Wahoo! Grill

As soon as you walk into Wahoo, you feel the good energy. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and the staff is so knowledgable and friendly. They have fair prices and the food is stupendous. The patio is like no other I have ever visited. I had the pleasure with meeting with Chef Scott on a couple of occasions when we visited and he is a mastermind. The menu is out of this world and there is no place like it!

Pros: Best calamari in the world and the mussels AMAZING!

Cons: Parking can be difficult but they have valet

Posted 10/19/09

Best Patio in Atlanta - Creative Loafing 2009! But the real secret is the Bar! Thursday nights 1/2 off bottles of wine! and 2 for 1 appetizers from 5-7pm. BUST THIS ECONOMY AT WAHOO!!! Seafood Rocks! Gotta try the mussels and ahi tuna. Great Service!

Pros: complementary valet parking

Posted 10/07/09

Gomez and I sat at the bar and the two rockin' hot lady bartenders gave us a few laughs as well as some great deals. We had 2 for 1 appetizers and a half price bottle of wine. The patio looks super pretty - a garden room and an outside space- and maybe we'll try that next time.

Pros: saving money makes me happy

Cons: So many cars out front, BUT once inside there was no wait!

Posted 10/05/09

Wow! That's all I can say about the calamari. My partner and I had dinner at Wahoo and ordered the calamari. Granted, we have traveled quite a bit and have had calamari all over the world, but never as good as it was at Wahoo. Just proves the point that gems can be found in your own backyard. We are now Monday regulars.

Pros: Friendly service with no rush.

Posted 10/05/09

I go to Wahoo Grill more than any other restaurant in Decatur or Atlanta! My boyfriend and I love to be on their GEORGEOUS outdoor patio, especially on a beautiful fall day. The garden room is beautiful, too -it's all enclosed in glass and is a great option for when it gets a little chillier. If you dine there Monday through Thursday they offer an AWESOME pre-fixe menu with three huge courses for only $18. Which is great, becuase we can eat GREAT food, and still afford to splurge on some nice booze. They also have a great wine list and a really attentive and friendly staff. Totally go there!

Pros: Service, Ambiance, and Food

Cons: None

Posted 10/03/09

well, as far as im concern, this place offers lots of healthy foods, thats why i preferred it than any other food chain

Pros: best in town

Cons: why?

Posted 05/02/09

This was a pleasant surprise. It's tucked away in a neighborhood and you have to intentionally want to go here. I found it online when I Googled "best seafood" in Atlanta. After seeing the pictures and reading the menu online made me want to go. I took my friend there for her birthday and it was the best food hands down. I was really surprised. Everything was well balanced, seafood was fresh and the price was reasonable. We ordered drinks, appetizers and main entrees shrimp and grits, and the lamb special for the day was to die for. It came to 86.06. If we could have dessert we would have... but we were so full. The service was good too. Our server was attentive but not too pushy. I recommend this place as one of my top 2009 treasured finds.

Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

Posted 04/11/09

Only quibble was the small portion size. I was hungry by the time I left. It was delicious the patio area is amazing, the cocktails good, and the service attentive. Parking not an issue with Valet

Pros: Example: best croissants in town

Cons: What are the drawbacks?

Posted 04/05/09

My wife and I just got back from our Valentine's day dinner at Wahoo. As some other mentioned before, parking was tight but not an issue for us...we used valet. The restaurant itself was very nice in terms of decor. The hostess was very nice and helpful.

Now let's get to the bad side. We ordered two appetizers to start. My wife was disappointed in the quality of the sauce. It was a sad imitation of an authentic New Orleans style dish. I ordered the seafood soup as an appetizer. All of the seafood was way over done, dry and required extra seasoning. Moving on to the entries. My wife was swayed by our waiter to get one of their Valentine's special filet (more expensive) instead of a fish. I ordered their signature Wahoo. When we got our entries we we less than pleased. Her steak was medium-well to well-done but ordered it to be medium. Once again, this is a matter of preference but when we pointed this out to our waiter he insisted that this was their "medium" and did we want it to be "medium rare"?!? We sent it back and got another one pretty quickly. This time it was "medium" but not seasoned. My wife managed to doctor up the steak so we left this issue alone. I've had wahoo one other time but couldn't quiet remember if it was a firm or tender fish. That being said, I felt that the fish was very firm/chewy but seasoned well. By this time we were pretty disappointed and didn't want to chance on their dessert.

With all the hype from friends and the internet we really expected more out of the restaurant. For the price and quality I should have gone to Long Horn and probably would have had some money left over to catch a movie.

Pros: Ambience and service was great

Cons: Food - make sure you get your food the way you asked for it.

Posted 02/13/09

Not the easiest place to find unless you live in the area. The food was good, not the best, but still good. The dessert was awesome! The best part. The atmosphere is really nice & they have a great patio area. The parking isn't as bad as some suggested, but not much to choose from. They had valet as well. I would recommend if you are in in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trip just to go there.
Service was good.

Pros: Great Atmostphere & Dessert

Cons: Location & parking

Posted 10/27/08

My wife and I were part of a group who tried Wahoo out on a Friday night. Sure enough, just like a number of reviewers mentioned, parking was tight, so we just parked across the street on the grass. No problem.
We had a very good waiter; the food was better than average (about on par with Longhorn Steakhouse), and the patio/outside seating was impressive (airy, well thought-out, really neat)-----BUT there were some things that really bothered a lot of us:
1--They won't separate checks for groups of six or more.
2--Group tip amount is 20%, whether you like the service or not.
3--One of us had brought a homemade cake for a birthday celebration, and they charged $10 for a 'cutting fee'! (even though we cut it ourselves and had paper plates for the occasion).
The food is a bit expensive for what you get, especially considering all the add-on fees. So beware. Oh, one more thing: if you can't find anywhere to park other than their own lot, you'll also pay for that, too.

Pros: Food, ambience

Cons: Parking, add-on fees, fairly expensive for what you get

Posted 09/19/08

Aftrer visiting Wahoo on a Saturday night last week, my date and I were pleasantly suprised by the wonderful food along with the excellent service. The fisherman's stew was awesome and so was the pasta special, although there were only 4 shrimp in the meal. For the price and ambiance, Wahoo is a great place to enjoy a great meal along with fast customer service!

Pros: Affordable fresh seafood, great customer service

Cons: close seating in main dining room

Posted 08/25/08

The restaurant has a great neighborhood feel, yet offers very upscale fare for the discerning palate. From the staff that greet you when you first walk in, to the ambiance that Wahoo has created, it just feels very warm and inviting. Chef's attention to detail is impeccable and the seafood is flown in fresh. His attention to detail shows in every plate. I always order whatever special they have for the evening. Go early and come hungry...the specials go quickly! The bar, near the entry way to the patio has a very welcoming feel to it and the bar staff and wait staff are very attentive to your needs and helpful in pairing your food with your drink of choice.
As for the outdoor dining patio, just wonderful. They somewhat recently expanded the patio and it is gorgeous.

Pros: Ambience, Food, Patio, Chef's detail, Patio is great for large group

Posted 08/20/08

Awesome selection of down home and international delicacies on the brunch buffet and so reasonably priced! We were a large group so the buffet suited us well. A few of us ordered off the menu and it came out hot and prompt. The fish was fresh, and everything tasted great. Parking is a bit of a bear or you can valet. Relaxed, casual atmosphere and good service. We'll be back!

Pros: Yummy food. Great value for the buffet.

Cons: Self Parking is an issue but they do have valet.

Posted 08/19/08

This is a local place for me and its great - been lots of times and the food and service is always great.
The patio at the back is lovely - I can't wait for spring!

Posted 04/16/08

We visited on a sunday for brunch. Some people in our party had the buffett and others ordered from the menu. Everyone was pleased with their dishes. The variety on the buffett was a big winner. The bufett included everything from shrimp and grits to salmon with avocado. The service was attentive but not obtrusive. Definetly ask to be seated on the awesome patio in the back.

Posted 03/29/08

We ate there with another couple a few months ago. It was mediocre, and certainly not worth the hype. We ordered the scallops appetizer to split among 4 people after our waiter told us it served 4. 3 scallops, undercooked, on a bed of greens. Nice.... Service was very slow, and the waiter could be categorized as snooty. Apparently the positive reviews have gone to their heads, because we didn't experience anything noteworthy here. For four people with a bottle of wine and 2 desserts the tab was $160. Not worth it. Why suffer a crowd and difficulty parking for something that doesn't live up to the hype?

Pros: food is okay

Cons: slow service, snooty servers, lack of parking

Posted 02/24/08

After reading so many reviews of long waits, we were slightly hesitant to try Wahoo but decided to go ahead on a rainy Sunday evening. We picked a good night b/c the place was near empty! We were seated immediately and had a pleasant, friendly server. We had the crab cake app which was good, not amazing. I ordered the Charleston shrimp and grits (keep in mind, I'm from Charleston and have very high expectations of this dish) and it didn't live up to my expectations b/c the entire dish was covered in tomato sauce and you could hardly taste the white cheddar grits, or see them for that matter. It wasn't a bad dish, just not what I'm used to. My husband had seabass and it was fabulous. Cooked perfectly, it was flavorful and light. We ordered the Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert and it was yummy. The hazelnut whipped cream is wonderful! Overall, I definitely recommend this place, I plan to go back on another quiet evening and order a different app and entree.

Pros: Fish, ambiance on a quiet evening

Cons: Location, parking

Posted 02/16/08

We went on a weekday, so it was not crowded to the hilt. We did not experience any parking problems and we had a great host and wonderful waitress, Tamara. The staff was charming, pleasant, kind, and considerate. Our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu choices, timely, prompt and had a great personality.

This place does not have the usual cafe food. Very small menu, one page front and back which includes, fish, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, salads, soups, hot vegetables and desserts. This is not a meat and potatoes type of menu, because the chef creates absolutely fabulous dishes that tastes as good in your mouth as they look on the plate. I had seafood soup and a salmon-bacon sandwich and I cleaned my plate and thought about licking the plate, because the food was so out of sight. The chefs are jamming cooks! Most important, my hot dishes arrived at the table hot, not warm or cold and we did not wait hours for the food. The desserts are to live and to die for. If you love chocolate, then this is your place for the best chocolate dessert in Decatur.

The decor is like an outdoor living room that is sensual and inviting for conversations. Music is heard at comfortable level so one does not need to yell to be heard. A lot of stone tile throughout, black iron patio furniture for tables, they don?t warble on the tiles, subdued lighting using copper light fixtures, color palette is earth balanced of dark green, clay and brown. Sitting for groups as well as singles, small bar near front, back wall has ceiling to floor glass doors that overlook a patio garden. There is a spotless and spacious bathroom that is decorated in the same colors and textures as the restaurant.

Not much room for improvement here, but I would like organic fair trade coffee and teas, espresso, sea salt and a pepper mill, a few vegan dishes and desserts on the menu and a live jazz guitarist.

Posted 01/17/08

We ate on the beautiful heated patio at Wahoo last night. Our server Elliot was friendly and knowledgable on everything from the wine list to the multitude of daily specials. I had the Fisherman's stew and the Pan Seared Ahi Tuna. And while the soup was good, the tuna entree was some of the best fish I've ever had. Cooked just enough to lightly brown the outside while leaving the middle bright red, the excellent flavor and quality of the tuna was able to shine. It was served with and interesting pairing of mashed potatoes and seaweed salad; both were also excellent and complimented to fish perfectly.

Pros: Atmosphere, Food, Service

Cons: Menu is a little pricy but well worth it.

Posted 11/14/07

We stopped by this place for brunch this past weekend with the kids. I can't remember the last time we took them out to eat, and we had to pull them away from the brunch buffet. Casual, and just great food and service. Next time, without the kids. LOL!

Pros: Excellent Casual Family Brunch!

Cons: Parking Can Be Tight!

Posted 08/14/07

The food was delicious, the service outstanding. We sat outdoors in the garden patio, which I highly recommend. This is a great place to go on a warm summer night!

Pros: Service, atmosphere

Posted 05/17/07

We'd heard so much about this spot and were happy to arrive at 5:30 and have no wait. The waitress was fine. When I chose the bourbon marinated Atlantic salmon, she did warn me that the chef prepares it medium rare. I told her my preference was for medium well.
The fish tasted off but I attributed that to the marinade. Also, while I got medium well on the edges of the piece, the center thicker part was more red than pink. I just didn't eat it all. The sides were pretty good.
When I got home, about an hour after eating the fish, I lost most of it.
Maybe next time...............

Pros: Interesting menu

Cons: Not confident about preparation

Posted 05/02/07

Complete dissapointment. I don't think the other reviews are for the same place. I ate at the Wahoo restauraunt in Decatur, GA. We had a party of 4 and were seated promptly. We had to wait an hour and a half for our food to come out. The eggs were cold and the fish was dry. Drinks were warm amd sour. After all of the mistakes they made, we were offered a single dessert to split among 4 people. I literally got up and walked out. I was made late to an appiontment and lost 2 hours of my life. Message to owner: If you cant cook eggs in less than an hour then maybe you should look for a new line of work.

Pros: Ambiance

Cons: Food quality, price, management

Posted 04/21/07

We called ahead but couldn't make reservations. The wait ended up being about 40 minutes. Not too bad, but there is nothing to do in the meantime. Service was decent, and the food came lightning fast. Calamari in about 5 minutes, and good bread to chew on while we (barely) waited. Interesting asian take on calamari. Amazing fish stew, though a little too salty for me. Wouldn't recommend getting a salad with all the other good options. Dessert (lava cake) was good. Overall a great restaurant, but make reservations well ahead of time if that's possible.

Interesting atmosphere, good food.

Posted 04/20/07

Tried to have a meal but when we arrived we were told it would be in the neighborhood of thirty minutes to get a table, turns out it was a lot bigger neighborhood, we had several drinks at the bar and waited over an hour before we left still hungry. We ended up at Savage Pizza it was pretty good,by that time a Big Mac would have been good. I'll pass on the Wahoo! A Decatur Grill I try not to make the same mistake twice.

Pros: Nice Bar

Cons: SLOOOOOW

Posted 04/10/07

Wahoo is a great restaurant to enjoy dinner and drinks with a group of friends or a significant other. The food is delicious and the ambiance is charming. I highly recommend it!

Posted 03/13/07

My husband and I went here on Saturday night with some friends. We got there at 7:00 pm and were told it would be about 35 minutes until a table was open. We went the bar, ordered drinks, and socialized. The place was packed and about an hour later, we checked with the hostess about seating again. She told us 2 other parties were ahead of us so we ordered an appetizer at the bar because we were starving. The appetizer (calamari) was very good; the hoisin and mayhaw sauce was a nice contrast of spicy and sour. During the course of another hour I saw 2 other parties seated, and then a 3rd (and it looked like others were being seated in the back room). Either the seating hostess couldn't count or wasn't telling the truth. We left, as did the people at the bar standing behind us when they heard how long we had waited. Reading some Wahoo reviews here, it appears the management does not care that some people have a lousy experience. Call ahead 30 minutes and then be placed behind others who have already arrived--double time system? Either take reservations or make it first-come, first-serve. Eating out shouldn't be this difficult. I have no intention of returning any time soon.

Posted 01/22/07

Wahoo offers great seafood in a warm, cozy atmosphere. Their patio is an unexpected garden oasis and perfect for families with kids, especially if you go during the week or before 7 pm on the weekends. They also offer brunch on Saturday and Sunday with no long wait!

Posted 01/15/07

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Decatur. The ambiance is awesome and the food is amazing. Just when you thought it could not get any better, the service is awesome!!! You can dine outside which is heated by heat-lamps and is enclosed by plastic draping. Or you can sit in side which is beautiful. There is a great television and brilliant bar.

Pros: Everything in this resturant is Awesome!!!!

Posted 01/09/07

This is an excellent place to bring family. My girlfriend and I had to pick a restaurant for my parents and their friends, a party totalling 9. My father requested that we not eat at a vegetarian place, and one of their friends does not eat red meat. So, it was great to have a choice for good seafood in Decatur. We made reservations, and we were promptly seated on the patio, which has a nice, relaxed atmosphere. The service was top notch, as always. We have a hard time trying anything aside from the ahi tuna dish, which is amazing. I also recommend the bread pudding. My only complaint about Wahoo would be the parking. On busy nights, you may have to get creative and park across the street near the train tracks.

Pros: great service, very fresh food

Cons: parking can be difficult

Posted 10/26/06

The place has never let me down! The food is fabulous, and the bar - though small - is a delight. It is a busy little place, so go early or skip busy times, but even if you do have to wait it is worth it!

Pros: patio price food

Cons: parking

Posted 10/05/06

First off, I love how this place is somewhat tucked away on the other side of the tracks in Decatur. It's next door to an auto body shop, but has a great ambience inside and outside on its secluded and cozy patio area. The food is good (probably better than I thought due the fact that I ordered the wrong thing, but that's another story). Fish dishes are good and the others in my party said their fish sandwhiches were excellent. Wahoo's side dishes are the only things that need a little work I think. The vegetable medly I got were more like ingredients that you'd cut up and cook with something else...not as a stand alone dish. Other than that food was good and the patio was great even though it was raining. Almost forgot...they're deserts are amazing! Try the coconut cake; you'll freak.

Pros: Great deserts, Easy parking, Tucked away location

Cons: Side dishes

Posted 09/24/06

i was visiting Atlanta from NY, and I wanted to try some bread pudding after dinner. So, i read reviews, and found this place and took some bread pudding to go. It was decent, but not something you would drive 15 mins to get.
But i did love the ambience, the deco, and the people who were working there. So, i will probably give it a shot for dinner one of these days, and then decide if it was just the pudding and everything else is great or not.

Posted 09/22/06

We really enjoy this place. Not fancy, but very good food, large portions, moderate prices, large drinks, friendly service. We always think of Wahoo when we want a good meal in a relaxed atmosphere. They don't take reservations and can get very busy. Try the bread pudding for dessert, it is the best we have ever had and plenty to share.

Pros: Good food, large portions

Cons: no reservations

Posted 08/24/06

Great food, relaxed atmosphere and superb service are only a few of the highlights of Wahoo... We have found our new date spot.

Posted 08/22/06

We love this place. The look will not impress, but the huge plates, flavorful food and friendly relaxed service will keep you coming back. Lots of choices with each entree, apps large enough to share and the "bowl" of bread pudding for dessert is a must have to share -- the two of us could not finish -- maybe 4 could. Drinks are large, prices low. So if you want to fill your belly with good food in a relaxed atmosphere, then you need to give Wahoo a try. Only complaint is they do not take reservations ... but do take call ahead which is a must because they are busy every night.

Pros: Portions, Great Tastes, Large desserts

Cons: No reservations

Posted 05/05/06

We've been dining at Wahoo for over a year now and the place just keeps getting better and better. The service tends to be either very good or excellent. The staff are friendly, kind, courteous and have a knack for remembering even occasional regulars. The wine list is adequate and the Martini menu will be sufficient for most patrons. When the weather is nice, the backyard garden-patio area provides a beautiful and romantic setting for a candlelight dinner. Last but not least, the menu is very reasonably priced for the service and food. Highly recommended.

Posted 05/02/06

We had a group of eight, two of which were children. We had a great time. The staff was very accommodating and the food was excellent. Can't wait to go back!

Posted 02/06/06

I have had dinner here on several occasions and the food, service and atmosphere were just perfect! The Sunday brunch is amazing. My out of town guests enjoy Wahoo! as well.

Pros: Food, Atmosphere, service

Posted 02/06/06

I've been there twice. The first time was for dinner and the food was average, service was acceptable and atmosphere was pleasant. Parking was kind of a pain, but that wasn't too big of a deal. Everything was acceptable at Wahoo, but nothing stood out. We came back for Sunday Brunch and found that they were very accomodating and had a great brunch menu. If you live in Decatur, try it out.

Pros: value, service

Cons: parking

Posted 01/24/06

I was excited to try Wahoo, unfortunately, my excitement was met with complete disappointment. I had a party of 4 and, therefore, could not make a reservation but was informed that theres call ahead seating. The night of, I called ahead and placed my name on the 40 minute wait. When I arrived at Wahoo within 35 minutes, the hostess informed me the wait was going to be another 30-40 minutes. The wait ended up being 55 more minutes - a total of 85 minutes!! She had no regrets for the fact that she could not do her job and accurately give a wait time. After placing our food and drink order we were then informed that they had no cold glasses for our beer and no more mashed potatoes which seem to be a side on almost every entree. All in all, a horrible experience with horrible customer service.

Posted 01/16/06

We never made it to a table. They do not manage the traffic flow, reservations or the turning of tables well. We called for reservations and they have a DOUBLE time system, which means you call 30 minutes before your arrival, and then you are put behind those already arrived. We saw people that came in late being sat before us.

Quaint - yes if you like parking in a mud hole on train tracks, dirty flowers and greasy chandeliers. Located in a very odd area of Decatur, it seems to have gained alot of popularity by locals that frequent the bar, situated in the middle of a very small space, after work.

Folks - if you have time to sit and wait in a restaurant that has no waiting room with others equally frustrated or leaving empty stomached - this is your place.

Cons: Location , Parking, Seating

Posted 01/12/06

I was introduced to Wahoo back in September when a friend took a few of us there a couple of days before my sisters wedding. We sat outside on the enclosed patio and it was wonderful! The quesadillas.... incredible! They were not your typical quesadillas which is probably what made them so delicious! Unfortuanately my entree wasn't as remarkable. I had the halibut and it was NOT fresh! We were one of the last customers that night and I really had already enjoyed the appetizers and wine, so I decided not to make it an issue. I moved on to desert and ordered the, if I'm not mistaken, blackberry cobbler. It was very good and made up for the bad halibut! Overall we enjoyed ourselves. I plan on going back for Sunday brunch in hopes that it will be so good I will COMPLETELY forget about that horrible halibut!

Pros: patio, service

Posted 01/04/06

Brunch buffet was delicious and an incredible value at $15.

Only complaint was how close together the tables against the wall are. But with a small place, how else would be able to get everyone in the door? So it's a minor complaint.

I highly recommend this place.

Pros: value, food

Cons: proximity of tables

Posted 12/18/05

We went to this restaurant for a business gathering with low expectations (look at the name!), but it was GREAT! The mussels were REALLY good (an AMAZING sauce), the tomato soup was wonderful, and the chicken dish that my husband and I shared was simple but perfect. The atmosphere is great for business, pleasure, or a date! Our only disappointment was the bread pudding. It tasted like a doughnut with sugary glaze. Other than that, highly recommended!

Pros: Great Food, Great Service, Nice Patio

Cons: Limited Parking

Posted 10/27/05