Went to this restaurant over the weekend. Ordered a turkey Malibu style burger with onion rings and a side of ranch dipping sauce. Toppings on the burger were delicious and the white bun was just right. They turkey party itself was nothing to brag about and a little dry and lacked real taste - thank goodness for toppings! The onion rings were one of the best I've had with the onions just right and a very light coating. The ranch dressing was good, but definitely too runny for dipping and was certainly aiming for my shirt the whole time. My partner ordered a Hawaiian burger on brown with the chicken breast option (the burger I am told was delicious)and sweet potato fries. I tried the sweet potato fries, and they were not very impressive - ok but certainly not the best (get the onion rings if you go). Service was ok and about average wait speed. I don't usually comment on bathrooms, but these were in great need of a good clean up, paper every where and floors definitely need a deep clean. Lights were dimmed, making it tough to navigate and can only imagine how much more dirty it would look. I will spare you the photo on this one. read more

Islands Restaurant - Malibu turkey burger on white with onion rings and drippy ranch sauce. - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Good atmosphere, nice staff, not too loud, and some food was great while some others were not. Biggest complaint was food coming out cold.

This place always has good service, and the food is always cooked perfectly. We went in today and had Zachary as our server, and that guy was working so hard. He had a lot of tables, and he never once stopped moving, while managing to get all of the orders correctly, with great customer service. This location has such a great staff. We will definitely continue to come back! read more

I've been coming here since I was a kid and it's away so fun. I love the decorations everywhere and always feel so nostalgic when eating here. The always have great music playing and the passion ice tea is my kryptonite. I've never had a bad experience. read more

We came a little before closing just for a little snack and some drinks. The Truffle Fries and Chocolate shake are freaking amazing! The tropical drink flight is pretty awesome however if you don't like a heavy pour I DO NOT RECOMMEND. The staff is very nice and attentive and overall it's pretty great. read more

I haven't been to islands in a very long time. They closed the one in Tempe and Mesa and I got there once while I. California. I forgot how much I missed this place. Our server Sam was awesome. The Diet Coke was so good I kept drinking it and I felt bad. She kept on top of the refills never letting my glass go empty. Fries came out hot and fresh and the food was perfect. It was also as clean as I remembered and the decor still makes me feel like I'm on vacation. I really go love this place and I'm glad they are still around read more

Positive: our server Morgan. She's been the best server we've had anywhere in the past 3-4 months. She took care of us and just had a genuine positive attitude. Negative: the ghost pepper fries. Hardly any heat in the seasoning. read more

I absolutely loved this meal!! These are now some of my favorite nachos in Phoenix! We had amazing service from Morgan and the manager Paul. They took care of us and made sure we were completely satisfied. Paul suggested I try the longboard lager on my beer flight, absolutely delicious! Will definitely be returning, great vibe and energy from the employees and ambiance here. read more

Islands Restaurant - Islands nachos - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Best place to get a burger in Desert Ridge. So many options, kid friendly and the food is great in both quality and value. Don't miss out on the fries. read more

Just had another fantastic meal. This time we opted for the curbside pick up. When I called and placed the order the gal was so pleasant to speak to. She repeated my order back to me and genuinely seemed like she cared. She was so friendly and happy, it actually made me smile as I was talking to her. When we arrived at the curb, I called to let them know we were there. I was put on hold for the ToGo staff to pick up, but before anyone picked up the gal was already walking out to my car! She was so pleasant and nice. These are by far some hard times upon us and the crew here is fantastic! We had a Bigwave with Cheese midwell (it was perfectly cooked) and a Wedge with avocado and the mayo on the side. I also subbed cheddar fries. Everything was delicious. 5 stars all the way! read more

OMG great customer service! My friend and I came here to have a yummy burger and this is exactly what we got. Their selection of burgers is huge and I had the hardest time deciding which one to order. I wanted bacon on my burger, but even though it did not come with it, I was able to pay a little bit more to have it added. There was no wait and was able to sit down right away. Our waitress was very attentive and got us our drink refills before we could even ask! The restaurant had plenty of TV's to watch Sunday football. It was a very fun atmosphere with large plants hanging from the ceiling along with fake parrots. Lots of seating and had a nice large patio. Fun restaurant and I will definitely be back! read more

Islands Restaurant - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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I was in HEAVEN!!!! Finding an Island's Restaurant in Arizona and devouring THE BEST NACHOS EVER was enough to make my year!!! Kristen was our server and she NAILED it!!! I'm very picky about my nachos and very specific when ordering them (the cheese has to be melted all the way through ) She GOT it and they were PERFECT!!! I was soooo HAPPY!!! And I made sure to tell her manager that she was AMAZING, too !!! Any server that goes the extra mile to please her guests deserves to be recognized. . read more

Islands Restaurant - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I wanted to give this place 3.5 stars but that wasn't an option. It's not the BEST place to eat but customer service and atmosphere was pretty great. The burger my man got was pretty average, nothing special but the flavor of my huli huli chicken sandwich was surprisingly really good. The flavor was definitely all in the sauce. For similar prices there's definitely better options to get a good burger but the chicken sandwich, customer service and environment is enough for me to come back in the future. read more

Service was quick and effective and managed to get my special order items correct on the first try. the upbeat atmosphere is fun and lively without being obnoxious. The toucan is great and as one who can't eat beef I have to say their chicken is wonderful. No dry boing chicken here. Still great and consistent after all these years! read more

It's been a month now since my original review about bad food and service. I got a massage that some big wig wanted my info, and no response from the big wig. So I guess it is true that your only one customer.. go Red Robin read more

Islands Restaurant - The cheese that was not on my burger. Looks gross I know but had to have proof or it didn't happen. - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Nice cool spot in a HOT Summer day. Go early to beat lunch crowd. Jordan was our wait person. Very kind informative and attentive. She is so focused on detail, we love having her wait on us. read more

The food is great here but the customer service is far and beyond! From the waitress, bus-boy, to the manager - everyone here was so delightful. Will definitely be visiting again! read more

I have wanted to try Islands for a long time. No time like the present. I aimed to show family visitors Desert Ridge Mall and this was what fit our needs for a varied menu, family atmosphere and middle range prices. Our table of 5 orders ranged from hamburgers to fish tacos to salad. ALL of the selections were deliciously fresh and reasonably sized portions. Perfect lunch/mid day meal. From the welcoming hostess- to the waitress - tropical themed decor - clean bathrooms --thirst quenching cocktails, - speed of food arrival - it was a pleasant experience. I will be back for dinner & movie date nights read more

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The kitchen guy, didn't catch his name but he was great! Good burger and good sweet potato fries, had enough for leftovers too.

We tried this place on our staycation and it was great! Great tasting food and portions and awesome attentive service! It also didn't take an hour to get our food too. I feel like this is hard to find post Covid now! We look forward to coming back again sometime soon! read more

Was seeking a chill place close to the hotel to watch the baseball game and unwind a bit. And with a name like "fine burgers" in the tag line I chose Islands. I arrived just before the dinner rush and had a seat in the bar. On the table was a cardboard tent with a "new next level cheese dip " advertisement. Wanting to knock some work out for a bit before actually having dinner I decided to order the new unicorn level cheese dip called the "spicy white queso" - and then it arrived. I'm pretty sure it was rotel dip. Reheated. Oh well right? I mean everyone loves rotel dip. I think I was just let down cause it wasn't white cheese. Oh well. I ate it anyways ;) about an hour later and with work completed, it was time to sample the "fine burgers" as boasted. So- I didnt go fancy and ordered the "longboard" burger which is just a plain cheeseburger ( no cheese for me though. Not my style ) with all the toppings. Plus an egg ;) . My fries arrived before the burger which I thought was cool. They are hand cut- seasoned well and fresh - good job! Burger time! It was a burger, nothing more. Nothing less. It was cooked correctly and looked great. I think if I visit again i would try a different make and model. All in all. It was a burger that I felt I could have gotten anywhere. Service was good, prices were decent. But the whole event was lackluster. I may go back tomorrow just to try another item. Cause I want this to work. I think there's a future for us. Thanks for eating with me this evening. read more

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Great burger spot in Desert Ridge; prices are the same for lunch and dinner. It does become quite packed during the dinner rush. Here are some family favorites: - Hula Burger: very juicy when ordered at medium, generous helping of mushrooms (although slightly too salty), pairs well with the swiss & tomato. try it on the wheat bun! - Kona Pie: actually not too sweet & you can get it on the house for your birthday when you sign up for their email club The fries are pretty decent and taste kind of like In-N-Out's fries but more thicker cut. read more

Ate lunch with my daughter recently and paid the bill leaving a tip. Days later looking over bank account I see a different charge to my card! Apparently the waitress helped herself to $10 extra dollars. After speaking to manager who seemed to just want to cover for her did reimburse my tip plus the $10 she added. I will remember this waitress on my next trip should I ever go back and refuse to have her serve me and my family read more

I stopped in the other afternoon and ordered a Hula burger and a Chicken Bowl to go. Service was slow and to top it off my wife got terribly ill after eating her Chicken Bowl. Ruined her evening and was sick for several days. Really expected more from the restaurant and service! Save your money and go to Habit Burger read more

My friend had a big clump of hair on one of their frys! Absolutely disgusting. The floor was also sticky. read more

Islands Restaurant - Clump of hair on fry. - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

My first experience at this restaurant was horrible. I recently moved here from WA state and was excited to come here for lunch with my family. Upon arrival we were greeted by a nice and professional hostess, who got us seated quickly. The restaurant was not busy with around 12 tables occupied. After being seated we could see our waiter talking to the customers seated at the next table. We looked at our menus and chatted around 4-5 minutes without being acknowledged. He kept talking to the other customers, he did not speak to us, make eye contact with us, acknowledge that he would be with us shortly, nothing. He chatted loudly about that he was a school teacher and recently quit. I have had bad service from other places but, this is in the top 3, ever. So, my family and I got up and left. Once outside our waiter ran outside to do a weak apology. My family and I then walked to Yard House 21001 N Tatum unit 48-1550 and had excellent customer service and a wonderful experience. I will not visit Islands Restaurant again period. I was looking for a couple places to meet for business, since I relocated my business to AZ but, this will definitely not be it. read more

Surprising to me, there was a 10 minute wait. The booth we sat in was really tight. I think they could use a big makeover with their decor and their bathrooms were unimpressive. The food was ok. We ordered a burger (forgot the name), fries and chicken tenders. The fries were not good. I ate two of them and I love fries. Service was ok too. Now I know why I don't frequent this restaurant. I need to dine in a place that has fantastic fries. read more

This is for the one on Tatum Boulevard. We have always enjoyed Islands. We realize that many places are short-staffed including this one. The service was good but a little slow. My food was very good. My husband got a chicken quesadilla to go, as he wasn't hungry. He didn't eat it till today when he noticed that even though we paid for a chicken quesadilla, he was given a cheese quesadilla. Just a reminder to double check your to-go orders before you leave the restaurant. read more

Came here with colleagues and ordered Maui burger medium well but it came out rare and super greasy. Got the island iced tea and was disappointed that it was more like regular iced tea. Our boss couldn't get anything semi-healthy and ended up getting a bowl of soup - leaving hungry. Service was disorganized and there wasn't seating for all of us even though the place was relatively empty on a weeknight and we were just a dozen folks. So we ended up splitting into two tables that weren't close enough to hold one conversation. Won't come back. There are plenty of restaurant options near amc and will want to go to the Asian restaurant next to the theater instead as I'm hearing that's a better option. read more

I tried making a take order- the host transferred me to the take out person 4 times before I got through. She also sounded like she was laughing every time I called back and told her it wouldn't go through. She also didn't do anything about it, such as go check to see if they were busy or getting the call. I also waited almost 30 minutes curbside pickup for one order of chicken tenders. This place needs better management or more staff. This place used to be so much better- never coming here again. read more

Morgan in the bar area is the most personable waitstaff I have ever encountered. Food was amazing I had the hula burger and awesome fries. Delicious!! read more

We had burgers,fries and bowls. All were tasty and generous portions. The fries still had skins on them which I like! Service was very good too. However the music is way too loud for us to have a good conversation and maybe not worth it to go back for that reason. read more

We are very disappointed in our lunch. We each ordered a burger with fries. Fries came out right away. About 15-20 minutes later we finally got our burgers. We Did Not ask for the fries to be an appetizer! It really sucked because we have two baskets of COLD fries . Burger was ok cooked the way it was ordered. But seriously? Why would you not serve them as a meal !???? We came in for a hot Meal and we didn't get it! We told our server and she said oh sorry!!! Thx read more

It really pains me to write this review. I have been going to Islands for over 22 years, since it was located across from PV Mall. I always loved their vegetarian options: particularly their veggie tacos (which sadly they don't have anymore) and their veggie burger. Their patty was yummy. My favorite veggie burger in Phoenix. Their fries were incredible. Especially that yummy seasoning which they provide you with an extra shaker on your table. Our last visit, they were obviously understaffed. I understand lots of restaurants are so we have been cutting them some slack. Still, it was irritating that we got our appetizer AFTER our food. The kicker: it was just chips and salsa. While we are on that subject: their chips and salsa used to be so good. Thin, crispy, and hot chips, served with zesty homemade salsa. Instead, we got really bad generic thick tortilla chips and bland salsa that tasted like Pace picante. I mean, they didn't even buy quality chips. This was like store brand dollar chips. Our burgers were okay. Still good there. The fries: Absolutely NO seasoning. Okay, no biggie, I thought. I looked for the shaker of the seasoning they have at every table. Not there. I ask our server. He said the restaurant doesn't have any seasoning. That people kept stealing the shakers and they are all out and haven't gotten any in. ???? I was beyond puzzled. I've worked in a chain restaurant and yes, we had a lot of stuff that was pre-made but when we ran out of things, for the most part the cooks would replicate whatever we were out of. This is a freaking seasoning. Get the recipe, go to the store, and mix it up. Should be simple, right? So we had bland fries. I almost cried. I'll keep the two stars because our burgers were still decent and our server was nice and did try really hard. read more

Value for the buck has gone down! $11.25 for a mediocre burger at best. And then the amount of fries you get (Very STINGY Portions)for $2.99 and then the truffle fry's for $4.99! Outrageous prices for a burger! Looks like they are trying to make up for lost business during covid. I won't be back. Red Robin has bottomless fries and better burgers. read more

Good burgers and sandwiches. Service was pretty darn good and quick. Had a wonderful meal and enjoyed the atmosphere.

The service at Islands was the best! Our server Nick and the several different staff members that assisted him made our birthday dinner there for my nephew such a great experience. Not only was the service extremely fast but the food was really good and the prices were great as well! Thank you Nick, your assistants and Islands for making his favorite place to eat a great experience! read more

Islands Restaurant - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Waiter Michael always kept our drinks FULL! French fries are bottomless need I say more. read more

Islands Restaurant - TO GO - American Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

First impressions. Greeters we're friendly. 20 minute wait. Not too bad. Ordered our food. Apparently fries are additional now. So when I ordered my 10 dollar impossible burger, which was cold, and a frozen patty, nothing like an impossible burger you get at the grocery store, that came out 10 minutes after the fries. So the fries were cold by the time the burger came. Not worth ten dollars for a burger and then 7 for French fries. Islands is not what it used to be. Overpriced and undercooked. But waitress was nice. Oh and the strawberry lemonade taste like rubber. read more

I'm never disappointed with the food at Islands and the service is typically really good, so I'm a happy returning customer. I just felt so compelled to leave a review for the most phenomenal service I've had in awhile. The place was buzzing when we arrived on a Friday night, we were seated in Zachary's section. He'd clearly been hustling and when he noticed we were seated, he was attentive, detail- oriented, kind, friendly and engaging (even amongst the busyness) for the rest of our visit. Thank you, Zachary!!! read more