ISLAND GRINDS — Restaurant in Saint George

Let me preface this by saying: I LOVE Polynesian food! Sitting down to eat w/a Polynesian family in a gifted i'e is an honor beyond respect & something you'll never forget if you do it even once. Eating w/fingers: expected. Giant portions of tasty foods: guaranteed. Laughter, love & story telling: it's just beautiful. My expectations were high for Island Grinds & this being my fiance's first ever poly food; I promised him a place we would love together. Staff is friendly & willing to explain if you're unfamiliar w/Polynesian cuisine, food comes fresh so waiting 15-20 mins isn't abnormal. There was also a huge called-in order being made/picked up almost the entire time we were dining in, so maybe normal wait times aren't quite that long?. We travelled well over 30 miles & were pretty excited to get some great food; unfortunately, we were kind of disappointed. We ordered 1- 2 meat & 1- 3 meat plate w/ribs, a beef dish, shrimp, pupu & teriyaki chicken both. We also ordered the Otai fruit drink made from chopped fresh watermelon & papaya in coconut milk; Absolutely fantastic!! Worth every penny. The rice is made well, the Mac salad isn't; no real flavor but mayo? what we could taste wasn't good (I spit out the only bite I took, sorry Island Grinds staff), neither of us liked it. However, every meat ordered was decently good. Though their most popular dish, the pupu chicken wasn't my favorite (a boneless thigh meat battered & deep fried surprisingly tasting like any fried chicken would but I wasn't expecting that; I wanted the mouth watering island flavors I've come to expect) making this my own issue & not a reflection on the pupu chicken. It's good if that's the flavor you're craving. My fiance ate mine & liked it. Their teriyaki sauce is SO GOOD though. If it's their recipe, they should bottle it. I'm in! We originally also ordered two Dr. Peppers but when we were offered the Otai, changed one to that. The cashier either didn't hear us or forgot, either way we were charged & received 3 drinks for the 2 of us. We had to throw it away. The inside dining room has roughly 20 small tables & they do have available restrooms. There's island music playing á la Spawnbreezie et. al. There's also plenty of parking. We're giving 3⭐⭐⭐ for good service, the yummy Otai & meats. However, the overflowing up the wall garbage can was a put off when trying to eat. The paid for, thrown away missed drink was a forgivable mistake, but did affect rating. The wait was too long as we watched ppl come & go w/their orders, we honestly became irritated while still waiting for our $35! order (see why that missed drink matters?). But the biggest drop in stars for me was our overall disappointment. Honestly not sure...

Our first (and last) visit. We had high hopes that were dashed.

First, the young man behind the counter (the owner's son) knew nothing about the food and didn't have what it takes to call over a cook to explain how the food was prepared. We should have walked out, but...

We ordered a pupu chicken and a fish combo. Took forever to prepare. First, the fish combo...paper thin filett...over salted. 6 Shrimp. Not too bad, properly cooked and the garlic sauce was good, but the shrimp should be peeled. Two scoops of plain, white flavorless rice and a scoop of flavorless macaroni salad. At least the lack of flavor was consistent. Overpriced at $11.99!

Pupu chicken ($8.95) ...ditto for the rice and mac salad. I asked the counter boy about the chicken and he, after hemming and hawing, described it as fried and dipped in teriyaki sauce. (Sounds appetizing, huh?) I asked them to put the sauce on the side. 2 boneless breasts were fried as they said. That's all that can be said. Flavorless. What a surprise!

Although the counter boy asked if we were eating in or taking out, it didn't seem to matter. All the orders we saw for eating in were given in styrofoam (poisonous) take-out boxes with plastic forks.

Ok...so...we eat the fish, shrimp and chicken. Left the rice and mac salad.

I thought I was doing them a favor when I brought the styrofoam boxes back to the counter, (I didn't see any trash bins) but I was informed that the trash cans were outside and the boy motioned for me to take the boxes outside. I told him (politely) that he was welcome to take the boxes outside.

Get a tasty burger at Habit in St. George instead...for less than...

Update: Can't stop coming here cuz they always on point. Thanks for the meal. (Can't ever be too fond cuz of another factor and it ain't the investor backed chain by a mile... this place calls I'll put the other on a mile). Although where the ladies go....

Update (year ago or there abouts) Back in town and this was my first stop in my list of must eat at restaurants for this town and I can confirm still very enjoyable, still on the good list, and I may get again before I leave.

Priorish (Oct/Nov 2021): As good as ever. I did try the other similar food chain that's popped up on this trip out and I can say they got nothing on ISLAND GRINDS. I repeat, don't waste your time at that other one and come here to be happy. I surely made sure to come here after on this short trip. Oh that mac, so good... well the whole plate was.

Prior to (Decemberish 2020): It's been 4 years since I last posted the review and I'm happy to say it's still tasty and a good deal. I got the special lunch combo this time and enjoyed the all mac (still among my favorite anywhere) and chicken katsu (I've gotta try something different one of these times). The special combo is a really good deal if you want a filling bit on the smaller side, but if you're really hungry (or eat bigger lunch) than it's probably not going to be enough so get the regular size and enjoy.

Cheers to this place, one of my few must eats when I come into town.

Previously (4 years ago): Been there a couple times now and the food is great, started about 2013ish. The staff is friendly. Then to top it all off, it's a good value proposition. Chill inside area, clean the few times I've...