Islander’s Grill

Never again. The food is really good but the service is terrible. No utencils. How can you being me any glass with just ice when I asked for water. How is it possible that the waiter gives me the wrong plate because they don’t know what kind of meet is on the plate. And they serve our food several minutes apart. This was their 2^nd chance. We had to walk out the first time because they took our drink order and didn’t return within 15 minutes.

Malasadas are to die for! My favourite is the cheesecake filled ones. So onolicious!

I almost let everyone else’s reviews affect mine!
Everything I ate there was delicious, and the portions were large. I’d write more, but I went there to enjoy a 2^nd time on 3.14.13, and it was CLOSED.
It looks like they were evicted or something involving an angry orange sticker on the door. :-(It’s too bad, they were a great addition to the Water St. area.

I feel bad because I really want Islander’s Grill to succeed… but after my last few attempts at eating there I have to dock them a couple stars, as I am no longer a fan and I have definitely experienced better. As I stated in my original review, this is a place where patience is a virtue. Well, sometimes being patient can only get you so far…
The last THREE times I have called in an order to go, I have been told that they were out of Kalua Pig (it was still cooking). Last time I called in an order not only were they out of the pig, and also the chinese chicken salad. Now, I can somewhat understand the pig situation as that takes hours to cook… But being out of a salad? I think management should consider changing their menu and only offering items such as the Kalua Pig as a special.
Most of the time when I try to call in an order and Islander’s says they do not have what I want, I change my plans and get food elsewhere. This most recent time I just decided to order something else. I was told my order would be ready in 35 – 45 minutes.
When I arrived, I was not greeted. 5 people were seated at the booths furthest from the door, I walked up to them to ask about my order and was told it wasn’t ready yet. And then just stares. No one offered me a drink, bothered to apologize for the wait or even offered to ring me up. The employees, and I am not even sure if they were employees or just friends of the owners, just socialized among themselves. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little out of place…
Finally, almost a full hour after I placed my order, the cook came out from the back with my food. If I wasn’t an honest person, I would have eaten for free that night, as the cook assumed I had already paid.
Like I said at the beginning of this update, I want this place to succeed. I like the food (the pig is fantastic, when it’s available), and on a positive note: The restaurant appears to have been spruced up a bit. None of that matters though if I can’t get the items I want consistently, or if I am made to feel so uncomfortable when I am there that I can not wait to leave.
Oh, and contrary to other reviews, 808 Island Craves is NOT located here anymore.

So 8 months open and I have been here quite a few times now, so I guess it’s time for an update.
Service — Looks like they now have someone who specifically works the front. Times we’ve been there lately there’s a young lady working who greets and waits on tables. Service is friendly and on point. (ie drinks refilled, table cleared). Tables are bussed and cleared off right away. As far as timing for food to reach your table. well let’s say your stomach is growling real loud by the time it finally reaches you. I appreciate though that it’s cooked to order and everything is hot and fresh.
Ambiance — last review I mention carpets needed cleaning… I see they put the vacuum cleaner to good use! I’m somewhat am getting used to the ugly rug. Despite the ugly rug and funky looking chairs, this place manages to pull off the Aloha vibe from Hawaiian music playing in the background to the owner wearin his slippahs. lol. They’re so chill here.
Food — Cant believe the many times I’ve been here and we’re just now trying the Loco Moco! What??? Loco Moco pretty much tastes the same everywhere Ive been to so I never thought much about ordering it till the other day. The version they make at IG stands out from other places Ive been too. Wow it’s really good. For one thing, the burger patty used is real lean good quality ground beef, grilled, it’s more like a huge hamburger steak! It’s topped off with light color gravy sauce, which the entrée could use more of since that hamburger steak is pretty big and they give you a lot of rice with it. The regular size is plenty. Mr. B ordered the Ali’i size and that was a huge serving. Enough to feed 2!
Oh and the added plus, now there is DESERTS! It’s not on the menu, but 808 Island Craves is located in here too! I tried Guri Guri for the first time and I loved it! I personally love the way malasadas are made here as well. (see my review for 808 Island Craves)
It’s good to see how this place is progressing.

Came here because island craves said desserts would be served but there was no menu for it so we had to ask. The waitress wasn’t sure :-/​cleanliness and smell was also not so appealing… lots of crumbs on the dingy carpet and place was hot and smokey smelling. Wanted very much to like this place but just not what we were expecting. Highlight was that we did have free malasadas come out for sample BUT again… signage or add to the menu! Taste… eh better than L&L but still just ok. Overall experience was decent but the place needs a clean up, paint job and upgraded menu. Would try again if these things improve.

If you’re from Hawaii or just even love all things regarding the Hawaii (an) culture, and you live in ‘old’ Henderson, you realize how nice it is to have a location to fill your ‘local foods’ needs.
3 minutes away from home is all it takes for me to get the super ono Mauna Loa chicken that I constantly think about when we are apart.
The atmosphere could be more inviting, and I can think of a million ways to advertise and get more business, like karaōke contests and maybe even hula halaus performing on the makeshift stage in the restaurant. It would be all the more reason to come and enjoy and feel like you’re back home on the islands. I’m sure their main focus is on the food and its value and taste, and I can definitely respect that. =)
The food however, makes up the the lack of atmosphere. Decent price, and super big plates of food, just like back home. I can’t wait for the weather to cool down because I’m anticipating a huge bowl of saimin.
Another perk is that 808 island craves now shares space with the restaurant, and their desserts menu is AMAZING. Cakes, fresh malasadas with your choice of filling, even red velvet pancakes!
Thumbs up and a shaka from me!

I work in Henderson so I got a groupon for this restaurant.
The food is VERY good, everything tastes delicious.
Not ok — the waiting was so long, we waited at least 20 min
for the waiter to come to us, then at least 15 to 20 for our order.
They need to hire more people because the place is cute and food is great
but service is NOT ok.

The food was 5 star. The staff was 5 star. The ambiance was ho-​hum. It appeared that they were still getting in the groove of running a restaurant. However, the food and staff made up for it! Will be back.

Everything about this place was just okay. We had Teriyaki Chicken and Mauna Loa Chicken, and although not bad, the dishes were not particularly memorable or unique. The chicken was fine and the scoop of macaroni salad was bland until drenched in sauce. The service was minimal, but not terrible. The décor was hideous. There was just not enough there to make me want to come back.

Normally i love Hawaiian eateries because being born and raised there i gotta support them. So my friend and I went for check this place out. We were the first ones there, so we sit down. The décor in the place is very dated and ugly and looks like they never sweep the floors the night before. One pest control guy came in and started spraying around the perimeter of the place. The menus was just printed on paper, nothing fancy. The wait was a long time almost an hour. The food was pretty good though, but my friends mac salad scoop went look pretty small. Overall i would probably take my family back there to try it out but thats about it. The owner needs to rethink his business strategy.

So my wife and I both got honolulu beef plate and koeki special plate. We thought that they were exactly the same dish. There was no difference. Even the taste was the same. So we were disappointed with that. The food itself was alright. I feel like i have had better hawaiian food. If i had to compare, i think aloha kitchen was better.
The staff was really helpful, they are personable and they will come to anyone’s need.
The price was a little more expensive. I didnt think we go that much food for the price we paid.

On a Saturday afternoon, we had the mix plate (teriyaki steak and k??? (sweet+spicy) chicken) and the loco moco using a groupon, 10 for $ 20. each meal was 10.
— empty welcome. no one was there to greet us so we just sat ourselves. 10m later the waitress came and said hello.
— there were 2 other parties and it took about 20m for us to get our food. a bit too slow.
— teriyaki steak was great. not as good as island flavor, but it came with bellpeppers, onions, and chopped carrots.
— the sweet and spicy chicken was good as well. we had it made medium and was perfect for us
— the loco moco gravy was too «liquidy». it made the rice too soft. not much flavor.
— the hamburger was made well. very tender meat and comes apart nicely.
— lots of rice.
— mac salad was average.
— so much space. add karaōke! a TV!

Deep in the heart of Hendertucky off Water Street and Pacific Avenue, you will find some solid local grindz on the 9^th Island.
After church, we were hungry, so we decided to check out a different spot for dinner.
since we were in the area, we decided to give Islander’s Grill a try. They have a pretty extensive menu but we just narrowed it down to two items– Chicken Katsu and Kekoa’s Saimin loaded with mandoo, kamaboko, char siu, roast pork, mustard greens and broccoli.
We were the only ones there, but luckily we had already ordered because within 10 minutes, 4 big parties showed up and we waited a good minute for our food. I’m not gonna ding them for the existing taqueria look that stil exists. The paintings, longboard, vintage Primo Beer shirt, and Eddie Aikau banner paired with the sounds of The Makaha Sons of Ni’i’hau, Peter Moon Band and other Hawaiian groups makes me feel I’m back home. The laid back service seems to be the culprit here, and that’s something that will have to change if they expect to stay in business. The food was pretty good though. I love lots of goodies in my saimin and the noodles and broth were very tasty too. It ain’t Shiro’s, but good enough for being in Vegas.
The Chicken Katsu was perfection! Every piece was crispy, juicy, and didn’t taste greasy or soggy at all. The portions were MASSIVE too. I could imagine what the Ali’i
(King)plates look like! I would like to come back and try other items, but I hope they’ll find a solution to their service issues which could be a turn off to some… ALOHA!!!
Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE-(235/365) «Grindz At The Grill»

Driving down Pacific Avenue and a catch just a glimpse of what I thought was possibly a Hawaiian restaurant. I made a mental note to myself that me and the boy would further investigate. Was it or was it not Hawaiian was the topic of conversation while we ran our errands. Then on the way home our suspicion were confirmed and I immediately pulled in not wanting to cook that night.
Island tunes hit you when you walk into the spacious dining room. The boy and I took a seat at booth and were greeted shortly after. The menu was daily simple and it was no chore to order.
I decided on the Kekoa’s Special which consists of thinly sliced beef marinated in Islander’s Grill teriyaki along with two scoops of rice and mac salad.
The boy had Mauna Loa Chicken consisting of boneless chicken in a sweet and spicy lava sauce. It is also served with rice and mac salad.
The food tasted fresh and delicious. The prep time seemed a bit on the «Island time» side, but I was assured by our friendly waitress that this was due to everything being made to order.
I look forward to my return.

This place is great, when you step inside you get transported to Hawaii. Everyone I talked to was extremely nice and polite. The place was a nice throw back to being in Hawaii. The waiter was extremely nice, he even told me what I should get next time. The food I got was great, the Mac salad was seriously the best I’ve ever had. Whoever complains about it must have a problem with their taste buds. I will come back to this place as often as I can. I hope the owners the best and hope they have a successful time with this restaurant.
I don’t know what Rockne is talking about, giving it 1 star. It’s those kind of people that ruin this website for me. Remember what your mother taught you. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.

Great food! Not too busy yet, but am sure once more people discover it, that won’t be the case. Oh, and make sure you aren’t in a hurry. There is only father and son running the entire place, so be patient!
Kahlua pig was perfect (not too salty like most places) and Mac salad is the best I’ve ever had. Put this place on your to-​do list! :)

No matter how good and comforting the food is, a place is only as good as its staff… and décor. The one thing I thought of when I entered this restaurant is, «oh-​em-​gee.» This place was super old and the carpet was dirty and stained. The next thing I thought was if the food was bad, I would call Robert Irvine from Restaurant Impossible on The Food Network. LOL.
The front of the restaurant didn’t have a podium where someone greeted you, so I literally stood in front by the first table (which was covered in magazines and newpapers) for a couple of minutes. I figured someone was going to greet me from the back, since the door beeped as I walked in. No one came. In the back of the restaurant, I noticed a register looking stand so I proceeded back there and someone came out from the back to finally greet me. There wasn’t a sitting area for takeouts, so I sat at a round table closest to the kitchen.
The Staff– The man I assume was the owner, wore a Hawaiian shirt with jeans and flip flops and was called uncle by the other staff members. Now I’m all about creating an ambiance through the staff, but I’m also sure that flip flops (or slippers if you’re from Hawaii) isn’t allowed in the kitchen. There was also a male food runner who wore jeans, skater shoes and a hat backwards and a female server who wore a black top, black flats and short jean shorts. What I’m trying to say is that if you want casual, you got it. The only reason why it seemed odd, was because the place was an old mexican restaurant style décor and very relaxed dress code. Basically, nothing came together visually.
The takeout experience– I sat at the round table, hoping to order a takeout plate and leave. It took almost 10 minutes before the server finally came by to take my order. I found it odd, because the entire restaurant had 30 tables and only 2 of them were taken with other guests, so I KNOW they weren’t busy. When she finally came by, she didn’t know the menu at all. She also had some trouble writing my order correctly on her pad so the owner came to help. LOL. I wanted the mix plate, with Honolulu Beef and Mauna Loa Chicken which came out to $ 9.67 after taxes. She didn’t know how to write that down on her pad. I almost laughed out loud when the owner told her: «write down mix plate, hyphen, and then Honolulu slash Mauna Loa.» HAHAHAHA. She then said, «oh, now I get it.» Oh brother… I also asked her to please make it mild. I do not like spicy foods.
As I sat in the restaurant, I noticed Hawaiian music playing and the pictures on the walls reminded me of back home, not to mention the «hang loose» attire from the staff. I will be calling Robert Irvine, though, because of the food:
Mix plate, inlcuded two choices, macaroni salad and white rice. My choices were:
Honolulu Beef (Beef marinated in Korean Teriyaki style sauce and then grilled) — The flavor of the meat was really good and made me happy. The excess Korean Teriyaki style sauce was soaked up by the rice underneath it and made a very great combination! One small tip, the meat was borderline dry.
Mauna Loa (as stated on the menu, «their signature dish,» dark meat chicken with sauce, ordered mild, medium or hot) — This was TERRIBLE. The dark meat was way too dry. As I waited for the food to arrive, I noticed that something was being cooked in a microwave. I heard the door close and someone hitting what sounded like microwave buttons. I was truly convinced that this chicken was previously cooked, then nuked in the microwave later in the evening. That’s how dry it was. They did try to sauce it up with their «signature» sauce, which is just Mae Ploy, sweet chili sauce. I also asked my server to make sure it was mild and I got a really hot flavor. I ended up not finishing this OR the rice under it.
Mac Salad– Macaroni with cheap mayonaise and really BIG pieces of cracked pepper. Too much pepper.
As I read other reviews, I’m a little shocked to hear about those «great» experiences. Maybe me coming towards closing time was a factor. Certainly not an excuse and with that being said, the one lesson I personally learned today: Please take that extra 10 minutes to drive down the road to Aloha Kitchen on Marks and Sunset, across from Galleria!

When a new food joint opens up in downtown Hendertucky, the County and City employees who work there hear about it fairly quickly because it gets old going to the same joints over and over. We’ve seen places come and go, but this new spot has added some much needed color. To celebrate Fat Tuesday, a friend and I decided to eat hearty and try our luck here. I’d already heard how slow the service can be, so, just to be safe, I called our order in a half hour ahead of our arrival time. When we arrived just before noon, there was only one table occupied – we should have our food in no time, right? Uh, no. We still had to wait another ten minutes for our food – really? The good news is that the food was delicious! I had the Honolulu Plate: Korean beef with two scoops of rice and mac salad for $ 7.95 and my gal pal had the Teriyaki Chicken sandwich with fries for $ 6.95. We both loved our dishes, so we’ll be back, but we’ll be calling our orders in way ahead of time, every time.

To pay or not to pay… that was the question for the day. The deal for me was this, I had a birthday coupon for a free lunch at Tony Romas, or pay for lunch at this new restaurant. Since, I’m doing a review of this place, you got the message.
Usually during this month, I would take one of my friends to lunch a bunch of times, because we have birthdays a few days apart, and have a bunch of birthday hooks up. So I picked her up, and asked her what’s for lunch, Tony’s or this new place? Surprisingly she said… Chicken Katsu. Since Chicken Katsu is one of the staples of a Hawaiian plate lunch, I knew she would be happy. We headed to Water street in Henderson, and made the right turn to Islander Grill.
The restaurant has a rather large interior, and when we got there at 11:30 am there was three booth of people. The food selection was pretty good, but not overwhelming huge, and I got my order in before the lunch rush from the City of Henderson employees, who were making their lunch charge around the area. I ended up ordering a mix plate of Teriyaki beef, and a house special chicken (which was a grilled chicken with a sweet and very spicy sauce, I had a feeling it was a variation of a Thai chicken recipe), and of course my friend got her Chicken Katsu.
Our orders took some time, because from what I notice. There was only son and father working the entire restaurant, and when I got my food, the restaurant was getting packed.
The teriyaki beef was very good, and they use a very good quality rib eye steak. The house special chicken was okay, but I should have ordered it mild… yes, it was pretty spicy. As for the Katsu, it was good, and she was smiling on her first bite.
I would have given this place four stars for the Hawaiian style food, but they need to hire a couple of people for quicker service, and because of that I had to cut off a star. One more thing, since it was at the start of lunch rush, both me and my friend offered to give them a hand in the kitchen, but the waiter just smiled and said it’s all good… if he only knew what we could done for them in a few minutes :) Other than that, I’m very happy with my visit with them and will be back soon.