Sunday, January 3, 2016

Islands Restaurant - Cupertino

2/5 stars

I really couldn't decide between giving Islands a 2 or a 3. The last "new" burger joint I tried was The Habit. If I was asked RIGHT THIS SECOND which place I'd like to eat at tonight, I'd say The Habit EVEN THOUGH they don't have cocktails.

I'm not saying I won't try Islands again. I wholeheartedly will and I'll update my review if I need to, but I hope that they're reading their Yelp reviews and are willing to make some changes.

CONS:
* My husband only received 4 onion rings with his order. FOUR! Our friend only received FIVE (his were smaller in size). Since this happened to two people in our party, I don't think the small quantity was a mistake. Why are you being so cheap with the onion rings?? Other similar restaurants serve at least 8-10 medium-sized rings or more. FOUR ONION RINGS is pretty much unacceptable for the price.
* The fries were soft and soggy. They need to learn a thing or two about fries from Red Robin or BJ's down the street. I only ate a couple fries. I'm wondering if they're "bad" on purpose so you don't take advantage of the unlimited supply?
* The chips were way too salty.
* My burger was mostly bread -- which is why I would choose The Habit. For the price, you get more of a balanced meat to bread ratio. Also, the bread tasted ... unmemorable. Like it was an afterthought. The bun is as important as the meat. I wish they had picked better bread. It's huge, but it's ... nothing-tasting.
* Cheapest burger is $10!!!

PROS:
* Happy Hour until 7pm AND Happy Hour on a Sunday
* Happy Hour prices were really, really reasonable ($3 for chips + salsa + guac) and ~$5 for cocktails (I tried their Lava Flow and their Mai Tais and both were okay -- nothing special, but I'd order them again because I don't expect mind-blowing drinks at a place like this. Note to the restaurant: the alcohol level of the drinks is currently respectable -- don't change).
* Service was super friendly. I especially enjoyed our bartender -- wish I had caught his name. He was accommodating, funny, and attentive. The hostess was nice, too.
* My burger was cooked perfectly -- it was juicy and well-seasoned

(2012)

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