The name and the decor raised my hopes too high for the cuisine. At first taste the black beans and rice seemed to have a magical combination of flavor. That faded away and I was left with just beans and rice. The fish tacos I had come in three different cabbage styles and I chose the original. The cabbage account for about four fifths of the content. There was a couple of pieces of grilled fish found after crunching through all of that greenery. The taste was lost on me but the texture was fine. I would give this place a second chance but definitely order something different. read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Window stickers for decoration. - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Absolutely outstanding fish tacos. Drove all the way from Escondido for this. I love the rice and beans combo with fish tacos with their house coleslaw. A complete 10! read more

I want this place to be cheaper. Do you hear me big corporations? No? Fine :( In the mean time, I do enjoy Wahoo's, but unless I want to spend close to $10 for fish tacos and some rice for lunch, I'll stick to my paper bag lunch. BUT... the food/atmosphere is pretty cool... laid back/surfer-esque and the food to match. I just dont like spending that much mulah on fish tacos when I can go to Cessy's in Carlsbad for and get them for less AND they are bigger... where is the compromise? The service at the Encinitas location is superb and shout out to the manager Ruben for always being so nice. I'll be back when.... my pockets get fatter, that's all. (j cole reference anyone?) read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Power chopper salad with Cajun style fish! - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

I'm a long time fan of Wahoo's. I was first introduced to them in Texas where their take on Mexican food is unique. Fish tacos and their southern Californian take on Mexican is not the norm there. Now that I live in San Diego and there are many and better options, I still enjoy their simple take on things. The restaurant is located in a shopping center with lots of convenient parking. The interior is spacious and comfortable. The decor runs toward surf and skateboard. It's very casual and busy. The staff is always friendly and polite, helpful at the counter and quick to deliver food when it's ready. My favorite here is the blackened fish taco plate. The tacos are made with a lightly spicy grilled fish with lots of shredded greens and tomato. I love the green sauce at Wahoo's and usually ask for extra with my tacos. The tacos are accompanied by a hearty portion of rice and beans. I go with white rice and black beans. Potentially because of my Caribbean roots. They also offer brown rice or white beans. If you aren't in the mood for tacos, the bowls at Wahoo are also a great option. They're made from the same ingredients just in a different format. The food always tastes fresh and healthy. I always leave feeling fit. They are a great choice for a quick, inexpensive and healthy meal. read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Blackened fish taco plate. - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

I used to frequent Wahoo's in the past but recently rediscovered them during the pandemic. This location is consistent in its food quality, but I wanted to write this review to call out the staff. They are so incredibly helpful and accommodating and that is not always easy to find in food service in the current environment. Whoever does the hiring for this location is awesome! Shout out to Carlos who took my order today. read more

If you want FRESH, fast, guilt free food you have to go to Wahoo's! I am in love with their cilantro sauce! Whether you're a fan of the spicy or a wimp like me they have something for you on the menu! The grilled fish is always moist and delicious. The shrimp are plump and tender. The steak is juicy and lean. The chicken and pork and even the tofu...it's ALL delicious! You've got to try Banzai! It's terryaki veggies and they're super yum! The staff is always friendly and come to check on you. They keep the restaurant very clean. read more

My family and I love Wahoo's. I grew up going to Wahoo's and the food is always so good. Love the atmosphere and everyone is very kind!

I got the number 1 with black beans and brown rice. Nothing special at all. In my opinion, the food was very mediocre. However, the person up at the front (looked filipino but spoke fluent spanish!) Made the experience amazing! Excellent costumer service prompted me to leave a yelp review because it goes to show how costumer service can go a long way because the food was horrible but ill keep coming back if they keep there employees happy! read more

I am disappointed to only give 3 stars-- but let me explain myself. My mom and I went the other day and she ordered chicken taquitos. There was hardly any chicken in them! I wish I had taken a picture. My fish taco was good but very small so I ordered chicken taquitos too. Mine had way more chicken in them and came with sour cream and guacamole, my Mom's only came with sour cream. They need to make sure they put enough meat in every serving... It was cool that my Mom basically got rolled up taco shells! read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Surfs up! - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Was very unhappy with the service at this particular Wahoos. Came here with my son and ordered 2 taco plates. My son is only 8 and doesn't like beans. The plate comes with 2 sides so I asked the girl taking my order (Jacqueline R) if I could have chips instead of the beans. She proceeded to charge me $2.20 for extra chips. When i told her that I wanted to substitute the chips for the beans, she told me that there were "No Substitutions". Really? I explained to her that he has some sensitivities to certain foods and that all I was asking for were 4 or 5 chips on the side instead of all of the beans. Her exact words were "there is nothing i can do". Seriously....? Most restaurants will GIVE you chips and won't charge you. I'm sorry Wahoos...There is a lot that could have been done... After this experience, I will NOT be returning to Wahoos. There are too many places out there that give better service and treat their paying customers with more respect. read more

I used to enjoy Wahoo's but now they serve frozen cold white fish. My wife and I ordered a burrito & taco recently, we took two bites & walked out. Nastiest fish I ever tasted. Unfortunately Wahoo's is off my fast casual restaurant list. read more

Taste: 4 Value: 4 Service: 4 Been going here for years. Went there today and tried their spicy chicken burrito. The good thing is that you can have the spicy burritos with fish too. And for the spicy fish, they use mahi mahi. Definitely add the guacamole to mellow out the spiciness. It was great. read more

Great spot, been coming here for years. Great selection. I love the fish tacos and citrus slaw. The have awesome black beans and great salsas. You can enjoy a glass Of wine or a beer too! read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - 2 Fish Tacos beans and slaw!! AKA #2 - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

i love wahoos i eat there at least once a week. salmon always tastes fresh and their guac is to die for. the people working are chill and the inside feels like being at a newport surf shop. read more

Wahoo's has been my favorite fish taco for 20 years now. I stop and visit this location when I'm in Encinitas or passing through, and have never been disappointed. Fed my kids their first fish tacos yesterday, and although they are picky sometimes, all of them said it was great and they want to go back. Blackened (spicy) fish tacos, 1988 style, with black beans and white rice and extra pico all mixed up and scooped with chips. Could eat that every day ... read more

Weren't the worst fish tacos/burrito I've had but definitely not the best either. I had the outer reef burrito with grilled fish and a shrimp taco, and honestly both were dry and devoid of flavor. The burrito contents were all somewhat bland but they did taste healthy, I doubt they use lard or much fat in the beans which is cool I guess. The fish in the burrito had more of a fishy taste than I usually prefer, and because there weren't many other flavors it really stood out. Guac in the burrito was pretty good, I'm glad I got it in my burrito otherwise it would have been even more lacking in the flavor department. Shrimp taco was similar, it just didn't taste like much, the shrimp were a little rubbery and texture was off. The rest of the taco didn't have any flavor and there was nothing to bring it all together and make it a cohesive taco. Maybe I should have tried something other than the 1988 taco, like the citrus slaw one, but honestly I had high hopes for just the regular old taco and maybe that's my mistake. Bottom line I didn't think it was great, Rubio's is better in my opinion, I might try it again and get something different but I am hesitant since first experience wasn't the best. read more

if we could give this 20 stars we would. someone was handing out coupons for a free "#1" and it was noooo joke. $6 value for free. and it was delicious. and vegetarian friendly. and free. we wahoo's read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Here we are, with our full bellies, full wallets, and clean plates! - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Can't go wrong with Paleo Bowl (Shrimp and Steak) or Kale Kai Salad (Shrimp). The servers are great and this place is perfect for kids. I highly recommend. read more

Long time customer here. The food is ok, I had the protein bowl, not bad lots of food. The price is comparable to other Mexican restaurants. The service is always great here. I always crave for their Bonsai bowl. Give this place a try. read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Honestly this place is nostalgic of 90s beach kid days. Price, affordable. Food,tasty. Beers,cheap. Decor,solid. If you can't appreciate Wahoo's for what it is, you missed the point. It's a calimex food place!! I've only dined in, but never disappointed! Thanks for the tasty tacos!! read more

I lived in Santa Barbara for Dear and wahoo's tacos was one of my favorite places. Unfortunately this location suffers suffers from quality issues. They also suffer from employees that don't really seem to care very much. I ordered from here off of doordash, comma and and unfortunately I suffer from an egg and dairy allergy. I made sure to put in my special instructions not to include those items. Doordash took care of me of course and refunded my items when my tacos came with cheese and sauce on them. When I called the restaurant to let them know of the mistake as well to ensure that it doesn't happen again the employee chose to argue with me and told me that there were no special instructions on his end. So I recommended they get in contact with doordash because this was something important and he just wanted to argue with me. It's me. I don't know who this employee is but he was pretty rude and this will definitely be affecting my wanting to come back to this restaurant. Additionally while the tacos were warm because they were wrapped up in tinfoil, the rice and beans were ice cold when I got them. Rubios has better tacos than this place, they listen to special instructions in person and on doordash, and their employees seem to care a little bit more. I recommend going down the street to rubios and giving them a shot, they are the original fish taco after all. I would give a one star review unfortunately I know that if I put a 1 star no 1 will see this period if you have allergies steer clear of wahoos! read more

We had a very bad experience with their food. We ordered a beef burrito and i found a large and sharp object inside it. Thank god that it didn't cut my tongue. I thought it is a piece of glass. I called Manager, she came and looked at it. After 5 minutes, she came back and said: don't worry, it was not a glass. It is plastic and she tried to convict me that is not glass just plastic, and she said "I'm glad that you are ok". That's it. Very disappointing. They need to satisfy the customer, customers don't need "empathy" when there is a trash inside the food. Really bad!!! read more

Great food at decent prices! Good location in Encinitas. Clean restaurant and good patio seating.

I'm surprised this spot doesn't have higher ratings. Sure it may not be "authentic" Mexican but it's quick, delicious and fresh and their salsa bar is bomb. There are many healthy options if you want to go that route. The service was good- my cashier Jon was helpful and accommodating and I had another worker check on me to make sure everything was good while I was eating. I really enjoyed their coleslaw. Def coming back. read more

Probably not the best fish tacos I've EVER had, but they're up there. For me, the showstopper was the rice. Normally, rice that comes with a Mexican plate is usually dry and bland but this was super flavorful and buttery. The beans were really good too. Overall, a good experience-would come back. read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Two fish taco plate - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Wahoos has several great options for adults and kids. The kids bowl is just the right amount for two toddlers to share. This review is going to focus on the Outer Reef Burrito. I ordered the outer reef burrito with blackened chicken, brown rice, lettuce, spicy pinto beans and no cheese. I added guacamole for $1. Their blackened chicken has good seasoning and is more flavorful than spicy. The brown rice is pretty boring and doesn't taste like much more than brown rice. The guacamole is very fresh and tasty, definitely worth the additional $1 if you like guacamole. I'm my opinion, every burrito from every restaurant should include guacamole. The tortilla was lightly grilled after it was wrapped which I think is nice touch and adds to the texture of the burrito. Combined with the lettuce you get a good crunch in every bite. The burrito also came with a side of mild salsa fresco which isn't amazing but does taste quite good. Overall I would recommend this burrito. It did not disappoint. I would also recommend Wahoos for their variety of options that always taste fresh and light. Enjoy. read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Outer Reef Burrito w/ blackened chicken, brown rice, spicy pinto beans, lettuce, guacamole, salsa fresco and no cheese - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Wow, been coming here for years, service consistently spiraling downwards. Not sure why, franchise disenchantment possibly? Ordered easy stuff, my burrito dry as hell, no guac & sour they upsold for. Server dropped hot quesadilla on my 3 year old sons lap, didn't apologize, total attitude. Asked for partial refund just to leave, got tough guy manager in my grill, trying to brush me off with a couple 5 dollar coupons. Like I wanna go back to that dump. "F" you from a longtime client. Never going back, and can't wait to tell all my friends about the service. The manager was sure to let me know he wouldn't be around much longer, shocking..... read more

This is the best taco place in the world of world 100% recommend this to anyone. I got the delicious fish tacos while my dad got the loaded quesadilla read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Very decent one to choose... Had wahoo's bowl yesterday and it was very nice... Taste wise a 4 star and customer service a 5 star I would say... read more

It's evident that some of the food such as the beans aren't freshly cooked. Fish Tacos were nice .Nonetheless, the food is edible and the atmosphere makes up for where other areas lack. Overall average but some components were better than others. #texmexforever read more

DO NOT ORDER TAKE OUT FROM THESE LOSERS!!! I just ordered 2 tacos for my 90+-year-old parents as a little long-distance gift through DoorDash from where I live in New York City and these geniuses only sent ONE TACO! I had to be very specific and provide details about the contents of each taco and they only send ONE TACO! My folks had to split ONE TACO and it made me out to be a jerk! $26+ for chips, guacamole, and ONE STINKING TACO and then they refused to deliver another taco saying they will give me $13. DO NOT ORDER TAKE OUT from these jerks!!! read more

:-| Wahooooooooooo! Just happend onto this place trying to find an exit from the shopping area.... Wandered in and found it much more inviting than other fast food taco joints.. I was a bit confused with the menu and name since I was seeing surfboards and words like Kahlua pork and the like... I was hoping for some Chicken Katsu, or BBQ Pork and Chicken... Hawaiian Stylie... I had to ask the countergal what to order... or what was the most popular dish on the board... She rolled her eyes and went on her marketing speeeel. "Great" I said. "I'll take the carnitas burrito.. No lettuce." Moments later it arrives. It's tiny in comparison to most burritos I get. But I'm pleased, cause I don't need SUPERSIZED... I just need Tasty. Luckily it WAS TASTY. Okay. I'll come back and see what the rest of the menu's like. Not impressed, but not depressed either... Though, I think they'll need to do better to compete with San Diego's finest. 3 Woofs... A-OK. read more

Excellent tacos! I came for the 1988 burrito with salmon for my selection of protein, as well as the slaw instead of the lettuce! They make the best slaw! I was helped by a young guy named Oscar! Great smile and beyond excellent customer service! He looked like he really enjoys his job! The team worked well together to get the quick rush that came through when I got there. The place is clean and everyone working was constantly doing something even though there were no customers toward the end of my visit. I will be coming back! And I definitely recommend this place! read more

Wahoo's Fish Tacos - Yummy 1988 burrito with slaw and salmon for my choice of protein. - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Maybe I'm just very "San Diego" but knowing this is an OC chain makes me giggle. While it is more of a sit down place than Rubio's, fish taco-wise, I'll be at Rubio's despite Wahoo's deeper menu. The carnitas plate, while it does look good, seems a bit bland and dry to me. Thanks. read more

Rice and black beans are one of those magical combinations like peanut butter and bananas, or gin and tonic that go together so well that you know that when the world was being created they were made at the same time, in the same place. And like the a fore mentioned combinations I could consume rice and beans together in spades. To my continued joy Wahoos serves most plates with what do you know? Rice and beans!!! Awesome! Now its not really mexican food but its closer to that then anything else so stop trying to define it and enjoy. When you walk up it has fish right their in the name so like a smart yelper I get the fish. I've heard the other meats are good but I like to play to their strength. Get a little wild and order your fish spicy and add some of their special green sauce on top for more taste power and you'll likely walk away happy. (Note: this review does not attempt to assert who may have created the world be it tiny hippos with baseball bats or some other higher power) read more

A saltine cracker has more flavor than this food. YUCK...Hospital food. You got 2 stars because the taquitos were fried crispy and your place at least looks cool. read more

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Awesome fish tacos. Even better shrimp tacos. The atmosphere is cool - surfer/skater vibe with stickers all over the place. At this particular location one of the cashiers is a giant douche so don't be offended if she's short/mean with you. It's just how she is. In fact, I really feel sorry for her. To live such a miserable life and impart such rudeness on to others really has to drain you and make you realize every second of every day how horrible your own existence is. Hopefully she learns from her mistakes in some kind of moment of insight. Hopefully. read more

One word pretty much sums up the whole menu: Overpriced. Fish Tacos/Burritos/Salad: I really don't see how these are famous. Fish is bland and dry, tortillas are also flavorless. They use cabbage which brings a bit of bitterness, and they have a lackluster salsa to bring the dish moisture and flavor. If you want to try it, get their green cilantro sauce to add flavor and so the burrito isn't so dry. Carne Asada Tacos/Burritos/Salad: Carne asada is tough! They aren't well marinated- only hints of lime/lemon. Again, a dry burrito. Shrimp Tacos/Burritos/Salad: This is the only thing that makes me go back. Their shrimp is really flavorful, and makes you want more. I wish they would put more in, since they charge you more for shrimp dishes. Banzai Veggies: Don't do it. It's a bunch of veggies drenched in a soy sauce mixture. Your entire burrito will taste like it/ Quesadilla: Flavorless. Seeing a theme here? Their cheese is weird and rubbery. Thick tortilla which again has no taste. Overall their portions are very small, fish is always dry and bland, tortillas are very disappointing, and their salsa is no joke just tomatoes. Their rice is sorta al dente which I personally don't like. Their beans are pretty good though. The only thing that makes me go back is their shrimp. Cotixan down Encinitas Blvd is much better. ( I gave it 4 stars) read more

How the first investor meeting for Wahoo's went: "Good morning ladies and gentleman, I'm here to talk to you about a wonderful opportunity today, and the name of that opportunity "Wahoo's Fish Tacos! What we're going do is take the interior of Hodad's in Ocean Beach, but make it feel less kitschy and more Wonder Bread. Then we're going take the menu from Rubios, but do it poorly. Next we're going to put our locations in upper/upper-middle class white areas like Palo Alto, La Jolla and Costa Mesa because a) we can charge more for our "eclectic Mexican/Brazilian/Asian menu" catchy isn't it? and b) These people are the same people who made Chipotle a thriving business, so why not us! You haven't heard the best part! We're going to put teriyaki sauce IN our burritos! I mean think about it, burritos are a big seller, teriyaki is a big hit, if we put them together....wait, do you hear that, in the distance, what is that? Oh that's right, its your ship coming in if you choose to invest in Wahoo's Fish Tacos!" read more

I had the wahoo fish bowl and it was horrible. The spicy fish looked more like a chicken breast. I second thought my order when they brought my order to the table. Additionally the fish was dry enough to taste like chicken. The white rice was hard and dry as well and the black beans was just a watery mess. My brother ordered the No. 2 fish taco combo and it was pretty bad as well. If you looking for baja style fish tacos look else were. 1 piece of dry fish(not deep fried), some cabbage, stuck inbetween a corn tortilla. The rice and beans were the same as my order. Try with caution. read more