The island theme is epitomized here, in a very commercialized way. BTW, beach shack and tropical vibe isn't Coronado, this restaurant is more reminiscent of the South Pacific or Hawaii. But nonetheless the dark interior and laid back environment was pleasant. Even with the laid back environment, the service was attentive and helpful. You can check out my 2 menu pics for the thematic food and drinks that are available. We started with the Volcano Fries. This dish starts with your basic fries, and goes up from there. As you can see from my pic, there are plenty of seasonings on the fries. But it's ALL about their sauces: Sriracha Aioli and Hot Honey. (BTW, the heat wasn't overly hot and didn't distract from the flavors.). Between the garlic, the sweet/heat action, the creaminess of the Aioli, these fries were very hard to stop munching on. While not a super-phenomenal appetizer, it was incredibly irresistible. We then finished with the Pineapple Fried Rice with Spam & Portuguese Sausage, see my pic. We liked the combination of the fried rice with the rich meats (yes, I classified Spam as a meat. This reminded me of some of the Hawaiian Spam dishes.) The seasoning was rather weak. But it still was a hearty and robust meal.

Oh man, if you want a restaurant with a tropical vibe, look no further than this spot. Right on Orange Ave in Coronado (close to MooTime Creamery) is this Hawaiian themed place. We sat at a high top table close to the bar and street and had great people watching views. Our waitress, Emily was fabulous and very friendly. There's a great happy hour menu. I had the kalua pork and it came with macaroni salad (tasted homemade) and rice. For me, that's a lot of carbs so it would have been nice to have a side salad instead of the rice. However, the pork was perfectly prepared and tasted great. The menu seemed a bit pricey but everything is nowadays. If the cost of some of the entrees could be lowered a bit, I'd give it 5 stars. Regardless, we really enjoyed our meal and the fun, relaxing vibe. Mahalo!

Chill sports bar in Coronado. Super friendly staff. Several TVs. Reggae music in background. Incredible weather while hanging out with friends. Several fish and Mexican menu options. I had the chilaquiles and the poke tacos. Friends also ordered a California burger, fried chicken sandwich, and Kailua pork plate. All were good. Beer list filled with local beers. Street parking only. I'd recommend this place when in town.

Cool little spot right off the main drag. Bartenders super nice, cold beer! Stop by and have a drink or some food!

This place was so good, my coworkers and I wound up coming back multiple times! The vibe was very cool, very island-y. I loved the decor and the overall style. The service was great. The servers were all really friendly and offered suggestions on what to get. The food came in big portions and the presentation was perfect. Everyone really enjoyed their options. The drinks were strong, tasty and large. We, of course, had to do the big volcano bowl drink one night (dangerous!). 10/10 would come back if I was in town!

Okay - a definite go-to for us in Coronado!! The classic Mai-Tai is greatttttt, as well as the other drinks. The bartenders are great to chat with and fun to sit at the bar. Now WHY did they take the wings off their menu !! They were fab... especially the chili oil ones. Hoping they bring them back. Overall a nice place, and they are pretty quick to get you your orders even when it's pretty busy.

The vibes, the food, the music... eating here feels like vacation. It truly transports you to a laidback tropical destination (I've never been to Hawaii so I can't compare it to there). It even slightly bothered me because our dining experience there made me wish I was on vacation, but it was only an average weekend Saturday . We had a warm and sunny Saturday for one of the first times in a while in San Diego, so my boyfriend and I decided to split a meal here and started off with the Big Trouble in Little Watermelon drink. Such a fun presentation and very refreshing. I'm obsessed with anything watermelon, however the tequila was a bit strong for my liking, but my boyfriend really loved it and said he could've ordered another all to himself. The Kalua Pork Sliders were tender and the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. My wish is that there were more... since there were only 3 we were fighting over the last one. The Ahi Poké was fresh and FILLING! I'll be the first to say that poke never really satisfies my hunger, but this portion size was actually perfect for 2. Every single ingredient in it just made it better, just total flavor burst in every bite. Last but definitely the star of the show... Hula Bula Pie. I have been dreaming about this since the first bite. Apparently it's made by their nextdoor neighbor (which the waitress actually let us know that The Islander owns them) MooTime! So you already know the ice cream is to die for. The salty of the macadamia nut ice cream in contrast with the Oreo crust and decadent fudge surrounding it set fireworks on my tastebuds. An absolute must! Especially now that the warmth is returning to SD. Will be back and cannot wait!

The Islander was a fun restaurant. Service was excellent and fast. Food was amazing! The Wagyu smash burger was juicy and delicious. The fries were very fresh. Fish and chips were also yummy. Portion size was huge! The drinks were also fun, but didn't care for the coconut mai tai. We also had the spiked mango lemonade and hibiscus margarita which were very good. Enjoy! Highly recommend!!