Islander Restaurant

I’m not native to Rhode Islander, but I’ve lived here long enough to know that The Islander is one of those iconic Rhody restaurant traditions. Seems everyone likes the «house wings.» So, having driven by this institution on many occasions over the course of my 30 years living here, I FINALLY checked it out.
Judging based solely on atmosphere, The Islander looks like the Chinese restaurant that time forgot. Not that its unclean — it’s just circa 70s chic. Old carpeting, dark bar area — even the branded «china» mimics the 70s TV dinners with sectioned plates! This explained why I saw busier take out service that in-​restaurant diners on my Thursday evening visit.
Looking past a missed opportunity for a much-​needed décor update, I’m pleased to report that Vinny was a very congenial, upbeat, endearing and professional server. He alone would be my sole reason for a return trip. Can’t say enough about his animated personality. I now want to be his best friend. Weird, I know!
The Islander menu is what you’d expect from most traditional Chinese restaurants. The «house wings» were good, but can’t say that they are any better of different than what you can find elsewhere. Portions were ENORMOUS!
All in all, I can now check the box on having visited this Warwick landmark. My guess on the draw to this place is nostalgia — locals who have been coming over the decades, and nothing more. Competition in the Asian restaurant space is fierce, and there are definitely better choices in the surrounding area.

This is an American version of Asian food. Definitely not one of my top places, actually I would not go back to this place. Atmosphere was ok but the only asian person i saw was probably the boss. If asian people aren’t there eating, doesn’t that say something? Menu was too big too and the waitress couldn’t answer my questions. Fried rice was plain, eggroll had too much celery, they were cheap with the shrimp and some of the chicken was still raw inside. Take out joints are better.

Large portions and reasonable prices. I haven’t been here in years and the food definitely has changed. A bit bland and salty but ok. Large portions, and great service. The combo platters are huge enough for two meals yet when reheated they became very tough and I did not use a microwave. All in all an ok place.

I want to love this place, I really do! I have been on a few occasions and unfortunately it doesn’t get any better…
It has a clean feeling when you walk in but shortly after you can start to notice that the years haven’t been too good to them. The food is Meh… Its not awful but its not good either. Everything is bland and BROWN… I don’t think I remember anything other than brown… The rice the meat the dumplings. everything!
Take a moment and look at your restaurant as if you were a customer… from the décor, to the cleanliness to the food… A few simple tweaks and this place could be rocking! You can tell it was once the go-​to restaurant in the area.

This place used to be the go-​to Chinese take out in Warwick when I was a kid… back in the 90’s this was it for Friday nights with the family. Since moving out of Warwick nearly 20 years ago, I hadn’t been back but went since we were meeting a friend in the Warwick area who still patrons this place. When I tell you it hasn’t changed in 20 years… it hasn’t changed a bit in 20 years. From the décor, menus, furniture, bar area, everything.
We were sat in what looked like an auxiliary dining area with few other customers so it was awkwardly quiet for a bit. Our server was super friendly with the 2 yr old we had with us. We started with Mai Tais (our usual at Chinese restaurants). This was NOT a Mai Tai, it was basically the equivalent to Hawaiian Punch with white rum… blah! We ordered sesame chicken combo, beef and string bean combo, crab rangoons, pork lo mein, and beef teriyaki. The rice was fine but lacked some fresh pop of veggies, the beef combo had so much oyster sauce it tasted more like fish, the beef teriyaki had little to no seasoning and just tasted bland, and the crab rangoons were just «meh» and soggy.
It was a huge disappointment given that I used to love this place as a kid, but it’s gone downhill. It’s a bit on the dirty/​unorganized side, servers had their drinks/​coffees in plain sight, etc… just lacked some professionalism. I can’t say I’ll return despite my fond memories.

Not only is the food delicious, the friendly employees and the comfortable atmosphere are perfect for a date night, family night, or even a night by yourself. I highly recommend any of their appetizers and entrees, especially the chicken wings and Szechuan string beans.

For the price I would have expected a lot more than what we got. Everything was pretty tasteless. Dry, bland chicken. No sauce for our appetizer. No rice? Highly overpriced, underwhelming, and overrated. I’ve had better Chinese from fast food restaurants honestly, for half the price. $ 50 for a few small meh take out dishes? Not feeling it.

I have been going to islander for 10 years+. This is my favorite place to get chinese. My husband and I are regulars, we go there at least 3 — 4 times a month, if not more. I’ve been to so many different types of chinese restaurant’s and never found a good enough restaurant as islander. Out of 10 years I ahd 2 bad experiences and it was taken care of properly. My family lives in the east bay area and Mass and when they come to visit we have to stop at islander and get take out or dine in! Love it here.

my husband and i usually go there for dinner on friday nights. The waitresses are nice and friendly and we always get a good table. I usually get the combo number 15 boneless ribs with islander wings with a egg roll and rice. the boneless ribs are fatty and the rice is bland, egg rolls is good and wings are good also. The place needs a major overhall, it hasnt changed in 20 years or so, worn out carpets and tables need to be replaced. The drinks are good and strong and cheap! Good place to go for strong drinks but the food isnt as good as it use to be.

Horrible. The «Hostess» had on yoga pants and a tank top. She threw our menus on the table and walked away. When i asked for no onions in my food due to an allergy, I was told i had to order large orders, and i could not be accomodated in the combination plate. When i explained it was due to allergy i was told it did not matter. My date ordered a Margarita that was horrible and had to be sent back. I would sooner eat at the fast food Chinese place in the mall than here. Too bad Unilocal doesn’t allow for zero stars.

This is my favorite place to eat in RI. From the Scorpion bowl to the pork chow mein. I look forward to eating there each time I visit!

Noodles
rice
and
seafood
The Islander is an Asian American type of place that has a vast menu. All the traditional items you would expect including a vast array of rice and noodily things. They seem to have a talent for making great noodles, from thick and fat to thin and crisp.
The Islander has lunch specials as well as appetizers, soups and things like pu pu platters. One thing that I especially like is that the veggies are always very fresh and tasty and the broccoli usually has a snap to it.
The service is very friendly and the servers usually call us by our names and remember what we tend to order. The restaurant is huge, with separate rooms for large groups and booths that are spacious enough to stretch out while devouring the large portions of food.
The Islander has been around for decades and frequently attracts a large crowd at dinner time. A convenient and cool restaurant that offers a huge variety of different Asian American things to eat. If you like noodles, the Islander is the place to go.

Love the number 15. Everything is yummy! My kids love the fried rice. Atmosphere is nice. Scorpion bowl is made well. Staff is friendly.

Good foods and large portions and the scorpion drink a killer. Would definitely recommend and return here

I must be spoiled from eating at Ye Express in West Warwick. The make EVERYTHING fresh in house. The hot and sour soup is made to order.
The Islander has been around as long as I can remember, probably over 30 years. I’ve eaten here in the past and never had any complaints. Today wasn’t the best.
I ordered a bowl of hot and sour soup which was meh. I also ordered the appetizer combo. It has boneless pork, house chicken wings, beef terriyaki, and pork fried rice. The best part was probably the fried rice as it was most likely the freshest. The boneless pork was mushy and tasted a little off. The beef terriyaki was ok, not the best I ever had. The chicken wings were very soft. I feel like everything was prepped way ahead of time and not so fresh.

I am a Chinese food enthusiast. I’m also not too adventurous. I know what I like, and the Islander is the best there is. My go-​to dish is the beef and broccoli combo, or chicken and string beans. The vegetables are always fresh and crisp, and the marinades are perfect.
The appetizers there are all so good. You have to get the Islander wings, they are in a gooey sauce and just the best thing ever. The chicken fingers, beef terriyaki, wontons, dumplings, and lo-​mein are some of my other favorites. I like that you can switch out the eggroll in the combination plates if you’d rather have a different app., for a small charge.
I live in Boston now, which has arguably the worst Chinese take-​out, but every time I come back home I force my family to take me. There are few places you can go and be guaranteed a great meal. The Islander is one of them.

Our waitress SUCKED and food was blah! I used to come here all the time when I lived in Warwick. Hadn’t been in 2 years and the ONLY reason I would come back was for the house wings. If you come here and Samantha Is your waitress ask for your table to be changed!

Great service, decent food, good prices.
I’ve never been disappointed with the food here, Their beef & broccoli was great. Beef was very tender, sauce very good. Moo Goo Gai Pan is boring (I didn’t order it) but that’s the dish, not how they made it. Lo mein is good, fried rice could be darker. Chicken wings were very tasteful, the kids loved those. All in all, food was A-​OK !
No Coke products again. What’s up RI, is coke not allowed in this state. We are talking about the drink here!

I was here twice during lunch hours.
Food here used to be good but is declining in quality. The cashew chicken was decent, I guess, but nothing to write home about.
The service has always been friendly and nice.
The restaurant has plentiful seating but seems empty during lunch hours.
Unless anything changes, don’t expect anything great.

Are you craving the Best Chinese food in Rhode Island? Are you looking for the best service in Rhode Island? Then you have to try the Islander on West Shore Rhode in Warwick!
Hands down they have the best Food in the state.