Island Flavor

brahhhh! Portions is always huge and prices are hard to beat for the amount and quality of food you get. Personal favorite is the roast pork loco moco or the chicken cutlet. MEAN da grindz over here. Little small on the inside but it is the express 1 so dont try to take a huge group here to sit and eat, you better hit up the other location for that kind of seating.

This place is amazing, I wish I knew about it sooner, been hear 2 times in the past week and I must say I am hooked, quality of meat and flavor is top notch and they pack the foam containers to the max, also $ 2 spam masubi, I rarely do Unilocal reviews but I couldn’t resist

Mahalo to a half a dozen or more Yep Friends of mine posting favorable reviews of this place, I decided to dine here solo on Tuesday evening ⁵⁄₁₇^th and sincerely enjoyed…
*The Food,
**Cool Wall Décor
***The Very Clean Restaurant,
****Hawaiian Background Music,
*****And Friendly Customer Service From Nicole.
My dinner was the Mixed Plate w/​Hawaiian Style Roast Pork and Kalbi Short Ribs. Included were 2 side dishes that I chose Brown Rice and Mac n Cheese. They were out of brown rice, so I had the steamed white rice and it was good. The generous offering of pork was sliced thin and topped w/​a brown gravy. The marinated ribs were very tender and broiled to perfection.
My food came out quick. Portion size was decent. Everything tasted delicious and at an affordable price of $ 12.25. (Includes an extra buck upcharge for the Kalbi Short Ribs, so normally the mixed plate is $ 11.25).
I’ve dined at their southwest side location on Durango and reviewed them 4 Stars also. «Try It! You’ll Like It!»
See 5 photos below…
Unilocal 100 REVIEW CHALLENGE 2016: #116

Was referred here due to just moving to the state from Hawaii and was really craving local food. I usually go to aloha specialties in California Hotel but after trying this place it is now my spot. The Kalua pig and roast pork are my favorites it’s juicy and very tasty. I have tried aloha kitchen and they got nothing on Island Flavor. Best part the service here is super friendly and makes you get that Hawaiian feel greeted with a smile everyone talks and is there with a positive attitude love that keep up the good work!!!

So so good. Real authentic amazing Hawaiian food. The furikake chicken and shrimp is soo good. The service is amazing. They even let you swap out salad or veggies or French fries instead of the usual rice or macaroni salad. Great prices and huge portions. My new favorite!

I love the original island flavor but having this one on the east side is definitely worth it. Try their katsu it’s Ono!

First time dinning here. I was on the south side of town and had a craving for some Hawaiian food. This location had the highest rating in the area.
I was glad I stopped in. It was around 1pm so I was hoping lunch rush had died down. My wife and I both ordered the Mixed plate with Katsu chicken/​Kalbi it comes with 2 scoops of rice and a side of Mac salad. There portions were huge we couldn’t eat all of it.
We will be hitting this place again.
The only down side is there was only like 5 tables. So there was people standing waiting on a table. And there’s nothing like people staring at you like a hawk wondering if your getting up to leave or just get a refill on your drink. If it wasn’t for this they would get a 5 * rating.

Great Hawaiian Food!
Here are some of the highlights:
1. Large portions, food for the next meal… yeah!
2. Great taste– man, i have no idea of the sodium level I am at leaving, but who cares, this is local food at its best.
3. Need I say more — Korean chicken, Spam Musubi, Saimin, Poke, Oxtail Soup (at times), Kalbi Short Ribs, Furikake Chicken, Chicken Teriyaki and more. The choices here are excellent. I wish they had the saimin and oxtail all the time.
4. Service — This is more self serve, order and sit down, they will bring things out to you too. Everyone is great and courteous. Very efficient.
5. The only issue… — They are too small unlike their main store off Durango. Sometimes it is too busy here.
I really like this place as a go to when I am hankering for some good olé homestyle food!
GK says check it out.

Okay Island Flavor. We see you!
Kids wanted Musubis for dinner, and some local grinds sounded so ono, so Island Flavor was next on the rotation. And I’m pretty sure the rotation stops here. Look no further for fresh, traditional, island favorites, with fantastic friendly service. We really felt like ohana tonight.
Kalbi is so tender and succulent, Furikake Chicken is more flavorful than any I’ve ever had on the mainland, and the Teryaki Chicken… Well let’s just say the kids ate almost a whole plate to themselves, and they’re damn picky! Hubby says their mac salad rivals mine, and that’s saying a lot (and I may have to agree). (Food was too good, no pictures this time!)
Complete with Pass-​O-​Guava and Lilikoi Hawaiian Suns, this meal was so worth every penny (just bummed we passed on the Haupia cake that we had last time… Next time for sure cause that stuff is like legal crack), I’m positive we will be frequent offenders here!
And bonus thank you to the awesome «Auntie» for the extra musubis! Kids are so stoked!!! You guys are now their favorite, and ours as well!

Love kalbi here. My staple is mix plate of kalbi and Furukawa chicken and loco moco for kids. Oh I can eat here everyday!!!

I finally got to try this place out! I had to order food to pick-​up before work, but I still got to try it!
So yeah… I ordered through eat24 for pick-​up. Requested the Mixed Plate Combo with Furikake Chicken and Kalbi Short Ribs. I didn’t know that it already came with a side of Mac Salad, so I ordered another one. No biggie! I’ll just save that for tonight’s dinner XD
Anyway… I was seriously liking the flavors of the food once I had the time to chow down!
Customer service was awesome too, and I only stayed for like 5 minutes at the most. The nice cashier greeted me once I got in, and figured it was my to-​go order, which she was right about. I think it was all about the demeanor, and I miss hearing the friendly Hawaiian pigeon accent.
The bonus point for me is that the place is near home! Score!

This is my favorite casual Hawaiian restaurant in town so far.
As soon as we walked in we were warmly greeted by the woman that was taking and delivering orders to customers. She showed us the specials and asked if we had any questions as we reviewed the menu, but she didn’t rush us.
The inside of the restaurant only has about five tables, but is clean and organized. I definitely felt comfortable dining inside the restaurant.
I had the Mixed Plate with Kalbi Short Ribs & Furikake Shrimp. The Kalbi Short Ribs had great flavor, plenty of meat, and most pieces had more meat than fat. The slight char on each rib was perfect. The Furikake Shrimp had a the perfect amount of breading and the seasoning on the breading had a nice flavor. The white rice was simple, but well prepared. The macaroni salad was so good! I loved the black pepper taste and the dressing on the macaroni.
My husband also had a Mixed Plate, but with Chicken Katsu and Kalua Pig & Cabbage. The Chicken Katsu was very tasty with tender chicken and the breading was tasty. The Kalua Pig & Cabbage also had great flavor with tender meat.
Of course I couldn’t pass on a piece of Guava cake to take home. Guava is such an underused fruit and I love the guava in this cake. The cake has great flavor and is very moist.
Both meals had very generous portions of both meat and sides. I see why meals are served in to go containers after seeing the portions. We definitely had a decent amount of leftovers. I like that plastic bags are out to help with taking leftovers home. Prices are reasonable given the portions and quality.

I really enjoyed Island Flavor’s other location and was glad they opened another location on this side of town. Know for their larger portions this location didn’t disappoint!
I stopped in for my favorite mixed plate of Kalbi ribs and Furiake Chicken and added Fried Rice instead of the white rice and its served with mac salad. Perfect flavors all around and it was enough for two meals. I also grabbed a piece of the Chantilly cake that was in a small cooler near the door. Perfect dessert for me, not two sweet and the cake was nice and moist.
Vegas is known as the 9^th Island and with eateries like this all we are missing is the Beaches, Weather, and so on and so on!!! At least we can eat good!

We dropped by a Wednesday night for dinner. The restaurant was clean, nicely decorated and felt comfortable. There aren’t that many tables, but we were able to grab the last available one.
We had a Hawaiian-​style poke, spam, teriyaki chicken and beef, and egg bento box and a yakisoba with teriyaki chicken. Everything tasted delicious and were great values for the money.
We’ll definitely be back to try some of their other dishes!

Salty, meaty, and not a hint of pineapple, Truly Hawaiian comfort food.
Such a great spot for a quick bite, that way you can get back to instagramming food-​stuffs and checking the Netflix library. I was doing all of the above while I waited for my food.
I went with Hamburger Steak, a 10 oz. patty broiled and topped with mushrooms, onions, and brown gravy. This is a tasty Hawaiian standard; the hamburger was juicy, the onions were still snappy and the brown sauce coated everything. This plate of food comes with house made macaroni salad, because what goes better with a heavy ass meal, than pasta covered in mayo.
You want classic, «Island Flavor» (ha, see what I did there?) this place has it spades, including Musubi, a seaweed snack with spam and rice. Nummers.
Mahola, Island Flavor. Mahalo.

Huge portions and great service is found at Island Flavor express. Stopped in last night to grab some dinner to go. It was my first time here but thanks to the many Unilocal reviews I already knew I wanted to try the furikake chicken and kalbi ribs.
There was no wait and we were greeted as we walked in. It took about 10 minutes and our order was ready. Just picking up the bag I could tell there was a lot of food in there. When I got home I couldn’t believe the portion size. Definitely enough for lunch the next day and I am not a small eater!
The furikake chicken was really good, cooked well and I liked the flavor of it. The kalbi ribs were hit and miss. The flavor was great with lots of nice crispy pieces. However they were really fatty and quite thick cut. The kalbi I am used to are much thinner. The two scoops of rice and mac salad were also good to complete the mixed plate.
Glad I stopped in to try them out. Would definitely stop in again if in the area.

I would say my favorite Hawaiian restaurant at the moment!
I’ve been to the Island Flavor out in Durango a few years ago and I liked it then. I’ve obviously forgotten how good it was, but now very glad that they’ve opened this one on Eastern!
Kind of dangerous that it’s near by LVAC (gym we go to) because it’s an easy «postworkout» place!
Things we ordered :
Loco Moco — Juicy, thick, beef patty over rice, topped with eggs (cooked in your way), drizzled with brown gravy!
Furikake Chicken — The Hawaiian version of orange chicken? Chunky, chicken chunks, fried then tossed in this salty sweet sauce! SO GOOD!
Yakisoba with Teri Chicken — Pan friend noodles with veggies, BBQ pork, eggs, onions, and of course grilled teriyaki chicken! Great comfort food!
Their Mac Salad is also amazing, comes with most of the plates!
BIG PORTIONS, might be a good a idea to share plates!
Island Flavor definitely has that authentic taste in their dishes, service is fast and staff are nice and attentive!
A minus in my part would be the tall tables and one regular table. I’m 4’9″ so it was a little difficult going back and forth from the drink machine to table, also making sure my little one didn’t move to much so he wouldn’t fall (not kid friendly)!
Other than that, definitely a favorite!

I expected a really mindblowing experience after all the hype around the original location and the positive comparisons drawn between the two, but the Eastern outpost of this restaurant lands merely in the «really good» category.
Island Flavor Express is in the Regal Colonnade plaza on Eastern and Pebble, and it’s very clearly a Hawaiian restaurant given all the depictions of the islands, reggae/​ska music, and typical plate lunch menu options. They also offer varying specials and some desserts, although the desserts seemed to have run out in the waning evening hours. The décor is very simple but doesn’t detract from the experience. Make sure to walk to the far end of the counter to place an order, but feel free to sit down if you’re not taking it to-​go. They’ll bring the food out to your counter (or table, if you’ve picked the one table).
I ordered the mixed plate ($ 11.25) with Furikake Chicken and Kalbi Short Ribs (+$ 1.00 for this particular meat). It’s presented in a foam to-​go box even if you’re dining in. My favorite part was actually the macaroni salad, which was salted in a good way, and as creamy as you’d expect. The chicken was kinda like the «KFC» at Gen Korean BBQ in a not-​so-​good way. It has more of a dry, stringy texture than a moist, natural chicken texture, and the furikake didn’t stand out as much as the sweet glaze did. Sriracha saved the day though, bestowing a little extra sweetness along with much-​needed acidity and heat. I don’t like having to add a condiment to make something stand out, but I’m very glad that I had the option.
As for the other parts of the dish, the white rice is cooked perfectly, and the kalbi is a great rendition with tender beef, a nice touch of ginger, and some charring. It’s a little on the fatty side, but let’s remember that fat = flavor, which was proven in this case. Actually, it has muted sweetness when you eat it after something as sweet as the Furikake Chicken, but I was able to taste the full flavor when I dove into my my leftovers. If I get a mixed plate again with kalbi, I’ll probably have to go for something like a pork dish that’s not so sweet.
My friend shared a spam musubi ($ 2) with me. It was a nice-​sized portion, but the rice ratio was a bit high for me. Also, the seaweed was a little too mushy, which my friend pointed out may be a side-​effect of the heat lamp. Although there are interesting seasonings and herbs in Island Flavor’s version, I prefer the Ross J’s rendition, which I’m sure is prepped to order.
I also tried my friend’s oxtail soup ($ 10), which actually comes in a real bowl if you’re dining in. Unfortunately, I can’t compare it to the renowned Hawaiian oxtail soup at that one hotel downtown (because I’ve yet to try it), but this version tasted well-​seasoned and meaty. The vegetables are a welcome sight, but watch out for the not-​so-​edible ginger and the inedible bay leaf. I’d consider ordering it again, especially now that we’re getting soup weather daily, although I might have to make it a to-​go order or otherwise bring my own soup spoon to avoid dealing with the inadequate plastic spoons.
Given that the food here is reportedly much the same as OG Island Flavor, I wasn’t quite as impressed as I’d hoped. I certainly enjoyed having plenty of leftovers with the huge portions, and I’ll definitely come back to try their other proteins and specials (pork chops w/​mushrooms and onions, anyone?), but I expected to experience something «sublime» other than the music. Maybe I’ll find it in the future.

I don’t get why this place has a 4.5 average rating. I JUST finished eating (what I managed to eat) and after 1 short rib, I was over it.
Look at all my pictures, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Short ribs: waaaaaaay too much fat. After eating just 1 short rib, I had a big pile of fat sitting on a napkin. And nibbling on the bones is usually my favorite part about short ribs. I couldn’t do it with these because I refuse to eat pure fat.
Furikake chicken: the majority of the serving was the crumbs/​breading. There were only a few big pieces of chicken.
Korean short ribs: mushy and all breading.
Don’t get me wrong, the flavoring of the short ribs and furikake chicken were good, but the execution was a huge disappointment. Sometimes trying new places isn’t always a good thing.

Calling all kama’āina! There’s another new Hawaiian restaurant now open here on da 9^th Island! It’s Island Flavor Express! Onolicious (delicious) comfort food! The portions they serve are insanely HUGE too! Price they charge is really reasonable for the amount of good quality plate lunches made in house.
411
–Yes, it’s the same restaurant and owner of Island Flavor on Durango
–Fast/​Casual style restaurant. Not full service. So that means you order at register and pick it up at designated station when they call your name.
–Dine in or take out
–Delivery service via
Grindz
–Must Order — Furikake Chicken! Chicken dipped in batter and deep fried coated with sweet glaze and Furikake seasoning. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this seasoning it’s Japanese version of salt n pepper, with sesame seeds, seaweed, dried/​grounded up fish. So this chicken takes on a sweet n savory to a whole new level! First time both Mr B and I tried it and we’re hooked!
Gotta try the Loco Moco here too! Out of the places we have it at, gonna declare that Island Flavor Express’s gravy they use is our new favorite!
The Fried Rice Omelets is another one to get if your cravin Portuguese sausage! Fried Rice enveloped with egg topped with slices of Portuguese sausage… and yes it’s huge.
Pick up dessert too! The Chantilly cake is sinful, but tastes like heaven! Desserts are kept in the cold case display with canned and bottled drinks near entrance.
Ambiance /​Location
–Aloha spirit! Laid back vibe. Everyone is pretty cool.
–This restaurant space was a burger place and before that a chicken joint. They kept the same high top tiled tables and seating, repainted and decorated with Hawaiian themed wall art.
–It’s located in same lot of Regal Colonnade, Jun’s, across the gas station on Eastern/​Pebble.
Island Flavor Express close to another favorite popular Hawaiian place of mine. but we already decided we’re gonna make this our go to place! Plenty of island flavor! Blame it on the Furikake Chicken!