After not visiting any Islands locations in quite some time, this is my 2nd one in a month. My parents request so I go with the flow. This one is in the heart of Sherman Oaks, on Ventura Blvd which is a great location. There is a parking lot in the back with free parking. This experience was ok. We all found the food to be on par and enjoyable with the other locations we have visited, but the service was a bit slow and lack of being checked in on was not what we expected. Overall ya can't go wrong with Islands as it's been a staple for a long time. read more

See all

I know this is one of those classic spots I probably should have reviewed a long time ago, like back in the day, but I came here about a month ago and figured I'd finally leave one. This was the Ventura location, and I actually don't think I've been to this specific one before. I wasn't sure about parking at first, but they do have a parking lot, which was nice. I sat at the bar with a friend, and the service was great. The food is what you'd expect, not anything super high end, but still really good and satisfying. They were attentive, everything came out smoothly, and overall it was just a really easy, enjoyable experience. Definitely a solid go to spot, and I'm glad I stopped by this location. read more

Islands Restaurant - Sports Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Avoid this location if you're a person of color! What was supposed to be a fun afternoon catching up with friends quickly turned into an uncomfortable experience where me and my friends were clearly being racially profiled. We were seated on the patio, completely alone outside, and the manager (Ryan or Anthony, not sure of his name) walked out multiple times during our visit just to stare at us without saying a word. When we calmly brought it up and expressed how uncomfortable it made us feel, he immediately got defensive and claimed he "greets every table." But when we pointed out that he never greeted us, he switched up and said he "doesn't have to speak to every guest." His tone and energy was aggressive and demanding from beginning to end, which only made things worse. How contradicting... The whole situation felt off and honestly very disappointing. It's insane how a manager is unable to take accountability when something like this is brought up. read more

Islands remains a clean, nicely designed, lively and comfortable fast-casual spot with a full bar, TV's showing a variety of games, and a staff that's friendly, attentive and energetic. But what once was a place to get a really decent burger or salad has faltered seriously when it comes to the quality of the food. My wife opted for an off-menu special burger advertised on a table tent. It was topped with cheddar, BBQ sauce, Islands Reds (fried slivered onions) and the ubiquitous trinity of lettuce, tomato & pickles. The burger came cooked medium-rare as requested and the toppings worked together nicely. It was a decent tasting burger combo, but it was hard to avoid the pre-packaged nature of the meat itself -- between the texture and flavor, it just seemed like something you'd get at a roadside diner. Fries were nicely crisped and properly salted, but much the same as the frozen fries you'd get at any restaurant at this level. I decided to go the salad route, ordering the Kaanapali Kobb. Iceberg lettuce was topped with blue cheese, one slice of avocado, tomatoes and crumbled bacon. Missing from the plate were the hard boiled egg and chopped scallions listed on the menu, so that was a disappointment. But the most disappointing thing was the chicken -- billed as "grilled & chilled," it was the worst, pulled out of a bag chicken I've ever had. Clearly prepped by a mechanical slicer in a plant far, far away, this dry, rubbery, unpleasant-tasting chicken was inedible, and I left it aside. Though billed as a "creamy vinaigrette," the dressing that came with the salad was a fairly heavy, mayo-forward riff on thousand island without the relish. Not terrible, but not even a distant cousin of a vinaigrette. So, after many years, Islands is still offering a nice place to hang out, but in a town with excellent burgers to be found everywhere, Islands is no longer a serious contender. read more

See all

Not a lot on the menu but good basic food! Had sliders which were very good and ordered fries as well. Parking was.....ok. There's a parking garage just north of Ventura blvd but there aren't a lot of spaces there. You can also park on Ventura, it's metered parking and can be tough to find. It's not a bad neighborhood so walking a few blocks is a good option too. The service was excellent and fast and waiter was brief but friendly, he seemed like he was in constant motion. The atmosphere is casual and I believe there's a patio area you can sit in! Nice spot to drop in and have a casual lunch or dinner, my verdict: 1/2 read more

See all

I wanna start off by saying the service was excellent. Hostess and our server were great and zero complaints on the restaurant itself. My only issue was the chicken. I ordered a chicken sandwich for $18 and had to completely remove the chicken. It was so rubbery I couldn't even get a bite out of it. Terrible quality, it didn't even taste real. I tried chewing one small bite and was so grossed out I took the whole thing out and just ate vegetarian style I guess. I still paid for it and of course left a tip for the fantastic service but I wouldn't go back to Islands at all until they change their mystery meat. read more

Islands Restaurant - Chicken was rubber - Sports Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Trivia Night hosted by Destiny is SO much fun!!!! The food is always good but if you get a chance to go Tuesdays or Wednesdays...GO!! Such a fun way to spend an hour!!! read more

This one is actually 2.5 stars, very disappointing. We ordered a Malibu burger with fries and a hula burger with onion rings. My fries were barely warm, so sent them back. Sam started to eat his mushroom burger, and thought that it was a Hawaiian burger. We called the server over and told her he got the wrong one. She said that's a Hawaiian burger, that's what you ordered. We both recall that he ordered the hula Burger. She took his burger, and returned a bit later what the correct burger, but forgot to include the ranch dressing he had asked for on the side. He wound up calling her over and asking for some more ranch, and we could tell she would not happy serving us. As we ate our burgers, I felt like my burger patty was dry, which was unusual as I ordered it medium, which is pink. I mentioned it's a Sam and he said he's having the same problem. We decided just to finish the meal, and get out of there. Although I go there at least once or twice a month, I've decided to take a break from going to Islands for at least a little while. read more

See all

We were seated instantly and greeted by the super sweet hostess! Store looked super clean and was a fun vibe! The atmosphere was perfect for the mood we were in! Leslie was the best server! She was super quick with refills (we didn't even have to ask) the food was so goooood!!! Thank u for a great meal! read more

Islands Restaurant - Iced tea party - Sports Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Decent menu. Friendly service.Took a long time for the food to get to us, but we didn't mind because we were talking. However, I don't think I'll go back. It wasn't really anything that was wrong, it wasn't very different from other restaurants with more ambiance. Nice patio sitting if you have a dog. read more

See all

Islands is a go to when we visit LA. It's a casual sports bar ambiance, clean, and in a nice area. After days of eating Christmas holiday meals, we needed a bar food fix. The nachos were excellent. We got that even distribution of nicely melted cheese, avocado, refried beans, sour cream, & side salsa. Tasty & plentiful. We had as main meal a plain burger, chicken taco bowl, & large buffalo wings. Everything was very good. The wings are consistently good: crunchy, right amount of sauce, & chunky blue cheese dip. Never has disappointed for years. We had lemonade & apple juice. Service was excellent. No rush. Timely. Pleasant workers. With 20% tip: $106. Good value for what you get. Islands remains a go to for fast & casual sports bar watching. read more

Absolutely love this place! We come after my son's baseball games and it's become one of my favorite restaurants in LA. Food is tasty and consistent and there's something for everyone. Great beer selection, and perfect vibe to celebrate a team win with friends and family. Staff is always friendly and accommodating to large parties with many children. Shout out Tanner! read more

Best kept secret in the valley for great food, service and location! Servers were so on top of everything, and letting us know the amazing dishes! Tempura string beans to add to the tacos and hamburgers, whoa! Kona pie!!! Ambiance is so chill and I'm glad we are back since Covid! Can't wait to go back! read more

-Great customer service. -Clean. -fast. The food is always good. Here and every single islands location I've been to. 0 complaints. I'm not sure about other locations but this one is dog friendly! read more

5 Stars! Just ate here with my family and we had an amazing experience. Our waiter, Matthew, was the absolute best! He was so friendly, attentive, and took great care of us. Highly recommend asking for him! Thanks, Matthew! read more

There are vegetarian options on the menu but no vegan options but the server, Jared, asked his manager, Katy and she had a lettuce salad custom made for me with edamame beans, water chestnuts and avocado. read more

Islands Restaurant - Customized garden salad - Sports Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I went with a buddy to watch the Ram's football game. We got two seats at the bar and had a great time. The staff were friendly and the vibe was low key and relaxed. Syd took care of us and she was attentive and friendly. Food was just what we expected it to be. I had the fish tacos and French fries. The French fries were amazing. It turned out to be a great place to catch the game. Ask for Syd if you go. read more

We love coming here and ordering there burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. Sweet potato fries and the onion rings are on point , good old classic style. The waitresses always have a smile all the time and love the beachy vibes and photos all around. The service is always fast and fresh and hot food Islands is a family favorite! read more

I've been to Islands and usually enjoy the food and casual vibe, but the experience at the Sherman Oaks location this time was extremely disappointing due to how we were treated. I stood waiting to be helped for several minutes. The host made eye contact with me, then looked straight past me and asked the man behind me how many were in his party, completely skipping over me. I had to speak up and say, "Excuse me, I've been standing here and haven't been helped yet." Even after that, when it was time to seat the next party, the same host tried to call the family who arrived after us. I had to stop him again and ask why they were being seated first. Another employee then asked if we were first, and I said yes -- and the original host said nothing in response. No apology, no acknowledgment. Being ignored and then repeatedly skipped is not a great way to start any dining experience, and it honestly made us feel uncomfortable and disrespected. Front-of-house is the first impression of a restaurant, and this felt like a serious lapse in basic customer service and awareness. I hope management reviews how guests are being treated. read more

Been coming to this place for over 20 years. This place always provides good service, but today, the server named Matthew went above and beyond! He was on everything - politeness, promptness, friendliness, etc! He was smiles all the time and just absolutely amazing! Thank you for serving us today and for brightening up my and my colleague's day! We were all amazed and all praises to Matthew! We will be back soon! read more

We ate at Islands in response to an invitation to an eleven year olds birthday. I can't imagine returning, unless it was under similar circumstances. Tables are crowded together and the menu is an uninspired list of burgers, chicken sandwiches and related side dishes, which our table of eight, sampled several. All was mediocre. Wait staff is younger, full of energy, and work hard, which is fine, but it's just not my kind of restaurant. read more

Tow of us sat at the bar for food and drinks and to watch a game on TV. Server who was a "trainer" ghosted us when her friends stopped in. No checking in after empty glasses sat in front of us. Then they want to change the channel on the game we are watching....great. Still waiting for server.... Food is consistent . Service is hit or miss. read more

This is a perfect place to come on Sunday to watch football good food and good service! read more

See all

Matthew, our server, went above and beyond. Probably the best service I've ever had at islands. He brought all of our requests including my 3 year olds! He had a smile on his face the whole time and was amazing! read more

The endless basket of fries alone make this place a worthy dining inclusion. The burgers are fantastic! The service is great. Love their sports bar and the tropical interior! read more

Good food, friendly service, great fries! This is a fun place to watch a game. The staff seems like they really enjoy working here, it shows. read more

The only reason it only has 3 stars is because our server was not attentive. I waited extra long for my drink and our food didn't all come at the same time. Felix is the only reason I give even give it stars at all. Felix was so attentive from the moment we stepped in the restaurant and actually checked up on us. Thank you Felix for making the time with my family enjoyable. read more

Faith is the best server I've ever had in LA. Great personality, she made us feel very welcome. Food was great!

I have placed an order via Uber eats for a 18$ salad They sent over a side salad with no meat. I tried to get a refund and all they gave me back was two dollars. Via Uber Eats. read more

I have been going to Islands since their inception Pico Blvd, Beverly Hills, Palm Desert, Encino,, @ Carlsbad. Tonight it brought back memories when I was taken to the Barnum and Bailey Circus!! I walked in their was no hostess, then I went looking for one I found two of them. One of them you needed to take her pulse, to make sure that their was a heartbeat!!. I was then seated right behind them at a table. No one came over to greet, me or take my order. I got up explained that to to them that, and she said let me go and try to find one for you. I was just about to walk out!! Then a young server came to my table and said its all my fault. I can see that this restaurant is under staffed!! They should have had this on video, it would have made a great episode on a TV show!! The service was beyond terrible!! I can see these girls in front very, very, young and poorly trained! Has anyone ever seen the movie with Jim Carry dumb and dumber?? or Lost in Space?? If anyone has been reading about restaurants every day, large chains with more locations than Islands, are filing for bankruptcy protection! Some of the largest chains in the country!! As a Business Major the reason for this is per sales, underperforming locations, with very, very, poor management!! When you hire very young kids, give them poor training and let your business depend on those type oh hires, it usually spells disaster!!! Who ever does the hiring in this location, please don't head my H&R in my business!! Even Islands had been forced to close certain locations do to poor sales, with very poor management you would think they would have learned!!! When you come into this location and you observe very poorly run, and yes folks the buck stops there! That's very poor management. Now as for the food fair, however when I was served my soup, the cup was a 1/4 full I kid you not!! Maybe in the kitchen they thought we were back in the great depression.!! They could not even get that right! Anyway out for now, for me one and done!! 86 !! This location may wind up like the other Islands, or join the many chain restaurants countless now, that will be filing for bankruptcy protection.Keeping It Real always, and forever more!!! read more

Why does the kitchen always serve me the small pieces of fries. I've mentioned this to manager but still get crumbs. read more

See all

I went with three other people on Friday at noon and got seated right away. Our server came and introduced herself and was very friendly. The nachos, I would not order again due to the cheese that they use. It gets hard quick and does not have any flavor. The Tortilla soup was good. I am happy that I got a bowl. What disappointed me was the mai tai in the flight because you can tell how they used cheap alcohol right away. The other drinks from the flight were good. I personally would recommend the shipwrecker. Our server came by twice to check up on us, which I didn't mind because I hate when servers come to check up on you every 5 minutes or so. She was friendly with my son and with his birthday coming up, she made sure to get him an ice cream brownie, which made him very happy. read more

See all

My family had a birthday dinner here tonight and the food was very good and was served quickly. Our server Julius was amazing and he kept coming back to our table to see if we needed anything. This was his very first shift! He made the extra effort to make this a memorable evening. The manager Mike was also very attentive. This service and dependable good food keeps us coming back. read more

Best bartender I have ever had highly recommended it. Or ur money back and . In this from a customer that goes to a lot of restaurants.. 5 star service with my friend JAMES don' read more

Islands Restaurant - They've man games is the man trust me - Sports Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We've come here many times and it's always a great experience. The restaurant is always neat, clean, and very well kept. It's a fun atmosphere with bright colors and music always going. Nice to still have some of these basic places around with no aoli to be found. You know what I mean. I'm a big Yaki Tacos guy and tend to get them most times. Always really good. My gorgeous companion likes the Northshore Tacos.. also great. Sometimes the fries are too salty so we stopped getting them and unfortunately, they did away with their endless basket. The past few times we've had a server named Matthew. His parents must have taught him well because he's very polite, attentive, and very eager to please. I tried the Lemon Freeze which is supposed to be a frozen lemonade with some vanilla ice cream. I didn't taste any vanilla and the lemonade was more frozen than slushy and was impossible to drink through that narrow paper straw they give you...really disappointing because I'm a big, big frozen drink guy! Easy parking in the garage. read more

My time this evening at islands was one I'll never forget. It was my first time coming in 5 years and it did not disappoint. From the tiki tenders to the artichoke dip, everything was spectacular. The secret seasoning on the table was a hit. Very yummy. I will say I wish this islands looked a little more vintage. While I missed the fake parots, the action sports on tv and overall aloha flowing in the dining room made up for it. Our server Toby was a real treat. He was very informative and coursed out our food perfectly. They had no shakes which was a bummer but overall he was excellent. He even gave us a movie recommendation. HOLES. Sherman oaks? More like pipeline. 5/5. read more

Islands Restaurant - Sports Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Islands is a classic family favorite. I miss the giant birds that they had at the old location back in the day, however the modern day Islands is fresh take on the beachy island vibe of yesteryear. They have a spacious outdoor patio, bar space and plenty of booths inside. The menu has changed quite a bit over time (they have a burrito on the menu now?), but they are typically known for their burgers and fries. Their fries are so good and they always come in a large portion. I can never get enough! I ordered the big wave and the kid's burger for my son. For your burger you have a choice of bun (wheat or white) or you can do it lettuce wrapped. I thought the kids menu had a lot of great options for littles. My son really liked his side of pineapple! However his burger was SO salty. It was saltier than my big wave burger was, so not sure if this was a fluke or the kids burgers are just saltier. Didn't love it. I enjoyed my big wave. It's exactly what you would expect and the veggies on it tasted crisp and fresh. Service was great too! Our waiter was very friendly and attentive. Overall the restaurant was clean and the atmosphere is enjoyable. I come here more for the nostalgia of it but I do crave their fries often! read more

Islands Restaurant - Sports Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

love the burgers as a fast food option, great fries and drinks, easy spot for a quick meal

Great option for taking kids out, with friendly service, but food options can be disappointing given the cost. It seems like Islands has been around forever. As a chain, I have to say that the staff is very friendly and well-trained. For me, the solo adult in my party, the menu items all taste institutional. This isn't the fault of the staff or even the restaurant, as I know these "recipes" are all researched and developed at a corporate headquarters somewhere. In that regard, it has more in common with Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's, California Pizza Kitchen, etc., than any sort of local business or burger joint. My kids love the fries and their seasoned salt, but then again, who wouldn't? I wasn't in the mood for their burgers, so I went with the tuna sandwich. I was disappointed that the sandwich was mostly bread and was enormous without doing the basic job of being "good." The staff was wonderfully polite, almost to the point of feeling disingenuous. Literally, you can get any staff member, and the delivery is so rehearsed it's a little robotic. Is that a criticism? Yeah, from me it is, though I suspect for a lot of people it's probably just what they want. The ambiance is pleasant, clean, and casual. We'll be back. I just wish I could get as excited about the food as my kids can. read more

Love this islands! The staff is so friendly and always remembers myself and my bf when we come in. They have great drinks and the cocktail menu is always being updated with new fun flavors. Their burgers are great, their salads and other dishes are amazing for others too. Even their chicken tortilla soup is fantastic. Tropical vibes inside, there's patio seating as well. Great place to come with friends, family or for a date! read more

See all