Island Grinds — Restaurant in West Valley City

Finally got around to trying this place out and I have to say that it wasn’t bad. I got the 2 Meat Mix and it came with Mac salad with 2 scoops of white rice. My meat choices were the PuPu chicken and Teri Beef.

Macaroni salad: It was good, the ratio of noodle to mayo is spot on. Flavoring wise, it complimented the dish overall but there wasn’t anything special about it because the only seasoning was black pepper. I have to say that it is better than Mo’ Bettahs though because the ratio is perfect.

White rice: This was the definitely my least favorite part because the 2 scoops of rice I got was very mushy and soggy. The grains was all mushed together and there was no texture at all. I believe that they’ve used too much water when making their rice so I hope they will improve this.

Meats: The PuPu Chicken was really good and juicy. The skins wasn’t crispy though which made me sad because it was really good. I live 2 minutes away and when I got home, the skin was already soft and chewy rather than having a crunch. It did have good flavors, I didn’t get much of a seasoning taste on it though. The Teri Beef was good. Nice little cuts of beef smothered in their teri sauce. I would have liked to taste more of the beef and it’s flavor but all I could taste was the teri sauce.

Teriyaki sauce: It’s nothing special that’s really worth mentioning because it doesn’t really have a big flavor profile. I feel like it’s just one flavor that’s kind of just there. It doesn’t pop out at you or anything.

Overall, I think Island Grinds has a lot of potential of improving and definitely giving Mo’ Bettahs some competition. Price is great but the quality can use some improvements. I’ll be back in a couple of months and try again. If they improve then I will...

Easily my favorite Polynesian spot in Utah. I tried a bit of almost everything and it was so spot on. The katsu and pupu chicken were nice and crispy on the outside, and super juicy on the inside. Literally none of the meat I had was dry, including the short rib and teriyaki chicken. The mac salad was nice and flavorful and had good texture.

This place has more variety than Mo Bettah’s, and was made fresh to order, which was apparent in the quality/freshness of the food. I also thought I didn’t love katsu sauce in general, but Island Grinds knocks it out of the park compared to competitors. The music, decor, and vibes were all on point too! Overall great spot. I loved that it’s owned by a local family as well. Mo Bettah’s has definitely slipped a bit ever since they got acquired and are expanding, but if you want your food ready immediately since it’s sitting under a lamp then go...

The FOOD was great but the customer service was unreal. We walked in the sun is shining into the building and the tables all had crumbs nothing wiped down, the floor was dirty. There was no ice in the machine which I had to ask them to add ice. The people already there were drinking their drinks with no ice. The girl at the register was on her phone the whole time. Not greeting anyone or paying attention to the line. There was 2 groups after me and everyone did not want to touch the tables. We sat there waiting to see if they were going to wipe it down and nothing. I took my food and left. I love the food but the service isn’t like it is when the owner is there. The kids were too busy amongst themselves and not working. It was upsetting because I seen how clean the place can be and how orderly...