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    Island Loco

    4.7 (44 reviews)

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    Reviews With Photos - Island Loco

    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!

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    18 days ago

    So good I will definitely recommend this place to family and friends. The food was fresh and came out looking great

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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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    The Clever Koi

    The Clever Koi

    4.2
    (2.2k reviews)
    5.8 km
    $$$

    Two of us stopped on a Friday night before heading to Phoenix theater. Service was great, attentive…read morewhile not being overly bearing. The EXO noodles were really good and had just enough spice without being too hot. Plenty of seafood in it too. Katsu chicken sandwich was also quite tasty and the fries were some of the best fries I've had in a long time with an interesting dipping sauce. All in all a great experience I will definitely stop there next time I'm anywhere close!

    What I got : Asahi beer…read moreChow mein (extra veggies/cabbage) Pork ramen Vegan ramen I've been coming here for about six years. I used to come here specifically for the Ramen, but the Ramen has never been the same after a bit before Covid had hit and they decided to change the recipe and everything about it and it's just like mid now, but I've recently discovered how good their noodles are. This is probably some of the best chow mein I've had and that's mostly what's carrying this review. I literally am only putting it at three stars because I am still upset about the Ramen situation and how it used to be really good and I can't factor that out of my review lol but what I usually get here is the hot chicken bao bun and it's pretty freaking good pretty spicy too. I'm like white girl level zero when it comes to spices and I think it's pretty spicy but it's super flavorful. The pickles they put into it are really good. I think they like saturate them in something and like I said before the chow mein noodles are just super good. They're not dry and they're pretty flavorful it's great. I'm just hoping one day the Ramen will be better so I can change the review higher lol

    Photos
    Beautiful ambiance
    Beautiful ambiance
    Chilled Sesame Noodles w/ chicken added
    Chilled Sesame Noodles w/ chicken added
    Pork Belly Buns and soft shell crab bun

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    Pork Belly Buns and soft shell crab bun
    Zu Izakaya

    Zu Izakaya

    4.5
    (1.9k reviews)
    14.4 km
    $$

    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!

    Awesome late night spot, for decent quality Japanese eats, and in the Tempe-Scottsdale area. Zu…read moreIzakaya was a solid post-study dinner spot when I was a student, and this time it definitely held up! We were nearby for a show, and decided to stop in on a Wednesday evening for a late dinner with some friends. They have a good happy hour menu, and my friends ordered off there, but I was craving sushi so I got the nigiri omakase. It came with miso soup, which I enjoyed, definitely hard to go wrong there. The sushi itself was decent, nothing crazy, but definitely better than grocery store quality. The tuna and salmon pieces were a little fishy, maybe not the freshest, but it was also quite late (~10pm) so I wasn't expecting too much. Beautifully presented, and the cuts were quite large which was nice! The food came out pretty fast, and the service was pleasant. The restaurant vibes are pretty dark, and moody. The bathroom was kind of scary personally, super dark and a little messy, so I decided to wait till I got home. Overall, a solid experience, and definitely a good choice if I am in the area.

    Photos
    Lots of inside seating options
    Lots of inside seating options
    JJAMBBONG POT
    JJAMBBONG POT
    NIGIRI OMAKASE

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    NIGIRI OMAKASE
    BISUTORO Sushi Bar Grill

    BISUTORO Sushi Bar Grill

    3.9
    (204 reviews)
    8.7 km
    $$$
    Fine dining
    Takes reservations

    I can't say enough good things. Carlos took great care of…read moreour party; he made great recommendations and was so attentive. The smoked trout dip and cucumber salad were phenomenal! The cucumber salad wasn't your run of the mill sushi spot salad, the smoked trout dip was unique and rich. We got the miso cod for our entree and the presentation, the flavor, the portion, everything was perfect! The lighting is soft, music isn't blaring, seating is comfortable, overall so cozy. Can't recommend this place enough.

    We came here for restaurant week. The menu was great and delicious, perfect amount of food for me…read moreto try a bit of everything on the menu. We each did the restaurant week menu and shared. The appetizer was amazing, we each got the crispy rice and I love that each one was a different fish and slightly different flavor. I don't remember which roll we got, I think it was the blue dragon one, but that was delicious, good amount of rice and fish and great flavor. The truffle rib pasta was good as well, the short ribs were cooked perfectly and the flavor on that was insane. I do wish that they would've tossed the pasta in the same sauce the rib came in before adding it to the red pasta sauce. The pasta sauce itself lacked flavor and just tasted like blended down tomatoes. If the pasta had a scoop of the rib sauce too, that would be absolutely insane!! For dessert we didn't have a choice and it was just the miso caramel cheesecake. Now that is some of the best cheesecake I've had in an incredibly long time. I don't taste the miso flavor in the caramel besides the salty sweetness of it but that combo was perfect, especially with the homemade candied pecans. I don't know if the cheesecake was left out or purposefully like that but I love how when the cheesecake was served it wasn't cold! Usually cheesecake is served really cold and kind of like a cream cheese brick you have to cut into it with your fork. But this was barely chilled so the cheesecake was not super cold and it just melts in your mouth. It's so smooth, best dish of the night hands down. This place was very nice and great location. Everything is clean and a great ambience. There's a bar you can sit at when you walk in before you go to the tables. I do think that every side smaller table should automatically have the table lamp for light because it was just too dark to see the menu from my perspective. It looks like great lighting in the pictures because the phone took it in night mode and corrected the lighting but... it's a bit dark and I saw that they do have those modern battery table lamps so I think every table against the wall should have it. Now onto why it's only 4 stars. The service was so beyond incredibly slow. I kid you not we waited 35min at least before our first dish was served and it wasn't even the appetizer, it was the entree rib pasta. You could tell just how short staffed they were and you could hear that there's only 1 sushi chef 1 regular chef and that's it for the kitchen. I don't know who is managing the shift schedule, maybe it's because we came on Memorial Day, but this type of service is not acceptable. I don't take this on the employees at all. They were so incredibly nice and apologetic and doing the best they can and even the front of house was now bussing tables to help out!!! Because they're so busy, I had to keep reminding different waiters for small things like ginger for my sushi 3x, refill on my water, and he almost said we're good to go without paying the check but we didn't even receive our cheesecake dessert yet OR paid the bill. In total it took us 2 hours from sitting down, ordering within 5min, and waiting and waiting and waiting to eat... inexcusable on management

    Photos
    BISUTORO Sushi Bar Grill
    BISUTORO Sushi Bar Grill
    BISUTORO Sushi Bar Grill

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    Nobu Scottsdale

    Nobu Scottsdale

    4.0
    (560 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.

    Photos
    Nobu Scottsdale
    Nobu Scottsdale
    Nobu Scottsdale

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    Island Loco - asianfusion - Updated July 2026

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