his food, but his love of sking.

Very nice presentation, however prices were very high. Limited menu, but a nice atmosphere.