Wahoo’s Fish Tacos

Well the bad news is that Wahoo’s is now closed… I understand that a Japanese restaurant will be moving in… uhhhhhhhh

Steak Enchilada. Green sauce. Black beans. White Rice. Whoa, lots of different colors here, and may I add, colors which are mighty delicious! I just discovered this place last month after my aunty from out of town suggested it adding that it is good in California. Ever since that day we had it, I began to salivate just thinking about it the next day. I was already getting Wahoo Enchilada withdrawals.
Only to find out later that this Kahala location will be shutting down soon if not they already closed. BUT WHERE WILL I GET THIS ENCHILADA GOODNESS?! I COULD DRIVE TO WARD, BATTLE THE TRAFFIC AND RIP THE DOOR OPEN TO BUY THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED ENCHILADA… But that’s far.
Anyway, more talking about what really matters here: the food. Now, I think I may prefer the green sauce over the red sauce a little bit more, and a side of guacamole hits the spot. YUM. The steak is tender, and cut into bits (thanks for making life a little easier), and is flavorful. The combo of the enchilada plus black beans and rice is perfecto. Muy excelente! For a chain food place, this place is pretty darn good. I’m a fan!

Best part of Wahoo’s is the atmosphere. Fun crowd, music, and good for margaritas, beer, tequila, and drink specials. I truly do love coming here!
Worst part of Wahoo’s is the food. It could be so much better. Never get the chicken taco salad. It was gross. The chicken looked like it was straight out of the freezer. I’ve tried many things on this menu, some better than others, but in general can you guys please work on making the food better?
I love having this place in Kahala, but it is quickly getting less inviting for me and all my friends bc of the terrible food. We used to frequent here and now its our last resort.

Based on Unilocal’s rating system, I am more inclined to give it 2 stars, but it is saved by the drinks…
Came here the other day for a boozy lunch with a friend. The hostess/​waitress was a bit unfriendly, but it was during a game so she seemed a bit busy.
We waited awhile to order, the place seemed a bit dirty– food left on empty tables— but again, it was busy.
Got some mango margaritas, asked for on the rocks— but the came frozen– no bother– still delicious!
Ordered chips and salsa— not my type— the salsa was very chunky– more like pico… i’m not a spice fan, so it wasn’t juicy enough for me.
Got a burrito combo, and upgraded it to some reef kind. There was a free upgrade to get it covered in cheese and sauce— so i yoloed.
The burrito was just ah. It was filled with a lot, but was sort of bland… and the chicken pieces were so hard, i didn’t know what some of them were!
I didn’t like the rice and beans– not the mexicano style…
but, we got a second drink— another special— something sunrise— it was good, slightly too sweet, but drinkable.
This seems like a cool place to watch the game and get drinks, (or watch the guys!), but I don’t think I would eat here again.

We are huge fans of Wahoo’s and were very excited to find that there was a Wahoo’s close by after our move to Hawaii. This location was a huge disappointment. Not once, not twice but four times we dined in and/​or ordered to go with complete failure on Wahoo’s part. Our food was only partially cooked each and every time. Our to go orders were missing so many items it was inedible. We also noticed we were the only patrons dining and yet had horrible device as the waitresses sat around at the bar and cash register chatting. We had to get up several times to get help. Our toquitos on three different occasions were served frozen and stale. We will NOT be returning to this location EVER.

Tried out their Taco Tuesday. Got the chicken, fish, and banzai veggies filling wrapped in a soft taco. They were okay. Needs more heat (both in spice and temperature), more protein portion in the chicken and fish, and more moisture in them (they were a little dry).
Note: The tacos are $ 2 starting at 6:30pm. It does not state this anywhere, even though they advertise it generally as «Taco Tuesdays», and there is a big «HAPPY HOUR 3−7pm» written on the menu. Very misleading.
Not worth the trouble to get cheap, mediocre tacos in this sticky restaurant that seems short-​staffed.

Just watched a younger haole waitress with glasses pick up a chip off her tray with her hand and put it back in a customers chip basket, then proceed to serve it to a table. She also made eye contact so I know she knew we saw her but she shrugged it off as if it were no big deal. So gross!

My dog gives it 5 stars (one of the few places that allows her type to dine socially)
As for myself, it’s the perfect place to go on a Tuesday evening: $ 2 Tacos which are really quite tasty (veggie!) and ok drink specials (Like DosEquis on draft)
Taco Tuesday is their most popular (get there early!) but they have a special for every day of the week.
Besides the specials, though, overall it’s kind of average fare and the prices are high for average. Service is usually good, but when they get busy it falls apart fast. And though I love that they have live music, the sound really needs help– way too loud for such a small cement space.

The only thing holding back a five star rating was the noise. I’m not sure why smashing beer bottles has not been addressed. Dang scared the day lights out of me. Now, on to the Wahoo experience — the restaurant is small, it’s clean and has a surf theme décor. The service is delightful. All of the employees greeted my wife and I with a kind word and a smile. Our waitress was cheerful and extremely polite. The food was fresh and the sauces were tasty. Not to spicy. We had fish and chicken soft tacos. Perfect portions and reasonably priced. The entertainment was refreshing. Shar Carillo played an acoustic guitar and sang her heart out. Her bass player was the best. He sang back up and played some sick solo’s on his bass guitar. I recommend Wahoo’s for the young at heart.

I have to say this place is a little better than the Ward location. Service was a little slow for it being on a friday night. Other than that the food was great I always order my usual 2 fish taco plate with half/​half black and white beans with the rice, spicy. The portions here seemed a lot more than the ward location. Quality and taste was great!

Oh my gawwwsh, how had I never been here before now?
I went after a short hike up Diamond Head and NEEDED sustenance.
Happy hour prices were CHEAP! Lots of cute little gimmicks too, like the champagne in a sand bucket full of ice for early mimosa drinkers. Early in the day, not in age, but for the young at heart. I thought it was cute and I want to come back for one.
Anyway, I was trying to be all healthy after my little work out and got iced tea and a Bonzai bowl with blackened fish. Friggg– IT WAS HUGE. A bowl stuffed with pico, corn, rice, black beans, blackened spicy flavorful fish. Enough for two! I had enough leftovers for two small meals after!
I loved the Kahala location too. It’s got nice outside seating and table service, which I believe the Ward one doesn’t. I want to try e’rrrrythang here now.
⁴⁄₅ cos I’ve only ate here once. :)

Knocking them a star for parking, and charging for first round of chips and salsa but…
$ 2 fish taco Tuesdays??? $ 2 for Ono tacos (cajun spiced or flame grilled?)
$ 3 for draft beers (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap!!! Great with Mexican!)
So for less then $ 11 (including tip) I got two fish tacos, and a beer and was stuffed! Ono was light, firm and tasty. I preferred the cajun seasoned one and my girl liked the flame grilled one better. Cilantro dressing on the side has a kick to it that sneaks up on ya.
I’ll definitely be going there again on Tuesdays… I’m all for saving money and eating well. This place can help me with that.
Live band was starting up when I was leaving. They sounded pretty good. Got to sit on the lanai which was nice also. Waitress was super friendly but sincere.
So yah, a winner by my standards.
Cheap, filling, Ono-​licious, and BEER. :)
P.S I didn’t get to try the sweet potato fries, but NEXT TIME!!!

I’ve had bad experiences with other Wahoo’s locations, so I was hesitant to try this one, but it turned out to be OK. We came during happy hour and ordered chips & salsa, sweet potato fries, edamame, and pork taquitos to share. The food was great, especially the sweet potato fries, which were perfectly cooked (crispy outside, soft inside) and came with an aioli. The drinks, not so much… my friends complained that their house margaritas were watery and over-​sweet. My first mojito was similarly watery, but my second was very strong, so there are clearly some issues with consistency at the bar.
Our waitress was initially very attentive, but as it got later and more crowded, our waitress disappeared for long periods of time, and it took forever to get water refills and order new drinks. It seemed like they were severely understaffed for a Saturday night. I don’t know if I would plan to come here again on my own, but nothing was so terrible that it would keep me from returning for a girls night out or friend’s birthday party.

2.5.13
I remember when Wahoo’s first moved to the Ward area & my sister went with her bf there. I teased her for the longest time because I had never heard of fish tacos and what a name for an establishment! It just sounds funny.
But after teasing her, I had to put my foot in my mouth. It took me a couple of years later to give Wahoo’s a try, but I immediately fell in love. I didn’t know what I was missing out on for sooo long! At one point I was eating take-​out every Tuesday and Thursday for a couple of months; can you say addiction? haha
Since I’ve become a fan, I’ve only ordered a couple of things here (what’s new). I usually go with the two fish tacos (blackened or regular) which comes with rice and your choice of black or spicy white beans; you can also request for brown rice instead of the white flavored rice. (~$ 9). The tacos are on soft, corn? 6″ tortillas, piled with cheese, lettuce and salsa! You also get a lime. When you take out, they will charge you something like 25 cents for the containers – points for being eco-​friendly! The portions for both take out and dine in are pretty big, but I noticed that when you eat in it’s significantly larger! The other thing I have tried is the 7 layer salad – super fresh and comes with guacamole – I would recommend it! The burrito’s are also MASSIVE from what I’ve seen.
This Kahala location is tucked away behind the Olive Tree Café near Kahala Mall. The OTC and Wahoo’s share a parking lot. Otherwise I believe there is street parking or you could chance parking in the mall lot. This feel of this location was great! Part of it was open, there’s a full bar and since we went on Superbowl Sunday, the atmosphere was even better. Our waitress was also super friendly and attentive to our needs. There are also bathrooms; the décor was really neat; a mod-​podge mosaic of surf inspired cutouts from magazines covered the stall doors and parts of the walls – DIY here I come! Overall, I would def come here again & you should try it out too ;)
See you at Wahooooooooooo’s!
Unilocal 365 Challenge: #036/​365

I’m so sad! The Kahala location had the BEST bartender, who made an absolutely delicious Sangria, but he’s gone now. Boo! He kept that place lively, flowing and fun! That totally made this spot a cool hangout and I’m bummed he’s not there anymore.
Otherwise, this place has some good food options including fresh fish, salads, burritos, and the killer green sauce!
I also noticed that they are supportive of some local non-​profit organizations, but providing lunch or food at events, which is really cool!

This review is only for their Sunday Morning Breakfast Menu, which we tried while watching the NFL Sunday Ticket!
Our apartment building doesn’t allow DirectTV and they don’t normally show our team’s game on Sundays in Hawaii, so we headed down to Kahala’s Wahoo’s.
— TVs: Quite a bunch and they were all pretty big! We could easily watch every game since they were scattered throughout the entire restaurant. They had little print outs of the team logos so you could find which TV to park yourself in front of. FYI: The sound was only for the TV near the bathrooms/​soda dispenser.
— Crowd: Mostly groups of friends in twos or threes. Proud fans! Everyone had on a jersey, a team-​themed Aloha Shirt, or something else team-​related. We showed up at 8AM and the restaurant had a decent crowd. This crowd was pretty rowdy! Everyone was having fun but I’d be a bit wary when bringing small kids. When we went, there were some super passionate lady fans! It’s almost as if they thought they were in a bar (at 10PM. In Waikiki). Lots and lots of screaming and cheering, sprinkled with expletive after expletive. Everyone else was alright though, haha.
— Food: Not bad! They had a decent breakfast at menu with your basics, all ranging about $ 10 or so. I got the Farmer’s Market Breakfast Scramble with potatoes ($ 10). It wasn’t too salty, lots of vegetables mixed in. I liked it. :) If you’re coming for a later game, you can order lunch from about 11 or so. They have also have a Bloody Mary Bar, if you’re interested.
— Wait Staff: Friendly and nice! They were a bit slow on clearing tables for new/​incoming customers, but they were pretty on it for everyone already sitting down.
Overall, I’d say Wahoo’s Kahala has a pretty decent Sunday offering. It’s a lot less busy then something you’d find in Waikiki, so that was a plus. I wouldn’t mind coming back. :D

Wahoo’s on Ward is way better!
I really like Wahoo’s and I was excited to try out the new Kahala location. But I was really disappointed. The service was pretty bad, I rather go order in line like at the ward location than wait forever to order my food from the server and even pay more because of the tip. And I also didn’t like the food as much than at their ward location. Nicely designed restaurant but I’m not going back there.

I didn’t have really great experiences at the Ward Wahoos, so I wasn’t really looking forward to lunch at the Kahala location. My dad and I went to lunch on a sunday, mostly because he wanted to watch the football games. The place was pretty packed with football fans, but we found a table easily. I ordered the 2 taco plate with a fish taco and a pork taco. I was famished, which may have been the reason why everything tasted great. We also ordered the sweet potato fries, which came with a homemade aioli. The fries and sauce were really undersalted. The fish taco, too, was lacking something… It was very bland. But the tacos and beans tasted fresh. I was satisfied.
I like how they had a little condiment station set up, with peppers, salsa, limes, lemons and hot sauces. The atmosphere was also exciting since everyone was there to cheer on their favorite teams.

TACO TUESDAY
I’ve been to Wahoo’s Kahala a couple of times for drinks, but I recently went here for Taco Tuesday. Delicious $ 2 tacos are a steal and a half! (Poor college students and cheapskates, rejoice!!!) Filling choices are: fish, chicken, pork, or veggie (vegetarian).
FISH
Fish tacos have never sounded appetizing to me, BUT holy effing cow!!! These Cajun-​spice-​rubbed fish are pretty tasty. I will come back for more of these!
VEGETARIAN
Beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, and salsa. These fresh-​tasting ingredients were all generously layered atop the cute tortilla. Flavorful and definitely well worth the measly $ 2 (which was actually comped).
OTHER TACO TUESDAY PERKS:
1. Happy hour until midnight
2. Live music from 6:30 — 9:30pm
SERVICE
Service was a little lagging. Totally understandable bc the place was packed. However, I had to remind our server of the vegetarian taco I had ordered. Once it arrived, she told me that she took it off the bill and thanked me for patiently waiting. Even though it was only $ 2, it was still a very nice gesture. One that will earn her a better tip and returning customer.
VERDICT
I’d definitely return for Taco Tuesdays and more of those delicious $ 2 tacos, the live music, and tempting happy hour specials. For a regular dinner (not on Tuesdays), I may possibly return… For drinks and happy hour, I will most likely be back. I can’t pass up a good deal!!! Hah.
Unilocal 365 — #346/​365

It’s infuriating to know that eating more healthful can, and in most cases, cost more… initially. Then I realize, would you rather have hyperglycemia or eat brown rice? I rather the latter for .25 cents. But you catch my drift.
Synopsis: I have not eaten at Wahoo’s for a long time. I don’t know particularly why, but this time it was a must. My two friends and I went to Brian McKnight, and we were too late for the early bird special at Rock’n’Roll Sushi (major SAD FACE)…so I decided to pop their cherries at Wahoos! Prices went up, but the increase variety in health options also went up. WOOO!!! It’s nicely tucked in the corner of the main intersection, and provides the option of outside or inside. Did I mention you are more special if you decide to just get water? You get a blue pepsi cup. I want to definitely come back. We got pregnant from the food and I asked them if they wanted to be on WIC.
Environment: The place is prominent from the road, which seems to make people say, «I pass it, but never go in.» It’s really nice, they have umbrellas outside for eating, or you have the choice of indoor. I choose inside when it’s scorching hot, or when it rains. Otherwise, it’s freezing. But if you decide to eat inside, the whole place screams SURF, SURF, SURF! I just love it. The waves, surfing on television, it’s all exhilarating. Definitely makes me want to catch waves.
Employees: Comments unremarkable
Food: What’s cool is that they give you a number, and a person comes to deliver it to you. You get this huge portion with your meals. If you go up to $ 16, you potentially have a meal that can feed three people! ABSURD! FOOD BABY!
I love the fact they give you the option for brown rice. You have to pay $ 0.25 more, but you get a higher fiber content, including increased vitamins and minerals. Did I mention it’s higher in protein? A way better option. They also have whole wheat tortilla. This is quite revolutionary! Yeaaa!!!
Cost: Although the pricing went up by about $ 2, it’s still VERY VERY GOOD! I would still purchase meals here. However, what’s irritating is the fact that when you pay with credit card, on the receipt requests for tip. Umm. hello, this isn’t a dining service. All you do is drop the food. Let’s be REAL, «0.»

Awesome awesome! Why didn’t I come here sooner?! Damn! Oh well, no sense to cry over something. This place kicks ass! And only minutes from Kahala Mall too. This place is great to just hang out and have happy hours all night long. It’s great since I live like a mile away, I can stumble home on foot drunk if I need to. Love the good eats, especially their signature fish tacos. One of the best I have tasted in a while. It can be loud there at times, but they know how to do things.
I never notice how small the parking area is, but the neighborhood US Post Office wouldn’t mind if you parked there after hours. I would come here again and order take out, if life gets too much of a challenge. I should do taco tuesdays though sometime. While it can be said that it may be a far cry from actual authentic mexican fare, its really good and it fits my budget to a tee. Wishing I could go there more and pig out. My favorite cuisine is still Thai, so I dunno hard to choose!

I remember Mexican restaurants would prepare their food with a lot of grease, cheese and slathered in sauce. Topped off with a hefty dollop of sour cream and guacamole, well it was no wonder they had the reputation of being one if the most unhealthy foods. Not so with Wahoo’s. Their food is prepared on the healthier side and still very tasty. The enchiladas, soft tacos, guacamole and margaritas… Todo al muy bueno!

We went to the new Wahoo’s on Taco Tuesday with a bogo coupon. For two combo meals and three draft beers we were in and out of there for under $ 23 + tip. Here’s the lowdown. I had the banzai #4 — an extra large vegetarian burrito, tofu enchilada with green sauce, black beans, and brown rice. BF ordered the banzai #4 — an extra large pork burrito, two pork tacos, white beans, and brown rice. Both meals were big, fresh, and tasty. Table service was quick and friendly. The free live music was great. A pleasant surprise.
We made another trip to Wahoo’s on Taco Tuesday. This time we ordered five $ 2 tacos and used a $ 1 beer coupon. I had a banzai veggie and a grilled fish taco. Both tacos were tasty and chock full of fresh vegetables. For each taco, Wahoo’s gives you two tiny corn tortillas which start disintegrating almost immediately making for a minor mess for a slow eaters like me. Bf ordered a banzai veggie, a chicken, and a beef taco but got two banzai veggies and a beef and they charged us double for the beef. Ugh. He wasn’t happy about that. Otherwise, we got very attentive service and nice live music. The ambiance was bright and upbeat. I will be back.