I've been in the restaurant business for the better part of my adulthood. So I know first hand how difficult it is to run one. This is also the reason why I have never done a review before especially after receiving poor service. However, this goes beyond anything I've ever come across so I'm going to complain. Please avoid this Wahoo's at all cost. Terrible food quality and even worse customer service. Two of our three take out orders looked like a bunch of crumpled little pieces of fish. Not the usual fillets we get from other Wahoo's locations. When we called to complain, they accused us of first eating the food and then calling them to complain. All that was necessary was a simple apology and a refund to rectify the situation. Instead, we were faced with an accusatory cashier named Yolanda Tapia and an incompetent manager, Alex who was too cowardly to even give out his last name. Joanne, if you're reading this, please re-assess your staff and their training, starting with your managers. I would be embarrassed to be the GM. Shame on you, Wahoo's! read more

Ive been coming here for over 8 years. The food is good. But lately the customer service is poor. Yes one employee was very smiley and inviting. Not so much with my cashier. No smile, cutting me off and just looked as if she hated being employed and making money. As a customer service manager of over 87 quick stops I know not to name name's (unless asked), buy "Y" does need to adjust the attitude a little. As I am typing and leaving now, the same smiley gal thanked us and wished us a good night. Grumpy pants just stared at us. Hope the next time we come back it goes better. Or that will be our last purchase at this location. read more

Don't go there on your lunch if you only have a $100 bill. I waited in line ordered my food then they could not break my bill. Is this a restaurant or what? You should have $200 in change at all times. I didn't get to eat on my lunch break because there was no time to go anywhere else I had to get back to work. Sorry I'm not poor and had a large bill. I've been going there for 15 years even met the owner there and another location once. My kid one a skateboard once through Wahoos. Sorry but bad customer service loses my business and makes me tell others about it. I provide excellence in customer service to my customers they should too. If the owner knew about this I know he would not be ok with the way the employee handled this. read more

Dark, dank, dismally small, bad parking-bad parking-bad parking. The food is of the same quality here as with any other Wahoo's establishment you choose but definitely would have better ambiance and less interesting clientele. Get your food to go if you have to have your fish taco fix here, otherwise their location is Tustin is 1000% nicer. read more

Well after they reopened, I have gone in to eat three times for lunch. There is a tall slender man, who is now the manager? What happened to the woman with the short blonde hair (Joan?), she was awesome and always smiling. Now all the tall guy does is yell and scream at the employees. The food was decent, my Baja roll was soggy and tasted stale like an old tortilla. I enjoy the kale salad and its always good. Service as others have said is not good. Nobody smiles or laughs, when the other woman managed they always laughed and said thank you. Hopefully she was promoted because she was an asset. Tell the employees to put a smile on and say thank you! read more

I love Wahoo's Fish Taco. Everything about the food is amazing! This wahoo's has the same vibe as all the rest. Total Californian laid back surfer style. It's fun and I always try to read all the stickers and posters and even writing on the wall! The service here was fast and nice. It isn't a sit down full service place so I wasn't expecting to be waited on. They did come and check up on me twice so that added awesome points for sure. I think the fish tacos are my favorite but everything really is good. The spicy brown beans! mmmm so good. Great place for a quick bite or a longer sit and chat. read more

Vegetarian Burrito was really good. The ingredients were fresh. The tortilla was soft. Overall, a nice lunch. Not the best I've had but pretty darn good. Tables & floors could be cleaner and not so sticky. Okay to bring children. read more

There is a place called Santa Ana. People called Mexicans live there. Mexicans are the people who actually invented tacos. Not surprisingly, their tacos are infinitely better than the watered down, Americanized drek that they sell at Wahoos. Venture forth.... read more

Great! Love this location. I call in orders all the time and never had a problem. Give them a try. They rock and roll!! Baja roll... lol

I like Wahoo's. Food, service, soda station, and prices are all legit. The stickers are lame, but this is beach culture territory. If you don't want to pay, fix your meals on your own. Stop hatin' The onion rings are gooey - I be hatin' on those. read more

it's within a 2 min walking distance form my work, yet I've never been in the last 5 years. don't bother, it's full of loud white people, and there was nothing worthy to remember, I got a screamin burrito with carnitas, and it was meh.... If it's Wahoo's FISH Taco, why didn't I see more fish options? no reason to go back read more

Watch your wallet! Thieves and Criminals here--I've busted them 3 times within the past few months padding my credit card charges. The store receipt clearly shows my tip amount and total, yet mysteriously, when I reconcile my bank statement, $4 to $10 has been added. When confronting the manager about this, I get a shrug and a refund. NEVER going back. read more

Had a fish burrito here a while back. It was good, but it wasn't as good as I expected. Plus, it had a pretty hefty price tag, so I'd probably only go back if they had coupons or specials. (I'll stick to the other location for the quesadillas!) read more

I don't think I can express in words how much I love Wahoos. This being the original one and my friend living right down the street, we could conveniently walk to grab some Saturday afternoon grub. Compared to a lot of the mall locations in Orange County, this one is good size and has a lot of indoor seating. We got our order to go but the lady at the cashier was very friendly and we didn't wait long for our order. I will say the parking lot is pretty small so I could see how it might be difficult to find parking if it was busy but there are a lot of businesses up Baker and even some street parking so I think ultimately it has to be easier than finding a spot at Downtown Disney. read more

I will start by saying that I like Wahoos, but this particular location leaves much to be desired. The parking is horrible. The parking lot is very tight with very few spots, and a couple trucks or SUVs will jam the area. The entrance, cashier, and drink dispenser area is super small. It is a bottleneck that makes it tough to navigate and even place your order, and getting a drink is a challenge if someone is ordering at the same time someone is pouring a drink. Leaving means navigating back through everyone and getting more personal than you eould like. The food is between bad and mediocre. The fish is pre cooked and heated in a microwave, the tortillas are store bought and barely heated, and the sauces and salsa have little to no flavor. The chips are store bought and half stale. The service was pretty friendly, as you order at the counter and they bring your meal to you. The tables are reasonably clean, although the layout of this place is funky. The walls are covered with mainly surfing junk and stickers, but the ambiance to me doesnt matter too much if the food is good. The prices here are ok, and of course my disappointment with the food made it not worth the $10. I will not come back and not recommend this Wahoos. read more

I really like wahoos, but I got cold uncooked enchiladas tonight and I don't have time to go back in and reorder. What a waste. read more

Wahoo's Fish Taco - Not even slightly melted/cooked - Mexican Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Okay, let me start by saying that my family and I have been eating here for years!!! Growing up surfing in Cali and being a general beach bum, I loved the alternative vibe of the restaurant and the food has always hit the sweet spot for price, taste and healthy options. Over that last 2 months, I have been doing a lot of work in Costa Mesa and I had the pleasure of stopping here for lunch at least once a week. It's on the way to the Freeway and a great way to bring some take-out to my family after work. Well after today, I will never ever come back to this Location. I cannot believe the rudeness and ineptitude displayed by the staff. In particular "Cashier" Yolanda Tapas. Here's what went down: I ordered 3 Wahoo's Bowls for take out. 2 spicy fish and 1 regular grilled fish. I arrived at my destination in Garden Grove, hungry like a beast and ready to eat. I laid the 3 to-go boxes side by side and opened them up. The very first thing I noticed was the unappetizing look of the fish they had served us for the 2 spicy fish bowls. The reg grilled fish Wahoo's bowl looked good, 2 big pieces of fish laying side by side. The 2 spicy fish "Wack" bowls were broken up into numerous tiny chunks, and looked like they had been scraped from the grill after the Filet's had been served to other luckier guests. Visualize tuna out of a can! I paid for filet's, not 1 inch pieces of leftovers. We felt we deserved a refund or at least a Voucher for 2 bowls at a later time. I took pictures of the crime scene and my sister called and very nicely asked to speak to a "MANAGER". Yolanda Tapas the "CASHIER" got on the phone and confirmed that she was a manager and after listening to my sister explain the situation, proceeded to accuse my sister of lying. She Insinuated that we had eaten the food and was just trying to get a free meal. Mind you, we are all staring at the uneaten bowls, so I started taking video, and we put Yolanda on speaker. I recorded the whole conversation and the Uneaten bowls. My sister was so heated by being accused of lying that my Brother in Law had to take over and asked to speak to her Supervisor. In comes Alex the Manager, who clarifies that Yolanda is just a Cashier!!!!!! So she lied about being a manager and then accuses my sister of lying about the food. He was a little better, but he proceeds to tell us that we have to drive all the way back from Garden Grove to Costa Mesa to issue the refund. Total bollacks! It was the principal of the matter, not the $17 bucks we spent on the Wack Bowls. Not gonna spend 30 mins each way for something they could do over the phone. A real apology and an offer to make it right is all we wanted. There are lots of options when it comes to eating out and if they don't correct their customer service, they're going to see a lose a lot more customers and they'll see many more Yelp Reviews. read more

First time coming to this location bad experience Yolanda very selective and who she wants to be nice to.

People at work always got Wahoo's and I thought it was gross and overpriced. Then I tried the citrus slaw chicken tacos (without cheese) and my life was changed. I now go multiple times weekly to my wife's dismay. read more

I usually love Wahoos but this one is the worst I've ever been to which is really sad because it's so close to my work. I went to go have lunch with my boyfriend and our son and he got sick and threw up on the floor entrance. My boyfriend took him outside and I spent 5-10 minutes trying to get the attention of the cashier so that no one would slip or step in it. When I finally got her attention I asked her for some towels and apologized and said my son got sick on the floor and she just gave me two napkins! She didn't even offer to help. I reiterated that my son threw up on the floor and I asked if she could get a sign so no one would step on it and she just gave me a couple more napkins and she watched me attempt to clean it and didn't put up a sign or anything. I ended up just leaving. read more

I like their food but staff need to be a little more friendly. They need to smile a little more. I feel like they think I am going to ask for free food read more

Wahoo's Fish Taco - Kalua pig - Mexican Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Extremely good, we got the screaming burrito And combo number 2. Both were very delicious and had good flavor we live an hour away but we will be back. Good size servings for a good price. friendly staff and clean restaurant. Try the coconut margarita ! read more

Took 20 mins for 2 item order.beans and rice cold. Not a good experience. Next time pollo loco across the street

My burrito was all rice and sauce. Not happy about the service here either. I ordered the banzai burrito along with 3 other ones.

The cashier did not seem very friendly, seemed to be reading off a script (robotic), very rude, the place seemed empty and sad, the only booths are at the end of the restaurant, and there are only two. The food was great, but it needs more flavor. It is still enjoyable though, and I would come here to eat again. The waiters were nice, unlike the cashier, they asked you how you are going, and are constantly being polite. read more

Wahoo's Fish Taco - Friday Evening at Wahoo's - Mexican Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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This one star rating is based on the non existent customer service. My work put in an order for 8 people and asked if they could write the names on the boxes "we can't put names just the number on the menu" was the response from Wahoo's. Very very dissappointed. Food was good, but I didn't care about that by the time we all discovered whose was whose it was cold. read more

I love Wahoo's but none of my friends like it. I even won free taco coupons from the Ski & Snowboard Show last year and no one wanted to go. Then, FINALLY, one of my friends from work agreed to go with me. Like Mihoko C. said, it's a different take on Mexican - but I think it's so good. The food is always fresh and I love the chips with pico de gallo. read more

This is not the Wahoo's of yesteryear. There is an all too obvious corporate sheen laying over the entire place. And I get the strong impression that the employees are constantly in a state of review, none of them seemed relaxed or happy to be there (the service is great here though, and the place is super clean). The skate-themed bric-a-brac comes off as disingenuous, like I'm being pandered to [by corporate dumb-dumbs] (but I don't get this impression at other Wahoo's, not sure why that is). The food seems off too, the "Mr. Lee's spicy chicken burrito" was okay, but not nearly as good as I remember their spicy chicken burritos being. There wasn't a lot of actual chicken in the burrito either, and the burrito took too long to digest (suggesting that the ingredients aren't all that great). The clientele... if someone were visiting from out of town and wanted to know what people from the OC were like, I would bring them here. I recommend not using this Wahoo's, visit the one in downtown H.B. instead - that one still feels like the Wahoo's I grew up with. tldr: This Wahoo's is missing the Wahoo's charm that the other locations have, you'd be better off just bringing a lunch to work with you. read more

The service is great and the food is excellent, but I called in a few days ago to find out the name of a specific employee, so that I could highly recommend their service and give good praise, because they have always been excellent to my family and I. I obviously had the wrong name to begin with, when the lady told me no one by that name worked here I asked her to please explain to me who by a similar name would work there, to which she replied again "uhhhh nobody by that name works here." So I described him to her, same response. I asked for names, I asked for help, her only responses were "uhhhhh, I don't know. Uhhhh no one by that name." She put in absolutely ZERO effort into helping me figure out this employee. I love this place, but people who put ZERO effort into answering a simple question are a turn off. Thanks for reading my rant. read more

Good food, clean restaurant, nice people. I eat here occasionally with my coworker and the food is good. Midday, the place isn't too crowded so if you need to get a good lunch on your break from work, this is a good choice. That said, I'm reviewing Wahoo's to say "thanks!" to gal working up front. She didn't get my drink on the order so she gave me one for free. So refreshing to have a restaurant not give me the old "but we didn't charge you for it" BS. Not only did she correct the order, but she hooked up my drink for free. That's the customer service should be! Thank you so much. I'll be back!! read more

I used to wish that NorCal would have more Wahoo's around because I LOVE fish tacos. However, now that I've tried this place for a second time, I realized that I don't even like their fish tacos! I want my fish battered and fried, dammit! read more

Wahoo's Fish Taco - Polynesian shrimp taco + Fish taco - Mexican Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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It was my first time back in Costa Mesa in a good seven years and I totally forgot about Wahoo's. So I apologize to those sharing the road with me last Wednesday night when I cut across three lanes of traffic and did a hairpin turn into the Wahoo's parking lot the second I saw it. The door covered in skateboard company and ratty indie band stickers was like a beacon from the past. Wahoo's did not disappoint. Don't think of it as Mexican. Think of it as your friend who cooks by just throwing a bunch of sh*$ into a pan with a ton of spices and, as much as you hate to admit it, it tastes pretty good. I like the Wahoo's bowl with blackened chicken, black beans, pico de gallo, and rice. The TV is always on ESPN, the crowd always looks like they just got back from the surf, and the place feels so totally OC. What's not to like? read more

I would have given them four stars, but I had to mark them down for the service. Especially when calling in to place an order. There have been multiple occasions where I have called and it has rung several times. Then, the phone is picked up and nothing. I guess they put me on hold without saying anything. I mean, come on, just say "Please hold" and I will wait. Lost sale... The other day when I was in there, I witnessed this in action. There were only 2-3 people in line ordering and they had a few people behind the counter, yet only one register open. This short fat lady was standing back there (doing nothing) when the phone rang. She looked at it for a few rings, I guess she was waiting for someone else to get it, then she picked it up, put it on hold, and put the phone down. She made the guy at the register answer it. this place needs to get rid of this lady and/or get a better manager. You know what, after typing this out, I dinged them two stars. Now for the food. I usually get a couple of blackened fish tacos with black beans and white rice. These are my favorite and are not your normal breaded fish tacos you get elsewhere. No breading here! They are slightly spicy and the combination of rice and salsa go perfect together. The inside of the place is pretty dirty looking, like something you would see at the beach, yet it is clean. I guess I get that feeling because of all of the stuff on the walls and stickers on the windows. Although I think they have removed most of the stickers. If you eat your food there, they give you a number and someone brings your food out to you. You also get a real plate and silverware. I give them an A on the food, a B on service when ordering there, and a D on service when calling in an order. read more

I finally got around to using the gift card I received and feel the place has redeemed itself with my appetite for quality food. I did t try the chicken but, rather tried something new, the carnitas. A wet green burrito and it was satisfying and tasty. Thank you! read more

Wahoo's Fish Taco - Ahh. The honor system in crisis. - Mexican Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I will shamelessly admit that I have 7 different wahoo's locations programmed into my phone..and yes I have eaten at all of them several times...AND I always get the same thing. Two comments...Enchiladas and Beer Batter Onion Rings..you can't go wrong =) read more

south oc is diverse and abundant with choices, so it isn't hard to miss a good restaurant or forget an old great in this landscape. for this location, the latter applies. honestly it has been years since i've had wahoo's and I've driven pass this location weekly since moving down here. luckily, my coworker who is new to SoCal eats wanted to try something diff which prompted me to suggest trying cali baja fast food... we went through the options like rubios, baja fresh, and etc. we settled on wahoo's and we were both very happy with the choice. everything was fresh. portions were large and offered a great value over the other places we had been considering for lunch. for example, the burrito I had was a 2 handed affair... stuffed with well prepared beans and rice, veggies, and protein. the quality is closer to a higher end restaurant, but, this place is totally a fast casual. my burrito was 7.50, around eight bucks with tax. it's so cheap considering I went with grilled fish as my protein. most places charges nine to ten bucks for a grilled fish burrito. if you take a moment to consider, wahoo's is one of the og in this category. I think they've been around for 20 to 30 years. really impressive, looking at the there current rating, this place is a sleeper and really should be a 4 to 4 and a half star business. my lunch was definitely a 5 star situation, we had great food and service for a fast casual restaurant. this is a great place to catch a meal. read more

Sign up for their free app and you will get combo #1 for free! This is on the quieter side of the bridge and there's a ton of seating. We luckily ate during happy hour so we got discounted pitchers of beer. read more

This freaking place got my order all wrong twice already. I ordered a Maui bowl with teriyaki chicken. Nope. That's not what I got. This place sucks when it comes to service. read more

Wahoo's Fish Taco - This freaking place got my order all wrong twice already. I ordered a Maui bowl with teriyaki chicken. Nope. That's not what I got. - Mexican Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Super tasty fresh - chicken tacos fish tacos & white rice Cajun beans get past the girl that taking the order in the front and you got it made. Mmmm So Good read more

I ordered the carnitas burrito... Not bad, not great.... Nothing I would go running back for....