Taco Surf - Review #2

Taco Surf 1969 Harbor Blvd Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (949) 645-9934 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site

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(UPDATE (April 30, 2008): Have recently received word that this Taco Surf has closed down.)

Continuing her coverage of the Costa Mesa area, Shelly B. checks in with a review of the Taco Surf on Harbor Boulevard:

It's been open for over 3 years, but I finally visited Taco Surf’s Costa Mesa location. I’ve enjoyed the atmosphere of the Long Beach and Sunset Beach (Surfside) locations. And if any area needs more appeal, it's where the Costa Mesa restaurant is situated, off Harbor Boulevard near 19th. It’s an oasis amidst the hustle and bustle outside. Around there everyone is trying to get somewhere.

Once inside, you forget all about the seriousness elsewhere. Its bar is reminiscent of a palapa, which took me back to Mexico. They even have a Jukebox with excellent song selections – Love that. This location is franchise owned, as like the one in Dana Pointe, only 2 as yet. The owners do a good job, everyone was attentive and friendly. They’ve got a great selection of beers, including a refreshing Hefeweizen with Lemon, plus margaritas made with vino. Another fun thing about this location is the open air patio in the back. It’s cozy, uses heaters when necessary, and contains couples booths, tables and a TV. The feel is comfortable and laid back.

I've had Taco Surf’s food on many occasions. This time we started with a Fiesta Platter, which offers a sampling of items, including Flautas, Quesadillas, Breaded Shrimp, Baja Fish, and Cheese Nachos right in the middle. It’s perfect for two and comes with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo.

We also had an a la carte Chicken Enchilada and their "Famous" Baja Fish Taco, as they describe it. A sample of the same fish is on the Fiesta Platter. The taco also includes a generous slathering of their Signature Spicy Baja Sauce. Overall, I’m glad I discovered its contributions to the locality, since I am able to walk there. Next time I want to try their homemade Tortilla Soup and Huevos Rancheros, and then maybe the Pescado Veracruz. By the way, the salsa and multi-colored chips are very good. There are many good reasons to go back, not to mention there’s a bus stop right out front.

Thanks, Shelly. Here's some more of Shelly's Taco Surf photos:

Mystery Taco Surf

Was at a church-sponsored singles conference over the weekend and on Friday we had catering by Panera Bread and Taco Surf:

Taco Surf provided made-to-order chicken, fish, or steak tacos and you could load up on beans, rice, chips, salsa, and guacamole to your liking . . . so if you're thinking of having Taco Surf cater an event for you you know you'll get a cool little catering stand like this at your party.

Taco Surf - Review #1

Date of Visit: March 23, 2007

Taco Surf 16821 Pacific Coast Hwy Surfside, CA 92649 (562) 592-2290 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site

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A couple weeks ago after joining a big group in helping a couple girls from church move to different spots within Huntington Beach we had to decide where we were going to fill our hungry bellies afterwards. The first option considered was pizza. Then I threw out Harbor House as a suggestion and everyone went for that idea so we headed over to there and found out there would be quite a long wait. While the rest of the crowd waited at the Harbor House, Dave M. and I walked over to the nearby Taco Surf and found there was no wait so we got the rest of the group to follow us back over there. The Taco Surf guys were nice enough to serve our group even though they were just about to close. Not realizing I'd end up at a Mexican restaurant I haven't reviewed yet I didn't have my camera with me so the pictures were taken by Dave with his camera phone. They are not the clearest photos but I like their moody, colorful, impressionistic atmosphere.

Taco Surf's official website says in one spot that this location is in Sunset Beach but says in another spot that it is in Surfside. Their Yahoo! Local listing says they are in Huntington Beach while their Citysearch listing says Surfside. So I asked our server which of the three it was and his response was "Surfside." I'll take his word for it.

Our group consisted of me, Dave (the one who told me about Fiesta Grill), Amy (making her first appearance since the Taleo Deluxe Review), Mikey (who's been present for a couple prior reviews), and Rhett, Kathy, Liz, and Paul who had never been along for any of my reviews before.

While I'd been to Taco Surf several times before I had never tried their shrimp tacos that a couple of my friends rave about constantly so I knew it was time to finally try them. Taco Surf's Ensenada Shrimp Tacos come in "Double wrapped corn tortillas topped with melted cheese, grilled shrimp, sautéed veggies, Signature Spicy Baja sauce, fresh cilantro and guacamole." Their menu even says that they are "Poncho's Favorite." I guess Poncho is one of their employees. After trying one of these tacos I have to say that I think they are on a par with the excellent shrimp tacos served by the small Baja Fish Taco chain.

And everyone was jealous of Paul's tasty looking machaca plate, seen above. I know what I'm getting when I go back: the machaca plate with a shrimp taco on the side.

Taco Surf earns a four Speedy Gonzales rating: