I love the passion fruit iced tea! This is a "chain restaurant" so sometimes the service is good, other times the service is bad. I am bummed they took the half chicken off the menu. It is a good place for burgers, and salads- the fries are meh. The downside is that if you have a large party of someone with a disability, then this is not a place for you - as they only have booths. The only table & chairs are in the bar, and they are high top tables - so that puts the kaibosh on that. They have a good kids menu
Review Source:The service was excellent, the decor was over the top, like a plastic hawaiin disney land. I ordered the nachos (note to self, should of ordered the fish tacos). Too much cheese, too much canned jalepeno slices, too much tinny tasting "salsa" slathered on paper thin tortilla chips. Daughter had burger & fries. The fries were really good, but the rest tasted like it came out of a can. We should have known that we shouldn't stay when our drinks (soda & a water) came in plastic beer type mugs.
Review Source:If I could give this no stars I would. We just left im 9 months pregnant and they served me my baja chicken tacos RAW!! The chicken was not cooked and the manager was just like whatever about it. Uhhh u served someone raw chicken and its ok? To bad I ate a taco before I noticed it im hoping I do not get sick it can cause me to go into labor. Will never eat here again, ever!!
Review Source:The food here is almost always great and we always receive top-notch service. The other night, we did have an unusually long wait and at the end of the night, I did their online review to offer feedback. I promptly received a response from their Regional Manager who was incredibly hospitable and extended apologies and compensation for the one poor experience. I was very impressed by the customer service and will continue to come back.
Review Source:Most Islands tend to be the same- good burgers (although the bun can get soggy from time to time) & nice staff. Happy hour can be fun there; the appetizers are pretty cheap then. I'm not a big fan of fries, but I do like theirs. I tend to always get the hula burger (my fav). Their tortilla soup is good too.
Review Source:We hadn't been here in awhile, but remembered their burgers were good. Â Actually, I didn't get a burger this time. Â More on that in a bit.
Decor -- kind of kischy pseudo-Hawaiian. Â It works, I guess. Â There are a few big-screen TVs around, showing football when we were there, but not so many as to make it look like a sports bar. Â
Food -- really pretty good. Â I decided to break with tradition and get their fish tacos. They were generously stuffed with cabbage and all the usual, and delivered almost too hot to pick up. Â Pretty tasty, and served with a couple of lime wedges and a bit of pico de gallo. Â Also a small bowl of beans on the side, which my wife didn't like, but I thought they were passable.
The nachos were good, too, and properly greasy. Â But not Hawaiian food, either. Â I sampled the french fries and they were properly salted, crispy on the outside and mealy on the inside, which means pretty much perfect. Â The onion rings tasted good and were cooked properly, but just a little greasy. But that's OK. I've had much worse. Â Â
Overall, a pretty decent place to fill up. Â Oh, that reminds me, their burgers are pretty filling, too, so be sure you are hungry when you come.
Yes, Islands is a chain, but it's a good one.
The decor is pleasantly island-y without being too over the top.
The sizeable menu has something for everyone.  Moist and delicious, the rotisserie chicken is accompanied a tortilla, salsa, sour cream, and cole slaw. Chocked full of grilled chicken breast, crumbled bacon, fresh avocado, tomatoes, chopped hard cooked egg, scallions, bleu cheese, and lettuce, the Cobb salad was absolutely huge and delicious. Topped with teriyaki sauce, smoked applewood bacon, tomato, onion, Swiss cheese, and grilled pineapple, the Hawaiian burger is a third of a  pound, never frozen, filler-free patty of USDA Choice ground sirloin cooked to your exact specifications and served on an oat-speckled wheat bun. Â
For those counting calories, Island has "lighter" offerings under 600 calories. Â One stellar example is the northshore tacos limited, featuring two corn tortillas filled with tender grilled chicken, lettuce, and pico de gallo as well as a side f ranchera beans.
The service is great, especially in the bar, and the prices are reasonable. Â A good deal can be found at happy hour with discounts on drinks and some appetizers.
While certainly not haute cuisine, Islands does do good burgers and bar food with a range of options tht will please everyone.
I know, it's a chain. Can't possibly be good, right? Wrong. The service is the best, especially from Nicole in the bar. The food is always good, the prices are reasonable, and it a very clean and neat restaurant. Great management, excellent staff, and a killer turkey burger. We are locals and we always recommend Islands. Our friends and clients say, "But, it's a chain". Yes it is and a really good one.
Review Source:We come here every year during our Spring Break week in Palm Desert. We love Islands! We love all things TIKI and this place is decked out. I was craving a good margarita all week - 100% agave tequila, agave nectar, real lime juice and some orange liqueur. Imagine my surprise to find this REAL margarita on Island's drink menu, its the "skinny" margarita, I suppose they call it that because it doesn't have a sugar-laden pre-mix in it. It was absolutely delicious! Our veggie burger, beef burger, chicken tenders and last but not least the French Fries (out of this world great) were all delicious. Our server was super friendly and attentive. I cannot say the same about most other dining experiences in Palm Desert. Great job Islands! Please open up in the Bay Area!!
Review Source:One of my all time faves after all these years since the original one opened in West LA. They still get all the basics right (burgers, fries, soft chicken tacos, nachos) free soda refills) and from time to time add in a few new things (tortilla soup) consistent with the surfer theme. Now with their own branded beer! Great (i.e. couldn't be any more attentive) service, reasonable prices, and family friendly. You just can't go wrong here. It's a SoCal classic.
Review Source:One of our favorite places to stop on our bi-monthly trek down into the Palm Springs area. Almost always have great service and the food is predictable and yummy. I prefer the turkey burgers, The only complaint I have is their buns are toasted with oil and sometimes have a bit too much oil on them - but that's they way they do them. A must-try!
Review Source:Islands in Palm Desert, is one of many in a major chain. Â This particular location has been much more forgiving than several of the other locations.
The food here is fresh, in comparison to many of the other locations in bigger cities, handling more foot traffic. Â
You can usually get seated rather quickly and the service generally fits the speedy flow as well. Â I have had overall good service at this location. Â
There is a wide variety of food, more healthy than the other options locally. Â You can choose from a chicken burger to a healthy fish taco with fresh salsa. Â The fries are always a favorite and if you are looking for a good chicken tortilla soup, this is the place.
Their bar always has great sporty things on TV. Â You will usually catch bits of a surfing contest, snowboarding X Games or any other really random sport on TV. Â The bar has a variety of seats that you can sit at with the whole family if the restaurant is full.
I come here at least once a year when my doctor allows me to enjoy one of their many delicious hamburgers. On this occasion, a group of us stopped in for happy hour after playing racquetball ball.
The happy hour prices for their beers are not bad ~3.75 for a large frosty mug of their Island IPA, Golden or Brown ale.
They also have a small selection of happy food, each item priced less then $4.00. I had the sliders and they we overcooked, dry and seriously lacking flavor. Bummer since their regular burgers are always the opposite. Four sliders came with pickles and onion strings. The onion strings were over cooked and oily.
So the food did not hit a high note with me, much like Jason's racquetball game, but the cold beer sure did. I will take another.
Came to Islands for happy hour after giving a racquetball lesson to a couple of friends.
Good pricing on their three private-label beers, and I got an enormous order of skin-on french fries for just under two bucks, which were fairly tasty, and filling.
Service was attentive. Will return when I have more time to eat and drink more!
I have to say in the past 6 months the quality of both the food and the service has dwindled at this location. Â Lots of overcooked burgers, soggy buns, cold mushy fries, etc the last few times I have been in. Â We have stopped going to this location altogether and will wait a while and try it again. Â Its quite sad actually, I have loved this place for years, and it just seems poorly managed.
Review Source:I love Island's and I've been to dozens of them, so there's not much left to say at this point. It was pretty busy on the night we went, but the service was still pretty good and the food was really tasty! I wish their prices were a tad bit lower, but regardless...I love this place and always will. I always get the Bleunami and the cheddar fries, mmmm!
Review Source:A friend and I went into this restaurant expecting great food because we've heard so many good things about it and it seems to be pretty good here on yelp. I'm not sure if I had a bad experience or if it was a bad day to come in, but we got sat right away and for some reason this place felt pretty small and the decorating is kind of cluttered and tacky.
I ordered a Shirley Temple and it came with a few cherries, but they tasted kind of old. I ordered some unpronounceable burger, which came with fries and I always get extra fries when places offer bottomless, but the second batch of fries came out when I was already done with everything and about ready to leave. My friend ordered a chicken wrap and stopped eating it halfway in because she bit into a few hard pieces and it ruined her appetite.
The waitress was nice, but slow. It wasn't a terribly busy time of the day, but she took her time with my refills of Shirley Temples and old cherries.
-1 Star for an overcooked burger
-1 Star for hard pieces in my friend's wrap
-1 Star for old cherries
-1 Star for slow service
Yelp doesn't allow for any more minuses, so they get a 1 star.
I love Islands!
If you go there ask for Jason S. and say that Jen M. recommended him! Make sure to tip him well! :)
I have been a loyal fan if Islands for 10 years! I love going there for delicious sandwiches, Tacos, burgers and fries! The prices are great and the service has always been top notch. Even on busy days.
I recommend the CA Flyer and Tortilla Soup! To delicious! I also enjoy the Hawaiian Burger and the onion rings. A birdie told me that they make all of there chips, fries, and onion rings in house! Fresh!
Try them when you get a chance and tell them Jen sent you!
I don't know why I have put off going here for so long...but, I'm glad I finally did. In my never-ending search for that eye-popping burger - Islands serves one delicious, healthy-sized meal that ranks the Coachella Valley's very best. Â The fries is a fatter, seasoned version of the very same fresh cut spuds found at In-N-out Burger. In fact, if you so love them...this restaurant even offers "endless fries" or, as much as you can stomach.
I ordered the Hawaiian Burger, which is Island's namesake specialty. It's a 1/3 pound, never frozen, filler-free patty of USDA Choice grade ground Sirloin cooked to your exact specifications. I specified charred rare(cold-seared)....and I got exactly that. Yes, they follow directions well. One bite of my burger was met with an overwhelming, exploding bomb of Teriyaki, smoked Applewood bacon, tomato, onion, Swiss cheese, grilled Pineapple and oat-speckled wheat bun, altogether orchestrated by that unmistakable flavor of charbroiled beef. Once the flavor orgasm subsided, I noticed the meat was literally melt-in-your-mouth tender, reminiscent of a razor-thin slice of Carpaccio.
If all their signature burgers are this GOOD....you know I will be back to try the rest. It's pretty easy to screw-up a burger...but Islands has done all their homework on how to make an impressionable, tasty Hamburger. I judge a burger by how well it burps-up, hours afterwards. Islands keeps reminding me how good it was....Aloha!
We go here a lot, because my husband like the fries, and I am a fan of the China Coast salad. Â (I wish I could get that dressing recipe. ) Â I like the decor, and personnel is always friendly. Â I wish they would put something else on those TV's besides surfing and snowboarding, but then it might be football they put on, and it would be like every other sports bar around.
Review Source:This is the second time we have darkened Islands Restaurant's door, but the first we have stayed to eat. Â Over a year ago three of us intended to have lunch. The restaurant was almost totally without customers and oddly, the only place they would consent to seat us was smack adjacent to the restrooms and we departed.
Tonight at 6:00 o'clock we had very little to eat during the day and the cupboard was bare. Â We were in our medium grubbies and we headed down Highway 111, looking for inspiration. Â Not one to hold a grudge for more than a few years, when we neared Islands I suggested we try it again.
What a surprise, at that time of the evening, it was almost three-quarters filled. Â We were given a nice booth and immediately asked for iced tea and it was brought unbelievably quickly. Â The Light of my Life decided on the Rotisserie Chicken which was served with a tortilla, salsa, sour cream and Cole Slaw. Â Very nice and he enjoyed it. Â I opted for a Cobb Salad. Â In that establishment it is spelled with a "K" as in Kobb. Â Sometthing Islandy, I guess. Â The salad was huge and delicious. Â There was a different taste to it that I could only describe as mint, although the server said he knew of no mint included. Â It was not at all objectionable, but I would have preferred its absence.
The service was superb. Â We were asked multiple times if we needed anything and I was brought three (3) iced teas, never having to ask. Â
We both had wonderful leftovers, which will probably be sufficient for the following day's brunch. Â
When we left the restaurant at 7:15 there were many people waiting outside to be seated. Â It seems to be popular and we will probably go again.
Gratuitous observation: Â Â Being attractive is not a requirement to be either an employee or a patron of Islands.
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I think the last time I had been to Islands Burgers was in Hawaii. Â We decided to go here when on vacation, taking a break from shopping nearby. Â I had the special chicken/guacamole burger on wheat. Â IT was pretty good. Â And the fries weren't bad. Â Better when dipped in a mayo/mustard mixture. Â Well, almost anything is better with mayo. Â And bacon. Â Service was good. Â Burgers took a while, but they were kinda busy. Â But we kept getting water and iced tea refills like crazy! Â Overall, I'd go back.
Review Source:I hadn't been to Islands in a while so I stopped by here before a meeting twice. Though others complain about the slow service, I've had nothing but quick service both times I've been here (and during peak lunch hour!). As soon as I was seated, my drink order was taken and not too long after that, so was my food order. Service was quick and efficient.
My second visit wasn't up to par with the first, though, in terms of food and service. Â I had been in the mood for some bacon so I ordered the Rincon burger. Silly me, I didn't realize that my burger had come with NO bacon until I was halfway through eating it. Not wanting to put up a fuss, I let it slide. Additionally, during this second visit, my server did not offer me a to-go cup either for my drink and was too busy flirting with some guy in the next booth. Don't get me wrong, even though she was busy doing that, she was still attentive to her customers.
I enjoy Islands and still do. I'm sad that their lunch specials no longer include a drink.
i'm a fan of islands, i'm here an average of once a week with either friends or on a date.
the only thing is... DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU ARE ON A TIME CRUNCH! Â they are usually pretty busy, and even when they aren't.. the service is generally a bit slow, albeit friendly. Â you just kinda gotta go into it understanding that.
that being said.. i love islands for their drinks! Â they don't have a happy hour (sadface), but they DO have drinks that are reasonably priced and noticably strong. Â one evening, a gentleman whom i believe was a manager brought our drinks to the table, and said something along the lines of that fact that the regular pour at island's is a half ounce heavier than at most dining establishments. Â uhm... love it!
i love the veggie tacos, and the house iced teas are pretty nice as well.
i've had a couple of servers here who were great... but the rest have left much to be desired!
Well, we ended up eating here by a recommendation for good hamburgers and french fries... he was right... The hamburger was huge and the french fries were very crispy and for around $3, you get a big basket of yummy fries which are cut there, soaked and fried in non-transfat oil...(according to the waitress).
Review Source:Service is horribly slow everytime Ive been there (20+X in PD) but the food is great in the traditional manner of Islands all around. China coast is the best and has been my favorite for the past 20+ years. Fries are still the best and even though you watch the same surfer/snowboard movies over and over again, you cant help to think about a vacation......
For those that dare, try their chili cheese fries with jalapenos and onions....!
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