Jason V.
Yelp
When the experience at a local restaurant makes you feel like you've been transported to an exotic location, you've found a truly magical place. I'm sure the sunny, 80° weather had something to do with it, but everything about the Island Café's aesthetic and cuisine furthered the illusion of being swept away to a vacation destination in the Caribbean!
Somehow, in my 40+ years living in and around Portland, I had never even heard of the Island Café until last month. Ever since the slow, painful death of the Jantzen Beach mall, Hayden Island was a place to be passed over, on the way to other locations, with very few exceptions. That changes forever, after this weekend!
There was a 45 minute wait ahead of us as we strolled up to the gangplank that descends down to the marina, so we took the puppies for a walk to kill some time. When we were finally called, we were escorted to a table smack dab in the middle of the riverside platform. The gentle rocking was almost undetectable to me, but my wife was a little more susceptible to it, but not enough to be distracting or nauseating; quite the contrary, it was rather pleasant.
So complete was the illusion of exoticness, with the sun reflecting off the surface of the water, the crystal blue skies above, yachts and schooners sailing by, and local water fowl waddling up to beg for table scraps, that we quickly forgot that we were still right here in Portland. We ordered a couple of cocktails (and Island Mojito and a Painkiller), fish and chips, and halibut fish tacos, all of which were absolutely delicious, and among the best fried fish entrees we've had anywhere in the PNW.
Each and every component maintained the wonderful escapist experience by which we were enraptured, and my wife and I agreed that the Island Café was one of our absolute favorite restaurants in all of Portland. Personally, I can't think of a single other restaurant where I would rather dine outdoors on a warm, sunny summer day, meaning that every other, formerly-unchallenged favorite now has to compete for my attention with this rookie contender that punches WAY above its weight class. Yeah, COVID-19 squashed international travel, so if you're in desperate need of a Caribbean vacation, the Island Café makes for a pretty awesome proxy.