Island Cafe

closed!

As Danny H. mentioned, this place closed on ⁴⁄₂₇. I have not seen anything reopen in it’s place yet. I walked by last night ⁴⁄₃₀ and it still had all the windows blocked on the inside w/​no activity or other notices of a new establishment coming soon other than fresh new orange paint on the exterior.
I had gone here twice, both times for breakfast on a Saturday morning. I ate the french toast both times. Nice thick slices. Servers were some young high school looking girls, nice, not very attentive but service was okay with me.

One of the things i look forward to on nights that I party in the City is *dey gets planny kine grinds, cous’*… ahem… i mean, «there’s no shortage of places to eat.» And sometimes, you can pull into one restaurant and have a multitude of [“really bad for you but tastes so good”] food options all at once… griddle breakfasts, island plates, sammiches and burritos… OH MY!
Late in the night (or early in the morn’, however you want to look at it), on the corner of 19^th and Taraval, Island Café sits brightly lit like a lighthouse for hungry post-​partiers and travellers; the old-​timey vinyl booths and laminate counter a befitting stage for the simple comfort foods of Hawai’i’s mixed cultural influences…
After a night out at nearby Avenue Lounge, Alli T., Kay T., and I ate away our relative drunkeness here on hefty plates of Aloha…
On this occasion, I went with the saimin with spam to warm me against the wintery chill outside (though normally, I go for the Loco Moco or Portage’e Sausage Breakfast!).
Served pipin’ hot, the steamy cauldron of dashi, noodles, green onion, Napa cabbage, fishcake, and Spam immediately brought back youthful memories of mornings at Gramma Keiko’s…
For even the heartiest of appetites, the Loco Moco (2 eggs, three hamburger patties, 2 scoops rice, brown gravy over EVERYTHING!) should satisfy… but for most, the mini-​plates are usually more than enough…
Its a little pricier than some might expect for what you get, but comfortable food on a warm plate inspiring simple pleasures?
It’s worth it.
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Eh, craving Portage’e Sausage Musubi. Can get?

The food is a-​ok. I’m not a late night eater but if I were, I wouldn’t mind hitting this place up. It’s a cute quaint place with a lot of Hawaiian fare. The one redeeming thing about this place was the kitsch value. There’s a lot of kitschy-​ness to this joint and in a good way. Although the bustling cars and buses along 19^th will definitely remind you of being in a city, the vibe is really laid back. Although I don’t think very highly of the food, it is one of those place where the menu is incredibly vast that you are pretty much enticed to come back to try the other goods.
I wasn’t planning on eating when I was hanging out with friends but I ended up getting a salad that I wasn’t impressed with at all. Greens, thickly sliced tomatoes and carrots is not my idea of an «Island» salad. Then again, if they threw canned pineapples in the mix, I probably would have gone ballistic. One friend had pork while the other had chicken and it was decent but, surprisingly bland. This is in comparison to what you get at L&L, which isn’t the greatest but it’s good. I would have hoped for Island Café to come through a little bit as a sit down diner place. Knowing me, I’ll stumble in one evening with my sister and give them another try. Yet, as the stars indicate, ‘Meh, I’ve experienced better’.

Colma Café is still my go-​to place whenever I’m faded at 2am, but if I want to go somewhere close, I go to Island Café on Taraval. Now, I’m just finishing this review AFTER I came back from Hawaii… so I know how the food should taste like and I’m gonna be forgiving with the following words because we all know it’s just not the same.
Interesting and filling items to have:
Kalua Pork Quesadilla – uh huh! it was massive, delicioius, and filled with sour cream, cheese, and kalua pork. Can make 2 people full.
SPAM musubi – perfect amount of rice, with a sprinkling of furi-​kake seasoning between the slice of SPAM and the rice. Each end of the SPAM is also brushed with the musubi glaze. Better than most musubis I’ve had anywhere (even in Hawaii).
Wonton Tacos – they are fried wontons filled with taco meat. You dip it in sour cream.
Loco Moco– 3 patties with gravy atop some rice, atop some cabbage. They put onions in the patties.
Service is friendly and it’s open 24 hours!
(|)

3 AM. People leaving the parties still enjoying themselves but hungry as hell and looking for a place that’s open to eat. Seriously, the city is in need of more places like the island café that’s open 24 hours. People starve around this time!
Aloha breakfast burrito — enough said. It was fat & scrumptious, filled with as much sour cream as possible & wait, the pineapples? Omg, what a surprise when I tasted them after my first bite! I’d recommend not getting the salsa though because it tends to make the burrito spicy & a spicy breakfast… not so appealing to me.
But really, when my stomach’s screaming at me at 3 AM, I’m dragging my ass over here asap.

Our most recent server at Island Café was the Severus Snape of Island Café. He had long, black, parted hair, and always looked angry. I don’t mean to stereotype, but he was probably beat up in high school and is now angry at the world.
The service could use some help. Smile a bit. I’m a paying customer and I’m giving you my business! Even the actual Snape redeemed himself in the end.
This is how average and mediocre restaurants make money. They’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When there’s no other choice, you must go to Island Café. S&E across the street is open until 3am for Chinese food, if you’re feeling like it.
The most recent time I went there was for chicken katsu musubi. It was alright, but it’s not really that hard to fuck up on musubi. However, it took pretty darn long for just two musubis.
I saw the place when half a van crashed into the restaurant. I didn’t even really feel sorry for them because they just seem so mean. I just hope that nobody got hurt.
Definitely not a place I’d recommend.

I really don’t know whether I should rate this a 3-​star or 4-​star but because the service has always been REALLY, REALLY sweet I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and rate it a four.
This place is open 24hrs and it’s great to have when you’re.inebriated. My friend really likes the Moco Loco here but for some reason it doesn’t appease to me. I really love their Spam Masubi though and they do serve a hefty portion of yummy Chicken Katsu that I always struggle to finish. I can’t really say much because I am a creature of habit and order the same thing at Island Café all the time. It is rare for me to be spontaneous here because I’m usually intoxicated but I know for a fact that the times I did order something else it didn’t fail me. but maybe that’s because I was drunk. =x
The place is really cutesy and the service is always wonderful. The food isn’t over the top great but it isn’t horrible either. It’s a place you know you can always go home to. Awwww.

Hawaiian for breakfast? Who said that was even an option? I wanted pancakes but the man insisted on this place. I was nervous. I don’t eat roasted pig coming out of a pit or spam that consists of 4 different types of animals in one. The feel of the place was «diner» because it used to be one before. The menu was creative. The man got some platter with rice, egg, and meat called the loco moco. It looked like pretty interesting. The egg came on top of the beef patties. The rice had some kinda of gravy sauce on it. It also came with macaroni salad. They serve kona Hawaiian coffee which is perfect.
And I got my pancakes. =)

I haven’t always been a girl from a white trash town. You see, my life was supposed to be exotic.
I was born in Hawai’i. Yep, you heard me. Your little Janney B. was destined for the island life. Unfortunately, getting beat up by tough local kids on the playground took its toll and it was decided that I would fare better in a small town in NorCal which Wikipedia describes as, «Oklahoma by the Sea.»
So, my mother packed up me and my twin, a suitcase of papayas, and a couple shell necklaces and left a few things behind on the big island, ie: 30 pounds of fat from fried food and my father. Admittedly, she didn’t miss either of these very much.
If I were moving back to Hawai’i, this diner is where I would prepare my tummy for the relocation — like a gastronomic bootcamp.
I ate the biggest breakfast burrito here this weekend, filled with bacon, ham, sausage, cheese and hashbrowns. (I ordered it without sour cream, since I’m health-​conscious).
Not bad! I mean, my tummy is still upset from Sunday and I think I gained 3 pounds, but I got precisely what I paid for.
Plus one star for the native music.
Minus one star for little bugs flying around on the table.
Plus one star for being a cheap place that people turn to when it’s late and when they’ve been drinking. I can relate.

Over two years ago I went here during their grand opening week and I had the most disturbing experience. It was about 3 am and a good friend of mine was visiting with his Spanish grad school roommate. After a crappy night involving a random swiss guy & Spanish girl getting it on in my room we fled to this all night diner.
After about five minutes of standing in an empty restaurant, we were directed to a booth. My friend slid in and SAT IN VOMIT. We notified the server/​manager and he just shrugged and got a towel. Either eat here or go back to an uncomfortable situation in my tiny sunset in-​law… we chose the former. I ordered the chicken katsu and my friend got the pineapple burger. His food was decent but my chicken came out completely rare. Fearing food poisoning I sent it back and the cook personally came out and told me that it was cooked fine. Uh no. Pink chicken=death. They removed the chicken from the tab but didn’t comp anything for the vomit.
A year later I gave the place another try. Correction: I was coerced into eating here by my designated driver who wanted to sit down somewhere. The food was at least cooked this time but still wasn’t especially appetizing.
San Francisco really needs an all night place in the Sunset for all the poor fools trekking home from late nights of drinking, but this place falls very very short. Getting a slice from Seniore’s next door and squatting on the curb is a more desirable current option.

I didnt eat dinner last night and I got hungry so we drove around and decided to give this place a shot.
I just ordered the furikake chicken katsu. i think thats what its called.
and also got the chicken wings.
the food isnt, bad but i mean its not difficult to fry some chicken with panko and chop it up. The service was friendly but then again we were the only other table there…
Overall this place isnt shabby, they are quite clean and well lit. O yea, they have this «tropical» milk tea drink. its like chai but it kind of taste like horchata not sure what it is exactly. but i think if you drink too much you might get kinda sick of it.

I like it! but please people, order the hawaiian food. the other things werent much to rave about. (such as the nachos…) The hawaiian bbq is awesome and their best selling dish, and now I know why! But i got a little plate or something and their scoops of rice were on the smallish side. I would skip the macaroni salad. it didnt seem too flavorful or fresh… not that macaroni salad is exactly fresh to begin with, but… the spam masubi was decent. it had that seaweed flake stuff underneath the spam. not my personal favorite, but otherwise it was yummy!

the service was kinda slow… but we were there late at nite and not really in a rush. the food came quickly enough. but there was also one main guy waiting on the customers.
I dont expect much late at nite. And the place gets points for being clean and bright and having other normal customers! The place doesnt seem to have a lot of bigger tables. I think there were only 2 or 3 tables that seated 4. The rest were for couples and they had a bit of bar space.
But I like it for what it is! And if you’re in the area and looking for something to eat late at nite, not a bad deal! I would definitely go again! They had a tv on the side wall. I forgot to check what was on it. And they were playing like 80’s rock, but somehow you could hardly hear it! :o) hehehe! I like this place!

Was tired and hungry after a day of walking around Alcatraz during a night tour. Which, by the way, was awesome! Kinda eerie. But yeah, was hungry and came here with a kind friend that drove me home afterwards, Junie. Nice gal, she is, really!
So we came here because it was on the way home for me. A pleasant experience. She ordered the spam saimen. I ordered the huevoes con chorizo. I like mine. The eggs were a little over done and the tortillas were sorta dry around the edges but when you’re hungry, it’s all good. I think Junie liked her bowl of soup and noodles. At least she looked like she enjoyed it. I hope she did…
We finished everything without thinking much into it because we were talking about how hard our childhoods were because of our Eastern Asian backgrounds. Comparing how we were beaten for doing certain things wrong was fun and interesting. We discussed a lot more but we might be beaten for that if our parents ever saw this so not really risking that. Without realizing it, we were mostly done with our food. Oh, we also ordered some spam musubi to go. Makes for a great snack later or for breakfast. YUM!

What’s not to love about a place where you can get Hawaiian food 24 hours a day?
Denny’s can suck it. Give me a Chicken Katsu mini plate any day!

This is NOT a place you go for a fancy sit-​down dinner, nor is it date-worthy…but that said, it has its charms, and here they are, in easy to read list form:
1. This place is open 24 hrs. Seriously, what’s not to like!!! Hawaiian food at 3 am?! Hook me up!!!
2. Kalua Pork Burrito. Yeah, you heard me. A burrito at a Hawaiian restaurant. Delish. I always get it without the salsa or sour cream just to indulge in the beefy cheesy goodness, but to each, her own. Yup, just like other real burritos, they do serve it with tortilla chips… although if you plead, they’ll substitute the macaroni salad!
3. HUGE portions that you can share, or put the rest away in the fridge for tomorrow morning. Mmmm, Hawaiian bbq for breakfast…
4. Taco freakin’ Wontons. Sooooo good! Soooo incredibly bad for you!!! Soooo delicious!!! You may need to ask for sour cream to dip them in… but you’ll thank me later that you did!
5. Kitschy diner-​meets-​Hawaiian-​luau décor, fully equipt with an outdoor grass-​hut awning that warns of the delightful cheesiness to come… then a total American diner interior, equipt with shiny seats and booths, a large counter, and VERY reasonable prices!
6. The people who work here are generally nice and service is quick. Isn’t that what a diner is supposed to be like?!
Look, if you’re a hardcore foodie looking for everything to be a bit more on the gourmet side, this definitely won’t float your boat! But if you enjoy slumming it in a greasy spoon, in this case, one that serves generic Hawaiian favorites, this is definitely a great place to indulge those late-​night cravings for Loco Moco and spam masubi!
All in all, this place does what it’s meant to do well. What more could you ask for?!!

dear god, any place that is open 24 hour is freakin’ awesome in my book. AND it’s close to SF state, which means that in my 3 AM drunken/​high stupor i don’t have to drive that far!
so maybe i’ve been a bit um… «out of it» everytime i go here. but from what i remember it always tastes damned good and fills me up. and it’s reasonably priced!
island café, my drunk ass doesn’t know what i’d do without you.
—-on second thought.
uhhh, so i went sober and. wow. alcohol does wonders. anyways, my newfound drunken munchie spot is el farolito [which is hella good when i’m sober as well] so sorry island café, i won’t be seeing you anymore.

Great food!! Nice people. What more can you ask? Check out this place if your looking for good authentic Hawaiian food. They also have nice waiters and a tv.
Scrat

Thank gawd, something other than Denny’s after the club!
I searched and searched on the menu until I found it… the Pork Lau Lau. You can’t call yourself a Hawaiian restaurant if you’re not serving this!
The Pork Lau Lau came with two scoops of rice and a mac salad, although it doesn’t say that on the menu, but I guess one should assume it does then. The lau lau was actually quite small from other Hawaiian joints, but a lot tastier. The meat wasn’t dry and there was definite fat present! Yummy! The mac salad tasted a bit different than what I’m used to, but I still ate it anyway.
Everyone else in my party had the Chicken Katsu, that’s four orders of it! I had never been to Island Café before and they all had, so I guess they knew what they liked!
There are some other random things on the menu that have you doing a double take, but I guess you got to give them props for offering a few things that are unique!
Service can be a bit slow on late nights/​early mornings, as there was only one waiter rushing about by himself. So, if you’re dining here, I hope you’re not in a rush!
Sidenote: Parking on Taraval Street. Everyone got a ticket because there is no parking on one side of Taraval on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 2 am to 6 am. I swear they must know we all park there for Island Café and are waiting around the corner to issue tickets! Stop thinking you got rock star parking and read the parking signs!

I didn’t think I’d ever be into spam as a breakfast food, but the aloha burrito here convinced me otherwise. Good Hawaiian food served up hot in a clean and reasonable priced setting. The portions are perfect for the richness of the food.
I also highly recommend the portugese sausage and eggs. Thin slices of portugese sausage served with rice and an over easy egg.
And talk about an overhaul! JT’s has new seating, bright lamps, and someone gave the restuarant a serious deep cleaning. I’m a fan.