Wahoo's Fish Taco
Ward Centre
I wouldn't have considered Wahoo's Fish Taco for lunch if I didn't have a fistful of coupons for free tacos. How can you resist a free lunch? Our family wasn't too impressed with our first and only visit to Wahoo's about a year ago. I thought the food was overpriced and didn't deliver in terms of flavor. However, free is a blessing in these days... so off we went. Surprise, surprise! We were rewarded with tacos, quesadillas, and burritos filled with fresh ingredients, well seasoned and satisfying.
We ordered 3 tacos ($3.75 each)- a flame broiled fish, a flame broiled chicken and a blackened mushroom taco. There are several more options like blackened fish, carne asada, carnitas, shrimp, and veggie. The tacos came with a generous topping of cheese, dark green lettuce or cabbage and a lightly tingly fresh salsa. Two soft corn tortillas made up the base of the tacos. They were hardy enough that they resisted soggification even after sitting under the fish and toppings for most of the meal. The fish taco was a flaky, seasoned fillet that engaged my 4 year old and she refused to share more than a bite with Mom. My 3 year old ate a couple of bites of the chicken taco but was much more interested in the cheese quesadilla which was a bargain at $5.50. The quesadilla had a crisp, flaky tortilla stuffed with just the right amount of cheese. Even better were the sides that came with the quesadilla - chunky guacamole, fresh spicy salsa and sour cream. My girl ate triangle after triangle of quesadilla after dipping it into the guac and sour cream. The guacamole and salsa looked homemade with chunks of onion and irregularly sliced tomatoes. Both had a good bite to them which added to the flavor of the food. The blackened mushroom taco was an interesting vegetarian version. I've never tried mushrooms as the filling of a taco. I wouldn't try to fill up on only one mushroom taco as it was light and tasty. There was also a tofu option and a rice and veggie option for the vegetarians in your group.
I was impressed enough to return the next day to use the rest of my taco coupons. This time, we ordered a carnitas (pulled pork) taco, another flame broiled fish taco, and a carne asada wet burrito. The carnitas was cold unfortunately but it was filled with lots of pulled pork, cheese, lettuce and salsa. It came with a tangy green sauce and a cuplet of fresh salsa. The fish taco didn't disappoint and Wahoo's was happy to substitute the cabbage for more kid friendly green lettuce. I was worried when I tasted the wet sauce of the burrito that it would be too spicy for my kids but they loved it and they clamoured for each bite offered to them. Their long disappointed faces were heart breaking when the burrito was eaten up. The carne asada burrito was a large flour tortilla filled with chunks of steak mixed with lettuce, rolled, and topped with cheese and a spicy wet tomato based sauce. The beef was a little chewy but manageable as it was cut into smallish pieces. Of course, when the beef is chewy it better have good flavor which this one did. Remember, my kids? They're as picky as the short set get.
The servers were friendly and accommodating. They checked on us regularly to make sure we had everything we needed. They came by and chased birds away when we sat at the lanai and cleaned up promptly to keep them away. The lunch crowd was bustling but the food came out timely. Perhaps they should have taken a few more moments to heat up the carnitas in the carnitas taco. I felt taken care of at Wahoo's. The decor was bright and tropical party place like. My kids counted all the pinatas in the place - I believe there are 5.
Overall, what really struck a chord with my family was the pictures of surfer girls. My older daughter was enamoured by them and asked about them repeatedly. I told her she could surf if she wanted to but she'd better learn to swim first. They watched the obligatory surfer video with big eyes, impressed with each surfer that carved a wave and laughed maniacally when a surfer bailed into the wave. Any place that encourages my kids to stretch their wings and imaginations are thumbs up with me. Maybe my kids' will be on a surfer video someday. A restaurant that produces food that gets my kids to chow down two days in a row wins kudos too. I'm a Wahoo's convert and I'll be stopping in someday to enjoy their happy hour specials - pitchers for $6 and chips/salsa, fries or onion rings for $2. I was eyeing their polynesian shrimp last time, so I'll try that next. Also, I'll convince someone in the group (my hubby) to try their Banzai burrito which seemed to be a signature dish. The food at Wahoo's was high quality and fresh which is what you are paying for. If you want a $1 taco, go to instead.
