Stumbled upon this place while in the area. It's kind of hidden off a side street, but the reward is well deserved once you find it. We came in the afternoon. Although it was pretty busy, there was no wait for a table. We were seated and given menus. I ended up ordering the Baja bowl and my bf ordered the tacos and chips and guacamole. Baja Bowl: I picked tri-tip as my protein. Very good quality meat and it comes with all the fixings-Mexican rice, black beans, lettuce, avocado. Tacos: Carne Asada, Calamari, and Scallop. Loved the different meat choices you could pick for your tacos. My favorite one was the scallop. It packed quite a bit of flavor in that taco. Note: you can order the tacos a la carte or as a combo with rice and beans. Chips and Guac: Wasn't a fan of the chips, but loved the guac. Tasted fresh and also came with a side of salsa. The restaurant has TVs all around the inside and has outdoor dining as well. Minus one star because it took awhile for our waitress to come take our order, and then only to check on us once we were already done and heading out. read more

See all

This is my favorite taco place in Newport! I love that they serve a fresh and different fish taco everyday. The chips and salsa are spot on especially with a cold brew :) The shrimp and scallop tacos are a must have! serisously, order at least 1 of each I love the environment, and the service. read more

See all

Ordered two Ahi tacos and Stone IPA on tap. So good I ordered a third ahi taco. Very relaxed and super casual atmosphere. Perfect for the beach. Inside, bar and table dining. Service oriented staff. The cooks on the grille know what they are doing. Would eat here too much if I lived here. read more

Wild Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

See all

Came here as a stop off during the Santa Crawl with some friends. I had the Taco de Carne Asada and it wasn't too bad. The prices for most tacos were in the $3-4 range. The carne Asada taco had good meat and the toppings on it tasted pretty fresh. That being said, the seasoning for the meat was just okay for me, the salsa was decent but not the best I've had, and I didn't really find the tortilla to be all that good. Still the food was pretty good over all and I enjoyed it enough for the small bite in between the pub. read more

Wild Taco - Taco de Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Ok - so I'm kind of bummed leaving this review. We have been going to Bear Flag forever and started going to Wild Taco the day it opened. (Same owner) We have been loyal customers since day 1. But the prices keep creeping up and the service and flavor just isn't what it used to be. We love Bear Flag and will go forever but I think we might be taking hiatus from Wild Taco ~ read more

Ohhh yesss!!! What an awesome taco. The fact that they hand make their corn tortillas should tell you almost all you need to know. The ambience is great as it's very chill, beachy and low-key. The quality of the food however is nothing close to low-key. The flavors are amazing, the ingredients fresh and the wait staff exceptional. Definitely a place I'll be visiting again. Ohhh.... and the street corn. Please oh please do yourself a favor and don't forget to order that street corn! read more

See all

Wild taco is the best place in town!! Nick the manager is awesome he hooks it up. Everyone who works here is super friendly and goes above and beyond for customers I highly recommend this place! Food is delicious and the beers are ice cold like my soul.. so get up and go get yourself a wild taco!!!! read more

Wild Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Awesome TACOS!!!! Blessed for the generosity of feeding frontliners Chicken burritos read more

Always a great place to grab a quick bite of good Mexican food. Staff is always fantastic. read more

Wild Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

We came in around noon to order a to go order. The place was blasting oldies music from 2002 (post grunge rock) and it showed its age immediately. It was too loud. The food was very average and they have their reviews plastered all over the place like "see see these reviews " which I found at first reassuring. But the quesadillas were tepid and the chips okay. Just very average. We wanted the shrimp cocktail, but was told within 5 minutes of ordering, they weren't prepared? So, I'm under the impression they're frozen. :/ the male server that was going to take our to go order dipped and sat some patrons down and we thought he'd get back to us when he was done seating them. Nope. This was not busy at all. Just those two patrons and us (3). We sat outside because the 1999 rock music was blaring and we had a host of flies around us. I then went inside to tell the server we were going to be back in a few minutes and she said "oh, your order I think is ready". It was sitting there for 10 minutes. This place is unforgettable and the music is dated. It's stuck in 1999-2002 and not in a vintage way read more

The food is extremely bland! I ordered a veggie burrito and a potato taco. It had no flavor it was just boiled potatoes in a corn tortilla and the salsa was sooo watery. Mexicano not approved :/ There was a little girl running around the back area under our table, definitely not a date place or a place I'd be coming back to again :/ read more

Great service, great food! The perfect relaxed place for good margs and Mexican food! read more

Wild Taco - Chipotle chicken taco, shrimp taco on corn tortillas! Rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Great food, good location, good service, nice ambience! Found this place on yelp while in the area craving tacos. It is very conveniently located in a great location, close to the beach! It was pretty busy but we got seated immediately, which is huge to me! So I don't have to stand around looking lost! The place is pretty small, just a handful of tables but there are seating along the walls and windows. It did take a while to get our food orders in and after that, it took roughly 25 mins to get our food. It felt longer because I was STARVINGGG! Water and salsas are self, located by the entrance door. There's 3 different kind of salsas. I ordered the chips n salsa & guac, al pastor and pollo asada tacos. Chips n salsa and guacamole was mediocre. Salsa was good but a little flavorless as with the guac. The guac can use a little more lime/lemon juice or salt or spice, something! It tasted just like mashed up avocado with some cilantro. The tacos were pretty good. I made a mistake and forgot to tell the waitress we wanted corn tacos but oh well! Al pastor was deliciousss!!! Robust of flavor and topped with minced pineapple and onions. Pollo asada is good, but nothing out of the ordinary. The lettuce on it was just a little odd.. I'd rather just have the traditional chopped onions and cilantro read more

Wild Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Popular Balboa eatery with a somewhat rowdy inside area (bar, high-top tables, window bar) and a nice but small outdoor patio. - Good tacos - chicken, beef - Limited draft beer selection but there's enough to find one I like. - Table service is super friendly but can get uneven with a crowd. You may have to flag someone down to get a beer refill. - Almost zero parking. - Loud inside, not so outside. read more

I'm so sad this is far away are my first thoughts. This is located where the old bear flag used to be. Plenty of parking and same owners as bear flag. We came for dinner and the vibe was super cute. Great wooden tables and twinkle lights, couldn't be better. I had the taco salad with shrimp. Actually my two other friends had it as well and we ALL raved about it. The shrimp were absolutely succulent. I loved the addition of the sesame seeds to the salad and the dressing was delicious, though the shrimp was so flavorful the oil from the shrimp made the salad taste even better. Because I'm a fat ass and couldn't help myself, I also ordered the Yellowtail (you read that right) fish taco which was to die for. Absolutely recommend this place! read more

Wild Taco was delicious. We went on a day they had sangria specials and sat outside in the shade on the front patio. The food was delicious (good vegetarian taco options!) and the drinks were very tasty. 4 stars instead of 5 because the service was terrible... getting seated was ok, but the server kept forgetting to bring our water and then just didn't come back after someone brought our food. We ended up having to go inside to get water and pay. read more

Overpriced. Under flavored. If I'm paying $15 for 3 a la carte tacos I do not want to put cheap, store bought hot sauce on them. So cheap and store bought that it's the kind that has artificial coloring in it!? Seriously. At these prices you better be making your own hot sauce!? Or at least don't be trying to poison your patrons w green dye #7634. Got swordfish, shrimp and kale tacos. Swordfish and shrimp have amazing reviews on here. But... bleh. Bummed. Ate way better tacos at west coast fish and taco asylum up the street yesterday. Sad I wasted belly space and $ on these tacos when I could have had those again. read more

This is my third time to Wild taco and it has such a fun atmosphere and the perfect beach vibe to it. However, the service is very slow and it took our waiter about 15 minutes to take our order and then when we were finished, about 30 minutes to bring our check! When we were seated it appeared the table hadn't been cleared off yet and was still sticky (see picture). Wanted to go back a couple of times before handing out a 3 star review but unfortunately I've had similar experiences every time I've gone :( such a shame because it's such a laid back, fun hole-in-the-wall place. The tacos were good, and the shrimp was fresh but they don't beat the slow service. Luckily my friend and I were having a good time catching up and were not in a rush -- if we were this would have been the worst place to go. If I'm at the beach and craving tacos I'd come here but won't be coming out of my way anymore. read more

See all

I was eager to try this place but for me it was lacking. I got 3 vegan tacos, nothing special about them. To be honest the elote I got on the side was more fulfilling than the tacos. I think you might be better off going to chipotle across the street or las fajitas. Save your $$ Also the servers weren't attentive whatsoever which only made it even more sad haha read more

See all

A big group of my friends went to Wild Taco looking for a great meal. We started off with a bucket of beer and Guacamole and Chips. The 6 beers for $15 is the way to go. The $8 for the guac and chips is a normal restaurant price. The guac was smooth and the chips were nice and crunchy. Since taco was in the name I ordered 4 of them. My +1 got a burrito. I had a carne asada, tri-tip, shrimp, and an Al Pastor. The only taco I really liked was the tri-tip. There was so much flavor going on. The rest didn't impress me for the ~$4 price. My +1's Seafood Burrito had tuna and lobster. I liked it, but I couldn't find any significant portion of lobster in it. I'm not going out of my way for Wild Taco. For a taco place, they need to step up their game. read more

Our food server "Liz" was very attentive and genuinely happy. My friends and I enjoyed the food and atmosphere. We will be back for sure.

If your starving for tacos and need them quickly DONT GO HERE. If your not hungry and have an hour to kill before you do get hungry, go here. The vibe inside is cool but that doesn't help my stomach get tacos quickly. The staff is nice but not attentive. The beer is cold and comes out quickly but don't finish it too quickly because no one will come out and ask if you need another. Hot sauce...well the waitress handed me the ONLY bottle of Tapatio which literally had 3 drops left in it and she was like, sorry. Place your order...well you can finish the book War and Peace ubefore your food comes out...it's painfully slowwwwwww We place ONE order of fajitas and it took 40 mins. We glanced around at the other tables and they looked like they were finished but turns out their order was placed BEFORE ours and their food came out AFTER ours. Tastes was okay and I feel like I could make better fajitas at home quicker then they did. And to add insult to injury tacos are $4.50 a piece, that's on the very high level for tacos that take way too long to make. Give it a try and see what your experience is, I hope it's better then mine because. Vaya Con Dios read more

3rd time here with Sh** to non existent service. Blows my mind. Coming from the service industry I tend to have a lot more patience and respect than the average customer too. Walk inside.... Neither server say a word in passing with eye contact, not a single hi or welcome. stand inside for a minute or two by the hostess station and nobody addresses me. Finally a cook or kitchen manager asks me if I need help. Hands me a menu and says sit anywhere outside. Sit outside and literally get walked past three times, not addressed one time. Not a word. With an open menu on the table. Been here 15 minutes (no exaggeration) without being addressed one time. It's also very dead and slow. Not one excuse. So finally I get up and walk past the server and ask her if im in the wrong and should've found them to order or ordered inside her response "no it's full service" what a joke. Bail. The foods bit that good either from prior experiences. Not sure why this place has horrible service every single time. I'm the exact same way. It's like they hire ghosts and don't manage or train. Very basic skill sets at a place like that. Here's a tip on your service standards... Greet customers, Bus tables (they were all covered in trash with no guests insight), and address them at the very least. Offer a drink or water. Then come back to check in before they have to leave without being acknowledged. Would've thought I was at a bus stop not a food establishment. read more

Overall it was a great night however not without hiccups. We had a rather large group and we knew they didn't take reservations so someone was able to get there early enough to secure a large table for us. They had a special for a bucket of 6 beers for $15. Not too bad when you think about it. Our server was super nice but I do think she didn't put in one of the orders. Our group didn't not come all at once but one part of the group ordered and another few people came and ordered and their order came out first and the first group didn't see their order. Based on the timing of things it does seem as though she forgot that order all together. Because it took another 10-15 mins before their order came out and it wasn't even correct. I know it was a large group and we didn't come all together so I get it but it was pretty obvious that they never got anything. Probably should have made sure to check on your table from time to time. I got three tacos to try out. Sadly I was not impressed. First off don't call them street tacos if they aren't. I know we're in Newport Beach but come on, we're still in Southern California. At minimum they should have had two tortillas and the sizing was wrong. They were just regular tacos. I don't know what they did to the tortilla but mine was soggy and I can only assume it was because of condensation because mine did not come with a sauce. The carne asada was dry and hard to chew. The chicken was okay and the potato and black bean taco was decent for what it was. Nothing to make myself come back. One of my friends got the seafood burrito and she had to question where most of the seafood was. She was told there was a fish of her choice and lobster among other seafood in there. She never did find that lobster. Fish was definitely in there and delicious but that's not what was advertised. Chips and salsa was extra and part of the $8 you need to pay to get guacamole and chips. So no complimentary chips and salsa like at most Mexican restaurants. There is only street parking unless you find one of the lots near by. It's metered but free after 6 during the week. Overall we had a good time since it was a bunch of friends getting together but I wouldn't come out of my way to come back here. You need to try harder if you really want to be a good taco joint especially at your price point. Sorry Wild Taco but you are definitely forgettable. read more

Wild Taco - Chicken, carne asada and potato and bean tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Stopped by the Newport Beach area to find something to eat since the ride back to LA would take too long because of traffic. Looking on Yelp I found Wild Taco with good reviews. As we entered, I heard good classic 80's-90's music playing(I like old school lol). We sat down and a pretty waitress with tattoos handed us menus. The menu seemed fairly short, but I immediately knew what I wanted. I ordered 2 carne asada and 2 shrimp tacos. After we ordered, the chef immediately started on our food and was ready in about 10 minutes. My first bite was the shrimp tacos which was very flavorful with tangy taco sauce and fresh veggies. Next bite was the carne asada that was a bit dry but was well seasoned. I polished off the tacos because they were incredibly delicious. I had to go to the bathroom to wash up and noticed how clean and well designed it is with calming low level light and the toilet and sink were very clean with a fresh scent. We finally left feeling satisfied and paid about $30 for the meal that was well deserved. Whenever I head back to Newport with others, Wild Taco would be my first choice! read more

Wild Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

See all

For our most recent installment of the Alphabet Dinner series, we decided on Wild Taco for the letter "W." Since this restaurant doesn't really do reservations, we just came as a group. If you remember Bear Flag, Wild Taco just so happens to be owned by the same group. The restaurant has expanded its seating outside with additional tables and chairs. We lucked out in that Andy P. showed up early to claim an outside table for 10 people. Our server, Olivia, quickly brought out ice waters for the table. We asked her what "thirsty Thursday" meant on the menu and she told us that the drink specials were a bucket of 6 beers for $15. We decided to order a bucket, along with chips and guacamole ($8) to start off the evening. The beers were Imperial or Estrella Mexican beers so we were doing well. To order, I decided on the fish of the day taco on flour tortilla ($4.25). The fish of the day was either yellowtail or ahi. I asked for the ahi. At this point, Olivia failed to ask me if I wanted my fish fully cooked. It's a travesty to cook ahi all the way through. I understand a light sear or even a sashimi taco which is what I expected. Instead, I got a fully cooked ahi taco. Meh. Not a good sign. It was tasty but it should not have been overcooked. I also ordered the taco salad ($11) with al pastor. You can choose whatever meat you desire. This was really fantastic. I was half expecting a taco salad in a crunchy shell but was given a deconstructed salad with lettuce, corn, black beans, sunflower seeds on the side, dressing on the side, a pile of al pastor pork, avocado, and pico de gallo salsa. Incidentally, there was no "taco" or chips in this salad. However, this was one of the best salads I've had the pleasure of eating. Plus with the dressing on the side, I was able to control how much dressing I was consuming. Each bite was a flavor extravaganza. I was feeling better about the food at this point. For the most part, we had a good time conversing with each other. One of my dining companions felt that the food took too long to come out. Well, we had about 11 adults and 3 kids with us and probably overwhelmed their small kitchen. So I don't blame the restaurant for trying to bring out our orders at the same time. They could have brought it out as it became ready but do you really want to watch your friends get food, while your entrée isn't out yet? Yeah, well there's no good way to handle a situation like that. I was happy that I asked Olivia for my check separately up front. For so many to split a check like that, you're better off asking for a separate check before ordering to ease the chaos that will happen later. I also threw in a few bucks for the beers and guacamole appetizer. Our "W" dinner was a success and I look forward to the next one with our dining group. read more

See all

I love our Alphabet Dinners. While we had a gastronomic great time during our "V" escapade at Vaca, our options for "W" was a bit more limited. That is, if you're not eating at Wahoo's or Wendy's. After our group agreed to Wild Taco, I was looking forward to trying out their choice like the Market Fish Tacos. You can't really get a gauge after reading all the reviews here, so here is my take on this place. This was the old Bear Flag Poke location. There is a small lot for parking, but parking along the meters are free after 6pm. This is a "Full Service" restaurant so you'll need to tell them how many are in your party. You can get water yourself by the entrance as well as 3 types of hot sauces. As for the taco options, there are many options. There are scallops, shrimp, al pastor, beef, chicken, and so much more. The market versions had my favorites like Yellowtail and Ahi. Now if you've never been here like me, the wait here was incredibly long. We came here with Trina, Andy, and the rest of our crew. Though the hostess was incredibly nice and gave us an option to sit with strangers and share a table next to our table, we gladly declined and waited for our food since we already ordered. (I didn't want to confuse our waitress anymore than we needed to) However, we did not get our food right away. Everyone at the outside patio table finished their food before we even received ours. Even the people who came after us got their food before us. So ordering wise, there can be problems. As for the food itself, I did wish they would tell the customers they put what looks like Jalapenos or Serrano peppers with the lettuce. Our poor kids in our group were not too happy eating adult tacos. However , if you ordered the kid's menu ($5) choices, the were decent. That is, if they got your order correct. Unfortunately for us, we didn't get the correct burrito but by then, we were starving our kid ate the burrito anyways. What I don't really like is they charge the 18% gratuity after they add the tax here. So really, it seems like you are paying about 20% gratuity. So honestly, I am quite torn about service, food, and the delivery here. There are much room for improvement. I do love tacos, but I would probably stick with Bear Flag with their Poke when I'm in the Lido area again. read more

My family and I tried this taco spot last night, looking for some good tacos and this place had some decent reviews. So, we ordered a few tacos, but like some of the other Yelpers said, the wait was absolutely absurd. We waited about an hour for a few tacos to go. They didn't seem that busy, more just a little unorganized. The two cooks were hustling but the four other workers just seemed to be getting in each others way. One of the guys standing by the assembly station , ( Chips, lettuce, tomatoes etc.) was running his hands thru his hair over the food, I was hoping not to find a hair in my taco! Another was rubbing her nose before she picked up someone's plates. This is a restaurant, don't they have to follow some kind of food handlers guidelines?? We finally got our order to go and not only was my order wrong but my daughter asked for extra salsa, we got three small containers. Oh well. The tacos were pretty good, not worth the trouble though! read more

This place is good for what it is - don't go searching for the most authentic-tasting Mexican food, but their food always tastes fresh and we have never had a problem with the service. Bonus - last time we went, they were running at $3 special on sangria - holla! read more

Wild Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Horrible rude service I've been going here for years and came in a half an hour before closing and the host (shorter guy In his late thirties) told us they were closed. This was at 7:25pm. I said, "you guys close at 8 I thought?", he replied with an attitude "nope we're closed". There where 20-30 people sitting there eating and drinking and just ordered right before us. Very unprofessional and rude. Will not be returning. Hope the owner knows what kind of Mgmt he hired here.. read more

One of the worst Shrimp burrito I've ever had, more then 1/2 the shrimp was still raw! The Taco was not much better. Was recommended to this place by a local, so we gave it a try, we will not be going back! So also was hot and slimy, Both burritos and tacos are very salty and raw fish is not cool. I'm giving 2 stars for the cool beers, the food was a zero! Staff was rude and basically pushed us out of the place it was 8:50 closing is 9. read more

Wild Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Thank you so much for the yummy food you provided for us nurses at GGH. Your act of kindness is greatly appreciated. I loved the beef burrito. Yum yum. Thanks again read more

Wild Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Wow! Wild Taco just blew us away! You would never guess that this spot has some of THE BEST tacos that this native Californian has ever had! Honestly, going in on a Friday night and Valentine's Day nonetheless the place was pretty empty. So our table of 7 was happy to snag a good spot. Everything was delicious! Started with the elote (street corn) which comes on the cob but because we were sharing, they cut off the kernels for us. It was great! Our Texan friends got the BBQ'd oysters, which I've never had because I always get raw, and it was so good and flavorful with this great chipotle sauce. My dinner was 3 tacos: triptip on flour, shrimp on corn and al pastor on lettuce. They were beyond tasty! The condiments and sauces were all fresh and perfect too. Even my side salad had the best dressing (I have to call and ask what it is!) The server was super attentive and got everything out in time. I'd also never tried Kombucha with alcohol and that was delish. I was bummed they only had wine margaritas but do t let that deter you, those were excellent too! We're here for the weekend and I know we'll be back. Oh and the place filled up as we left. Good thing we came just in time! read more

It's a taco and beer afternoon! And we found the perfect spot! Cute little outside eating area with excellent tacos and tap beer! I had the tri tip taco and the fresh red snapper taco and they were both excellent! The tri tip was tender and flavorful. Pete had the lobster and al pastor taco with fresh pineapple and he loved it. So glad we found this hidden gem! read more

Wow, awesome. Some of the best guacamole and chips out there. The fish taco was amazing. No need for the combo, I went straight for the ahi taco and Wowza. Nuff said. Great place. read more

Went here for the first time on Taco Tuesday 09.19.17. Most tacos are $1.00 OFF with exception of the seafood tacos which of course I had. I had the lobster ( YUM ) and the scallops ( tiny but flavorful ) and the calamari ( MY FAV of the three ) - my daughter and her friend joined us and they had the Peruvian Ceviche which was good. My boyfriend had several of the same tacos I had but he also tried the Diablo Oyster, which is baked and YUMMY, he ended up getting four orders, only one per order but they are BIG. Lastly, I had the Roasted Corn which comes with butter melted on it and tajun and coijita cheese, YUM. I had a Michalada to drink, which was about a 2/5....not sure of the type of mix they use but the beer was Modelo. My man had a dark Modelo........ Not sure what this all cost because my man snagged the check before me, but next week, MY TURN !!! PS- single bathroom and it was clean. read more

See all

Wild taco was 5 stars a year ago. Menu has changed for the worse (way more expensive and quality of the seafood tacos seems to have deteriorated). Service is ok but it used to be a lot better. Soju alcohol (not full bar) but the margaritas are still decent...I would go beer though. Nachos are the best deal on the menu. read more

This is a great joint to pick up food on the fly... it's not an authentic Mexican foodie experience. However, the wait staff recommended the carnitas tacos, and it was delicious! I had the nachos... the chips weren't made on the premises, but was delicious. I had the chipotle chicken... the cheese was bit dissatisfying, but I liked the black beans and fresh jalapenos. read more

See all

The three stars are for the decent food and the fact we are in a pandemic. I've been in the service industry for decades and it takes A LOT for me to come on to a platform like this for a less than stellar review. I went to this eatery for a little birthday dinner last night. Went through two rounds of ordering a meal only to be told they were out of said selections. I don't think it's so hard to keep wait staff up to date on 86's or things that are close to 86. Then a waitress comes and tells me I am getting the oysters and then the other waitress brings us our check and says their not coming. What the heck? So, I ended up nibbling off of my littles plates and after two rounds of failed ordering all there was a small "sorry". I guess my frustration is that I go above and beyond to take care of clients, especially when the fault is on me. That's not the case here and the fact my meal was barely close to decent was totally fine for this eatery. I can't say I'll be back. read more

Not what it used to be. Wild taco used to be my go to Mexican spot. Over the last 5 years it just seems to be a little less exciting every time I go. This past time will probably be the last. When all else failed their elote was so good I would come just for that. Today the corn tasted like it had been sitting on a warmer for 6 hours, it tasted like Parmesan instead of cotija, it was super dry and there was hardly any seasoning. It's great location and cool vibe but unfortunately that's all that's left. It's really too bad. read more