Islands-Beverly Hills

[ Edited by: TNTiki on 2004-11-06 18:38 ]

Looks like Mr. Potato-head & friends went tiki!

Islands restaurants have been around in LA since the late 80's. It was a small hamburger joint in West LA and now has grown to a very large chain in California and Arizona. The food is OK and the Tiki theme is only in passing. Its not a recent trend for them the orginal was actually cool.

We eat at the Island by us (San Diego County) on a regular basis. Our kids love it, the pork tacos are super and the kona pie (mud pie) is over the top.

Its good.

We're fans of Island's as well ... the cheese fries are so good, as well as the burgers. Tiki or not, we love this place.

Some of the Islands Restaurants in California are decorated with items from Oceanic Arts. I know that the locations in Irvine, Chino Hills and Corona all have carvings from Oceanic Arts. And, I don't remember exactly but there's an Islands that OA provided tikis for... Bob at OA showed me pics -- they're even in a photo album at their front counter....

Oh, and the Islands in Phoenix (don't remember the shopping mall it was at) has 2 large tikis (6 ft?) flanking its front entrance.

Not tiki in the old-school/traditional sense but I do like the way they are decorated.

**Poly-Pop ***

He who dies with the most broken mugs WINS!

[ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2004-07-12 15:22 ]

One more thing -- how can you not like a place that has our very own Doctor Z as its spatula weilding Mascot?

try the rusty anchor!, hell of a good drink!!. Do they all have tikis like in marina del rey?

On 2004-07-12 15:24, PolynesianPop wrote:
One more thing -- how can you not like a place that has our very own Doctor Z as its spatula weilding Mascot?

Damn - that does look like me!!

(But I should be behind the bar, not the grill!)

The Islands in Torrance has a big 6 ft. OA tiki right by the door, and some really nice scallop-shell and puffer lamps, too!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... cheeeeeeese friiiiiies!!!

The Islands in Venice (on Washington) has tikis on the wall as well as the palapas shown in the photos.

I also like the cuisine and love the low prices. The menu is full of cute Hawaiian names like "Tiki Tenders" or "Kaanapali Kobb salad," my favorites.

I've been debating whether it was sufficiently tiki as to warrant a thread and remain somewhat ambivalent. In a nutshell, if I was in a mood for legit tiki, I'd drive a little further to Purple Orchid, Trader Vic's or the curious (but very tiki upstairs) Club Narian in Seaport Village - Marina del Rey.

Nevertheless, the Venice/Washington does have some tiki (the BH location has none) and therefore qualifies as a tiki bar; it is located walking distance from the ocean; it does have a good island vibe and offers tasty cuisine at a reasonable price.

I photographed Leroy's "island tikis" for TikiNews #17... pg.49..... ten footers one out side one in!!!!

I never got down there, but there where big mothers too down in Carlsberg (San Diego) However Leroy said one fell over and crushed something or some one.... they stopped ordering the big ones...

there is more in Palos Verdes off PCH... 5-8 footers

In the mid/late 90's I had a connection/in with 'Islands'... I sent them a package... they said "cool stuff, but we have it handled", only to find out Leroy was carving the gig!!

there is more in Palos Verdes off PCH... 5-8 footers

Are we talkin' crenshaw and PCH? by the movie theater? Are thy new? or am I blind to giant tiki's?!?!? I hope they're there...

The new Islands at the new mall called the Pike in downtown longbeach has great decor (matting, bamboo pufferfish lamps) and tiki wall pieces straight off the shelves of OA. I didn't see any big ones, though. Maybe more to come?

On 2004-07-14 12:09, crazy al wrote:
I never got down there, but there where big mothers too down in Carlsberg (San Diego) However Leroy said one fell over and crushed something or some one.... they stopped ordering the big ones...

Do big tikis just happenstance fall over or was someone trying to move (steal) it through the door and then suffered the wrath of the tiki gods?

Some how I failed to mention the ten footers of the TikiNews artical were in Mission Viejo off the 5 freeway in the Kaleidoscope Bldg.

Crenshaw be the one on PCH... but I thing the tikis or 'tiki' may only be a 5fter... I photoed these back in '99 for tiki news#17

I think the Carlsberg tiki fell while they were installing it.... and ended the big tiki buying for Islands mid 90's.

[ Edited by: crazy al on 2004-07-17 01:37 ]

We had Islands here in Florida/Ft lauderdale area about 10 years ago. For some reasonm, they didn't make it. The restaurant went out of business, and is now a Shells, which is a seafood chain here in Florida. I don't remember any tikis at our Islands, but they did have alot of bamboo, thatching, and surf memorbilia. I remeber them playing surfing videos on TV and playing surf Dick Dale kind of music.