Excellent food portions and excellent service by longtime servers Greg and Valerie. They are truly an asset to this location.

We enjoy the tropical ambience of Islands as it takes us back to the islands! On our last visit I was disappointed with which was once my fav fish tacos since they were overcooked and dry. So this time around I ordered their chop chop chicken salad which was delicious! My husband ordered their happy hour sliders and a single order of fries which he enjoyed and we ended our meal with their Kona pie which made it a happy ending !!! We always sit in the bar area and service is always amazing! read more

See all

Just stopped in for a quick snack of nachos and a frozen margarita. Margarita was great as usual but the order of nachos was a huge disappointment. A few whole chips on top but the majority of the order was a mound of tiny broken chips, with a small portion of cheese on top. I have ordered nachos many times in years past but never got anything close to the poor excuse for an order that I got today. read more

Went here for an early dinner and it was so good! Our waiter, Austin, was super friendly, extremely attentive, and just a nice guy. We sat outside on the patio and it was super nice to just relax, have a few drinks, and eat. I ordered one of their new bowls and it was SO good! (I forgot which one it was lol) read more

Islands Restaurant - Hawaiian Bowl - Burgers Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

Definitely nostalgic for me coming here recently. I haven't had islands in over 10 years and it was as good as I remembered it. I had the Kilaeau and that was one heavy burger. I remember the endless fries from back then but honestly there was too much food and I wouldn't be able to order another portion. read more

Islands Restaurant - Kilauea burger - Burgers Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

We had a wonderful lunch at Islands in Mission Viejo. Kyle and Lena were both amazing and provided quality service. My wife and I both ordered the beach bowl and they were fantastic. Good food, people and ambiance. Highly recommended read more

See all

Greta service from Spencer. Shorebird is delicious chicken sandwich. Cheddar fries are a must. Kick in the ranch if you don't care about your figure. Yum!! read more

Islands Restaurant - Lunch with my honey! - Burgers Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

We went to islands for lunch and ordered a blt asking if I could get it with sourdough bread (which they have and carry). The waiter said he would have to check, coming back he said NO! I said I would pay extra for the bread and he said I'm sorry we can't do it would you like to speak to the manager, I said yes of course! Being in the customer service field for over 20 years I thought for sure the manager would want to keep a customer happy to be a repeat customer but unfortunately he came and said we can't give it to you it's for our kids meals. I said ok so you have sourdough but I can't have it?! And he said no sorry. What I've learned from customer service is it's better to keep a customer rather than lose one. read more

I haven't been to Islands in a lifetime! It was just about how I remembered it, except they've added a lot of new and exciting items to the menu. Personally, I got one of their bowls, and it had chicken, rice, edamame, pineapple, bell peppers, grilled onions and teriyaki sauce. It was honestly really good and the chicken was super tender. They have really great fries with their special seasoning (if you need extra, you can find it on the table too). They have big screen TVs to watch various sports stations, as well as an outdoor patio and bar. I've heard they also have good happy hour options too! read more

Islands in Mission Viejo always delivers good service and great burgers. Their tropical drinks are delicious! Nice place to hop into to grab a bite. read more

Plenty of parking being that its inside the mall, Friendly staff, went in for a bite while shopping. Sat at the bar, was pleasantly surprised with the happy hour menu. I ordered a shorebirds sandwich while my wife had a different chicken sandwich. Both were great, read more

See all

Service was great and very helpful! They were busy on a Friday night so he didn't come around as often. Nachos and dip and fries were delicious as always! The burgers were cooked well and we loved the crispy onions. Our friends got the refillable soup but they weren't able to get a refill until we were close to being done. Bartenders were accommodating and helped us customize drinks. It was cold in the restaurant so we tried to sit by the window in the sun read more

See all

Decent foods. Very slow service. We came just a bit right after 6:00 pm tonight, Friday night, restaurant was only half full but it takes forever to get food. Chicken rice bowl was good but too much sauce so it was soggy & a bit salty. Turkey burger was good. read more

See all

I was permanently refused service because the 2 managers falsely claimed I was yelling at their 1 older male bartender and pointing my finger. Also the one manger that spoke with me today said it looks like it's on video, not that it is on video. read more

They have a sign that says something like "watch football here" at the bar. So I sat down ordered a drink and asked the bartender to turn on some games. He said they only air the surfing videos. Why have a sign to watch football then? The surfing videos are fun to watch for about 3 minutes. Pros: Very reasonably priced. Convenient location at mall. Cons: Food quality is not the best. But for the price, you know what you're getting. read more

Ok okay, but islands is a guilty pleasure for me. We used to go there quite a bit when the kids were little as they loved it. Since they've grown. We have not visited as often but when we do, we do love it! All the burgers are delicious and I especially like the pipeline burger which has chili on it and the Kilauea burger with pepper jack. The fries are especially good if you like to get the cheddar fries for the table. The Chinese coast salad and in the kaanapali kobb a really good salads to get a break from the burgerFest. Tiki tenders are legit! Last, I believe you can still order the protein plate which I love. Go get you some!! read more

Islands Restaurant - P half a bowl of soup? - Burgers Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

An ok overall experience, good but nothing special. There was no waiting to be seated today Saturday around 2 pm. They were a bit busy but it was not crowded. The front host and the waiter were ok, not too friendly, but still very polite. The food order and drinks were served accurately and pretty quickly. The food was good, as usual. Tasted fresh and very flavorful. Fries were nice and crispy. My crispy chicken was so delicious hahaha! Good atmosphere overall! read more

See all

My family and I like to occasionally drop in for their happy hour and I have to say we always have the best service in the bar area. Tyler is an incredibly kind and attentive waiter. He checks in and always makes sure we are well taken care of. He has served us a couple of times now and I wanted to take the time today to shout him out. In terms of a chain restaurant, this one is always high up in the leaderboard. This location is always clean (including the restrooms!) and the staff is always welcoming and friendly. Food is delicious and the location is very family friendly. read more

Have not been to this location before but have been to Island's many times. Today, the food was great and the service was amazing! The server was attentive, patient, really on top of it! I couldn't remember his name but in the receipt it says Kyle Anthony. We really enjoyed our visit! read more

We visited for Happy Hour, which is quite good from both a food and drink perspective for offerings. Our bartender, Malia, was, buried with not a lot of backup, but she kept up . $7 Mai Tais and $5 drafts are hard to beat these days. There is a "Nachito" dish with a fairly decent guacamole, cheese, sour cream and salsa that we cleaned up. The burger sliders were large and there were three of them. Onion rings were coated in what I think was a cracker batter. The environment is a bar scene but not overly noisy, making it easy to talk with other patrons. read more

Islands Fine Burgers and drinks, Huh? How long are they gonna keep pulling that Slogan? I decided to give them another chance for Nostalgia and for that reason alone, do me a solid and don't. Despite the fun Beach atmosphere and the friendly service they've along way to go The path to destruction for myself started with the over the top mushy sliders and stated for them to be well done , to which I guess they're despite the meat tasting very old and straight up Nasty( as Janet Jackson once stated in one of her Iconic songs) The Pineapple Drink, I felt was just something you could get from Dole I wish it were the early 00's again! read more

The burgers are huge here. Be ready to get your hands messy because they are hard to eat, even after cutting it in half. I had the Hawaiian burger. I thought the patty needed flavor and it was also dry. The only thing saving it was the sauce. But even the sauce was a little bit salty. I felt the flavors of the burger did not really come together. The fries are good though. Nice and crispy. read more

See all

Best breakfast in San Clemente by far I would like to kidnap Tony who's the cook and have him cook breakfast for just me and my friends great staff everyone is very friendly 5 star read more

This restaurant has made a huge turnaround! The staff seems much happier and attentive to all patrons! Management seems to be more present and helpful. The food still needs a little work, the burgers are never consistent when you order "medium", I expect pink in the middle. read more

See all

The place was dead for a Monday night, it was extremely slow. The service was horrible. Me and a family got sat by a waitress which didn't acknowledge us. We waited half hour, and no one still came to our table. We felt neglected so we got up and left. read more

Sat down and the place was nice and clean. Our waiter was named Tyler and was super nice and cool.Drinks came super fast. Love the surf network being played on tv. Great vibe. Got burger and fries and was amazing, recommend getting. Overall great place read more

Treat myself for lunch for first time and craving hungry for chicken bowl got one beach bowl teriyaki and it was the worst no taste to it like 4 small pieces of chicken it really sucked waste of my money never again read more

Islands Restaurant - Beach bowl - Burgers Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

I just had the most fabulous chicken and mushroom sandwich at Islands. I was blown away. Chicken was moist and so delicious. Our server could not have been more pleasant. What a treat to go to a restaurant with good food and good attitude. Keep up the good work!! read more

Omg! The burgers are to dye for!! Very juicy and flavorful. Definitely coming back! Customer was nice and service was quick and easy. Place is nice and neat! read more

Islands Restaurant - Burgers Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

See all

Very disappointing. It used to one of our favorites. Their menus say they cook their hamburgers only "medium" with pink inside. We asked for "medium" or "well done" but they said they can't. So we ordered the "Moa Crisp" fried chicken sandwich. It LOOKED good. Chicken was dry and bland taste. Fries were very average. Ketchup was good. We won't be going to Islands anymore. read more

After a quick stint around the mall, we decided it was only fair that we feed ourselves before heading over to a Yelp Elite event at Zero &. THE FOODS | We went with burgers for this visit... - Hula Burger | Cooked medium with thick melted swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and a small pile of sautéed (buttery) mushrooms; it is perfection. I'm always on the hunt for a great mushroom swiss burger, and this is truly one of the best. l substituted regular fries for truffle fries, and if you like the earthy taste and smell of truffle, this is for you. Sprinkled with a dose of parmesan cheese, these natural cut fries are deliciously flavorful. It comes with a creamy side of truffle aioli for dipping. - Hawaiian Burger | Cooked medium, the Hawaiian burger is made up of fresh pineapple slices, smothered in teriyaki sauce, with lettuce, tomato, onion, swiss cheese, and mayonnaise. It's sweet, tangy, and quite savory. Comes with natural cut fries which are crispy, but soft inside. THE DRINKS | Why order one drink when there's a flight to sample? We drank through... - Beer Flight | The first three samples are chosen for you and the fourth is your choice. 1. Kona Longboard Lager | Light and refreshing with a crisp finish. 2. Mango IPA | Hoppy, mango flavor, and piney. This one is my favorite. 3. Wheatwave | Sour and pretty wheaty. Probably my least favorite. 4. Sunny Blonde Ale | Light and crisp. - Mangorita | Frozen blend of sweet mango flavor with a Sauza Gold tequila kick. It's a tropical type of drink for when temperatures reach hot damn, but I'm that person who likes frozen margaritas when it's winter. WOULD I COME BACK? | Yes, their burgers and fries are phenomenal. read more

See all

Went to Islands for lunch today with the family and had our server Kelly . It was a Friday at 1 PM and wasn't crazy busy . 3 adults and 1 child - Started off good - asked if we wanted our drinks and we did - she seemed a little new maybe or not just was confused a bit ( it happens ). 3 cokes - 1 child soda 1 chicken wrap w seasoned fries 1 order sliders - hold the onions & hold the island red sauce -& ketchup- side of thousand dressing . Order of fries hold the seasoning . 1 chicken sandwich w onion rings . Food arrived hot and tasty . My or our only complaint was Kelly only stopped by our table ONCE and it was to refill My nieces soda but after that she never stopped by again - I wanted a refill of my drink and NEVER got one and we were there A LONG TIME as our dirty plates sat there on the table FOREVER and my empty sofa glass sat there as my sister ate and took her time eating as all I had was 2 tiny slider's as I shared with my little G-Niece . Still no refill and still looking at dirty plates as we sat there talking with family ( it's my pet peeve ). I finally gathered up all the dirty plates and made it easy for them to take them away for when ever they were to take them . I still NEVER got my refill and so this is the reason for my wonderful 3 stars . I really believe someone should stop by to ask - Is there anything else I can get you ? Can I get you a refill ? Can I take your plates away ? No no and no . Did we tip her ? Yes and didn't tip her less but she didn't get 22% . Kelly I'm sorry maybe you were having an off day as we all can have but if so then maybe you could ask for help . Sorry . read more

My family and I stopped into Islands for a quick bite to eat after shopping at the mall. We were all starving and couldn't decide what to order. Our waitress (Kaitlynn) suggested we order the loaded fries as an appetizer while browsing the menu. Wow, what a hit! The fries were at our table before we could look at the menu. Her customer service was second to none. She suggested we order a few items off the menu and share. What a great way to sample the menu. (Thanks Kaitlynn!) Islands food was delicious. We were completely impressed with Kaitlynn's professionalism and customer service She made our experience at Islands very pleasing. The ambiance was so inviting and comfortable. Felt like we were on vacation in Hawaii. Thanks again, Kaitlynn, for treating us like family. Can't wait to see you next time! The Perras Family read more

I've been eating at Islands restaurants for over 20 years and only once have I been disappointed which says a lot. I appreciate how they've kept their menu mostly consistent and don't try to fix what isn't broken. My favorite is the Shorebird chicken burger and it's always tasty. I sub regular fries for cheese fries every time as everything tastes better with some cheese! The service is always great, the portions generous and you just can't be in a bad mood when you dine at an Islands restaurant as the ambience is so cool! read more

I've heard good things about how islands was in the past so my bf and i decided to see if it still lived up the hype. (And I was craving a juicy burger) It, in fact, did not. The food wasn't amazing as he had remembered as a kid. The onion rings were pretty good but everything else was meh. Not a place I will be coming back to. read more

Ordered the Mainlander salad for lunch today. Very little spicy shredded chicken on the salad (less than 3 ounces). The flavorings used for the salad were delicious; not too salty. Islands should measure out the portions more carefully. read more

Had lunch here today and it was a bit of a mess. We arrived a few minutes before 12, and we were told we'd be seated at a table where the waiter would arrive any minute. The restaurant manager sat us, and either the hostess or another waitress took our drink order. We waited. And waited. And waited. After 10 minutes I went to the host / hostess stand and asked the kid there to find our waiter and explained we were seated before he arrived but it had been a while. He told me yeah he'll be there soon. I waited another five minutes and walked back up to the front and asked for the manager. I reminded him we were seated prior to the waiter arriving but it had been 15 minutes and no one had been over. He went to tell the waiter our table number and he came over. I'm guessing he didn't know our table was his as he was walking to other tables and looked as if he didn't have anything to do, as he was caught up. We ordered at 12:20pm. I ordered the Hula Burger well done. My burger was red inside. At that point I didn't have time to send it back as we had somewhere to be and had already waited 20 minutes prior to ordering. Once our waiter realized our table was his, he was fine. The fries that came with my burger seemed to be the bottom of the bin because they were all very small pieces, no actual regular sized fries. The restaurant had a good amount of people but it was by no means busy and it was a long lunch, being that it took so much time in the beginning. I do think the manager could have come over and said something and / or apologized and I would've preferred to have my burger the way I ordered it, but all in all the food was good which is why I'll leave my review in the middle. I'm feeling generous with the third star. read more

Islands Restaurant - Hula Burger no tomatoes - add onions. - Burgers Near Me - Mission Viejo, California

See all

Not only last night but every time we go great service and food. We had 7 in our party for my granddaughters birthday. I can't remember the servers name as well as the person who greeted us. Exceptional service and again food and drinks perfect. Thank you see you next time read more

I walked into the restaurant and ordered a large order of hot wings, a large tortilla soup, and a cobb salad with hot chicken, to go. My order cost me $48. 15 minutes later, when I got home with my food, I realized I only had six pieces of chicken (3 flats and 3 drumettes) and no carrots. I called the restaurant, and was told they only had one size of chicken wings, even though the young lady taking my order, asked if I wanted a small or large order. The young woman on the phone also advised me that they no longer served carrots with their wings, just celery, (even though the menu says carrots and celery). Also, it was very clear that the wings had been cooked much earlier (probably the day before) and merely warmed over. There was no juice in the meat at all. It was totally dry They were not fresh. Disgusted, I pushed that to the side and moved to my salad. There was more bad news there. The chicken in my salad was stiff and chewy, like hard jerky. It clearly had not been cooked for me, but had been cooked at least several hours (possibly days) before. It was dry, tasteless and inedible. Additionally at least 30% of the lettuce and cabbage in the salad, we're cut up pieces of stalks, and not leaves. And the tomatoes were totally macerated, soft, mushy, and largely seedless. Without question this is the worst salad I have ever received from an Islands. I love Islands and order from them frequently, though not this location. I also always buy gift cards at the holidays. I previously had one other mediocre experience with this location and I guess I should've known better than to try it again. I've learned this time and I will never go back, and I advise anyone interested in receiving food that they can actually enjoy, to stay clear of this particular location. I'm angry that I had purchased a gift card for myself which I used for this visit. What a waste of $50. Management really needs to take a hard look at what's going on there. Next time I will drive to the Newport Beach location (Bison and MacArthur), even though it's further away. They know how to serve hot, fresh food at that location. Stay away from the Islands at the Shops at Mission Viejo. read more

Will not be visiting this Islands location again. When we were seated, the table was not cleaned and did not have any utensils, so we went back to ask for a different table/have the table cleaned. Almost all the employees seemed either cranky or tired of their jobs, and didn't put any effort into being polite or friendly. The food was overall very bland, aside from the onion rings which were far too salty. I have been to this location previously and the food has never been anything spectacular, so I don't recommend this location. read more