Welcome to Islandmix.caChoose your location above by clicking on the button. Pickering is now live and we are currently renovating our websites. Please note Vaughan's website is not live yet. The link will carry you to a menu where you can see our food items and contact information.
Those looking for a caterer for a wedding, birthday or other special occasion – please read about our experience with Island Mix (Pickering location).
We chose Island Mix to cater our wedding in May. While the food was great, there were a few things that were brought to our attention after the fact that (in our opinion) were unacceptable.
1. In order to save on delivery costs for another event the following day, Island Mix brought them to our event. Highly unprofessional to piggyback off of our event and not even give us the heads-up. Not the end of the world – just would’ve been nice for them to be more forthcoming with us.
2. We were misled to believe that the service staff were that of Island Mix's. We specifically asked about the wait staff in a one on one meeting with our contacts and they advised that it would be their staff serving food at our wedding. They were in fact, a 3rd party company called Catering Service Personnel. Had we known that a 3rd party company would be serving food at our event, we would’ve had the opportunity to research them further (reputation, references etc). Not a huge deal, right? Keep reading...
3. SEVERAL guests witnessed the above mentioned service staff taking home Styrofoam containers with leftover food at the end of the night. Highly embarrassing for Wes and I to have to answer “Why are the waiters taking home food before family?” When we mentioned this to our contact at Island Mix, we were advised that “The staff was given the opportunity to eat, during their down time which was very brief. Whatever they didn't finish, they did pack to take home.” First of all, we had no issue with the wait staff eating during their down time at the wedding, but it was NEVER communicated to us that they would be taking food home at the end of the night. Second - the food was supposed to be packed up and left for US to deal with, not for the wait staff to help themselves. Finally - had it been one container that they packed and took home, that’s one thing, but I’m talking about 7-8 containers!!! Again, this was witnessed by our guests! We paid a lot of money for the food to feed OUR guests at our wedding – not to farm feed the wait staff and their families.
I originally wasn’t going to post anything about our experience with them out of sheer embarrassment, but then I realized that I have nothing to be embarrassed about. I also wouldn’t want any of my family or friends to have to go through this – especially on your wedding day! I’ve always been a fan of Island Mix’s food but it’s a shame that this experience and their position on the above mentioned issues has tainted that forever.
We've had excellent experiences with the food both times we have had it. Once was take-out and last night we dined in!
This type of food is relatively new to me, but it's definitely something that my wife and I have enjoyed discovering!
The service was a bit on the slow side but then again, we were surprised with how busy the place was on a Sunday night! That must say something about how good the food is! Once we got our food, we enjoyed it thoroughly.
The inside was much nicer than I expected looking from the outside and the portions were large enough that my wife and I both had leftovers for lunch!
I'd recommend this place to anybody!
What struck me is how when I entered the restaurant, three employees looked at me, one smiled, none greeted me, and two turned their backs on me.
Unbelievable!
I ordered take out and was in a rush to pick it up and had to wait for someone to acknowledge my presence.
The service is bad and it took away from the experience.
As for the food, the chow mein was burned, but everything else was Ok.
The curry veg with tofu is very small portion, but the rest mentioned below were good sizes.
Funny thing about the service, when you call the phone #, the recorded greeting rants about their dedication to customer service.
Website doesn`t function properly, and girl who took my order over the phone doesn`t know how to pronounce Szechuan. She gave incorrect directions, and didn`t seem to know her stuff when I inquired on dishes.
Probably the worst dining experience of my life. I went with a group of 8 and reservations were made one week before. Service took close to 2 hours for 2 people in our group. The others were still waiting. The waitress did not have a clue as to where our order was. When we talked to the manager, she was no help either. The 2 people that got their meals could not identify the meat-- chicken was ordered, but we'll just call it "mystery meat" that was served on the plate. I'll never go back and plan on telling many, many people about this nightmare.
This is the worst restaurant I have ever been too. The service was terrible - after two hours only two people had gotten their meals and the food was cold. After 45 minutes we finally got drinks but never did get the second round which was ordered. Other people were seated and served before us. The server seemed to not really know what she was doing or care enough to return to the table to check on us or let us know there was a delay with the food.
When we asked to see the manager it took well over half and hour and two requests before she appeared. She didn't seem very apologetic or offer us any compensation for the wait. We finally gave up and left. I would never go back or recommend this restaurant. We wondered if we were on Candid Camera and they were seeing how much we could take before we cracked.
Island Mix needs a dose of Red Bull.
A group of friends and I used to go there all the time for some reliable west indian flavor (music and food). The food, service and entertainment were never lacking until now. Food and service is average. Entertainment is non existant.
Don't feel defeated because there's competition- it just makes things a little more interesting that's all. Start thinking of marketing strategies, promos, most of all quality. INVEST INTO IT AND BRING IT!
Went there on the first day it opened, was a great/ exceptional West Indian spot, never seen before in Canada. Seems like the scale has tipped and they have fallen on path of most West Indian spots. Money over management.
Placed my order a few days in advance for party. When i got there, the food wasn't ready and they didn't remember to make the dhalpouri. I had to wait extra time for them to make it and it still wasn't made properly. There were big grains in the dhalpouri and the chicken fried rice had no taste and had a bad smell to it. I was told they were catering for a wedding that day and thats why they were delayed but that doesn't mean that my order should not be ready on time or that the smell, taste and texture of the food i ordered not be good enough for me serve my guests. When they first opened, they were on the ball with everything (food, drinks, entertainment, service) but now that they have more people coming in, it appears they lack in all these areas now.
Been going to IslandMix a couple years now and the they definatey aren't what they used to be. Food is a hit or miss. Definatley would not reccomend IslandMix to anyone.
I have been a patron for last few years; recently I noticed that Island Mix has started to add the gratuity to their checks; I am not sure whether this is legal in Ontario. I have over paid gratuity in the last few months; in one instance I have paid $28.00 gratuity for a $70.00 check and on another instance paid $55.00 gratuity for a $140.00 check. Both instances I did not know that the gratuity was included in the check.
Check the check before you tip the waitresses.
I've been to Island Mix quite a number of times and each time the food has always been really good but for the last few times I"ve been there the quailty and quantity of the food is sorely lacking. This last time the chow mein and the fried rice tasted burnt...tasted as if they scraped the food off the bottom of the burnt pot and picked off whatever was burnt and then served it. We definately werent' going to send it back and complain ...Who knows what "extra" would be added to it and re-served to us.
Also it seems as if the quantity of the food was cut in half but the price was raised...how does that work?? I guess once you have your clientele built consisting of bar flies and underage kids who definatley won't complain about food Management really wouldnt care what' quality of food they serve.
First off finding island mix was very hard. Theres never any parking, therefore i had to park on the street, and got a ticket. The seating area was limited and conjested. As for the decor, red is out of style, and such a moody colour. The servers weren't very friendly and messed up my order. The food was very bland and had no taste. i don't suggest going, unless i was playin a prank on someone. It wasn't and will never be up to my standards.
Guys you will need to change your location, this is definitley out of restaurant area, parking is a pain. Food is good, find is not consistent though. Staff used to be friendly, seems they are just bored of the place, you will need to get rid of the old and bring in the new. I couldn't wait to eat my dinner and get out.
A co-worker of mine told me about this place 2 years ago..Wow, was she ever right. Cheap Food for Expensive tastes'! My husband & I were blown away with the atmosphere, comsidering we usually buy west indian food from a corner shop in our area. The staff was very friendly, as well as our personal server. What we loved most was the live steel pan music! The guy is too good for words! Our food was hot & steamy, and tasted absolutely fantastic! We'll definately take the 45 min. drive to visit IslandMix again, next time we'll bring our friends, as we can't afford to take them to a tropical resort...This will do for now!
We bought take out-it was horrible. The Fried Rice was definitely day old. You know when you microwave fried rice-it gets a bit hard. The staff was friendly though. Great atmosphere--but I would never order food from there again. Plenty better places in Durham
This place really has it going on. Hats off to the Owners and Managers that makes this place function the way it does. I'm unfortunately accustom to visting dingy and nasty. Island Mix on the other hand has adapted a Westernized concept similiar to the way Kelseys, Moxies, and Milestones does it. The washroom are immaculate always - they even have a checklist. Service from Hostess, Bartender, and Waiting Staff was excellent. The Busboy even can out with a shirt and tie. I've tried Caribbean food all over, and this place is definitely second to none. Keep up the good work!
