Island Prime

Island Prime reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. G

   Greg VIP

   San Diego18 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Dining in the Twilight Zone.  My wife and I were celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary.  As luck would have it, this experience was memorable for all the wrong reasons.  We were seated at a table for two with a nice view.  After we were seated, we sat for 15 to 20 minutes or so with only water on the table.  Nobody from the wait staff stopped at the table to take drink orders, review the menu options etc. even though they repeatedly passed by our table.  It was apparent that our table was not on anyone's radar. Concurrently, other (white) parties were seated at tables near us and promptly visited by wait staff.  I had to go to the hostess station to bring attention to the issue.  When a waiter (Ish?) finally came to our table, there wasn't much contrition shown regarding our experience to that point.  When our orders were delivered, it happened piecemeal.  I ordered a glass of wine that wasn't delivered with the meal. I had to make a second request.  It arrived when I had consumed about half the steak.  I didn't want it to get cold.  I requested salt and pepper for my baked potato.  I had to ask a second time.  By the time I got the salt and pepper I had already eaten half the potato, otherwise it would have gotten cold.  They also had a hissy fit accepting the Open table reward I presented, so we got to pay full price for one of the sorriest upscale dining experiences we've had in a long time given that this is a coveted Cohn restaurant.  At one point a person who could have been a manager came by to acknowledge our anniversary but did not mention or apologize for the experience we had.  To top it all off, not one cent of the meal was comped by the restaurant.  Our experience was reflected in the tip - one of the few options left to exercise.  This has been a restaurant that we've been to numerous times before with experiences at the opposite end of the spectrum.  Lots of other dining options in San Diego so we'll be exploring those options during future visit
   

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2. B

   Barbara

   San Diego14 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   If you manage to snag one of the coveted coed window tables, your dining experience instantly levels up. We did not—despite having a reservation for a special birthday and calling ahead to request one. There must be some kind of secret handshake or password we didn’t get the memo about. The food itself was good—solid flavors and nicely presented. But the service? Let’s just say it didn’t quite match the fine dining vibe they’re aiming for. We had two teenagers at the table who clearly weren’t there to sample the wine list, but their wine glasses stayed put like decorative centerpieces. No big deal, just odd. More frustrating was the timing. We were still happily nibbling our appetizers when the main courses landed—boom—right in the middle of the table. Picture this: we’re juggling half-finished small plates while a $60 steak awkwardly waits its turn in the center like it’s in timeout. I flagged down a busser and asked if they could kindly keep it warm somewhere. Five minutes later, they came back and cleared two appetizer plates... but not mine. So my main dish just chilled (literally) while I finished eating. For that price point, I expect not just good food, but thoughtful service—and ideally, for someone to notice when the timing’s off. No one acknowledged the mix-up or said a word. A small apology would’ve gone a long way. Overall, a nice meal, but the experience missed the mark.
   

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3. J

   Jean

   San Diego2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   The place was very crowded. To be fair it was a Saturday, but the service we recieved must have been a reflection of how busy it was. Our sever checked on us maybe twice. My husband and I shared the tomahawk for 2 which was tasty, but had a lot of fat My son's had the new York which was was very tough with alot of gristle( medium rare.) He was only able to eat half. The calamari appetizer was strange. We were seated in an area where we could barley see out the windows which was one of the main reasons we booked the restraunt. When we asked if we could get a table with a better view we were told we would have to wait an hour. To top it all off, there was a 5% charge added to "help with rising costs." We thought this was strange ( it was printed at the bottom of the menu, but it also said if you didn't want to pay the additional 5% to tell your server to remove it. Strange..puts patrons in an awkward position. I chose this restaurant to celebrate my late mothers day dinner. We had gone last December and were so impressed we decided to come back.It was a disappointing experience. Not sure if would be willing to have my husband spend $500 to risk another bad experience.
   

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4. A

   Alante

   Unspecified1 review

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Came here for a birthday celebration. The service was amazing and our server was the best. And I will say I’m a picky person when it comes to food. But everything I ate was amazing. From the crab cakes to the tomahawk steak and mashed potatoes, Mac n cheese, to the asparagus. Oh and the drinks were strong and filial of flavor
   

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5. D

   Don

   Los Angeles5 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Definitely over priced for the food that was service! Surprised by an over $30 baked potato!
   

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6. J

   Jeff

   Phoenix1 review

   4.0

   Dined on 16 May 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Restaurant adds a 5% food cost surcharge on all tabs and passes it on to the consumer. This is tacky and puts the onus on us to request removal.
   

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7. A

   Adam VIP

   Tucson4 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on 15 May 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Made reservations weeks in advance; however, a wait still upon checking in. Recommended to go to bar during wait, which was full at the time. Service once seated was good but food wasn’t great, tasted rich and overstalted/buttered. Overall experience didn’t feel worth it.
   

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8. E

   Elizabeth

   San Diego3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 12 May 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Food was delicious and service great on an extremely busy Mother’s Day evening.
   

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9. B

   BENJAMIN

   Milwaukee2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 11 May 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Steak was not worth the price, not even close. Over cooked and dry for both of us. It's like 5 star prices with 3 star service. Harsh but true
   

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10. T

    Timothy VIP

    San Diego44 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 11 May 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Do not get the SRF “eye of the ribeye” if you’re expecting a ribeye. Looks good on paper, but the taste and texture is exactly like a filet. Bone in ribeye and service was excellent!
    

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