How did we end up at Islands? "I want a cold beer and a good burger"...and in this case this past weekend that seemingly simple problem was solved by Islands.
I must say I am a fan of their Yaki tacos and Greek salad as well!
The service here has always been good, the younger staff doesn't come off immature or childish, the food is consistently good...and the beer is always super cold.
I enjoy this place because of the surfer/cool guy atmosphere. Â They play big wave videos and stuff like that while you're sitting there eating. Â Its just enough to entertain you without distracting you completely. Â
The food is better than your average bar and the fries are never ending (for free).  I really enjoy this place.  The Yaki tacos are Amazing.  The strawberry lemonade is delicious.  I also get the jalapeño burger quite often.
As soon as i could get over the SMELL of the place. ((dirty beer bar mats)) i got to try the worst fish tacos EVER!!. they tasted freezer burned then warmed up in a microwave for a min or so. Service sucked. We seen our waiter to take our order and give us the check. Any other help was from random staff members. Its to bad though since this is the only real restaurant for awhile on melrose. Â Our search continues though. we will not be back.
Review Source:Clean, comfortable, and quick service. Â I'm not a fan of chain restaurants, but this place is fine for a good burger in a pinch. Â Leans towards a little pricey, but now that McDonalds charges almost eight bucks for a crappy Bic Mac meal, this place is a much better bang/buck proposition. Â
They have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap, best beer ever made in the history of beer and we typically don't patronize places that serve elsewise. Â
The trick is to order a Rosorita burger. Â It is no longer on the menu, but it's the best thing Islands has ever concocted and they'll still make it when requested (I hear it's the manager's favorite too so he won't let it go away).
My family and I went out to Islands tonight to get a quick fix. Â We have been going to the Vista and Carlsbad locations for years because we've always liked the food. Â This time was great because we didn't feel rushed about getting in and out of the restaurant so the waitress could turn another check. Â We were able to take our time so our 3 year old could eat at a slow pace. Â I believe our waitress was named Margaret.. Â Very courteous and patient as we needed a little extra time. Â Good experience!
Review Source:I never thought the day would come where I would rate a chain restaurant at 5 stars but it looks like it's here. Hands down Islands in Vista is my favorite burger and beer joint ever!
Not only are their burgers juicy and delicious, but they have an amazing Golden Ale made specifically for Islands restaurants. And lets not forget about their unlimited fries. One might expect unlimited fries to be very limited in quality, however that is definitely not the case when it comes to these. Each and every fry is crunchy and delicious.
But the food is not the only great thing about this Islands location, the staff are friendly, courteous, and quick to respond. Tiffany the bartender is awesome, she always remembers me and my boyfriend and basically has our Golden Ale's poured before we even sit down. I also applaud the fact that the managers are actually working, they make regular rounds to make sure their customers are happy and have everything they need.
During my first semester in College, Islands was my celebration spot when things went well and my comfort when things didn't necessarily go all that great.
There's nothing that an ice cold beer, a big ol'burger, and crispy endless fries can't fix. Oh and don't forget to add a side of ranch for dipping. :) Enjoy!
Where to start with islands.... First off the waitress we had was pretty dingy. Second the food was not great. Third the food was over seasoned and dry (burgers). The wrap was small and full of lettuce...where is the meat? Was very disappointed. Been here twice, and both times it was like this....very disappointed.
Review Source:the only redeemen quality of the food is thir Tortilla Soup.
worst 35 dolars spent (would have been 50 if not for Manager taking my food of the check).
I should have driven the extra 10 minutes to Sublime....
My food...cold, flavorless. Service: a guy that shouw be working at Elephant Bar, where you can have a little more "attitude"...does not work for Islands...
Dont think I will be going there ANY times soon
SIDE NOTE: I received an apology from District, which to me goes a long way.....may be I will give it another try
If you're looking for a burger and a beer, then Islands should be on your map. Â Is this heresy? Â Am I going to lose my badge for this? Â
I don't think so.
Yes, Islands is a chain. Â About 50 restaurants or so.
But they do things right. Â
My GF and I, along with 2 friends, spent a few hours here for lunch on Saturday. Â It was about 2pm, so the restaurant was fairly slow, but our server (Cherokee) was on point. Â She kept our drinks full and food was on the table as soon as it was off the grill.
I had 2 pints of their home brewed Brown Ale and my GF had the Golden Ale. Â The brown is very similar in flavor to Newcastle while the golden is like a great tasting Coors Banquet Beer and both are less than $5 a pint.
We shared a small bowl of their, very good, tortilla soup for starters. Â I had the Mavericks Burger and she had the Turkey Burger Lite as our mains. Â Mavericks Burger was great and cooked perfectly (medium) and came with a side of endless fries. Â Those fries are good. Â So cripsy and hot. Â I had 2 refills, but don't worry, I shared with the table. Â My GF enjoyed her turkey burger, so I guess that's a worthy option if you're not into meat.
Our friends were originally hesitant to eat at Islands. Â Luckily my forcefulness paid off. Â They had their eyes opened here. Â Islands will now be in their burger and beer rotation.
Other good burgers include the Point Break and Pipeline.
If you've got kids, then Islands is a perfect fit for you. Â But if you want to get away from those kids, there's plenty of room at bar for you. Â Parking is ok, but this is a busy shopping center so be vigilant.
Open those eyes...
Kids eat free on Tuesday. Maybe I shouldn't have posted this.. But 2 free kid meals with 1 paid adult.
The bartender is the best! My family loves her so much. We eat at the bar so we can chat with her while having dinner. Come for happy hour and its under $5 a drink. This place gets crowed on Tuesday. So expect to wait 30 minutes+ if you come after 5:30.
I wish the food was better so I can give it more than 4 stars.
Mmmmm.. I love Islands. Hands down my most favorite fries EVER! Just don't look at the calorie count.. kills the mood every time.
I don't have a favorite entree, they're all pretty good. I am not a fan of their wheat buns; I can't put my finger on why, but I always choose white. Turkey and veggie patties are great options, very tasty too. Onion rings are amazeballs. My newest favorite addition to the menu for summer is the I-Shandy. Not at all what I expected, but amazing! It is part Islands golden ale and part lemonade with a splash of mango.. delish! Very tropical, almost passionfruity with the perfect amount of carbonation. Servers are good and attentive at this location, I'll be back.
I have tried this Islands about 10 times. Â The first couple of times it was decent and it was all downhill from there. Â The last couple of times it was pretty bad so I won't be going back. Â I do have to add that I have always taken it to go and I'm not sure if that has something to do with the quality or not.
Review Source:The fish tacos were prepared well. Very dry and no taste. The hostess were kind .
My sister asked for a burger well done, instead she got a raw burger. Where did the miscommuncation come from? Â It took the waitress a while to refill our drinks. So it was busy, no excuse. The food quality was not worth the price.
Boy it's easy to pack away about 3,500 calories here.
Went with friends and we split an order of cheddar fries (2700 calories)... oh wait, we added chili on the side (200 more).
Couple drinks at 200 calories each.
Here's my healthy taco entree. It's only 1400 more calories.
Man, that dessert looks good! What? It's 1300 calories? What the heck! Let's get it!
I must admit. It was all tasty. But I felt so damn guilty running up that clock in my head. I mean I could have had three Big Mac meals at MickeyDs for what I packed away in one sitting at Islands.
Tasty though... Damned tasty...
I have eaten here many times.  Besides the burgers, I have tired the salads and  the wraps.  All the meals have been delicious.  Prices are not out of the ordinary and the service was very good & friendly.  Tonight we had a very pleasant surprise, after we were through eating, the manager, through the loud speaker system, told the entire restaurant, that they wanted to show their appreciation to their customers and that they entire meal, sans the alcohol, was on them.  As in free!  Yeeha!!!  Even the deserts, but we already had plans to have ice cream elsewhere and others were going to meet us there, so we passed on the dessert.  Bummer.  Anyways, a very nice experience.  The manager told us that they started doing this about a month ago and do it about once per month.
Review Source:I'm kind of surprised this place has such cruddy ratings.. Admittedly I'm not a HUGE burger person but I'm a bit of a foodie, so when I want a burger I want a DELICIOUS FREAKING BURGER. But, be it that I'm female and nuttier than banana bread, I'm on a permanent diet. This is where ALTERNATIVE BURGERS step in! Â If money were no issue it'd be buffalo all the way but it's a resection people!
Islands has the BEST VEGGIE BURGERS EVER. I'm a sworn carnivore - I cringe at the thought of tofu or soy. But 1300 in a single meal is a hard buy for me. (that's what I usually consume in an entire day). It was full of flavor and crispy on the outside! Perfection. Turkey burgers are pretty good too.
The service has been great every time I've come here. We have refills on our drinks right after they hit the half way mark and my waitresses have always been very accommodating. Their house beer isn't anything to write home about but it's a refreshing alternative to the big brand lagers.
I usually enjoy Islands, however I will not go to this particular islands again. Â I was in a party of 6 and we were told that the wait would be 15 minutes. Â It ended up being more like 35 minutes, which I could have accepted had I been told that the wait would be that long originally. Â It also was a more difficult to accept with the four children that I was with.
It became even more difficult when a party of 5, who came in after us, was seated before us.  And within 5 minutes of  getting there.
When we were finally seated, it took our server a long time to acknowledge us and once she did, it took an excessive amount of time for her to get us our drink order.
The food was fine and came in a timely manner, however the wait was excuriating.
can't say i'm surprised at the lukewarm reviews -- ISLANDS is a chain that all the surf barn atmosphere and hula-girl kitsch in the world can't save if the food isn't great -- and it's not.
this is just a place to escape the dreary tedium when you've hung around the court house all morning after getting one of those nasty jury duty summons.
my burger (medium-rare KAHUNA with pepper jack cheese) was not distinctive (or medium rare). not bad but not really good either -- just okay.
the FRIES (kudos for fresh cut) never seem to come out right -- the sugars brown before the get starches crisp. then again, when the server brought a basket of the bottomless spuds for the table, they all got eaten.
we got charged full price (not the lunch special price) but it was quickly and cheerfully corrected when we brought it to our server's attention.
well, the beer's cold. that's always a good thing.
I've been here one other time before. It's nothing to really rant or rave about. I was deciding whether to go here or to Chilli's and I picked Island's. I ordered the mediocre tortilla soup and the chicken fingers, or whatever they were called. The food was fresh and my server was timid. If I feel like having a place to chat over some food I would go back once in the next five years.
Review Source:I go to Islands quite a bit... The one in Irvine, and Laguna Niguel have the best servers and the best food... I always order the same thing Shore Bird, and now that it comes with fries that is even better... I ordered the same thing this location, I was very dissapointed Chicken was cold, and the fries tasted like they were made the day before... I won't be going back to this location...
Review Source:went here for a quick bite w ma boyfriend and best friend... not bad... good shyt!! got the teri chx sandwich, and it was all OVER the place lol!! first set of fries were cold and ugly, but the server was nice enough to replace em. Good STuff!
BOTTOM LINE... good price, good food, nuff said!
Now, I would not normally give such a high rating to a chain restaurant, but this Islands is the exception. I rarely ever visit large chain restaurants unless a stinky boy drags me there. Unfortunately for me, the last visit to a chain was less than a week prior to this visit and it was the Islands in Leucadia with a stinky boy. The food at that Islands was kinda ehh (3-stars for that experience), but at least it wasn't Hometown Buffet. Â I think I need to find me a man to take me to nicer places! I guess that's beside the point... Anyway, I gave this particular Islands mad props because of their generosity and hospitality to our school.
My colleague put together an end-of-the-year incentive outing/recycling program for the kids in our classroom. Â The kids had to raise money by recycling to fund an end-of-the-year outing. My colleague discussed our plan with the manager at this Islands right down the street from our school and the manager provided us with certificates for free kids meals! NICE!!! We ended up raising $60 through recycling for the 6 kids that earned the outing, so this deal really helped us out! The kids could also order dessert with the money we raised.
When we got to the restaurant, we were seated promptly and the servers were very attentive to us through the whole experience. Â Free refills on drinks and free refills on fries???? SWEET! Drinks and fries kept on coming and the kids were pumped on that! I ordered the lunch special for $7.95 which included the drink and endless fries. Â The burger I had was nice and fatty, which I'm always a fan of. Â Was it the best burger ever? No. Â But did I like my food more because I had a great experience? Yes! The food came out quickly considering the size of our group. I was very impressed with how accomodating they were to our group. Â Thank you Islands for making the day of 6 kids and 4 staff members!
There's a lesson to be learned here kids: being kind and generous will get you far in life. Islands may not serve the most delicious food, but by showing us kindness, we had a memorable and enjoyable experience!
So like I've"ve been with DAD allot coaching him at the court house and we eat at Islands twice this week. The first time just the two of us and the burgers were cool Hockey Pocks, cold I mean cold lettuce & onions and our Buns were a little maybe stale. Good lemonade and onion rings. The second time we brought our cheer leaders, this time it was good may be cause I had soft fish tacos. Service was pretty good we were back to the court room on time. Well we had an hour & a half and we got back in an hour and fifteen minetos. There was a jury member there so we had to hold it down about all the lies!!!!
Review Source:Since they are down the street, Island's is the place where I come for a quick burger or taco. Â Service can be slow here, but depends on the server.
I'll have one of two things, the Hawaiian Burger or the Yaki taco's  If you like a sweet kick (pineapple slices)to your burger, definitely try the burger. While I am spoiled to what a real taco is like, these are my favorite dish.  Chicken teriyaki in a tortilla?  Sounds funny but they are quite tasty.  Maybe I just like their teriyaki sauce.  Either way, try some if you want something a little different.
What's better than a side of fries? Â Unlimited fries, as they you don't have to order a side to go with your burger/sandwich. Â While the fries aren't "the best", they'll work to satisfy your fry urge. Â They do get better if they are the smothered in cheese, which is a good appetizer if you aren't counting calories. Â Their Passion Fruit Iced Tea is really good, and sometimes I'll come here on a hot day just to have a few of these. Â Overall a good place to have a restaurant style burger that doesn't hurt the wallet too much.
I tried Islands for the first time a couple weeks ago. Â I met some friends there for our weekly dinner and we had the nicest server. Â I think his name was Jonathan, and even though he misheard my friend who didn't want jalapenos on her nachos, I give him a thumbs up. Â The decor is kitschy Hawaiian/Tiki themed and the food is not terribly healthy--not that I was expecting it to be. Â It was just nothing special. Â One of those places I wouldn't necessarily seek out, but if someone wanted to go I wouldn't balk at the idea. Â They do take out service which is probably a good way to go if you want some simple burger and fries or tacos and want something a step above fast food.
Review Source:I think our server's name was BRAD but he was just BAD. Â One of the ladies we were with ordered a seven & seven; which contains only Seagrams No. 7 and 7-Up. Â How do you mess that up? Â Well, she got a whiskey neat which had to be sent back twice. Â Aside from the mixed drink fiasco the 25 oz beers were cold and I think about 5 bucks or so. Â The food was just aight... tacos and salads were ordered around. Â I did dig that the bottomless chips were in fact bottomless and the guac and salsa was refilled. Â Overall, Islands is just a Hawaiian themed Chile's.
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