Island Teriyaki

I have no idea… how this place has gotten any sort of positive review on the food side. Service was fine, it was quick and young gal was extremely polite and sweet. But my God that was way below average food. I got the beef and let me tell you, their dry shredded beef is not something that should represent the island name. Not good based off that experience. Now to be fair I’m sure the chicken is probably better but I’m afraid to go back.
So like I said, service was good, food didn’t match.

My wife and I come here a lot. Delicious food and plenty of it.

This place is the best in the valley everything is made to order and it never disappoints the island fried rice is to die for the best everytime if you in the area or craving some bomb teriyaki make sure to stop by you will leave with a big happy smile as I always do

Good Teriyaki Chicken! This is my go to for a quick lunch or dinner. Fast and convenient.

I’ve been coming here for 18 years! This place is so consistent. I love how it tastes the same (sooo good!) as it did 18 years ago!

If you are going to include ‘Island’ in your name, you better make us feel like we are on an island. Indeed that is what they have done. From the faux palms to the cartoonish waves and surfers, it was well decked out for a school play.
But that’s not why I love this place. The one item that beats the competition is their teriyaki beef bowl. The beef is prepared so tender topped with their homemade teriyaki sauce. You can tell it had been braised for hours. When you can leave a memorable impression like that, you can Unilocal about it later.
Their menu is focused on primarily meat and rice – just the way I like it! The lady behind the counter is so sweet and kind. This mom and pops is the type of place you come for those delicious cheap meal nights. No doubt I will make a return.

My boyfriend and I have been stopping by this little patch of heaven for almost 3 years now. NEVER a complaint!
The chicken and beef are always cooked to perfection. Their chicken yakisoba is amazing! Especially with a drizzle of their homemade spicy teriyaki sauce.
They are always fast and the food is always fresh. We have never had a questionable meal no matter the time of day!
If youre feeling something low key, reasonably priced, and delicious, this is the spot you need to venture to! I recommend the chicken yakisoba. It has the right amount of fresh veggies to noodles. And comes with a decent amount of chicken (your choice of white or dark meat).

Grandson wanted teriyaki, he loved it. It was basically a rice bowl place. Order at the counter, they bring your tray out. I did try the curry chicken, it was good. The beef and pork was okay. Shredded meat in teriyaki sauce, over white or brown rice.
If I worked in the area, it would be a quick lunch option. As for a dinner spot, I’d pass.

I recently found this place about a month ago and have to say not only is the food quality usually decent, the service is good and prices are amazing.
Customers Service:
The restaurant is kept clean and front of the house seems to be family run, however I could be mistaken. The staff is always friendly, attempt to build rapport and remember your order. Which is just a welcoming experience all together.
The Food:
The menu selection is limited to a couple of rice bowl options, Yakisoba bowls and side items but I personally only come for one thing called the MAUI bowl white rice. This place names their meats variations interestingly and the MAUI version is your traditional teriyaki chicken using dark meet chicken. They also have other including pork, steak and a spicy Jerk chicken variety. I will say I have tried the beef and I was not pleased at all because the beef wash either shredded or cooked in a crock pot so the meaty texture was lost and it was quite dry. The Teriyaki sauce they use for all the dishes is very thick and sweet and took me a second to get used to but I think it compliments the dish because it doesn’t completely soak into the rice to make it too saucy. Please don’t let me forget the rice, I know its just white rice, but they use premium short/​medium grain rice which is nice an traditionally sticky which sets it apart from most other rice bowl shops using long grain rice. They also have a few addons like Crab Puffs (Americanized slightly sweet) and Gyoza which are tasty. The serving sizes are large and don’t let the small/​large size differences fool you because you will probably get more in the small. Feel free to test my theory ;)
Final Thoughts:
I think you will this is a great little rice bowl shop and have steadily seen their business become more and more busy so they must be doing something right. The only complaint I have is that you have to make sure to go when they are busy otherwise you will taste the difference in the chicken juiciness and freshness. I have gone in when it was dead and and the chicken (although covered in sauce) tasted dry an like it was sitting out. My only suggestion is that they stay consistent on the quality and control of the food. Aside from that I am a regular and plan to be for a while.
P.S Id post a picture but they look like all the other ones!

Each time my husband and I come here we are always pleased. I love the family environment. The woman, who I think owns the place, knows our orders before we even say a word. The service is always spectacular, it is always clean and the food is the best! I couldn’t be happier with this restaurant. Service is extremely fast and always correct! We will keep coming back for as long as they are open! Kudos to you for keeping the restaurant consistent for as many years as we’ve been going there. We will be back for our usual soon!

I had been eating here since I was 5. It used to be my favorite place to eat but the newest owners are not doing that great of a job. The food does not taste fresh anymore.

Love this teriyaki place. I have been eating here through I think different owners (13 years) but the food has stayed quality. The employees are very friendly and helpful and I have not one bad meal.

Loved… loved…loved the food! It was decently priced and get a lot of chicken. I got the food pretty fast and the service was nice. Highly recommend.

Drove by this place for awhile and they always seem to be busy… I reviewed a FEW reviews on Unilocal and everybody seems to love this place…
But I was not pleased at all… Chicken was not «to die for «like I had read… It wasn’t juicy at all… The rice smdh… To sticky for me! And the sauce is nothing special… I was hoping this could be my new lunch spot… But sadly I’m on to the next!

I had the Maui bowl w/​white rice & it was delicious! I normally don’t eat white rice, but the teriyaki sauce provided plenty of flavor so it didn’t taste bland. They automatically provide an extra sauce, but I didn’t have to use it since there was enough in the bowl. Called in the order for about 5 employees & food was ready w/​in 15 minutes of placing the order. Very efficient at accommodating special orders such as food substitutions and/​or adding ingredients. Will definitely come again.

I go here all the time for the fast quick and delicious vegetarian lunch! That Catalina is pretty bomb!

Was searching for a new restaurant and decided to try this place out. Not my best decision.
They have a pretty limited menu. I ended up ordering a small Oahu bowl. It’s supposed to be chicken breast with their teriyaki sauce. I substituted the rice that it normally comes with for vegetables.
The bowl I got was vegetables with cubed pieces of check on top. Unfortunately, it was absolutely drenched with sauce. Like swimming in sauce. I was even given an extra container container of sauce in case I wanted to put more. Maybe they forgot that there was no rice to absorb some of the sauce, but it was just way too much.
Also, if the sauce was super good, I probably wouldn’t have minded, but the sauce was average, at best, and wasn’t really unique. I know there’s only so many ways to prepare teriyaki sauce, but this felt like it was a recipe pulled off the internet instead of someone’s unique creation.
The staff was friendly though (hence the 2 stars), but I doubt I will go back there.

I come here at least 2 times a week everyone is very polite food comes out quick. The teriyaki sauce is great brown rice always on point chicken cooked to perfection. The protein bowl is great for a post meal!

This is a little family owned restaurant that has killer Teriyaki Bowls. I eat here almost once a week and I have always had good food, good service, and they have never messed up a order. Everyone from the owner to the cook if friendly and actually talk to their customers.
I am a huge fan of the Oahu bowl, and if you are going to check this place out, I would suggest trying it out. The price is right and the place is clean. If you are in the area give it a shot!!!

3.5 stars
I’m a fan of Flamebroiler (do they have those in AZ?) so I’m trying to find a decent teriyaki bowl place close to me. I want to say rice bowls are for Asian/​Indian people what sandwiches must be for White people lol; quick, cheap, tasty and a usually healthy meal. I think this place fits the bill!
I got the cayman which is a combo of two of their items. I got the Fiji and Singapore curry. Fiji is like slow cooked chuck roast in teriyaki sauce, good but still a little tough. Singapore curry had chicken and carrots in like a Japanese curry (like the cubes you buy at the asian market) but with a hint of sourness. The meat (chicken) was stringy because it was also slow cooked, a texture I didn’t care for.
Overall I enjoyed my meal and serving size was good, I couldn’t finish my bowl. Price was cheap, 5 bucks! Even less if you get one item. I appreciate their unique menu, away from the typical chicken or beef drenched in teriyaki sauce, but its nothing mind blowing. Probably will be back since its so close to Midwestern, and so cheap! I’ll update this review after I try some more items. Looking forward to trying their appetizer items, crab puffs and egg rolls.
10% discount for Midwestern students!