When you sell mostly hamburgers you would think they would be really good. My tomato slice was thicker then the hamburger. I could have gone to a non-burger restaurant and received a better burger. Maybe you should try something else sense you can't do a very good hamburger. That was one expensive burger for what I paid. You made me think of a old commercial...."where's the beef" Save your money and go somewhere else. read more

Loved being here since I grew up in SoCal. The only complaint is the fries we originally got were small and nubby. The waitress was nice to give us a new basket. read more

Food here is nothing special but not junk either. Exactly what you'd expect for a mall restaurant. That being said the staff are friendly, atmosphere fun, clean, decent food, good happy hour specials, and kid friendly. We came here recently and the servers were very friendly with my kids and didn't make us feel out of place having toddlers there. They have an outside patio and it looks like they allow dogs outside. Burger and fries are solid, white queso was pretty good, I'd skip the chicken tacos though they weren't horrible. read more

They changed owners and its not the same. Flat soda to start, bartender is your waitress so service was horrible even though she was polite she was also trying to chit chat with patrons at bar. my husband orders med rare burger and it came well done. My moms sandwich came 5 minutes after the rest of us served so we all waited, fries tasted frozen stale and unseasoned. horrible experience. will Never come back. My first Yelp, sorry but felt compelled read more

I came here with my family and absolutely loved it! The server was quick to reply to all of our questions and very accomidating. The food came out fast and the fries were fresh, couldn't be happier! read more

Love coming to islands, they have the best burgers! My favorites are the hula and the Hawaiian, Absolutely delicious. The customer service also deserves five stars. They are always very attentive, friendly and fast. Definitely recommend. read more

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Would not recommend coming at this time. We put our name down on the list for a table and were told we would have a30-45 minute way and we provided a contact phone number for when our table was ready. We waited the 45 minutes and walked back to check in since no one called us. The hostess said unfortunately she could not seat us because they close in 15 minutes. We explained we checked in earlier and had our name on the list and she said that it didn't matter, they would not seat us. We asked why she did not call us and she said she was too busy. Very disappointed that we waited 45 minutes to be told they would not serve us. read more

So happy to have an Islands in Monterey. Whenever we get the itch, it's great to scratch it here! Burgers and sandwiches are always cooked to perfection and you can't beat their fries or tropical iced tea. Service is quick and friendly. read more

The burgers were amazing not to mention the atmosphere. It was so fun and cute I absolutely loved it. I'm from out of town and will definitely be back here one day! The Kona pie was delicious. A great place for a yummy bite! read more

Islands Restaurant - Kona pie - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

This was one one of our worst experiences in a restaurant. We sat down about 8:30 pm the place was fairly empty. We had to go find someone to wait on us and she turned into a useless flake. We had to get up and go find her for everything, our drinks, our utensils, our order, our condiments and that took 2 trips. The manager finally walks over delivering one of the items then disappears when we try to ask her a question. The food was ok not real hot. We will never go there again and we travel to Monterey 4 times a year read more

I guess this a chain, I've never been. We got dinner and it was fine. Not too much for a family of four really. The service was ok, I asked for a water and it never came. I had to go to the bar and get it myself. Then the bartender was really concerned with who was my server so she could point them out to the manager. I just wanted water so I wasn't really in the mood to play her blame game. The bathroom was clean enough as was the restaurant. I suppose this place is just like the others in existence. Nothing special about it. They do have a kids menu and changing station in the restroom. If this was the only place around I suppose I would go back. Other than that, it's just kinda ehh. read more

Food was not good. Burgers were soggy and order was not brought out correctly. One would think restaurants would try harder to provide good food value in this challenging covid situation. read more

We always enjoy the food at Islands. We appreciate having the option for a gluten free bun. The icy cold beer mug keeps the drink nice and cold. They have good ice for the cocktails, small pebbles. We enjoy the burgers and chicken sandwiches in particular. The waitress we had was customer oriented and had an ease about her. The restaurant did not appear to be staffed adequately. When we arrived, the front desk hostess asked that we sit in down for 10 to 15 minutes or so they could get caught up from the rush. There were few customers in the restaurant but lots of tables not bussed and the workers looked a little stressed and were hustling the whole time. Someone picking up their order was berating the hostess and was offered a refund. I felt bad for the hostess she looked like she was trying her best to recover the service. I sure hope this place stays in business. It's one of our favorites in Monterey. read more

Went in with a group of friends. Matthew was our server. There was a big group of us and to say it nicely, we're not the quietest bunch. We all work in the service industry so we know how it is or how it can be with big groups like that. But Matthew was on top of everything and we had an amazing time. Great service! Thank you! read more

Food was great. Had the Kilauea Burger, which was cooked perfectly and was very good. Wife had the Island fish tacos, which she said were good. We came in shortly after noon. Wasn't too busy, place was maybe half full. Half way throughout meal I requested a refill. This was after our server walked by our table and my empty drink two or three times. Finished our meal without him bringing the requested refill of my drink. It WAS getting busy however, he just never brought it. Came back to our table asking my if we were ready for our check. Never mentioned the refill. He seemed like he was gonna be a good server, he just dropped the ball on this one. We will be back to give the service a second chance. Hoping he was just having a bad day. read more

Not sure where the disconnect may be, but Perhaps the DoorDash site needs to be changed or Islands needs to be more clear on how things are marked on their end. I ordered a white bun for my burger, and my boyfriend ordered a whole grain bun, and both are marked on the receipt as "WB". Which resulted in me receiving a whole grain instead of white. Also he had ordered a side of mayo which is marked with an "M", and we received mustard instead. The shake is circled on the receipt but the dasher did not deliver it. We only received one side of fries for both burgers but that's fine. I just assumed we'd each get our own since we had to choose our side online. The food was good but still a little disappointed that we didn't receive the entire order accurately. read more

Islands Restaurant - Receipt of order - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

Decent burgers, slowish bar service, but cold cold beer. Solid. Good place to catch a game. Fries are over seasoned. read more

Islands Restaurant - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

Miranda was a great server, she made sure everything was perfect from our drinks to our food! read more

Islands Restaurant - Mai tai for this beautiful day - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

Horrible experience here. Long wait for cold burgers & they forgot to give us a bun on a burger. For what we paid we had to go back. Asked for a new burger & all they did was return the cold burger with the missing bun. The burgers were not worth what we paid for. read more

Worst service EVER. Don't go here if you want good service. We had to flag someone down to get our order, and they weren't even busy. So many workers, but they seemed to be just standing around talking to each other. They say they are a sports bar on Yelp, but wouldn't put at least one tv with the game. We asked 2 different people, and no response. It was like they were lost in space. I don't understand what kind of management runs this place. We ordered fries with our order, and they never came. When we told the guy they forgot our fries, he brought out a small basket and said they were making fresh fries. We never got those fries either. Everyone around us was getting fresh fries. This will be the last time we go here. The only reason I gave one star, is because the guy who served our food was really sweet. When he said his manager was sending him home, no one ever came back to check on us. read more

This Place is Still Fantastic. I was Going there When they First Opened. Thats 20 years ago I think. The Service is Excellent. I sat at the Bar the Bartender Very Attentive. He Kept My Coke Glass Filled, Asked If I wanted More Fries since they are Served Never Ending. I had the MAVERICK Burger. Very delicious full Flavor with BBQ Sauce Their Island Red Onions . Then Had Their Kona Pie (mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream) I will Go Again. I would Buy a Whole Kona Pie If I can But Not If its more than $25 :) read more

Islands Restaurant - Kona Pie My Favorite (Mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream) - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

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The worst burger and fries I have ever had; do not go there. I ordered the Malibu cheeseburger with fries and the meat smelled, the bun was soggy from the burger grease and the French fries were the worst fries I have ever seen. The fries were short, not fresh and looked as if they were from leftovers. Also very high prices. One coke was almost $4. The burger $17; very expensive and poor quality. read more

Slow. We called ahead to ask if they had a waiting list. We were told "no waiting list but we are at full capacity". Arrived five minutes later and the place is half empty... We are seated immediately with a baby and told they would bring her a kids menu and crayons. Twenty mins later someone finally comes to take our drink orders. I ask again for crayons and kids menu since no one ever brought it. She said she would bring one. Just trying to keep the baby quiet so everyone else can enjoy their meals ya know? Ten minutes later still nothing so my daughter went to the front desk and asked for some. Another ten minutes later the drinks finally came out and we had to ask for someone to take our order. What was really annoying was that they don't serve customers in the order they come in. There were two tables of people who came in after us (same number of guests or more) but got the drinks and food way faster. In fact one table had finished their entire meal before ours even came out which was pretty crappy. Some of the staff are pretty nice others not so much. The food was good but I probably wouldn't come back because it was expensive and the service wasn't what we consider to be "good". They only give you one paper menu and want you to scan a code on the table so other members of your party can read the menu.... I hate this anyway but the code doesn't even work so four of us were sharing the menu and it was just annoying. The servers basically throw the food at you and walk away and you are left calling after them because they don't ask if you have everything you need. We noticed that we and the tables around us were constantly having to yell out "excuse me" or ask for the bill, etc. read more

This is located in an out door mall. It's a pretty cool place. Decor of surfing and island things. Full bar, tv's to watch surfing on. We ordered the Yaki Tacos and chips and salsa. DELISH. Yum. Chicken marinated in teriyaki sauce and mango. I also ordered a long ice tea. That was good too. It wasn't too watered down, nothing to get tipsy on tho. I'd go back and try something else. Recommend :-) read more

Islands Restaurant - Yummy - Burgers Near Me - Monterey, California

My family and I went to Islands for an early dinner. We were greeted by Amani the hostess and served by Adrian. Amani greeted us with her beautiful smile and was very attentive. Adrian made sure that our dining experience was made to our satisfaction from the beginning to the end. We don't get service like that even at the finer restaurants. Amani even went out of her way to open the door when it was time to leave. Who does that? Most employees from other establishments don't acknowledge their customers and don't care. It's really nice to experience excellent customer service. I thought those days were gone for good. The China Salad and Buffalo Wings we had were excellent. Thank you again!!! read more

We had the Hawaiian and Malibu burgers last night, and have been regretting it ever since. The meat was like cardboard, overdone, and poorly seasoned. The toppings were mediocre at best, and slapped so excessively on the burger that the bun quickly turned to mush. We would have sent them back but were in a hurry so had to choke them down and go. Worst burgers EVER! The restaurant and bathroom cleanliness left a lot to be desired. Plus we both were sick all night. I would have given 1 star but our waitress Marissa was lovely. read more

Savannah was great, took care of our party of 10 like no other. Great service. We didn't have to wait for anything we asked for. Never have bad service when we come here! read more

I give a 2 star cause I love their wings and mixed drinks but the service is terrible. Yesterday my friend and I sat at the bar and had a few drinks and some appetizers, which was really good. But the bar tender was MIA most of the time. My friends drink was empty for a good 10 minutes before we saw the bartender again. When we asked for a refill she for got and started helping other people. Terrible customer service! Now today I took my other friend to try out their delicious wings and again bad service, not at the bar this time but at a table. We had to ask another server 3 times to get our waiter for refills on drinks etc. The busser was more helpful then the waiter. I thought this would be my new spot for wings and drinks but 2x in a row with bad service, nope I'll find another place. Too bad cause I really like the food here. read more

Endless fries. Always a consistent meal. Veggie patty is pretty good. Queso is decent. Staff are always pleasant and accommodating. You had me at "endless fries". read more

One of the only burger restaurants that has a gluten free bun for the kids hamburgers that is still reasonably priced. The sliders are amazing and the staff at the Monterey location are the best read more

Excellent food and always great service! I recommend sitting at the bar for faster service.

Here the other day for lunch last week. This is a typical Islands restaurant. Same menu, same excellent and friendly service. It is clean and shows surfing videos on the various big screens. I am a fan of this place, but sadly can only visit occasionally as the food is not really in my nutritional plan. Don't get me wrong, I really like this chain restaurant and the burgers and chocolate shakes and the fries. It is just a special occasion kind of place. Could have been slightly better. I found this place a little cold inside for my taste and they sat us near the bathroom despite plenty of other open tables; otherwise a chain restaurant 5-star rating for sure. Thank you Islands. read more

Hey, it's a chain. But it's a super clean venue with an outdoor patio with a tv and fireplace. They do happy hour Mon-Fri with some cheap apps and drinks. Happy hour menu includes sliders and fries, quesadillas, wings, chips and salsa. For the health conscious, try the Veggie taco. It's delicious. We went tonight for the all night happy hour during March Madness and it was packed. I had a passionfruit iced tea and the busser just placed another full glass on my table when he walked by. I didn't even ask for it. So good service with young, cute/hip employees, good food, an outdoor patio and decent prices made even cheaper for happy hour plus some healthy options so you don't completely bust your gut. I'm going back. Every time I come, I like it and wonder why I don't stop in more often. They do extended happy hours for sports quite a bit as well as other specials. read more

Great food and service! Every time I go here, I leave fully satisfied. Nice portions and fresh ingredients.

I guess I should come to terms with the fact that COVID killed the restaurant business, it will never recover, and desiring a pleasant experience that is worth the money is a ridiculous and laughable expectation. In the past I looked forward to dining at this restaurant, but that will no longer be the case. Food quality is not good, the service is poor at best, but what can be expected when it's all run by teenagers with no experience. If COVID safety precautions are being followed, why is everyone in the restaurant being forced to sit in the same small corner while most of the tables remain empty? And don't bother wearing a mask if you're only covering your mouth! Some soap in the restrooms would be nice, and the "bartender" should probably not be screaming about a football game louder than any of the customers. It actually felt like being an educated adult was frowned upon. $90 for two people in that environment seems ridiculous, and the more I write about it, the worse I feel for being the fool. COVID killed the restaurant business, and this one was definitely not spared. read more

This was the first time for me. The service was great! The salad I ordered was wonderful. If I am in Monterey again, I will surely return to Islands Restaurant! read more

Great burger, never fails, even the turkey burgers good. Service and ice cold beer can't complain!!

This place seems to have gone downhill since I was last here in about 2011. I used to LOVE this restaurant, now, I probably won't be returning. We went in for lunch today... Our server was VERY pleasant. She wasn't very quick though. We ordered a lunch special chicken sandwich, ceasar salad side, and an endless soup, extra garden salad side. I asked that the salads be brought out first. The salads took 15 minutes to come out, and we had them for about 2 min before our food was brought out. Not great service. But she was super nice. We walked in and no one was there to greet us for over a minute. I pulled menus myself from the station to look at. The restaurant was DISGUSTINGLY dirty. We walked in and the ENTIRE FLOOR.....all the way to the bathroom and at our table....was sticky AF. IDK who mopped, but they need retraining. It felt like they used too much cleaner and didn't rinse, or mopped with dirty water. My flats were literally being pulled off my feet it was so sticky. GROSS. There was food ALL over the floor. It was just after lunch, so I'm sure it had just recently been super busy, but it was very clear that no one was bothering to clean. And for how long it took my waitress to bring out our salads, and I visually saw her stand around talking to the bartender more than once......they should be getting a LOT more done. My Tortilla soup had two small pieces of chicken in it. It was mostly broth, and super salty. It was tasty, and a good portion size, but since it was mostly just broth....I wouldn't get it again. Side ceasar salad on the lunch chicken sandwich was a dinky little cup. Might as well have gotten fries. Very sad this place isn't what it used to be. read more

Burgers were 'onolicios. We ordered Maui, Longboarder and Waimea. The kalua pig tasted more like pineapple and the teriyaki glaze, but it was still good. I just wish there was a little more kalua pig on the burger because it didn't even cover the entire patty. The spinach artichoke dip was really yummy. We devoured it. The chips that came with it was light and crispy. Overall, the food was delicious, except for the fries, which were overcooked and hard. My son ordered cheddar fries. The fries were hard and the cheese was heated for too long that it didn't even stretch. I tried to disguise the taste of the hard fries with ranch dressing, but could only eat half of it. Next time, I'll just get the island slaw or the side salad. Service was great. Our waitress kept replenishing our glasses of cherry coke and passion fruit ice tea. We received a goodwill credit which paid for our spinach and artichoke dip, but we didn't know why. We guessed maybe because I was wearing a Hawaiian print top??? Or maybe because we are originally from Hawaii , which most people figure out. I asked our waitress and she wasn't sure why her manager basically comp'd us for our appetizer. I would have given 4 stars for the burgers and service, but took away a star for the hard fries and not enough kalua pig. read more

I had the Hula Burger and It was very GOOD! came out HOT with fries, coffee was good and fresh, I even had a desert Mocha something something cake and It was GOOD! Good Service too! has a nice outside fireplace with a big screen tv...... I will be back for sure read more