Wahoos

We ate at Wahoo's 3 times while in So Cal...that was even more than we ate at In and Out Burgers (of course that is probably due to our desire to at least give lip service to staying somewhere in our healthy eating habits). We used to eat the original Wahoo's when we still lived in So Cal and everytime we return for a visit there are even more Wahoo's. We love the carnitas, shrimp tacos, tortilla soup, and of course, the fish tacos. Here is their story....

The Wahoo's story begins in 1988, when the three Wahoo's brothers, Wing, Ed and Mingo, combined their love of surf and food to create a restaurant with an eclectic Mexican/Brazilian/Asian menu and a Hawaiian north-shore vibe. Wing, Ed and Mingo were born with the love of restaurants in their blood. Growing up in San Paolo, Brazil, they actually spent their early years above their parents' Chinese restaurant. After school, you could find the brothers in the restaurant peeling shrimp or washing dishes. In 1975, the family moved to Orange County, California, where their dad opened the famous Shanghai Pine Garden Chinese restaurant on Balboa Island. The brothers grew up both in the restaurant and on the beaches. Addicted to surfing, they would travel south to Mexico to surf and there got introduced to the fish taco. In 1988, the brothers decided to import the fish taco to Orange County, California, and give it a unique twist. They combined the fish taco with their Brazilian favorites and Asian inspired items. The brothers decorated the original restaurant with the donations of near-by surf companies and that's how Wahoo's Fish Taco was born. In 1990, Steve Karfaridis, joined as a partner and the one location in Costa Mesa rapidly developed into multi-locations in Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach. Today you will find over 50 locations of Wahoo's all throughout California , Colorado, Texas and Hawaii. Wahoo's future plans include expanding in the Southwest region and eventually nation-wide...so watch for one to open up near you...and do not walk...but run to their front counter!