Islands Restaurant Newport Beach — Restaurant in Newport Beach

I don't' know what it is about cyclists and Islands, but we sure do love eating here after long rides. Specifically after hard rides or long rides. Perhaps it's because they don't care if we're a little smelly or grungy or it's those dang fries baskets and burgers.

Endurance athletes love to carb load and as most people know pizza is one of the better ways to do that, but for some reason pizza after rides or runs doesn't give the proper protein that burgers do.

I personally love the fries since they leave the skin on, fry them up crisp and give a dusting of special seasoning. Truth be told root vegetables actually increase your VOMax when eaten before endurance exercise, but those benefits are vastly countered when fried (think beets).

Spinach and Artichoke dip although not the best, it goes great with the fries and yes I eat both. It's hot and goes well with the chips, forget the salsa, it has no business with most anything on their menu except the tacos.

Big Wave is my go to because it's classic and I add the bacon and crispy red oninos. They say they cook everything medium, but sometimes I've gotten them medium rare and they are better. The point break is far superior than the bleunami because the dressing runs while the cheese sticks. Hula has nice creaminess.

Skip the salads as they are ok, but I did really enjoy the jicama in the Wiqui Waqui, but not the water chestnuts in the China Coast(basically a wok'd dish, but not wok'd with lettuce instead of topping rice.

Some call me the birdman and I love a chicken breas. Actually all their chicken sandys are excellent and truth be told the flavor profiles work much better than on the burgers, but a burger is sometimes what you need to eat.

How you call a BLT the wedge and not call a wedge salad the wedge is strange, but they don't have a Wedge salad and the BLT is cut like a club so I get that part. It's basic.

I do enjoy their fish taco's, but not in the flavorful super authentic way, more like the dressings are rich and with guac and sour cream and beans it makes a carboliscious meal.

Kona pie all day every day.

So I know my review encompasses much of their menu, but after a long ride my usual is a basket of fries, artichoke dip, a burger or chicken sandy and a kona pie and a soda. Yeah that's all me and when I ride straight here it's like half of that is wiped out before I'm done.

Service is pretty good and the bathrooms are nicer than expected. Parking can be a bear and the hills in the area make riding here not pleasant after a long ride, but it's kind of a cyclists oasis. I regularly see other spandex clad riders pre and post rides. This place is as Hawaiian as the coconut, meaning it gives off the right vibe, but authentic it's not. It's probably one of the original island fusion places to establish on the mainland and with dozens of locations all over the west coast and 1 even in Hawaii it's sure to stick around for us...

I've dined at a variety of Islands Restaurants for many years and have generally been very satisfied with both the food and the service. However, I dined at the Islands in Newport Beach recently, a location that I have frequented over the last ten or so years, and I was very disappointed in both the food and the service, and especially in their substantial hike in prices. My waitress, who was dressed in ill fitting, very tight and very short "hot pants" (totally inappropriate attire for an Islands IMO), got my very simple drink order wrong and spoke "a hundred miles an hour," as if she was very busy (she wasn't) or perhaps high on "speed," also negleting to look at me or my wife when we spoke to her. When the food arrived, my Maui burger (a favorite selection of mine) had a VERY small and thin hamburger patty in it that was not "well done" as I had requested, but rare to medium rare at best. I could go on and on, but I'll just conclude by saying that the service was awful, the portions the smallest that I have ever been served, and the prices higher. Needless to say, this Islands has lost a...

How do you mess up on Nacho's??!! It was on a Friday right before the Memorial day weekend. Me and a couple of co-workers went to "happy hour" after work. I ordered the Nachos with grilled chicken and a Mojito. The chicken, guac, salsa and chips were salty. Then I found a worm floating around in my drink. Of course the manager took the drink off my order, but my friend was so hunger he ate the entire nacho plate so I didn't want to ask them not to charge me as there was no proof of how gross it was. My friend practically inhaled them, then he got sick, went home and threw everything up. So basically he saved my life, cause I had to go into work the next day and I am glad I only had a few chips and I didn't have a enough to get me sick. The end..lol. I probably won't be eating here again. I ate at another Islands and the food wasn't that...