Tropics Island Grill & Ale House

We LOVE coming here every time we visit Apple Hill or if we are coming down the hill! Being from Hawaii, I love visiting a restaurant that brings the islands to me. Tropics does just that, from the art work, to the drinks, to the menu. They tend to have a great tap list with local beers and sometimes some beers from HI. Every time we've visited, it hasn't been busy and we hope that changes but the staff is friendly and willing to make food accommodations (my partner wanted a musubi with chorizo instead of spam/ it's pretty awesome if you're wondering). I got the Kalua Pork with rice and mac salad which hit the spot. I typically don't like a lot of mac salads but this one was DELISH! The noodles were al dente, perfect amount of mayo, and seasoned well. PARKING: They have a couple of shared parking lots and you won't have any problem finding a spot. TO-GO: You can get all of the menu items to go.Can't wait to come back!

I'd say about a 3.5 but I'll round up. Clean smaller space. Decor looked like anything that reminded them of hawaii, haha. Friend ordered the two choice meal and she enjoyed it. I ordered the wings (sauce was sweet and savory. Really tasty). And I got a burger with no buns. Older server misunderstood and I got extra veg with the burger but still got fries (which were also tasty)! Our sodas kept getting refilled and we were able to chat for a couple hours. The whole time there what looked like either the owner or chef came to check on us and ask if everything was good before he went into his sliding door office. For a random Wednesday they had a few tables after us and one sitting on the patio. Would love to try their spam musubi next time

i have only ever written one other one-star review in my life because i know how challenging things have been in the f&b industry since covid.. but dang. all these high star ratings make me wonder if i went to a different restaurant LOL. first, there's adequate parking, lots of outside seating, and when you walk inside it's got tons of hawaiian decor that is rad to see on the mainland. now, i understand that service staff have tough days; being short staffed, people call out, etc., so please please know this is just from my experience (& i so badly wanted to love this place). we decided to sit outside because it was pretty nice out, although looking back, maybe if we sat inside we would've had a better experience. we waited about 10 minutes for menus, and about another 10 minutes for water. we tried to be patient as there appeared to be only one server working. the kids were starved, so after about 45 minutes, we flagged the server down and she assured us the food would be out shortly (and the kids' food would be out first). my boyfriend also ordered a hard kombucha (which he never ended up getting). we were waiting for water, and never got a refill, so i went to the soda machine inside and refilled our pitcher myself. what was crazy was, the server walked up next to me (i'm thinking she'd apologize for having to get our own water), and said, "i'm just gonna squeeze in here", and filled up a cup of water for another table. i was speechless. it wasn't for about another 20 minutes the food finally showed up, and only one kid got their food first (the other one's food came out dead last). i ordered the shrimp tacos, and when i started to eat the first taco, i noticed it was filled with cabbage and hardly any shrimp (which is a $4 up charge). i figured maybe it was just a mistake, and looked at my other tacos.. one shrimp per taco. totaling $19 for corn tortillas, green cabbage, flavorless pico, an overwhelming amount of dill sauce, and THREE total shrimp; (just in case you missed it the first time) one shrimp in each taco. my boyfriend's fried beef dish was extremely overcooked (he said it resembled chicharrones). the chicken katsu was also extremely overcooked, so incredibly dry with no flavor *womp womp*. the spam musubi was excellent and the best part of our lunch. however, we had to wait again for our check and spent a total of almost 2 hours when we were 1 of 3 parties there (at the time of ordering). again, i know restaurants have bad days, and i really hate to complain, but i feel like if i would've known this is how our experience would be (after reading so many 4 & 5 star reviews), i sadly wouldn't have come *insert sad crying emoji*. in the end, the server did comp two meals -- which was the right thing to do. but, i really hope this place turns around. it has great potential to be wonderful, but this was a huge swing and a miss :(

We had the Hawaiian mixed plate (bbq beef and pork) and poke nachos! Everything was yummy! Only nit picky things for me were a little too much mayo on the poke nachos, but oddly enough, not enough in Mac salad I think. Restaurant was cozy and service was great! Everything came out timely. We'll be back!

Stopped in for dinner with some friends. Had the Kailua pork tacos with an aioli which was delicious and the king pao brussel sprouts which were awesome, just the right amount of kick. The Bumgarner Aloha Cider was refreshing and tasty. The service was excellent and the wait staff very attentive. The place had a great vibe and fun decor. I would definitely come back if in the area.

We've missed Tropics in Midtown!! We were so excited to miss our exit when going to pick out our Xmas tree and see the Tropics logo. The food is as yummy as always, just missing the pizza we got to enjoy in Sacramento. This location is a bit far for us, and we'll be bummed to not get to partake as often as we used to. But we are THRILLED to hear they're making a comeback. See you soon, Tropics fam!

What a delightful surprise to have Hawaiian food in the Sierras! I honestly didn't expect this but the old BBQ spot came under new ownership and the man can cook a really good Loco Moco! Good refreshing beer and hearty portions after a camping and hiking adventure really hits. They also allow dogs on the patio, which was great because we had just camped with our chihuahua. The service was good, she gave good menu recommendations. The patio was nice and cool and shaded on a hot day, and they have a bowl for dogs to drink water. The food was tasty, the loco moco had a good brown gravy. The spam musubi was on point as well. I look forward to hitting it up again soon!

10/16/2023: Tropics Island Grill & Ale House USED TO BE Ring Of Fire BBQ; however, the new owner completely changed the menu and the libations selection! Still, I was taken aback since, I was expecting inhaling barbecue rather than inhaling an Ohana lunch.As a result of the ownership changed, I chose the North Shore Shrimp Plate and Geartooth's Father Cog Stout as my lunch inhalation selection; the shrimp was too salty, steamed rice was mushy while the macaroni salad was bland.Oooof~IDK if, I'll return . . . --__--

Great, authentic Hawaiian food. Mac and cheese ---- yummy!Great Poki bowls, too. Spam and Loco Moco for breakfast and dinner...

From breakfast to dinner and everything in between the food is fantastic! Whether its dine in or take out they are always friendly, great customer service and a fun vibe all around!