Wave Taco

No concern for the neighborhood as they blast their music on a nightly basis.

I have been playing in a volleyball league here, we thought we’d give a new place a shot and this will be my one and only time. The 3 sand courts are pretty nice which is why this is getting 2 stars. However, we have games on work nights and paid a good amount to be in the league and the games have mostly been starting at 6pm during the week. Unfortunately those of us who work full time jobs have had difficulty making it due to the early game times. Also, I figured this place would have some food considering it’s called wave taco. But I come to find out that the choices are very limited. Don’t go there expecting gourmet tacos, I’m sparing you the disappointment. Not to mention the bathroom situation sucks. Yes, it has nice port-a-johns…but an actual bathroom would be nice, and on many occasions I’ve seen people walking in and out of these barefoot… cue the vomiting noises! The prices for drinks, while I figured might be less since we paid to play in the league, are terrible as well! If you want to drink, drink before you go, that’s what we have chosen to do. I hate to say that I am surprised this place makes enough to stay open, but I guess with as many teams paying what we did and a place not having much to offer, I guess it’s not too difficult. Def would recommend playing volleyball elsewhere and will be doing so with my team after this round is over.

I really enjoy playing at Wave Taco! The atmosphere there is fun and friendly. I go there to play volleyball games with my boyfriend and friends and to have a good time. The bouncers, bartenders, and the refs are all really nice!
I took off a star because even though they have three courts, during draw tournaments with a bunch of teams, they still only use two and so the teams have a lot of down time between matches. Maybe they don’t have enough refs?

Nice, full, exciting place. Played in a Sat tournament and it was very enjoyable. Weather was great. The environment was vey inviting. First time here and I really enjoyed myself.

Consumer BEWARE!!! Terrible place. Management is absolutely awful. If you want a pleasant sand volleyball experience go to either Bar 101 or The Stratford Inn.

I love playing sand volleyball here! Everyone is competitive, but friendly. Full bar, limited food, and lots and lots if volleyball! Coming here is the highlight of my weekend.

Best sand in the city. Great atmosphere. Competitive games.

Wave taco is a great place to hangout and have a beer and play volleyball. They have good food and drinks. The staff is really nice. It’s like your at the beach white sand. You guys should go there it is awesome love it !!!

Wave Taco is a cool place to hang out. I play a recreational league with work buddies once a week for fun. It’s not overly competitive, which is good for our team because we hardly ever win or care. It’s a sand volleyball court, and the nets are kept in good shape. Be careful that sometimes when it’s cold, the sand is freezing! There’s well-​lit parking available on site, which is a definite plus. There’s a bar, but they have a very limited selection (think Bud, Bud Light, Bud Light Lime). The game is scored so that every play counts as a point rather than just earned points counting, which makes games fly by. We generally finish a 3 game set in 40 minutes or so. They play Top 40 music through the speaker system, which is cool. I’ve read in some of these reviews about food, but in my experiences there hasn’t been any, and the food trucks are closing up by the time the night leagues arrive.

I love Wave Taco!!!
Its a great place to wind down in the downtown after a long grueling day of work.
Great Specials… Sweet Tunes… White Sand.
As an added bonus if you like volleyball they have great leagues and tournaments to join (for that check out
)
All around I always enjoy my time down there hanging out where the city meets the sand!

I used to like Wave Taco until we discovered the local homeless were using it as a toilet. Seriously gross.

Having played here since the courts opened in 2009, I feel confident in saying that there are a lot of upsides to joining one of the leagues hosted at this little beach-​themed, all-​outdoor bar. It’s not a place without its faults, but there are a number of venues that are less enjoyable.
The best features at W. ave, by far, are the courts themselves. It’s worth noting that they can feel like something, and almost certainly were, built over pavement. When damp, the sand packs into a hard, unforgiving surface that’s not unlike a clay tennis court. When dry though, W. ave’s courts are a player’s dream: soft, fine and fluffy in the best way. Marketed as Florida beach sand, the stuff is a joy to play on and is well-​stocked (…with more than enough sand) and well-​maintained (…with few rocks, leaves or sticks). The nets are also kept in good shape, which makes play more fun.
Other considerations like having a hose area available to rinse off after games, a changing booth (note: one of the two closet doors on the north edge of the court is a changing room) and comparatively clean port-​a-​potties keep the playing experience pretty good, if a shade more expensive than other places. Competitiveness varies from night to night and session to session, but has leaned toward ‘just for drinks’ sort of fun play in the Recreational division.
The bar changes from season to season, but has consistently offered some kind of light fare (originally, there was a taco grill guy. Then, they served microwave burritos and pizza. El Borracho currently provides catered-​style Mexican nachos and a couple of other options) and music (originally, there was a live band. Now, there’s a piped-​in mix of rock, Top 40, pop and rap most nights, but it’s subject to change). Specials on the various beers and well drinks vary widely, when specials are available.
Mostly, the under-​35/​young professional crowd that overwhelmingly make up the bar’s crowd come for the mix of volleyball. laughs and beer.
A block off of Washington, it’s in the heart of the Downtown residency strip and a number of loft dwellers put teams into the mix on various nights. For those concerned with security, the bar is well lit and the street and lot parking benefit from the court lighting. With little else sharing its block (there’s a Shell gas station on the corner to the east and a residence across the street), foot traffic is pretty limited, but it’s usually not difficult to park within sight of the front gate.
So what’s not to like about W. ave?
1) The fences on the eastern court (the one bordering the parking lot) have a hard time containing the ball. Inevitably, the ball goes out of play and someone has to leave and get it, if nobody on the parking lot can. It’s really annoying.
2) The league that hosts games here runs games with start times as late as 11p.
3) The business has gotten savvier, so over time, the advertised specials have gotten less aggressive. You can’t blame the establishment for running itself well, but can certainly bemoan the loss of some great deals.
4) It can be difficult to register a new team between sessions. Teams currently playing are given the option to renew, with new teams placed on a waiting list. This could change. (Tip: Wait until your team has been guaranteed a spot and arrives to play its first game before paying. The group that you want to play with may not form or might form without a spot for your team).
In all, this is a nice addition to Downtown and a cool place to hang out. The atmosphere is relaxed, with picnic tables and poolside loungers to compliment the bar stools. Most of the the players (even the better ones), staff and spectators are chilled out and it’s one of the only sand volleyball options in the City that comes to mind, outside of Steinberg Rink or Bar 101 in Soulard.

Great place to play volleyball. White sand, full bar and friendly refs. They do serve burritos that are decent. Overall, my favorite volleyball place in STL. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

This isn’t Mexican food, so know that.
Very cool white sand volleyball courts in the middle of the city with tacos from the grill and a full bar, hell yes.
The barbeque guy cooks your meat over on the drill, dresses the tacos and it’s all good in the hood. Pretty cheap as well.