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    Island Loco

    4.7 (43 reviews)

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    Nick H.

    I can just vision myself sitting on the beaches of Hawaii, enjoying the cool breeze and the sounds of the waves flowing in and out from the shoreline. A clear blue sky as I lean back in my chair on the sand but then I open my eyes... and realize I'm still in Phoenix, enjoying a delicious and fresh Hawaiian infused taco from Island Loco. I've only been to Hawaii once in my life and it has been a long time since I had some really good Hawaiian food. Then, Island Loco came and chef Jeff Chang brought the flavors that reminded me so much of my trip to Hawaii so many years ago. I treated myself to the fusion tacos. Got one of each, the Kalua Pork with Lomi and the Teriyaki Chicken with Black Bean & Corn Salsa. The tacos were a pretty good size and very appealing. The meat just exploded with flavor and the salsa and lomi was very cool and refreshing. Everything was infused really well and was just delicious "Kemika" ("Chemistry") in my mouth. If you ever get the chance, try Jeff's tacos. They are delicious, fresh and full of flavor. And there is a Secret Menu item coming soon for Social Media fans as well so be sure to follow them as well.

    a meal in a styrofoam container
    Frank G.

    So had to try this truck so I'm down for Hawaiian food. I ordered the lunch plate combo with kalua pork & teriyaki chicken, scope of rice and Asian cole slaw. I ended up eating the rice 1st 2nd chicken and mixed the pork with the cole slaw. The pork by itself tasted a little dry, the cole slaw added a much needed drench of flavor. The chicken was chewy but good. They give you big portions but i wish the meat had more flavor since the reviews are sided to this? I would try this truck again

    Fusion Teriyaki Chicken Tacos. So good.
    Joe C.

    This truck is amazing, we moved to Phoenix and we're hoping we'd find new favorite food spots. Luckily our apartment had a special event with this truck there giving free fusion tacos and we fell in love. The teriyaki chicken with corn and black bean salsa is delicious, especially topped with sriracha. We've become regulars here, not just for the food but the friendly staff of the truck. I definitely recommend trying this truck, you won't be disappointed.

    The plate includes 3 meats, 2 scoops of sticky rice and a side
    Sheena M.

    Couldnt decide ending up going with the plate which included 3 meats and 2 sides, a huge portion of food and all of it was excellent. if i had to narrow it down to something smaller next time - would def go with the slaw, pork & chicken although the beef was excellent as well. I'm glad I found that little green truck on Jefferson yesterday

    Fusion Sliders: Kalua pork w/ lomi, Kalua pork w/ slaw, 'n Ckn teriyaki w/ slaw, & mac 'n cheese.
    Aileen B.

    Heard that Island Loco was going to be at Four Peaks' Tasting Room in Tempe on the 3rd and the 5th, so I decided I'd take visiting family and Mom along for our first try of both businesses yesterday. (I've never had IL's products, but the food truck's offerings looked and sounded great, and the reviews have been pretty positive from a few Yelp friends that I know and trust.) For some reason, I was under the impression there would be authentic Hawaiian sweets on board, perhaps shave ice (nope) or malasadas (fryers were being repaired), so it was a disappointment not to find any. However, the food that we had were delicious, if not almost worth the pain I had to suffer soon after consumption! We quickly found theTasting Room via smartphone's Navigation, saw Island Loco's food truck parked in front, and parked at a nearby space (there are many). After ordering our food, we went into the Tasting Room (food would be brought to us), which was just a room with tables and a bar counter that faced a window that looked into the brewery's warehouse. FYI, tours of said warehouse ISN'T available at this location. While FP food isn't available, the manager was able to provide us paper plates and extra napkins to use, since the food truck only supplies the to-go containers in which the foods are placed and sealed plastic utensils, salt and pepper packets, and single napkin. Between three adults and two children, we all were very satisfied with the three entrees ordered: Kalbi short ribs platter, $11-- short ribs marinated in traditional Kalbi sauce, two scoops of hot rice, and choice of side (Hawaiian mac 'n cheese). Fusion Sliders, three for $12 (or two for $9), choice of side and any combo of Kalua pork with lomi, Kalua pork with Asian slaw, and Chicken teriyaki with Asian slaw. I chose one of each, plus more Hawaiian mac 'n cheese. Hawaiian burger with rice, fried egg (any style), and mac 'n cheese, with choice of brown gravy or another topping, which I've forgotten- sorry! Everyone loved the Kalbi ribs! So much so, Mom asked me to order another one to-go. I found the meat to be too fatty, so I just trimmed the non-chewable gristle and put them aside. The flavor is exactly like Filipino pork BBQ (on a stick), so Filipino Yelpers will know exactly how these taste! :) The Hawaiian mac 'n cheese was light, yet flavorful, and the noodles were tender, but not mushy! I enjoyed this side very much, although I did notice too late that the dressing had very skinny and short ribbons of carrots (allergy), so it's one of those "enjoy now, and pay later!" deals for me. :( Mom said the rice was excellent-- she asked me to try it, but then remembered that I had an allergy. She said it was a pity, since the texture was very good! I asked Mom to see if the slider I was looking at was chicken (I try to avoid corn and anything that eats corn as much as possible), and she said it was pork, so after asking her again if it was chicken teriyaki, she said, "no, it's pork," I tried it. Loved the texture, but it was definitely chicken. I knew the slider next to this one was Kalua pork since I could spot it beneath the Asian slaw, but the other one had chunky lomi (Hawaiian-style pico de gallo) and I couldn't see what was underneath it. (Obviously, I couldn't recall which slider came with the lomi topping, or I would not have to ask Mom to identify the meats...) I can't recall if sister enjoyed the pork with lomi, but I think she finished the meat portion. Everyone enjoyed the bites pork and the chicken we all passed around. My only complaint was that the buns felt like pieces of paper on my tongue at times. Y'know, as in when you sometimes take a bite of food wrapped in tissue and you get a chunk of paper stuck to the food? So there I was, picking off what felt like paper on the tip of my tongue, and it's actually a piece of the bun- weird! Otherwise, the buns had a mildly-sweet flavor to them and were tender. They complemented the fillings well. (However, I would wait until they chose another bun variety before ordering "slider" style again, because that paper texture was very annoying.) Niece had the fried egg and brown gravy-topped burger patty over rice and choice side of Hawaiian mac 'n cheese to herself, and while she liked it, she preferred the Kalbi short ribs much more. This entree was basically a Loco Moco, but I think it was named so, because you could also choose Japanese curry topping. Bring cash if you don't want to be charged a card fee. I think I was only charged one time, even though I had two transactions.

    Found them at food truck night at the Peoria Sports Complex.
    Michael C.

    There is a difference between Island Burrito's and almost any other burrito you will find in the Southwest... white rice. I had a pork burrito with Asian slaw. The slaw was great with sweet and tangy dressing with relatively big pieces of shredded cabbage. I really liked the slaw dressing and used it on the second half of the burrito. The burrito itself was all good, but the rice seemed to be the dominate ingredient.

    Julia S.

    Fresh..Delicious & exceptional customer service! This food truck came to our community. First bite, I almost melted..the tacos I ordered were so goooood! The coleslaw was so fresh, crunchy and full of flavor! The meat was very tender and just all around yum! I hope they come by again!

    Everyone loves island loco!

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    13 years ago

    best tacos i've ever had!!! also the best cole slaw ever sold at this food truck! you have to try it!!

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    13 years ago

    Super yummy food!! A must is the crab Rangoon!! The owners are way cool. You have to eat here!!!

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    Zu Izakaya

    Zu Izakaya

    4.5(1.9k reviews)
    14.4 km
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    Popped into this place for our last meal before leaving AZ and it did not disappoint! We were the…read morefirst people in. When we walked in it had a very fishy smell, so it kind of made us second guess our choice. But we went for it anyhow. The greeter/server was very pleasant and sat us. It was very clean inside with ample space between seat. We browsed through the menu and started with our usual edamame and pot stickers. The edamame was salted well throughout where a lot of places just put the salt on top only. We ordered a couple varieties of sake which were both good. Out of all of the things we ordered the karange skewer was just a little more oily than were use to, but still good. The spicy salmon roll had really great flavor and the lollipop roll was probably one of the better versions that we have had. The musubi was giant to say the least, it was good, but offered a bit too much rice. Overall the food and service was great and we were very happy that we ended up here!

    On a Sunday evening, after checking out the Desert Botanical Garden, I was looking for some food in…read morethe area. I came across Zu Izakaya and it's great reviews as one of the options. I love Japanese food so my decision was made. I drove over and parked in their complimentary lot. Ambiance (3.5/5): I've been to Japan and there are plenty of izakayas there. Think of them as small bars which often serve solid food. Zu fits that bit. It's a relatively small restaurant, probably seats about 30 people. and it's pretty no frills for a Japanese spot. I was seated at a booth in the corner of the restaurant. They have free WiFi which is always a good touch. Service (3/5): Service was friendly, though a bit inconsistent. My waitress wasn't as attentive as I would have liked. The type of service where you have to flag them down to get what you want and to close out. Drinks (4/5): Zu has a nice menu of Japanese and Korean beverages, including sake, soju, Japanese beer, and more. With that being said, I just had an iced green tea. Food (4/5): I got a nice variety. I went with the Japanese sausage off of the grill menu, the OBI mayo roll off of the sushi menu, and the cheese corn off of the appetizer menu. Let's start with the sausage. It's a small item, two small sausages, but absolutely delicious. The sausage was bursting with flavor and basted in a sweet sauce. Minus the portion size, perfection. The cheese corn also hit the spot, but the execution was off. The corn is served on a hot platter, and unfortunately some of the corn on the edges was badly burnt. The type of situation where they should start over. Which they didn't. Lastly, the OBI mayo roll is essentially a California roll with marinated warm shrimp on top in a mayo sauce. I didn't love the hot and cold combo (shrimp and sushi), but outside of the temperature, it was a delicious roll. All in all, a very food meal. My only gripe with Japanese food is that it can get expensive quick. Given that Zu is in Tempe, I was hoping that prices would be a little cheaper. With that being said, they do have a solid happy hour (and reverse happy hour) with both food and drink specials. Next time I stop by, I'd like to check out some of their Korean options. I focused on the Japanese stuff this time (which makes the majority of the menu). Next time around, the bulgogi is calling my name!

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    Zu Izakaya - Lots of inside seating options

    Lots of inside seating options

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    Nobu Scottsdale

    Nobu Scottsdale

    3.9(557 reviews)
    15.4 km
    $$$$

    One of my favorite places little pricy but great for vegetarian or plant based plenty of fish and…read moremeat for my pescatarian or carnivorous friends and family. Some of my favorites whole plant choices Vegetable Hand Roll- one of the stand-out options, has to be the veggie hand roll starter, which is served with sesame miso sauce NO RICE. And a lot of nettle (nutritional powder house) | even asked for extra nettle. Shishito Peppers, Eggplant Miso, Warm Mushroom Salad-it's my FAVORITE DISH on menu .Crispy Rice Avocado- soo good, Seaweed Salad- I always order it's so healthy and delicious.

    I was in town for a bachelorette with a group of 5 ladies. The bride really wanted to try Nobu but…read moredidn't realize that they were going to be less accommodating with allergies. One person in our party has severe allergies to nuts and shellfish but we didn't have any problems at any other restaurants during the entire trip. Of course, legally, we know you cannot guarantee that there won't be cross-contamination but the way the waitress came off was very rude and lacked empathy. Our friend felt so uncomfortable that she cancelled her drink and left to eat alone at the Johnny Rocket in the mall. After that interaction, the mood definitely shifted. The hostess came over to apologize but it was such a sad way to end our trip. Our friend came back before dessert and, despite the cold warnings, the waitress had the nerve to bring her a plate for dessert. Upon reviewing the itemized receipt after the trip, they charged us for our friend's drink even though we cancelled it and she didn't dine with us. The food was good and the restaurant was beautiful but, unfortunately, our entire trip ended on a sour note because of this experience. If you have an allergy, try Johnny Rocket or Three Thirty Three.

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    Nobu Scottsdale
    Nobu Scottsdale
    Nobu Scottsdale

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    Island Loco - asianfusion - Updated May 2026

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