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Island Hopper
Category: Restaurants Asian Fusion Asian Fusion [Edit]
91 Massachusetts Ave(between Commonwealth Ave & Newbury St)
Boston, MA 02115
Neighborhood: Back Bay
(617) 266-1618
- Nearest Transit:
-
Massachusetts Ave @ Commonwealth Ave (1, 193)
Massachusetts Ave @ Commonwealth Ave (1)
Hynes Station - Outbound (Green Line)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
simon l. said: "Squid natto with spicy mustard ($8). Nice presentation in a square bowl garnished with fine chopped scallion. Sea urchin and clam sushi excellent ($2 - $4 each piece, sushi or sashimi). Creamy and rich urchin exploding with hints of…" read more »
150 reviews for Island Hopper
Review Highlights
"between Newbury Street shopping district and Kenmore Square."
(in 8 reviews)
"...menu item is the green tea milkshake - the best I've tried."
(in 3 reviews)
"I had the five spice duck."
(in 4 reviews)
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150 reviews in English
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Review from Ambrose C.
Boston, MA
I actually know the nephew of the owner of this place. He's a friend of mine, and he is Chinese Malaysian originally from a city called Ipoh. He also used to work here, and so did another friend of mine and they suggested some dishes to me if I wanted to eat here. Since the owner is originally from Malaysia and is Chinese, obviously I decided to get the more Malaysian and Indonesian influenced dishes. By doing that, I was able to enjoy my food a little better, and found the food to be tasty, not terrible.
First time I came here I got Chow Kueh Teow, which is a stir fried rice noodle dish, mixed with some spices, shrimp, bean sprouts, and eggs. This is a quintessential dish found in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore and is also known as Chao Guo Tiu in Cantonese Chinese, and Chao Guo Tiao in Mandarin Chinese. The dish is served in a caldron shaped pot. I thought the dish was tasty, and the presentation was fairly good. It's a great choice for lunch or a light dinner. I really liked the spiced flavor and the texture of the noodles.
My friend suggested the Ipoh Seafood Chow Fun. This is a rice noodle soup made from scrambled eggs, with shrimp, scallops and squids. A great choice when the weather is less than a dismal 18 degrees Celsius, since it comes in fairly hot. The seafood was decently good, but I really enjoyed the broth and the noodles. It is also a good choice for a light dinner as well.
The dish that I enjoyed the most was probably the Kapitan Chicken, which was also suggested by my friend. This is chicken mixed with shredded onion and coconut simmered in Malaysian spices. Although it is one of the most expensive dishes at $15, it comes with rice and a small salad. The chicken was really tasty, and I really liked mixing it with the rice. The flavor was really good, and had a small spice as well.
If you are only going for the lunch specials, my only suggestion is to get the Chicken Curry. They do a decent job with it, but the sauce was a little watery. Another way to enjoy your dining experience is try to get a seat by the window. It's at a great location and the prices may be a little high, but reasonable.
Overall, if you are looking for a Malaysian influenced restaurant at a great location near Newbury Street, this is a really good choice depending on what you order. There are not many Malaysian influenced restaurants I could think of in Boston, and this is the 3rd place I have visited in this city. This place seems to be doing fairly well, and I would not mind coming back here again for more Malaysian influenced dishes. -
Review from Ryan K.
Boston, MA
1/3/2012
Meh. I've experienced better.
There's really not much else to say -- Island Hopper is really convenient since it's right at the intersection of Newbury and Mass Ave., but honestly, go a few blocks down in really just about every direction and you can find better places to eat for the same price. -
Review from J R.
Vallejo, CA
11/2/2011
Weathered wood floors, high ceiling, street-facing wall is all glass, long side walls made of red brick, back wall is white with view into kitchen. Which is a good thing, you don't invite your customers to look into your kitchen if you're not proud of the things coming out of it. The menu is a little bit southern China, a little Thai, some Malay, and a bit of Vietnamese. Its a bit like if you walked into a 'Western European' resteraunt to find schnitzels listed alongside escargot and bangers & mash.
I ordered the Jade Ravioli (wontons) and lychee duck. I also got a 'fresh limeade' which came with a spoon in it for some strange reason and was very strong. Strong is good.
The food, when it finally arrived, was disappointing. I'm not a picky eater but if there's one quick way to turn me off from a dish it's eggplant, especially eggplant that isn't listed as an ingredient on the menu. And the Lychee duck was full of eggplant. yuck. The wontons were ok but rather bland. Someone forgot the ginger.
Worst of all, when I finished it took forever to get the waiter's attention to get him to give me my check and even longer to get my receipt - almost 20 minutes spent waiting at my table to get my receipt so I could get the hell out of there. I finally had to get up and track him down and ask for it. Not cool.
I won't give 1 star because the food wasn't terrible and it's not like the place was swarming with vermin or something (it was actually very clean), but it's not someplace I'd eat again. -
Review from Kitty G.
Littleton, MA
1/11/2012
Meh... Food presentation excellent! Actual food.... Just go somewhere else.
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Review from John K.
Boston, MA
10/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
I ordered the Mango Shrimp which costs ~$18. It comes with shrimp served in a carved out mango, some vegetables and a serving of white rice.
I was very excited to try the dish, but when it arrived at my table I was very disappointed. It was 90% cheap vegetables with a measly seven shrimp buried underneath (yes, I counted). They weren't even jumbo shrimp; just regular old shrimp.
It's ridiculous that I paid so much for such a small amount of shrimp. They could have at least included the mango that they carved out to serve it in. I could have just bought a whole bag of shrimp home and cooked it myself for much cheaper.
To be fair, the shrimp were pretty good, but the price is still not justified. That and the fact that my waitress was completely apathetic (not rude, per se, but not very accommodating and certainly not happy) prevents me from giving this restaurant a good review or recommending that anyone waste their time or money here.
You'll get a better value elsewhere. -
Review from Diane D.
Somerville, MA
9/25/2011
I feel flavor is really lacking for some of these dishes. We started with the Hainenese Ravioli. They were a little dry and overcooked, but felt like they had promise once you doused them in the soy/ginger sauce.
I ordered the Ginger and sweet onion beef. The dish had little flavor with the exception of random strings of ginger. No one really likes to eat pieces of ginger solo. We also got the Pad Ped Beef which was decent, but have had it elsewhere and it is just better. Can't quite put my finger on it.
They appeared to have an amazing smoothie list, unfortunately I ordered a glass of wine before seeing this. That was a mistake I hope to never make again.
We had a groupon. We called and made a reservation. We were told we had to be there by 6:30 or after 9pm. We showed up by 6:30. The place was dead. When we paid, our waitress came back and told us the owner was feeling nice and gave us the discount because "it isn't that busy" and you need a reservation for groupon. I didn't say anything because they gave it to us, but that was awkward. Something noteworthy for groupon users, they add in 18% for tip. -
Review from Amy R.
Brookline, MA
10/31/2011
There is no reason to eat here. You can get better Chinese, Malaysian, Thai, or Vietnamese food at many places in Boston. Nothing was outstanding and some dishes, especially the Hainenese ravioli, were terrible.
When we tried to make a reservation, the person on the phone was extremely ungracious, telling us he would fit us in and commanding us not to be late. When we arrived (early, just to be sure), the place was almost empty.
The place has a sad vibe, no liveliness, no warmth. Service was barely adequate. We needed to explain repeatedly that we were sharing everything.
Nothing here to recommend it. -
Review from Logan J.
10/6/2011
this place is very typical for a thai place in the area. i know that its marketed as a fusion restaurant...but for me, it wasnt much more than any other thai restaurant. they had some different dishes than what other thai places have, but i wasnt too impressed any of them. i expect certain flavors when i eat at any thai restaurant, and they delivered those flavors...but not much else.
they have thai coffee and tea, which my friend loved...but it isnt going to give this place more than three stars from me. nothing too special here. -
Review from Sam L.
Boston, MA
4/15/2011
I went here for lunch with a bunch of friends on a Saturday afternoon. We actually went right when it opened because we were all starving, but it didn't seem like it was a busy day.
My friend who used to go to school in the area loved this place. She said the food was awesome but the service sucked, and I have to agree...it definitely sucks. They seem to be really stingy with giving out straws for glasses of water...
The food was very good though, maybe not the best thai food I've never had, but still very good for Boston. (Sorry, Boston definitely does not have a lot of good ethnic restaurants).
Despite the so-so service, I think I would come again. -
Review from Nika T.
Updated - 4/20/2011
For some dishes... this places is absolutely as good as it gets, according to our preferences.
There are other dishes that lack flavor stability and my culinary enjoyment... but despite these menu bombs (which really aren't that numerous) I still have to give Island Hopper 5 stars because the ones that I love have no comparison.
I frequently remark that they make the best best best Chinese Fried Rice.
They also make the best sweet n sour chicken (Except it's on the appetizer menu and they call it golden fingers and it comes with an orange colored duck sauce that is mild and fresh tasting instead of red sauce).
If you sub popcorn chicken for the alternative you get light, white meat chicken with a delicate flavor.
Beef Rendang is great. Packed with flavor and a large portion (for me) that resulted in delicious left overs.
Taro Pot is perfection. Panang's might be a little better but this is great. They'll happily substitute chicken for seafood. But for those that like seafood this is great.
I have to say that I'm not a fan of any of their wet chicken dishes. Meaning pieces of (usually dark meat) chicken in a wet sauce. I find they all tend to lack flavor and are never too satisfying. I'd avoid them and pursue other, better, dishes on the menu.
I've eaten in, had delivery and gotten take out. Take out always goes best. Eating in can result in somewhat slow service sometimes-- not always. And depending on the wait staff it can be a little lackluster.
They have great lunch values and they have a wide selection on their menu. They'll make things off the take-out menu in the restaurant so take a peek at it and see what you might like.
The trick to a good meal here is asking a lot of questions about the dishes. They'll happily adjust dishes to your preferences so go ahead and explore.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/16/2008
I gave this place 4 stars because of their fried rice. I have sampled fried rice near and far across… Read more »
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Review from Lucas S.
Belmont, MA
6/19/2011
Well I think the food we actualy got on our visit was good. The pad Thai was tasty.
The manager or owner looked to be mean as he never really smiled and seemed to be a bit cruel to the service.(snappy)
We ordered some combo meals which never came with our soups and our server never came back to the table until she quickly dropped our bill in the middle and left again. Upon her return we pointed out the missing soups which she offered to get us but we said it was a bit late and though she should take a little off the bill. She replied that there was no way to give us a discount. First time I have left no tip in a very long time. I would give this place fewer stars but I think the food we got seemed well prepared and we may have just caught them at a bad time. I will give this place another try some day and if the results are similar that will be it. -
Review from Khiem T.
Boston, MA
5/1/2011
I have always liked this place. The owner was nice enough to give me quarters for parking. It has a good menu, very diverse and unique. The Taro Pot is a must! This place is a bit pricey, but that's what you get for being in Back Bay.
Nice selection of Asian beer. They make delicious smoothies here also, very unique and flavorful. -
Review from Shakira M.
Boston, MA
2/19/2011
Good place to grab a quick dinner and not spend too much money. My friend and I stopped by on a Friday night and were seated right away since the place was pretty empty.
We ordered samosas and malaysian chicken curry. The food was good, not mind blowing but definitely a good plate of food. Prices are good, service could be a bit better.
I would try this place again and again, its cute and small, good food and prices. Can't beat the location. -
Review from Michael P.
Cambridge, MA
11/6/2010
*Last place standing! There are surprisingly NOT that many cheap restaurants options around the Hynes T stop that are open late enough. Kevin L. and I were desperately scrambling around at 10:45pm for a reasonably cheap dinner. Island Hopper was the only one open! It's not a late-late-night place, but it's one of the last standing restaurants.
*Char Kueh Teow! I'm a sucker for flat rice noodles so of course I'm going to say it was amazing! haha Basically, it's the usual gooey flat rice noodles mixed with seafood served hot in a cute little cast pot/bowl. The dish wasn't as spicy as it was supposed to be, so I had to drown it with extra Sriracha sauce. Beware that Sriracha does mask the original flavor of the dish so if you want to be truthfully true to your Char Kueh Teow, I recommend telling the chef instead to turn up the heat a couple notches. -
Review from Shuang C.
Scranton, PA
4/10/2011
I will make this quick and painless:
delivery took 1 hour 45 minutes, I live 1 mile away.
Hokkien Lo Mein was way too salty. The noodles were too hard,
Nasi goreng was boring and flavorless.
All in all, never ordering delivery form them again. -
Review from Michael R.
Boston, MA
4/7/2011
Went here a little while back with a few friends, and had a solid meal, nothing spectacular, just solid. I had a chicken-fried rice dish (typical asian fusion fare for me) and although it was good, it was a little on the pricey side. Two of my dining comapnions for the evening, Kris C. and Roberto del V., split a rice and seafood meal served in half of a hollowed out pineapple, so the plating was superb, but after they had finished, the meal was "good, but probably not worth the price."
I-Hop (the Asian edition) is certainly good, but you definitely pay more because of it's prime location near Newberry St. Check it out if you're one of the fortunate few with a couple extra bucks in your pocket. -
Review from Aditi R.
1/13/2011
I always pass by this place when trolling through Newbury for many more ways to spend whats left in my bank account, however considering the location, the lack of customers always comes off as conspicuous. Hence when blizzard 2011 was finally upon us and I was stuck in the area, the first restaurant happened to be Island Hopper.
Such a terrible irony considering the cold gusts of wind coupled with 2-3 inches of snow hailing down on us every hour.
Anyway, if a lack of customers is the norm on a regular day, snow day didn't help at all. One of the two sets of customers, we sat down with a window view. The restaurant is at a great location I have to say, Unfortunately, once I walked in, I got this icky vibe to the place. The service was nice but the lunch menu did not seem too appetizing, though the prices were incredibly tempting. So we decided to give their lunch specials a try as they came with free soup and appetizer!
So my friend ordered the chicken malaysian curry with hot and sour soup and a samosa and I got the chili and pepper chicken with miso soup and spring roll. The soups were strictly ok - nothing mind blowing, but then again, I wasn't expecting much. The appetizers were just ok - just fried pieces of potatoes (samosa) and shredded vegetables with the emphasis on fried (as opposed to taste..). And finally on to the main courses - The malaysian chicken curry had flavor and was good. But it wasn't something that I couldn't cook up. And the chili and pepper chicken was just bland, which was shocking because you'd imagine the chili and the pepper would compensate for that very striking lack of taste. Except it didn't and I was left a unsatisfied and left most of the chicken and rice on the plate and just picked at the vegetables.
I have heard the crispy pad thai at this place is great, but it'd me happening to be in the area with another weather emergency to bring me back here again. There are far better places in the area. -
Review from Lisa S.
12/31/2010
I'm so surprised I haven't reviewed Island Hopper yet! This place was our college standby restaurant back in the day- a cheap, delicious, convenient place for people in Back Bay and Cambridge to meet.
At first, we all ordered random things off the menu- the mango shrimp and mango chicken are fairly standard. The beef and chicken satays are pretty delicious. However, we've all discovered our favorite things on the menu, and now we order them every single time.
Roti Island Hopper- please order. The pancake... the curry... so amazing. I'm pretty sure I've had dreams about this appetizer. If I ate alone where nobody could see me, I'd probably order 5 of these. Or more.
Hokkien Lo Mein- I have no idea what is in here but it's amazing. I refuse to order another entree. There's some shrimp, thick noodles, some soy sauce, some veggies, some other stuff... but just try it.
Green tea milkshake- back in the day when I embraced dairy, this was my amazing standby. Tasty and not too sweet.
Strawberry Freeze- this is my new non-dairy standby. It's just ice and strawberries, but really good.
We went last night and ordered 2 entrees, 1 appetizer and 2 specialty drinks and spent about $35, so it's fairly cheap, especially for the Back Bay area.
They also have a fairly long and cheap wine list (we always order a basic Chardonnay), a short beer list, and more delicious specialty drinks. You do have to ask for water, but other than that, I've never had any instances of bad service. It is generally empty, especially on off-hours, but that just makes it a great place to catch up with friends. :-) -
Review from Sidd G.
Boston, MA
2/25/2011
Just ordered delivery from these guys looking for something different. I was hopeful and really craving some great Chinese....alas it was not to be. First it took over an hour for my order to arrive. Yet I was still hopeful (and at that point extremely hungry)...
But as I tore open the bag of food eagerly awaiting what goodies were in the bag (I felt like a kid opening a Christmas present), I was disappointed to see (and have confirmed by taste) some very bland Schezuan chicken. And on top it was lukewarm. Oh soo disappointing. -
Review from Anna B.
Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA
7/6/2010
YUMMMMO!!
Why is this place always empty?!
I walk by it daily and it's never, ever a full house.
But, it's got some of the BEST thai food around!
I just don't get it!
What to rave about:
Smoothies, smoothies, smoothies~!
I love their blueberry smoothie made with yogurt and ice cream and topped off with a dab of whipped cream. My boyfriend LOVES the Vietnamese ice coffee (oh you thought you knew iced coffee, didn't you?) which is a million times better than Dunkin's awesome iced coffee.
I haven't tried many dishes here, but the appetizers, I can totally vouch for. The fried calamari dish is awesome- just the right amount of spice and smokiness to the sweet chili sauce....peppers and onions- just yum!
And the Roti Island Hopper? WOW.
I was drinking up that curry like there was no tomorrow.
The thin, chewy Malaysian "pancakes" were so good with the thick pieces of chicken in the curry. I'm not much of a curry fan, but it sure was tasty! :P
Coming back again and again and again and again... you get the point. -
Review from Tanya S.
Cambridge, MA
12/19/2010
This place is tasty! It's the perfect location on Mass Ave when you're walking back from Boston to Cambridge and you're hungry. It's usually pretty empty but most of the food is very good and service is fast. The wonton soup is great!
Plus you can grab a free lollipop on the way out for that sugar rush to keep you alive against the winds of the Harvard Bridge. :)
I also heard they now serve Brunch too but I haven't tried yet. -
Review from Alyssa J.
9/13/2010
I came to this place in May, and it was so good that I remember everything I ordered.
I stumbled (literally) into this place on Marathon Monday. We got two lunch specials which were 4 courses each.
We started out with dumplings (Shao Mai) and a bowl of miso soup. The dumplings were GREAT.
We both got side salads and let me tell you, I am still dreaming about that miso-ginger dressing.
We got chicken tenders which were great because they were made with an egg batter. Super juicy and flavorful.
Lastly we ended the meal with with the General Tso's which was Fabulous!!!
We also drank four or five bottles of sake, so by the end of the meal I practically hugged our waiter.
Because we were there for lunch our bill was low and we definitely got a ton of food for what we paid for. I'm hungry, I want to go back right now. -
Review from Jenny N.
1/22/2008
First of all, let me just say I had a very memorable experience at Island Hopper that didn't exactly involve the food, but perhaps I should get to that later and review the restaurant first....
The menu is quite extensive--covering all sorts of Malaysian and Thai entrees and appetizers. Many interesting choices, although the corresponding prices were a bit high compared to other Asian restaurants of comparable quality (as other Yelpers have mentioned, this is likely due to the restaurant's location--being near Newbury often gives establishments the gall to jack up prices). The drink list involved a whole slew of fruit smoothies, non-alcoholic mixed drinks, sake, wine and beer.
We started off with the lollipop shrimp which were good but I expected more than 4 little pinky-sized shrimp rolls for $7. The virgin Moscow Mule made with ginger beer and lime juice is quite refreshing and it made a nice accompaniment to my entree of Hainanese chicken. Since I've never traveled to Singapore or Malaysia, I can't vouch for the authenticity of this dish, but it was very tasty. A mound of yellow chicken-flavored rice was flanked by a well-dressed, simple green salad, and tender boiled chicken (skin on) topped with minced ginger. The chicken was a bit oily, but I think it's meant to be that way. The boyfriend had five spice duck, which was covered in a dark brown sauce and accompanied by white rice and green salad. It lacked a depth of flavor that you'd expect from a combo of five spices, but the meat was tender.
There was just one server working the room (possibly due to the late afternoon hour and only a handful of tables were occupied), but he was one hardworking dude! I saw him take orders, bus tables, take photos for celebrating diners AND deliver an order in the bitter cold in between serving. All of this contributed to the somewhat slow service, but I give him props because he maintained a cheerful and polite demeanor throughout. And maybe I'm just cheez-tastic, but I kinda liked the decor; it was really colorful and inviting.
So for the funny/memorable part...I was left with a souvenir of my visit that involved me slamming the bathroom door in my own face upon exiting. I don't exactly know how this happened, but it did. Later on, after I got home, I discovered yet another souvenir...The leftovers that the server had packed for me had leaked all over my brand new Adriano Goldschmied purchases! Mostly I blamed myself for putting the leftovers in the same bag, so I don't think these incidents will deter me from visiting Island Hopper again when I'm shopping on Newbury St. and the craving for pan-Asian cuisine hits. If anything, the main deterrent would be the prices (how ironic). -
Review from Ligaya T.
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2007 1 photo
Basic pan-Asian restaurant that IMO doesn't really do justice to any cuisine. Being that the Singaporean population is an amalgam of Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities, it's food has so much potential for an awesome combination of flavors and often it does, just not here. I was disappointed that the dishes were so inconsistent.
The roti appetizer had amazing curry but only two pieces each of chicken and potatoes. The 'Shanghai greens' were bok choi, and didn't have that nasty corn starchy sauce. The mi goreng (an Indonesian dish) tasted nose scrunchingly like pad thai with different noodles. The dish is supposed to have brown sugar, soy sauce and sambal (chili paste), no peanuts.
I'm not done griping: prices were jacked up $25 each for one app and two entrees with no drinks, probably because of high rents of a central location, decor was bright and cheesy, it was FREEZING, they had one waiter for the whole two room restaurant and they defiled my coconut water with ice shavings. I'm done now, and not going back.Listed in: Overrated, Eating Curry in Boston
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Review from Kate S.
Boston, MA
11/22/2006
Our lunch here was ok. I got the pad thai and my mom got the shrimp and veggies with rice. Both were good, but nothing special. They both seemed to be missing sauce or something, kinda bland.
I did really like the decor, and loved being seated in one of the window seats that looks out onto mass. ave. My mom, from the North Carolina 'burbs, was kept very busy just looking at all the people and goings-on out there.
The service was great. He was attentive and let us take our time after we had finished our meal. After we paid the bill, we ended up talking in our booth for a while and he kept refilling our water glasses, which was nice since we were so hungover from the night before.
All in all, a good value for the area, but nothing to go out of your way for. -
Review from Marlee C.
Cambridge, MA
1/1/2011
It's true... there's usually lots of seats. I am really not sure why, because the food is good!
I've been here twice, and I remember feeling like finally, there is an Asian restaurant with good food and pretty good decor and atmosphere (I remember cool purple napkins). Their menu has many options, and lots of rice/noodle dishes ~$10. It's all tasty and pretty authentic too. Definitely worth a visit! -
Review from Sasha B.
5/6/2011
3 stars for food, and an extra for being so conveniently located. Right on Mass Ave, it's super easy to have get togethers at the Island Hopper. The food is hit or miss. I once got the mushroom surprise, and it is seriously a plate of heaping mushrooms and some bok choy. I love mushrooms, but seriously, this was too much! I think their noodle dishes are the best, definitely stick with those.
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Review from Alexandros O.
Long Island City, NY
2/8/2009
This place might be indebted to my friends for the four star rating, I was with three wonderful people - and I believe that great company can elevate good food to a new level.
That being said, I really enjoyed the cuisine at Island Hopper.
A cute name for a nice idea, Island Hopper features heavy culinary influences from South East Asia. The restaurant itself is nice looking, colorful Asian and Pacific motifs - kind of felt like I was at a luau. Comfortable seating and good for groups.
I ordered the Singapore noodles - the portion was generous and the noodles were well spiced. I get this dish at a few places and this was among the better interpretations of Singapore noodles I've had.
I also sampled my friends pineapple fried rice (served in a pineapple!) and found it to be moist, delicate, and flavorful.
Not usually a fan of fusion places, but I really enjoyed this place. -
Review from Jaimie R.
San Francisco, CA
1/25/2008
I used to eat at Island Hopper on a pretty regular basis when I lived/worked in Back Bay. Although it's on the pricier side, I still always thought of eating there or ordering from there as a nice treat!
A couple years ago a boyfriend and I went there on Valentine's Day for dinner. We hadn't thought our plans through and called on a whim to see if they'd take reservations since every other restaurant in the area was booked. They said they were pretty busy but would find room to squeeze us in, last minute. Not only were our meals great, but they gave me a rose and both of us free dessert!
5 stars. -
Review from Ziyan C.
5/3/2010
Every time I've come here the food has been great & at a great price! Such a central location - great for a stop during a day of shopping & right off the T.
The decor is really nice, casual yet done in good taste. Everything on the menu is great, as long as you like curry, asian food, and don't mind lots of flavor & a little bit of spice! -
Review from Laura P.
Seattle, WA
12/12/2006
I was impressed on my first visit with the taste and presentation of Nena's Chicken (chicken sauteed with pineapple chunks and lemongrass in a mildly spicy sauce served in half a pineapple). It was a generous portion and tasted great warmed up.
I went today with literally 28 minutes to spare. The one waiter was swamped but got me in and out and was super nice to boot. I had the lunch special Green Papaya salad and miso soup, but really wanted to try the Malaysian Curry Beef or Sayor Masak (veggies wok fried in a light garlic sauce). The papaya wasn't shredded the usual way, but cut on the bias. It was excellent, crunchy, and refreshing. The Burmese Cold Noodle (yellow noodle tossed with shredded tofu, lettuce, bean sprouts and raw onions in a special Burmese mildly spicy sauce topped with fried shallots) was also calling my name. Island Hopper offers all the usual pan-Asian suspects, as well. -
Review from Stephen L.
Menlo Park, CA
1/3/2007
A typical experience at Island Hopper for me:
Me: Here we are!
My friend: I tripped over the decorative elephant in the doorway!
Me: You're not supposed to kick decorative elephants. It's bad luck.
My friend: Aw.
Me: Hey, is there something wrong with the map on the menu?
My friend: What? I can't tell what's land and what's water because they're both blue.
Me: There seems to be a made-up bonus island in Indonesia. And I don't recall the Philippines having this extra land mass attached to it. It's like some sort of Filipino ghetto booty.
My friend: You should get a smoothie! They're good. Like Oh raspiration.
Me: Do I have to say it like it's written when I order it? "Oh! Raspiration." Like I have to have a mini-orgasm before I can say the smoothie? What about this one? "Mmhhhhh." How do you even say that?
My friend: Ooh ooh Hot Waiter's here. I hope we get him!
I like the food here, so I got a different friend a gift certificate. Island Hopper decorates their gift certificates with a border of smiley faces around the edge. But the best part is that half the smiley faces are normal like this : ), but the other half are like this : |
Which means that Island Hopper believes that gift certificates should elicit a mixture of joy and stoicism. -
Review from Caroline C.
Boston, MA
8/22/2010
Island Hopper is great if you are in the area with a large group and your party wishes to eat right away - they always have plenty of space, even on a weekend night, it seems.
Food, however, can be spotty. I was there recently and several in my group (self-proclaimed foodies) were heavily disappointed in the meal. Some of the dishes can be fairly tasty - but never out of this world fresh and delicious. They do have some fine smoothies.
Service, also questionable . . . or more, just slow. For the number of people that tend to be in the restaurant (not many), I'm always surprise how slow the service is. Very polite, mind you. Just slow.
Oh, and do NOT expect to get water. -
Review from S S.
MA
1/7/2008
Between Newberry and Commonwealth on mass ave, super convienent location by T. If you are driving this is not the kind of place that Valets, i had to have the my car parked across the street at Match. Now, this is a student freindly place, i have just graduated to a working professional. Not a chi-chi place at all. The resturant is listed under singaporean but there were latino waiters in hawaiian shirts. This place is going through a serious identity crisis.
We ordered roti canai- i prefer the one in penang and shumai dumpling-blah, the main course was sesame chicken- it takes a lot to screw this up-they did a decent job with it and chow mein. I had two glasses of not so great merlot. For its food and service and the confused hawaiian crossed with asian decor, this place should be cheaper. -
Review from Katharine T.
Belcamp, MD
6/12/2008
First - points off for mis-representing... They claim to be Southeast Asian food but they have Japanese food and sake on the menu? Japan is East Asia... sorry!
We ordered the Roti Island Hopper appetizer, which was quite good, however for being served with curry chicken dipping sauce, there was only one small piece of chicken in it!
I ordered the Burmese cold noodle, which was quite good, but the 'sauce' was some watery stuff in the bottom of my bowl. Also, don't let the mildly spicy fool you, it was quite potent, but still good.
My friend ordered the Mee Gorang, which I thought was quite good, but the 'shrimp pancake' was one small piece of shrimp in what tasted like circus-fried dough.
Despite the good food, the waitress we had was abysmal. She was slow to pay attention to us, and did not come check on us at all. We were there at like 6:45 on a Monday night, and the place was empty, so this was inexcusable to me. So overall good food, a bad service experience, and a little pricey for what you get, but not bad. -
Review from Michelle B.
Roxbury, MA
4/10/2009
Oh, Island Hopper. The first time I came here, one of your waiters scolded me for not eating all of my broccoli. The next time, one of your waitresses insinuated my boyfriend (now husband) had been in the week prior, with some other girl. It's always something with you guys!
But for reals, I really like Island Hopper. I don't love it, and that's mostly because in the five years I've been going here, I've only once entered the restaurant outside of their "lunch special" time frame. So clearly, I can't be in love with the place, or I'd be up in there all the time.
I do, however, love their hot and sour soup. My husband and I actually go out and get it for each other when we're sick (and if you knew us, you'd know this was monumental - we hate leaving our apartment and feel everything/one should come to us). It's broth is nearly perfect, and everything in it likewise. I could probably eat that every day and never be tired of it.
With the lunch special, you get your choice of soup (as if there is a choice), an appetizer, and an entree. Most of the entrees come with a mound of white rice, and then whatever your choice is. My husband swears by the General Gau's chicken, which he claims is the most consistently well-made General Gau's in all of Boston. I usually get the beef and broccoli, which is equal parts beef and broccoli, with a thin sauce. Not spectacular, but all that for 7.95 makes me happy.
Also, their raspberry lime rickey is tasty. -
Review from Aubrey O.
Canton, GA
6/11/2007
Another yummy southeast asian restaurant in Boston with decent delivery portions!! My usual dish was the Mango Chicken, which my bf would compliment with either the Sesame Chicken or the Hong Kong Steak, either way all of it were aaalllwaaays satisfying!! SOOO GOOD!!! My only qualms with this place is my always all-important sticky rice with mango. Island Hoppers' version is a little different---it's served with the rice set inside bamboo sticks, which while I praise for it's ingenuity, is ultimately annoying because it allows for a smaller serving while also giving you slivers of bamboo with your bites at times.
Other then that, I loved Island Hopper :) -
Review from Liz G.
Cambridge, MA
5/18/2006
When I lived in Boston I ate here all the time. Very tasty and not overpriced. I usually got the Roti Island Hopper with brown rice, which provided me with a full day's worth of food for like $6. Also one of the waiters was very attractive.
But I can't believe no one has mentioned my favorite part of Island Hopper: the smoothie descriptions. They have provided me with hours of enjoyment.
For example. Avocado smoothie. Don't let the name fool you, let it surprise you!
Or the oddly titled Oh! Raspiration.
Or the word "Mmmhhhhhh!", used to describe the cookie smoothie.
Try saying that many h's in a row out loud. Mmmhhhhhh, indeed. -
Review from Dirt G.
MA
4/24/2007
I haven't actually eaten here, as much as I've ordered 72 dollars worth of snacks, and loved every minute of it. Their DimSum is unique, full of flavor and cheap. I love the little tick boxes that you get, like a cheap sushi restaurant , but with class. There's no take backs either, becuase you make your decisions in pen.
I highly recommend their samosas, pork bao buns, and their scallion pancakes. I've come back a few times, and religiously, the service is great, and the Iced tea is outta this world delish. They also have lime rickey's for the summer, and great people-watching windows. -
Review from Wayne D.
1/26/2009
Love it! Went here tonight for a few apps and dinner and I thought it was very very good. This place came to me via reccomendation from a good friend of mine (who I surely trust recommendations from) and it came with no dissapintment.
We started with the Roti. I had never had this before and I loved it. To explain it best it was a crepe that you pull apart and dip into a curry dipping sauce with chicken and potatoes. So so so tasty!
I tried the sesame chicken, a simple dish full of flavor. It was great. I ended up eating the entire plate (I was hungry eh).
I will definately go again. It is an Asian/Malaysian restaurant and it puts your typical thia/chinese food to shame.
The service was good too. Not to stuffy or in your face. My friend and I never had an empty glass of water. The atmosphere was vibrant in color as well. The dining room sort of has a feel-good feeling to it. Brick walls, wood floors, ceiling to floor windows (great for people watching if your on a bad date)
If you haven't been, you have to go!
