Chef's Island Express — Restaurant in Pleasant Valley Township

HULI HULI at Zeke's Island Cafe Davenport

The food scene in the Davenport/Quad cities area just seems to never get boring. On a business trip last year, I was referred to Zeke's by a colleague who worked at Arconic Mills. I was looking for a place to eat for lunch so I decided to check out Zeke's. This is a great place for lunch and popular, so be prepared to wait or get there early. Street parking is tricky so if you can find a spot try the back of Zeke's. The restaurant has front and back seating, both area are great to eat, the back has a higher ceiling and a different feel than the front of the restaurant. My server was awesome and guided me through the menu. The food is as described, a fusion of Caribbean, Hawaiian and Mexican cuisine. Since I love trying new things, I went for the Huli Huli Chicken with an Ice Cold Kona light Golden Ale. The Chicken was grilled to perfection, moist tender and juicy, the sauce were a bit on the hot side but not overwhelming. This was a great choice and with an almost dinner size portion. The place itself is lively and busy at lunch with great natural lighting. I have had Hawaiian style food before, and Zeke's did a great job on their take of the classic Huli Huli Chicken. I do recommend the Kona Golden Ale with the Huli Huli chicken its a prefect balance to the spiciness of the sauce on the chicken. Most surprising was the egg roll served with the chicken. Its not your run of the mill frozen and deep fried egg roll, the egg rolls at Zeke's are homemade. Check out Zeke's Island Cafe if you're ever in the downtown...

Update 08/24/2016: Went and visited their new location on Harrison Street in Davenport. We could not find parking for anything! The lot in back is theirs, so know you can park there if you go.

The decor and ambiance is great; different than their last location, but nice. Looks like they have more room, too. I was so hungry that I didn't take time to look around at the decor.

Prices have gone up since I last visited. The jerk chicken plate used to be $8, it's now $10.

Food was just as great as it always was, and the service was good. One of the staff came over and chatted and we talked about the scotch bonnet sauce for the jerk chicken. She was super nice and helpful.

Also had the "Elvis" eggroll dessert thing - that was GOOD! Try it if you're there. :)

Glad I found their new location, but with the increase in prices, not sure I'll go as frequently. But, this is a trend I've noticed at a lot of restaurants lately - $10 lunches.

Original review:

Been twice now and I love it! The food is really good (to be fair, I had the same thing twice, but tasted two entrees). Nice, friendly staff. Cute decor/ambiance. Can't wait to go back...

We used to love Zeke’s. Under Chef Jason Stewart’s leadership, the food had depth and quality, and the atmosphere felt genuinely welcoming — warm, creative, and true to its Hawaiian fusion roots. It was clear that a lot of care went into everything, from the ingredients to the environment.

Sadly, that’s no longer the case. Since the ownership change, the experience has declined significantly. The food was overly salty and lacked the layered, complex flavors we remembered. Portions were smaller, but the prices remained the same.

The atmosphere also felt completely different — sterile, impersonal, and strangely artificial. Jason’s wife grew up in Hawaii, and the original decor reflected that with authenticity. Now it feels like a stripped-down, fake tourist version of what it used to be. Even the dishes seemed dingy, like they might be secondhand — a small thing, but noticeable.

We truly wanted to support the new owners, but this isn’t the Zeke’s we knew. It doesn’t feel like a place designed to welcome regulars back, and unfortunately, we won’t...