During General Assembly, we had only an hour for lunch and there was always a scramble to get out and hit one of the popular restaurants to find a table. One of the favorites always was Islands. This is a faux Hawaiian surf place directly across Pine Avenue, from the convention center. You couldn't miss the bright yellow neon sign.
The inside tries to play up a beach-bar theme. It has surfboards hung on the walls, thatched roofs over the bar, and TV screens that play surf videos. The wait staff is all young and beachy. They wear bright-colored Hawaiian shirts and try to present a hip, laid-back, beach feel. It sounds a bit contrived, but, in reality, it seems to work. The place is fun and spirited, and you soon slip into a-day-at-the-beach feel.
I ordered a mai tai (I know, lunch - a mai tai!!! I confess - I did). The mai tai was very large and very, very good. Most mai tais on the mainland are sugary and very watered down. This was a GOOD mai tai and reminded me of the ones in the back of the Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki. YUM!
I then got fish tacos, and they too were great. The fish was fresh and they were flash-fried and not greasy. They tasted great.
The service was good; my waitress was friendly and even a bit chatty for the restaurant being so busy. I became a fan. We hit Island several times during the convention. I always got the fish tacos and a mai tai (hey, why fix it, if it's not broken?). I even ordered take out late one night and brought it back to the Westin.
I was hooked. This is a great chain. I soon learned that Islands are all over Southern California and even Arizona. I now seek them out when I am in a new city; it's one meal I know what to expect and I have yet to be disappointed.