If I could give more stars I would... for our server Rhonda! If you go to Islands asked to be put in her section. Actually, if you're lucky enough you will be put in her section. I can say hands down that was the best service that I have ever received at a restaurant. (As a former server myself) I like to give my servers as much grace as possible, but Rhonda did not need it because she was so badass. I was there on Tuesday around 4ish with my husband, 2 young children and MIL. We were greeted right away (also to note the host was VERY on top of it as well) took our drinks got in our kids food, then returned quickly to get our order in. She was very knowledgeable about the menu had the best attitude ever and really made it an enjoyable experience. Promote this woman right away, give her a raise whatever you gotta do to keep her because we will absolutely be coming back, not for the food but because of Rhonda. read more

The ambiance at Islands is always what keeps me wanting to come back. The surfing vibes, as well as the extreme sports that they play on their tv's throughout the restaurant, are always fun to watch. But at this location in Thousand Oaks, it was rather a bit quiet and a little different from how I had remembered them. When we came in, we noticed the hostess wasn't there and so we had to wait for someone who was cleaning the tables, and actually ended up doubling as both. We ordered with our waitress who took our food and drink orders right away. Although AFTER that, it was IMPOSSIBLE to get her attention or get any help, and there were easily less than 10 parties throughout the whole restaurant, meaning, it was a slow Happy Hour. There weren't that many workers, and seemed pretty understaffed, but we were able to ask someone walking by since we didn't have anyone else other than them to really ask. We got our food and drinks not too much later and were excited to start eating. Their frozen strawberry margaritas during happy hour are such a good deal for the size and quality of the drink! They taste so good and are a favorite of mine. The hamburgers that we got were good, but the fries, as expected, were better. Their seasoning is really good and great to add in their island fries. Something we noticed was that the Happy Hour sign that they had at the front of the restaurant said it was everyday, 7 days a week, but another sign deeper in the restaurant said M-F, although it really IS NOW 7 days a week. I feel as if I've been seeing less and less Islands, and in order to stay afloat, they might need to advertise their new Happy Hour more and maybe make more changes. I'd love to still see them around though, and I'm hoping to see more pop-up! read more

Islands Restaurant - Island Fries - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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Not our best visit. It took a long time to put in our order. Twice when something was dropped off and we needed to ask for something, the person was already turning to leave (plates and ranch for the cheddar fries, straws for drinks, etc.) before we got a chance to ask. Normally service is pretty good, but today was not on. read more

Islands Restaurant - Those delicious cheddar fries. - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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Wow!!! Emma P. brightens our day!! She brings such JOY to the table, but has also been 100% attentive in helping us figure out the new menu for a perfect lunch. Thank you for hiring such pleasant staff, it takes the whole experience to the next level. read more

Love the vibe of this location! It reminded me of the OG island days with lots of the birds hanging (and way less TVs). Overall the service was good and we got our food super fast. I got the burger bowl which I enjoyed and my son got the tiki tenders. A classic! The tenders were good but the fries were NOT. It was so disappointing because usually Island's fries are top tier and I don't know if we just got a batch of old ones or what, but they were not what I was hoping for. Overall, really like the aesthetics of this location but the ball was dropped in the French fry department. read more

Islands Restaurant - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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Islands in NP has really stepped it up since my last review. We went tonight and the service was great and so was the food. What really impressed me was when my daughter mentioned she had a gluten allergy, the server was very helpful pointing out what she could eat and he made note on her order. Her order came out first, carried separately by a manager. Our order was right behind carried by others. They were careful about no cross contamination which was awesome. I'm glad to see that things have improved there, especially since it's the last one standing in our area. read more

Our server Dustin provided awesome service today. He was knowledgeable of the menu, attentive, and the food was great! He helped my friend find a solid gluten free alternative to her salad and presented her with multiple options. read more

First visit here in Thousand Oaks. Similar vibe to the other islands that I've been to. Always love the Hawaiian and tiki decore. Stopped in after a day in Camarillo. Great choice. I was going too opt for a burger but then was leaning towards a salad. Discovered the burger bowl on the menu. The best of both worlds! New item to me that's for sure. Bowl was satisfying although I do love their burgers and salads as stand alones. The fries are pretty great when double fried and doused with their islands seasoning. As always their ice cold mug for beer - truly the way to serve beer! Good to know this location is here. Stop in and take in the scene. read more

Islands Restaurant - Burger bowl - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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I ordered two Hawaiian burgers to go because it's my fav burger and haven't had it in a while. Was there a change to the recipe? It is unusually sweet like someone decided to throw a sugar bomb in it. Giving it 4 stars because I like this place, but i doubt I'll have same cravings again. read more

I don't want to hear it. You want a $6 mai tai at happy hour in the bar or on the patio? This is where to be! Pair your happy hour beverage with some chips and salsa. The chips are much better than your standard chain chips. Service here is always really good! You feel at ease in a quiet and relaxing environment. The team really makes it feel like vacation vibes. The prices are commensurate with local restaurants; best deal is happy hour or any promos they are running. I love the burger bowl. Chicken sandos are good too served with a big bowl of fries. Families are often here too. Kids seem to like it too. It's not filled with loud talkers though it does suffer the Ventura County Move -- 80+ year olds take up a happy hour seat get nothing on happy hour menu sometimes. See website for details. Plenty of parking in lot. Very easy to get in and out for take away, big meal or light snack. Still better than most for that nonsense. read more

Awful service. The waitress got our order wrong so my son had to wait extra long for his food. Additionally she charged me double because she put in the order incorrectly and forgot to delete the wrong one. Our drinks were late and had to ask for ranch dressing three times before she finally brought it which was too late because we were already done with the fries. Very sad because my kids love Islands and this location is very pretty and happens to be close to home, but I will not be going back to this location. read more

Islands is one of those burger restaurant chains that I grew up going to in LA. Happy to have this location now that I'm in the 805 as it's just a solid burger and snacks type of a spot. It's consistent, has a fun menu, and generally speaking the service is pretty good. This islands is located in the busy shopping center right off of Wendy Dr. in Newbury Park. There are a lot of food options in this shopping center but Islands is the only formal, sit at a table and get table service restaurant in this center. Everything else is takeout or order at the counter and go. This location is pretty consistent with their service. Its efficient. Not always particularly memorable service but also no complaints. The restaurant is clean and I love their like tiki Hawaiian surfer theme. Hence the name, Islands. Their menu is bigger than you would think. Always impressed by their menu as they have burgers, salads, tacos, chicken and bowls. Their cocktail menu is actually not bad either. If you like a fruity tropical drink this spot is ideal. My go to items that I get here are this teriyaki burger (hold the pineapple), chicken strips, buffalo wings and the tortilla soup. The food here is good and no frills. Always hits the spot. Probably my favorite bites are their chicken, the buffalo wings have a great sauce and I love the crispy chicken stops. Good ranch too which is important. I can count on this spot for takeout for when I don't have the time to dine in. That's what I did today and my food was ready when they said it would be and the order was packaged correctly. All in all a good burger chain when you're on this side of town. read more

Islands Restaurant - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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Good was served hot and so quickly after we ordered!! Wait staff was efficient and helpful. Food was delicious and enough to bring home leftovers! Fun surf and snow board decor. Restaurant was clean and neat. read more

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Our server, Rhonda, was amazing! She was super sweet and patient while our kids ordered for themselves. She had great rapport with the kids and didn't talk down to them. She checked in on us often and made our dinner such a pleasant experience. We are new to the area and have visited this Islands 3 times in the past year. Each time we have been seated right away a provided with great service! read more

The best! Growing up, I always loved the junior wave with cheese and almost ordered it out of nostalgia, but went with the happy hour sliders which did not disappoint. We also got a basket of fries - you can't beat the special Islands seasoning! read more

This is one of my favorite places to eat in the Conejo Valley. I love the tropical vibe (paint the ceiling blue to make it feel like being outside). The food is always good and I cant think of a time Ive ever sent it back for correction. But what really makes this my favorite place is the staff. I always get good service, they are flexible with modifications and they keep my tropical iced tea glass full. Sara rocks it as a server. She is fun and makes you feel like you are her most important table. In fact, all the staff are great! If you cant decide where to go for lunch or dinner, go to Islands. read more

The vibe at this Islands location is great. The burgers make the visit even better. The staff is very accommodating as I brought young grandchildren in for a meal. There were no compromises and all demands were met (crayons and coloring pages). The surf/skiing videos held their attention and then the food really hit the mark. I have returned several times trying different food items on the menu-there is one word I can use to describe Islands-great! read more

Today is exceptionally good. Our server is so so nice. Food is delicious. We had the sliders, fries, wings, burger and kids get piña cola da. Thanks to our server again that we get to enjoy good food and good service. read more

So tell me why on a Sunday evening at 6:20pm, we are told the wait is 15-20 minutes, when there are at least 10 open tables? This is why restaurants in America are going out of business, the level of service has gone down hill precipitously..... Correction, there were 21 open tables and it only took 10 mins to be seated. Lol, I just read my prior reviews from 3 years ago and 7 years ago...nice to see things haven't changed:) read more

Celebrated my Birthday this year at the Newbury Park Islands Restaurant. Absolutely First Rate Experience. The Veggie Sliders are excellent and hard to find at any other restaurant. The FREE Birthday chocolate Lava Ice Cream Cake was excellent. They also have my favorite Prosecco, Wycliff. Our Server Dustin was super nice and speedy and very helpful. He really demonstrated what the best server can be. We also had a really nice talk with the other Dustin there, their General Manager. Love this restaurant and will continue eating there. read more

We've eaten at this restaurant for multiple decades now. Absolutely great food with consistent quality taste and good service. What we don't get is why so many of the locations have shut down. It's truly sad. We highly recommend and will be lifelong fans. read more

I have been coming here for 30 years. Well I used to frequent the one in Woodland Hills. This food was so disgusting this time. I didn't even recognize it. The wheat bun was so stale it was not even edible. The chicken didn't taste like I always does(I usually love the chicken) the cheddar fries were cold, like glue, not even cooked enough. I was so grossed out. I'm pissed. Over 30.00 for this crap? Get it together. Seriously. read more

Just had such a weird and uncomfortable experience at this location, and from other reviews that have been posted recently, we're not the only ones. My wife and I just had a long day of working and went for dinner. We ordered at 6:20pm and by 7:10 my wife had two skinny margaritas (we had also ordered sliders, the large plate of cheese fries, and a chicken Caesar). While my wife was ordering a third skinny margarita, the waitress questioned her in a judgmental way if she was driving, and after we told her that I was the one driving (I wasn't drinking,) she left briefly and came back to tell us that my wife had to wait 15 minutes to order another one while mentioning that we had only been there for 30 minutes in total and it was too short of a time to drink that much. (It was 50 minutes and we were also eating at the same time ) The whole thing felt uncomfortable and honestly very discriminatory being that one of us is of color. We both are managers in hospitality and understand when businesses have to adhere to policy even if the customer is upset, but this felt weird and personal. My wife (a bar manager) has to deal with situations like these all the time but knows how & when to approach the situation with professionalism and respect. It was judgmental, passive aggressive, and excessively blaming the action on the manager whom never even came to our table felt like an excuse. Just seems like a scapegoat for the waitress actually being a Karen. I have to deal with bad reviews as a consequence for customers being upset as apart of my job, and if this was at all justified I would never be writing this because I hate customers leaving bad reviews ESPECIALLY when it's not justified. But my wife was not acting in any kind of way to be told that she has to wait to order another drink. It was belittling and made us feel like we did something wrong. The smug way the waitress was saying it just felt personal and did not feel like it was necessary in anyway. We literally went down the street and got served drinks at another restaurant because there was no reason NOT to serve us. There's a reason why most of the Islands locations are being shut down, this is literally the only place we've ever experienced something like this. It's a shame cause we were just having a dinner after a long day, and had to leave to another restaurant just to enjoy drinks like normal customers. I already know the ownership is going to respond with "its policy" but it was not within 30 minutes and the waitress was just judgmental and weirdly controlling. The whole situation just felt off and uncomfortable, and the ownership needs to do better in staff management. This was so disappointing and as someone who lives in Newbury, I can't wait for this place to shut down just like all the other Islands establishments. Also.... They microwave their cheddar fries, half of them had hard molted cheese. read more

A mini vacation to Hawaii for dinner! The ambiance is reminiscent of the being on the islands and the staff are attentive and helpful! Our waiter Tristan was great! He checked in and refilled our drinks as soon as they weee empty, brought food out quickly and was helpful when aquiring about extras like ranch and ketchup! We enjoyed the chips, guac and salsa (free when you download the app) to start. The kids burger got a 4/10 from our picky eater, the Yaki tacos were pretty good, the tweaking sauce was a little overwhelming. The Maui burger and side salad were great! The longboard burger was excellent as well! read more

Islands Restaurant - Maui and side salad - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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I always enjoy a great burger spot! To start I enjoy their Pipeline which is Chili, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles & mustard. They also have the Bleunami which is Bleu cheese dressing, lettuce, tomato, red onion & bleu cheese crumbles. The burgers are delicious and savory. Their starters are also delicious as you can try their Spinach & Artichoke Dip which is Chopped spinach & artichoke hearts mixed with sautéed onion & garlic in a creamy alfredo sauce served with warm chips & salsa. The options are many and you should try what your tastebuds are calling. Service is equally as good as the staff is always helpful with questions and or suggestions. read more

Very friendly and attentive staff. The restaurant was really clean, prices were fair and all of us (4) ordered different meals and enjoyed them. Specially liked the extra done French fries we ordered. read more

We recently visited Islands in Newbury Park and had a noticeably better experience under the new manager Brandy. The atmosphere felt more organized, the staff seemed more attentive, and everything ran much smoother than previous visits. PS We loved the desserts! read more

Hello, this review may come off as a scathing review, so just to take off a little bit of that heat. I'm gonna give them five stars (also to get more attention to my review). I went in today around 1130 to pick up a burger bowl, for take out. Greeting: none. Waited patiently for 5-6 minutes to see if someone would come up to the front counter and I can pick up my burger bowl. some nice old ladies came in and we're also waiting so I chatted them up. I thought I worked there. I try to see them at the biggest table, but they wanted to wait for someone . less than two minutes later, a gentleman showed up and told them they could sit where they wanted to, and that a server would be with them with them soon. I was told I needed to go over to the bar. Turn left turn right behind the bar for to go orders. I follow the directions, and I found a young woman who was able to get me to my order, which was already ready, natch. $17. plus 2. :) Burger breakdown: simple mix of lettuce, chopped tomatoes, red onions, some pickles, some thin ranch dressing . on top sliced burger patty . The vegetables tasted fresh. The ranch dressing was good. The burger tasted good. I just wish I had been HOTTER. I may return when I'm working in the area but maybe not. oh, decor: if you've ever travel to Herb, tropical setting and gone into an old building, made of wood, wood planks, and round poles this looks like the attic for that place. it needs a little tidying, a little cleaning, a little touch up a little freshen up different lighting, different floor, fresh countertops, fresh booths, less booths, and less wood, otherwise, it's fine. read more

Islands Restaurant - burger bowl - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

I really love this place. It's one of the best family restaurants in the area and also a solid spot to hang out with friends. The food always hits. This time we ordered the cheddar fries with chili, and for the price the portion size was impressive. The drinks were really good too, and the fact that they came out as a freeze made them even better. Service was friendly and the wait wasn't too long. Definitely recommend checking it out. read more

Islands Restaurant - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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The burgers had gotten smaller over the years (and they have raised the prices like everyone else = minus a star). Sometimes the food is a bit slow to get to the table. However, the food is good and the menu is varied to satisfy different tastes. As always, the fries are top-notch. read more

I've been coming to this location for over a decade and am a fan of the Islands chain. I absolutely love the fries and tortilla soup. The burgers and tacos are usually on point as well, made with fresh ingredients and great flavor. Recently, I ordered the asian chicken salad and had to unfortunately send my dish back to the kitchen because of the complete lack of flavor in the dressing, but also the poor quality of chicken served. Moreover, the service recently has been really lack luster from the time it has taken to get food to overall basic friendliness and attentiveness from servers. There are some good apples, but I've noticed that the overall vibe from staff feels unhappy and bare minimum which makes for an unpleasant experience. read more

tried coming here again after a not so great experience a few years ago & nothing has changed. We ordered the toucan & there was so much teriyaki sauce .. it made the bread soggy & it fell apart. impossible to eat in one piece. The server brought our check a couple minutes after our food arrived. We felt rushed so we tried to hurry & eat then when we tried to pay, the server disappeared so we waited another 10 min for her to come by to take our payment. total weird experience unfortunately read more

This is my favorite restaurant of all time. Sara and Tyler are the best servers of all time. Been coming here since I was a wee little lad. $3 Coors Lite? CANT BEAT IT. I am Josh Jackson and I approve this message. read more

Islands Restaurant - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

Got food poisoning here from moldy veggies. They are uneducated with food quality the manager tried telling me mold spores were bruising . By the time I got home I was puking . read more

Rhonda at the Newbury Park Islam's was the absolute BEST waitress we have ever had!!! She was fun and friendly and took such great care of us!!!! Highly recommend! read more

Every time I enter this fine establishment my socks are knocked right off! With the customer service at Islands, Newbury Park, you can never go wrong!!! Special shoutout to Anthony and Sarah for making Friday nights the highlight of my week! Love me some islands!!!!!!!! WOO read more

I had low expectations due to the most recent reviews for Islands, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food tasted at this chain restaurant. + Kilauea burger had a nice char on it, which gave it a great flavor. + side of onion rings were nice, crispy, and snappy. and not soggy!! The full size of onion rings would have been too much to order imo + side of fries that comes with the burger is such a plentiful amount! Great for sharing Thank you to our server, Emma, for being hospitable to us and made sure that our food arrived in a timely fashion. And also for moving our table when we were bothered by the overhead light that was flickering. read more

Islands Restaurant - Kilauea burger - American Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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Hostess was great. Food was excellent. Server Julia was TERRIBLE. I thought it was a fluke that I waited 17 minutes before she came to get my drink order, but the bad service continued throughout my meal experience. She returned to my table only once at which point I asked for more napkins. She never returned. The restaurant was not full either. read more

I've always loved Islands... but this one in Newbury is the favorite! Great atmosphere, great food, but... even better service and experience :) Very attentive service from Dustin, friendly and on point for every request! Will def be back again soon and highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun night out! read more

So.. decided to try again since we were in the area. The service was soooo much better. Smiles at the door, felt welcomed, drinks refilled, attention given by not just our waitress, but also others that walked by. The food was very good. The China Coast Salad, and 2 protein bowls that were on special were very good. This is def more how we are used to dining at Islands. We left happy. Back in the area another time. Service was great. Surprisingly, for some reason the food (china coast salad and -I cant remember what) were basically tasteless. I started to wonder if we were both sick (Covid??) that we couldn't taste anything! Got more dressing for the salad which helped a little, replaced whatever the other dish was with NorthShore Tacos, and it was much better. There was no issue that we replaced the unliked dish or asked for more dressing. Ok, we're back! This time the food was excellent and the waitstaff was super. We are so happy for the tasty food and friendly service. This is the Islands we have loved all these years! Thank you for making our dining experience pleasant again. We will be back.... read more