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    Islands Restaurant

    3.6 (729 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    ISLANDS RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Islands Restaurant

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    Signage
    Ron R.

    We have been to this Islands location several times recently for their happy hour. The three star Yelp rating seems more reflective of the demands of the privileged clientele that comes here rather than the actual quality of the food and service at this location. This Islands is in a large strip mall with a shared lot. There are several other popular restaurants surrounding it. Consequently, parking can be challenging. Although there are few premium spaces in front of the restaurant, the back lot is quite large and you can usually park further away and walk if the front and sides are full. During peak hours on weekdays and on weekends there is a line and a 20-30 min or more wait time. Although Islands is an enjoyable sit down burger experience, it is not worth the wait during peak hours in our opinion. Consequently, we usually come during non-peak times or sit in the bar to order if during peak times to skip the wait. The happy hour deals for food and drinks are not bad and are currently served every day of the week. The bar has TVs so you can watch your team play while you sip a happy hour drink and make a meal of appetizers. Full sized burgers typically take 15-30 min for ANY sit down burger place to make to order depending on how busy they are and Islands is no exception. If you are in a hurry, don't blame them, either order ahead to go or go to a fast food place. Islands burgers, fries, and appetizers are typical quality for comparable sit down burger places--they are not exceptional and are outmatched by local burger joints, but are 5 stars for a chain restaurant. If you want a better value and quality go to your favorite mom and pop burger joint like Jim's or Paul's. If you want a nice sit down family style experience with adult beverages, then Islands is a great choice. In the past the service here has been ok to good. On recent visits our servers were good to very good. We have tried their deep blue sea, Mai Tai, Shipwreck, Pima Colada, and Island Sodas recently. The cocktails vary in quality depending who is tending bar and the Island Sodas are just ok-worth a try, but we would not get them again. We will definitely come back for the happy hour for the cocktails and have either our favorite appetizers or a burger with them. The fries, wings, and sliders are all not bad happy hour items. Definitely recommend giving these guys a try during non-peak hours for a sit down style burger experience with friends or family or to come see the game while getting happy hour drinks/appetizers in the bar area.

    Maverick burger
    Stephen C.

    Island burgers are so good. My favorite is the maverick burger with the crispy onions. They don't do unlimited fries anymore. I'm guess I'm a couple years late to the game. Service was great. The vibe is still surf. The burgers are still bomb. Parking is easy. Huge lot. Overall: Will return

    Fries
    Lily V.

    I've been to Islands a few times before with my family at the Covina location and we were craving burgers so we decided to stop by the Pasadena one. Walking in, it wasn't busy since it was a weekday night but also late so we missed happy hour! Staff was wick and attentive, checked in on us regularly and made sure we had coasters for our drinks. We didn't order an appetizer so we ordered a burger (blue cheese) and sandwich (fried chicken). We got our fries first, I asked for a lot of ranch and they delivered! Fries were so crispy and love the ones crispy and soggy at the same time (iykyk). I think my favorite was the blue cheese burger, not overwhelming and tangy cheese made it so much elevated than a regular burger. It was a bit messy and overflowing with cheese but it was worth the mess. Good thing they gave us forks! Fried chicken was thick, juicy, and crispy and stacked with bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and sauce. I'm glad it wasn't messy and stayed together, otherwise I'm eating this with a fork too! Our server was really nice and checked on us often, we felt like our dinner was smooth and no bumps! Overall, nice dinner, would come back.

    Menu cover
    Al L.

    Islands is always fun and lively as far as I remember. Today was just as I remembered. They have a happy hour, I came for lunch . Ordered the Beach bowl and that was very tasty. Filled with broccoli, peppers, pineapple, edamame and chicken on a bed of white rice. Topped with a hoisin sauce mmm sooo good. The drinks were teas and I had the unsweetened passion fruit and it was better than expected. The service was exceptional. The servers were attentive, pleasant and accommodating!! The drinks were brought out right away, the food was served hot , nothing more to ask for Great time , Great Service and Great Food

    Chris C.

    Aww boo, I haven't been in a while they took away the fries refill!!! It's a slow Monday night, got seated right away. The server took the perfect amount of time to check in with us to take our our order. If you are not familiar with islands, it's a divy family restaurant dimly lit sports playing on all the TVs a great selection of beers and drinks We split 2 burgers, the Moa crisp and the bluenami. The onions were a perfect thinly sliced, the bite in wasn't overwhelming red onion but a compliment to the other ingredients. The Moa crisp was like the best chicken BLT you have ever had. Thanks to my server Hailey for elevating this experience.

    Beachside Sliders
    Stephanie H.

    Haven't been back to Islands since high school, so this was a nostalgic visit! Came for the happy hour deal from 3-6:30 pm, and it was already so busy! Luckily did not have to wait for a table and got seated quickly (definitely recommend to come before 5 to skip the wait). The server was so nice and attentive, and took our orders quickly. Ordered some apps off the happy hour menu, and some burgers off the full menu and things came out hot and fresh! Portions were large for the apps, which is a great deal for happy hour. The burger patty in the burger/sliders were so juicy and cooked perfectly! Fries were a bit on the tougher side (not my fave), but the onion rings were super crispy and delicious with the ranch and BBQ sauce! The restaurant was packed and servers were everywhere busy, but were still very kind and checked in on us multiple times. Overall a great environment!

    Interior
    Ray M.

    My wife and I were first-time visitors to this location, and we truly enjoyed our dining experience. The restaurant is a tad older than other Islands locations we have visited; however, this did not detract from how much we enjoyed our visit. The vibe here is fun, with surfboards on display throughout the restaurant, plants, and bird pictures on the walls. TVs throughout the restaurant were on, showing women's soccer, while we had lunch. The menus, located at the end of the table, offered a variety of unique and delicious-sounding items. Our waiter (Robert or Frank? Sorry) was absolutely AWESOME! He was super friendly, attentive, and hard-working. Our waiter checked on us a total of six times while we had lunch, making sure we were doing okay. GREAT service! My wife and I both had salads for lunch. She had the Mediterranean Bowl while I had the Pacific Rim Bowl. Bowl salads were delicious, well-prepared, and fresh. Each offering refreshing and unique flavors when combined in a bowl. I also had a side of island fries, while my wife and I both shared a side of tempura green beans, which were delicious. Parking is readily available in the parking lot shared by several other restaurants located in the same shopping center. My wife and I enjoyed our visit, and though this location is not convenient for us to visit as we live over twenty miles away, we would definitely visit here again when in the area.

    Emi G.

    Got the mushroom burger and it was pretty good just wish it had something acidic to cut the taste a bit....like pickles maybe. Ended up asking for mustard which did the trick. Islands always hits man. My date got a gluten free bun, cool that they have that option. Cool server too

    Heaven on a platter.
    Alex M. ..

    My sister was a server at the Chino location for 5+ years so I got to know Islands so well. The cheese fries are always INSANE. Shredded and melted perfectly topped with scallions and served with Ranch. Everything you want in a cheese fry. The Kilauea is my favorite. The jalapeño have a spicy touch thought it's not unbearable. Pepper jack and chipotle aioli are perfect together. The crispy onion strings are the icing on the cake.

    Fish tacos
    Adam A.

    Food was incredible and very filling. The fish tacos were great and the service was quick. Our waiter was very kind and helpful and when I'm in town again I'll definitely be coming back. Fish tacos were $16.

    Strawberry Margarita
    Rox C.

    Ok.. so yes w come here often but so what lol its good. The place is clean, service is great and the food is scrumptious. Great location to eat & watch a UCLA game on a rainy day.

    Wings
    amy w.

    This restaurant has been around for years and I have been here many times since high school years. What I really enjoy most is the ambiance, it's chilled and nostalgic. Even though I have been here many times, this is the first time I am writing a review. The food here is amazing. Their burgers are topnotch for me and their island fries are 100% my kind of fries. The service is amazing, servers are always friendly and informative. Islands is the first place I think of whenever my friend and I wanted a place to just chill, chat and have some good appetizer with a hearty burger with some wine. Thanks Islands for being there since I was a kid.

    Semi frosty mug
    Miori I.

    Meh! Fine burgers and drinks are nowhere to be found. Sadly, within bites of my meal, I recalled why it had been over a decade since my last Islands visit. Came in for nostalgia, left quite disappointed. Food: - Tempura green beans (these were decent minus the super runny "ranch" dressing) -China Coast salad (dry chicken, almost stale crisps, dressing was not chinese or asian at all) - Not so frosty mug of beer Pros: Restaurant was clean. Service was sufficient. It's really the lack luster food that will keep me away.

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    10 months ago

    The team are friendly, the burgers are great, quality and quantity are super good. Will come back soon!

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    Page 2 of 19

    Ask the Community - Islands Restaurant

    Do you still offer bottomless fries with the burgers & chicken sandwiches? Last visit I had it was not offered. Yet people next to us got them?

    Bottomless fries are no longer offered.

    Is there outside dining?

    No there isn't.

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    My husband and I had dinner there last night. The food was OK at best. I ordered a cheeseburger…read morewith chili and a blue cheese salad. I got only 1 bite of chili on my burger, and my salad was wet iceberg lettuce with a little bit of dressing. My husband had the fired chicken dinner. The chicken was crisp but had no flavor; needed seasoning badly. I ordered from the kiosk. It actually asked if I wanted to leave a tip! But I realized that someone would be bringing out our food (so tip for them). Also ordered 2 beers from the bar. Again, I left a tip, because the bartenders were very nice. But next time, I'm leaving a very minimal tip when I order food. I wonder why they even have food runners. They should just call a number when your food is ready. The atmosphere is great, though.

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    View from street.
    View from street.
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    The Boat
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    12oz ribeye w/fries and green beans for $17.95
    12oz ribeye w/fries and green beans for $17.95
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    Islands Restaurant - burgers - Updated August 2026

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