The Waves Taco Club

I didn't feel like standing in the long line at Tacos El Gordo (and didn't love that the only options there were pork or steak or else cactus, wut) so I proceeded to find another nearby place to fulfill my taco craving. Luckily I found this one! I got the corn, and three tacos: chicken, egg + soy chorizo, and mahi mahi. The egg one was pretty good and the chicken one was okay (bit dry for my liking and not as tasty as the others). But the mahi mahi one? Good lord, easily one of the best fish tacos I've ever had. The 5 stars are almost entirely for that. The fish was so nice and tender, the sauce was delicious, and the crispy onions were a perfect complement. Totally wish I'd gotten more and definitely would come back for those.The service was super friendly, and there are seats inside to enjoy your food. Oh and the corn was good too! Definitely worth a try.

I don't understand how this has so many 5 star reviews. The food was not good. I got the scallop taco and the chipotle shrimp and they were both swimming in sauce, it was too oily, and the flavors were way too rich. They put so much grilled cheese in the taco and it did not go well with the fish. My husband also got the California burrito and said it was not good. The ambience was also really awkward. The walls were covered in weird pop culture graffiti and it was not pleasant to be there. I am really disappointed. This was a waste of money when there are so many better Mexican food places in this area.

As soon as I was done eating I said out loud, "I understand why they have 5 stars!" Wow! Such good food that is definitely worth the short walk away from the main center of downtown. We went during lunch time and it had a good amount of parties dining in and getting takeout. The cashier was very friendly and recommended the calamari burrito to my husband and I stuck with trying their tacos. I got the birria, chipotle shrimp, and surf & turf. Let me just say, I never want to eat a taco without melted crispy cheese on the tortilla again. Omg! What a delicious addition to the taco. All 3 were so good but the surf & turf was my favorite. The carne asada was high quality meat perfectly seasoned and the shrimp were huge and flavorful. The birria taco comes with consomé for dipping. We got the special which came with either chips or fries and a drink. If taco shops aren't giving you chips with your tacos, they're doing it wrong. I enjoyed the chips with the salsas from the self serve bar. The restaurant is small but plenty of seating and the wall decor made it a fun experience to round out the great food. Who doesn't want to eat with a nightmare before Christmas mural behind them?Only downside, no public restrooms.

I would classify this as an above average taco shop, but not by a lot. The tacos were decent. It wasn't super busy for a lunch hour. The service was efficient and we were taken care of. It's a smaller shop, but there was about 15-20 tables. There were a couple different murals on the walls, and TV's at the end of the store. The seafood taco had a variety of meats in it. But a large portion of the taco was taken up by imitation crab. The flavor of the taco was pretty good, but the one big chunk of crab took away from the "seafood" experience, could have just been a crab taco. The carne asada and birria were both mostly tender, but I felt like both were lacking flavor. Even the consome was somewhat underwhelming. Don't hear me wrong, all the tacos were enjoyable. But with as many 5 stars as they have and being 5 dollars a taco I expected it to be really good. The Combo (3 Tacos, Fries/chips and a drink for $18 or with a drink up charge to either beer or their specialty drinks) made it a seem like a better deal. But with the drink up-charge it was still about $22. Would I come here again, sure. Would it be my first choice based on what's in the area? Probably not. The value feels like a 3 star, the food was a 4 ish, and the service was a 5.

Saw Tacos El Gordo (TEG) was packed down the road. Needed some food to soak in the kombuchas I drank from the ball game at Petco. This place was right down the street and had no wait. The tacos were pretty decent but downtown prices. Six tacos accounted for $30 including tip. Good alternative to TEG.

I stopped in for a taco after I had already eaten at Tacos El Gordo because I heard how good these were. The service was kind and friendly. I ordered a birria taco and it came with a little cup of consume. This taco knocked my socks off. It was sooo good but I was soooo full so I couldn't order more. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in San Diego.

After a long day of venturing and a craving for a burrito we found Waves taco shop was a block away from our hotel so we phoned in an order and after dropping the car at the hotel took a quick stroll to pick it up. The place is massive once you get inside with tons of seating! It was 9pm and the place was full of customers so you know they're doing something right. Paid for the to go order and after a couple mins it was good to go. They have a salsa bar so we grabbed some options to go and headed back. I got the mahi mahi burrito and it lived up to the name, it was 90% fish inside so you get your money worth in protein! The flavors were great and paired well with each other! With some Guac or crema on the side it tops of the flavor profile! A solid meal and even better that it was walking distance from many hotel!

One word: DELICIOUS!!! My husband and I were in SD for the weekend and the hotel we stayed at was in the Gaslamp Quarter. We were looking for a place within walking distance, since parking is a nightmare there, and thankfully we didn't have to walk very far for some of the BEST tacos we've had. My husband claims these were the best calamari and garlic shrimp tacos he's had! So if you're staying in or anywhere near the Gaslamp Quarter, make sure to check this place out. Not only is the food delicious, but the customer service is great, and the wall art is pretty neat too!

AMBIANCELocated in Gaslamp Quarters, the interior is casual and cozy with wall art paying homage to spooky animated movies. SERVICEOrder at counterFOOD5/5 Scallops taco: Freshly made-to-order marinated, seared, scallops topped with mango cilantro, roasted salsa & melted cheese salsa, fresh avocado, red onion, cilantro & melted cheese

We were very happy with the battered fish tacos!The intent was a quick tasty, light bite & John made this happen.The flavors were really fantastic & John made sure to touch base when he felt the wait was too long, though we did not feel like it took long at all. He explained that they prepare & fry it fresh. Ambiance was fun, capturing kind of a comic-con/anime/nightmare before xmas? vibe. There are nice booths to sit at , it was clean, and comfortable. We will return next SD visit.