Not great, not terrible, but three thumbs up for that TORTILLA SOUP!
I recall being 13 and thinking Islands was this fancy place with fancy burgers. I'm now not 13 anymore and have been set straight. Not my first choice to eat here but after a 3-hour hike with only a Cliff bar in my stomach, anything that wouldn't give me food poisoning was sounding pretty good at the time.
I went with their limited edition burger whose name escapes me. The burger was tasty enough. Seemed like there was too much liquid in all those toppings. It tasted good but the bun got soggy real quick. Speaking of buns, you have a choice here! White or Wheat? And for my non-red-meat consuming friends, you can sub your beef patty with a turkey one. If you have a french-fry obsession like myself, you will love Islands unlimited french fries. The first batch that comes with your burger is relatively big. But the additional orders get smaller as you continue ordering. I believe they hand-cut their fries here. Think along the taste of In-n-Out fries with a thicker cut and longer fry.
My brother's friend had his heart set on the tortilla soup here. The hike started and ended with a tortilla soup discussion. In total, I can imagine we spent at least 30 minutes discussing this tortilla soup so my brother and I shared a bottomless one. I don't think that's allowed... but if you do share try to be stealthy about it and don't ask for a second spoon? All in all the tortilla soup was the star of the evening. It doesn't have that processed pre-packaged soup taste (but for all I know it might be). It has a homemade quality to it. It's really very delicious with little strings of melted cheese. If I come here again I'll probably skip the burgers and go all-in on that unlimited soup.
Also noteworthy is the Longboard beer. It's served ice ice ice cold. Tiny little icicles form on the top. It would probably be more refreshing on a hot day but it was still enjoyable after that freezing a** hike.