Could be hard to find parking Friday-Saturday nights, especially if there's a big movie that just came out.
I suggest ordering any of their burgers (with unlimited fries), the tuna sandwich, any of their desserts, and/or onion rings.
Prices are a tad high, but the portions are pretty big.
After your meal, go next door to shop at Tilly's, and/or watch a movie at Edwards.
Islands is usually the go-to place for my friends and I after a movie (or before one if there is a midnight screening). Came in today with a couple of friends after an advance movie screening and wanted something different.
We were seated fast, and the friendly waiter came by asking about drinks. I already had an idea of what to order, my usual, the Toucan Sandwich with a mug of Islands Golden Ale; but decided to try something different.
The Pesto Paradiso looked pretty good, and I was hungry after the almost 2.5 hour movie and a "live" Q&A with the star and director afterward.
The sandwich--not sure why they call it a sandwich, it comes on a burger bun--was huge, and delicious. Grilled chicken breast, jack & parmesan cheeses, with basil pesto, lettuce, tomato & mayo, and a side of Islands fries. Almost ran out of room half-way through, but powered on.
Today was our first visit here and I have no idea why we never went in before as this place is right next to our house...
The staff is very friendly,..the ambiance is laid back and islandy..
The food...I loved the spicy chipotle aioli burger that I ordered..it was de-li-ci-oussssss....the onions rings are amazing...
My wife got the vegetable tacos and I want to go back again to get those...they were wonderful with plenty of grilled veggies and avocado in flour tortilla...
I want to go try all the burgers and the quesadilla...
GO IN now you will love it too...
Late night [reverse] happy hour (9p-close)!!!
Our group watched a movie next door at Regal. Afterwards, 20 of us came in and scooped up all the tables in the bar. The servers accommodated our group and were really friendly and attentive.
They have really good drink and food specials and the appys are great for sharing. We ended up sharing the artichoke dip for our table. Pretty decent and the price was right. I ordered a strawberry pina colada, which was amazing and enough to curb the frosty craving.
Great place to grab some inexpensive happy hour in Mira Mesa.
came here after our Yelp movie night last night...with more than 20 of us in tow...we filled the bar and the bartender and server did a fabulous job accommodating our large group. Â
first of all...HH starts again at 9 pm! wow! there was a huge selection of drink /appetizers on the HH menu...for cheap! we had some cheesy fries and sliders...i think they were $4 each....and a strawberry colada cocktail (i don't think it had alcohol!)...i did a breath a lizer test after and i blew a 0.00...hmmmm
oh and...they have AHI here...ok i know that sounds weird and borderline gross ordering Ahi at Islands...but we did..and it was damn good! served with won ton chips and diced avocado...friggin amazing! and yes i would order it again!
so food was good. Â I think i would stick to beer here since the cocktails don't have alcohol in them...or maybe just order vodka on the rocks. =)
Thanks Brad for treating us to an amazing after movie snack and slushy!
It's girls night out!
Finished watching Les Miserables. Great movie.
Went to Islands for dinner. Amazing food, oh ma glob
Ok, the food is fantastic. Like, I could sing like the actors in Les Mis for every time I'd eat food here, does that even make sense? Well, their food made me sing is what I'm trying to say. SING WITH HAPPINESS! So satisfying. Mm, large portions, good food, nice atmosphere, friendly servers, reasonable prices for this teenage girl. It was a great time. I got cheese fries. No regrets about that either. NO REGRETS THAT NIGHT
So freakin happy and satisfied with Islands, I'm definitely coming back here with da girlfriendsssss for some good food & good company :) Yay. I'm a fan! We were all fans.
The staff is really nice, friendly and attentive. Â The burgers are ok. Â The french fries that I got with my burger were hard, dry and like card board. Ordered the chicken strips before and they are nothing special, the fish tacos are ok. It's over priced, I would much rather eat at in and out. Â I will only eat here if friends want to go. Â I would be happy never eating here again.
Review Source:I love this place. I tried their wings for the first time, and they tasted good. Wish their was more of a crunch or a batter to it that would take them to another level. The burgers are my weakness. I love how they offer a wheat bun and a white bun to chose from. Every time I come here, the burgers are cooked perfectly. No complaints about this location. Nice service, nice vibe, and great location.
Review Source:Islands has always been one of my favorite places to grab a burger. I usually go to the Temecula location and have never had any complaints. However, last night I went to the Mira Mesa Islands and was extremely disappointed.
After searching 15 minutes for parking and waiting 45 minutes for a table, myself and my 2 friends were very hungry and ready for a drink.
Our server was unfriendly (to say the least) from the beginning. We ordered an iced tea, a diet coke, and a 16 oz. Hef. The iced tea was old, and my friend didn't like how sweet the  Hef was. We sent the Hef back (with a little attitude from our server) and kept the iced tea as we were too afraid to further offend her by sending that back as well.
We ordered a Toucan, north shore tacos and a burger (can't remember which one.) The food came out and from then on we didn't see a server for the rest of our meal. We finally saw our server walking by and flagged her down to ask for a refill of water. The rest of the drinks remained empty throughout the meal.
After finishing, we waited about 20 minutes before Tiana (a server from a different table) asked if we needed anything. We gladly asked her if she could get our check. Tiana happily printed our check, split it 3 ways, and thanked us for coming in. Our server was nowhere to be found.
The two stars are for the food (pretty good as always) and for Tiana who salvaged our night by getting us out of dinner in time to see our movie.
I guess I will stick to the Temecula Islands.
Free refills on fries? Okay!
I love that they offer veggie patties to accommodate the vegetarian crowd. I always order the Kiluaia Burger (spelling?) with a wheat bun and vegetable patty. For those of you who think it is ridiculous to replace meat with a vegetable patty, give it a try. You will see how much flavor you have been missing out on in your sandwich.
Plus, they have a full bar. Burgers, fries, and beer? Hell yes!
As far as service goes, it's mediocre. I am not that impressed with it. Sometimes, I have felt rushed to eat and pay for my food. Other times, we have had to flag down other waitresses to get something else. One time, our waitress brought out regular fries instead of the onion rings that my husband ordered. When she came back with his onion rings, she took his fries away. Uh, hello, I ordered regular fries. Don't you think that maybe I wanted to take those home? Aren't the fries refilled for free anyway? Weird...
So, if the service was better, I'd give it five stars.
Was not expecting much but service was fine and dandy. Â Catching a movie @ Edwards cinema and needed a nosh before hand.
Ordered the sliders and draft beer. Â Happy hour.
Quick n easy. Â Beer cold food okay.
Would I go out of my way to eat here, no. Â But meet some friends before a movie, it will do
Definitely not the place to come to if you're worried about calories haha. I noticed that immediately! So I decided to eat something absolutely delicious! I went with the Kilauea burger. Jalapenos and black pepper crusted burger? Come on, is that even a question?! I personally thought the fries were boring and tasted like the frozen ones you throw in the over but at the burger was great. There were definitely a lot of kids in this place, I swear I had flashbacks to the Rainforest Cafe! Ahh!! The service at this location was great and the burger was amazing but a little pricey. I'd definitely come back here though.
Review Source:Islands is a chill good burger place. But I don't see myself going out of my way just to go to islands. This location in a pretty busy spot (by the movies theaters and shopping) so its a spot that's more convenient when you don't feel like driving anywhere else. In that specific area you have a few food spots to choose from (On the Borer, Panera Bread, and Oscars)
The food is good. Not the best burgers I've ever had. But good. When you're feeling healthy they offer a variety of healthier food options, my favorite is to go for the Turkey burgers.
Overall, service was good, place was clean, and plenty of parking (however on a Fri, Sat night, good luck trying to find parking, sometimes I've had to park across the street near home depot)
No complaints here. Service was decent, food was great, and beer was ice cold. Like any all American restaurant chains, place will get crowed and loud with kids. (To be expected). Never the less, when things start to get on your nerves...your bartender has what you need. In addition, I have to rave about the extra crispy golden onion rings. They are worth getting an extra order and sharing.
Review Source:This place sucks. The server here just didn't care. Gave me wheat bread when I said white. Then he said he'd bring out a white bun but forgot. Mike didn't even care about the service he was providing. A larger group that came after us were getting there food before us. Sad to say, I live almost next door to this place and been here 10 times in the past 6 months. I guess I need to go to another Islands down the freeway even though my kids like the walk to this one.
Review Source:Kilauea Kilauea Kilauea Kilauea Kilauea.
Best onion rings.
And full bar.
FTW.
Yummy, toasted wheat bun, fried onions, spicy cheese and mayo. I could never finish any spicy burger myself because I can't handle that much heat. But i can't help liking this burger.
/enter sig other to finish for me :)
Went here with a big group for lunch on a Saturday. Our server was not up to par, but Susan kept an eye on us and checked in once in a while. When asked why the hamburger patties look smaller than experienced previously, she gave an intelligent answer that explained it in a positive light that we thought was reasonable.
Susan saved the day and made our experience better. Without her, this review would have been different.
Their happy hour is solid.
Cheddar fries, sliders, and a bunch of other apps that my bf and I usually split instead of getting an entree each are all less than $5 ea. Beer is about a buck off, so head here by 7pm if you can.
We're both stuffed with food and beer for a mere $15.
Otherwise, the food and service is just like any other Island's you'll come across.
If you want a good burger with some good atmosphere then you've found the right place!
The only reason its not a 5 star place for me is because the burgers are a little over priced. I feel like 10 dollars for a burger is a little too much.
Well honestly everything in Islands is overpriced.
But besides that, i enjoy coming here.
My favorite thing to get here is:
Point break burger with the upgraded sweet potato fries. Which totaled up to be almost $13 bucks. That's with just water to drink too.
My girlfriend and I end up splitting the burger and fries up and sharing. The portions are ok and the food is filling!
I was only introduced to Islands about a year ago, but since then, I've become a definite devoteee.
Servers are friendly, the vibe is tropical & laidback- it practically SCREAMS San Diego!
That being said, I have a HUGE lover of the Hula Burger. It's crazy juicy & LOADED with mushrooms. During my last SD visit, I only planned on spending two weeks home, but I simply HAD to drop by Islands.
Portions are great, prices are good, and food is delicious- what more could you want?
The Pesto Paradiso is amazing! I've only recently discovered my love of all things pesto within the past couple of years and I've decided that it can only make things better. When I saw that Islands had a pesto chicken sandwich on the menu, I knew that I had to try it. So happy I did! The sandwich is served on a large bun with grilled chicken, jack and parmesan cheeses, lettuce, tomato and a good portion of pesto. Combine that with a pile of fries and I had plenty of food for two meals. In fact, I immediately cut the sandwich in half.
Honestly, I was enamored with my chicken sandwich that the rest of the dining experience was a blur. :)
Islands, you guys were okay.
Thank goodness some of the appetizers were dirt cheap during Happy Hour, because I would have been upset at paying $9.00 for those small sliders that I had.
During my time there for Happy Hour, they were about $4.00 but only if you sat at the bar which was the catch. They also had other appitizers for what looked to me about 40-50% off such as the cheddar fries and the quesadilla. The sliders were alright, nothing extraordinary.
For the main meal I had a Hawaiian Burger with fries at the recommendation of a colleague. Big mistake. I am open to trying new and experimental food, but I am not a fan of having fruit inside of my burger. I took the pineapples out and ate it like a regular burger which tasted better to me. The fries were your standard fries to me. The portions were decent.
The place is a little pricey but I was able to offset some of the cost of my appetizer since I sat at the bar during Happy Hour. The bartender did a great job overall and checked in with me consistently to see if I needed anything. I may be back to try other items on the menu and when I do I will update this review but for now three stars will have to do.
I've been here a few times since the rise of the Mira Mesa Market Center, but was here more recently when I came in the morning to camp out for the last 'Arry Pottah film :D
Hunger driven Julie (and Huns) steered our way to Islands since I knew it would be filling. Despite the busy atmosphere of the little restaurant, we were seated promptly and greeted by our server in a decent amount of time. In felt the service was just good and casual; perfect for the ambience and setting.
I ordered the Hula Burger (Srooms, Lettuce, Tomato, Swiss, Mayo)
- on wheat ( you may also get white)
- veggie patty (you may also get turkey)
- no mayo
- added guacamole (up charge, but not as much as slices of avocado)
- a side of caesar salad instead of the papas
*7/10: Its actually not a bad rating. I just have high standards for burgers.  It was tall, the slices of Srooms were perfectly sautéed, and the gauc made it more juicy. The veggie patty itself wasn't bad at all, but I've had better. I ended up eating half of it and saving the rest; I was way too full. Its a good thing to cut thd billion calories to only a million. Personally, I would get it again, however, it's not something I would crave.
Huns ordered the Bluenami (blue cheese dressing, lettuce, tomato, red onion, blue cheese crumbles)
- on wheat
-added bacon
I'm not exactly sure what he'd rate this thing. Looking at it was intimidating for me. It was a pretty big burger, juicy greasy patty (sorry, words of a veggie head), piled high with bacon and cheese crumbles in between. For a fact, I knew he enjoyed it. He finished the whole thing with the fries. When I asked if he'd get it again, he said "Sure." I'm not sure if he was paying attention to me though, since he's reading Game Of Thrones right now.... And if you know what it'd about, I'll let you know that he's reading the 'good' parts... Smh
All in all, I've never had a bad experience here. Service was always good and food decent. The menu selection, in my opinion, could use some steroids, but any vegetarian would say that. Never been for happy hour, but it seems like a very chill place to go for quick drinks/snacks.
Haven't been to an Islands in a long time, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Â For a chain burger place, it remains better than it needs to be.
For example: no matter when I've eaten here with friends, cheese fries are always ordered. Â But it's not just cheddar; it's cheddar and scallions. Â I have a theory that there is no savory food that a few diced scallions won't improve by a full letter grade. Â As an experiment, try it at home: dice some scallions into your ramen, or your egg whites. Â You'll think you're on the Food network.
And anyhow, these are already decent cheese fries.
My burger was a turkey Kiluea, which I'm guessing was added to the menu during my lengthy vacation from Islands because
I would definitely have ordered it before. Â Â The menu claims black pepper & jalapeno crusted meat -- I don't know that I'd quite go that far in a description, but there's a lot of heat for a chain burger. Â Add to that the crispy onion "strings" and some fairly toothless chipotle aioli (the garlic was awol) and you have a burger with enough subordinate flavors to distract you from any defects or dryness to the meat.
Service was standard chain friendly, and exactly as I remembered it. Â I can't say I'll be back soon, but I won't mind it much when I am.
Quite possibly the best happy hour I have experienced in a long time.
Here's how it went down:
Friends bought some tickets to Wolverine on opening night.
Went down early to 'get in line'.
Apparently we were way too early, and there was no line yet (as it turns out the theater wasn't even full, go figure).
Turn around and walk to Islands.
Happy hour!
Something crazy like half price appetizers and some insane discount on drinks.
Oh, and free chips & salsa.
All I know is this: we had like 6-7 cocktails, a giant beer, chips / salsa / guac, fish taco plate, and a burger plate to go.
The bill was less than $50 WITH TIP!!!! Explain that to me?
Minus one star for being a chain. I know, they can't help it, but whatever, I'm just in that kind of mood today.
The burgers at Islands remind me a lot of the frozen, premade patties that were synonymous with my fraternity and po-like-a-mofo years. Â You know, those patties you get in the frozen food section of your local supermarket in bags of 25, and they're only separated by a thin piece of absolutely useless wax paper. Â At this point in my life I figured my exposure to this type of burger would be limited to those random, summer, backyard BBQ's, but low and behold they have them at Islands too.
The rule at Islands is they won't cook their burgers any rarer than medium, and the waitstaff make that abundantly clear. Â However, everytime I order a medium burger here it comes out rare, and not in a good way - more like rare in a mushy, barely thawed type of way. Â Order your burgers well-done here - that's the best advice I can give you.
This location always seems to have an odd smell to it as well. Â It almost reeks like a dank basement or a rank mop bucket. Â My friend is convinced it's because of the sewer out front. Â It's not quite intolerable, but it's definitely pungent enough where it's noticeable. Â Parents also love bringing their children here - no wonder 1 out of 5 kids in the U.S. are obese. Â At any given moment you're bound to see mutiple family gatherings at this place.
The saving grace at Islands are their fries. Â They're simply awesome - easily a top 5 place in that regard. Â They're the medium cut type with the potato skins still on them. Â Quite the opposite of their burgers, they're always cooked properly and quite tasty. Â Additionally, the service is consistently good and prompt. Â If it weren't for those two things I probably would have given this place 1 or 2 stars.
Overall, I think they're a borderline 3 star place, and they're pretty much on par with others in their category (i.e., Chili's).
It would be nice if the burger ordered came with FRIES.
It's like - Hi, let me order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Oh, but I have to ASK and pay extra for the bread? WTH.
The wait was rather long on a Friday night.
It could be location -
as this might be one of the only decent places to eat in this area.
How sad!
The decorated hawaiian theme is pretty cute, I have to admit.
The restaurant is clean, well-designed and new.
But I think it would REALLY be cute
if the girls who worked there were cute.
I mean, they wear little shorts!
Oh, I'm so vain.
But I'm just SAYING, people ...
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