36 Best Seafood Restaurants near Rancho Santa Margarita

“A Delightful Lunch at Spikes: Fresh Flavors and Relaxing Ambiance
After a morning of shopping at Lowe's, I popped into Spikes for lunch, and it was the perfect respite. I opted for the blackened salmon with a kale salad and brown rice, accompanied by a refreshing regular iced tea.
The blackened salmon was cooked exactly to my liking – perfectly flaky and flavorful. What truly elevated the dish was the pesto sauce, which offered a delightful savory dip for the fish. The kale salad was a vibrant mix of fresh ingredients, bursting with the sweetness of cranberries, the crispness of red peppers, delicate carrot shavings, the nutty chew of quinoa, and a good crunch from the cabbage. Even the brown rice was notably fresh and well-prepared.
Beyond the excellent food, Spikes offers a wonderfully clean and comfortable seating area with a truly peaceful ambiance. It was the ideal spot to relax and recharge. Sandwich style salmon with kale salad is the other entree offered here. Fresh thin bun surprisingly tastes excellent too.
I'll definitely be back to Spikes! It's a fantastic option for a fresh, satisfying meal in a calm setting.“

“Very awesome place!!! I visited all of sudden with curiosity to try poke. The ingredients were variable and so fresh and tasty!! The services were awesome with good pay attention.I strongly recommend this place !!! Please try this yummy food!!!“

“Went here for lunch, (they have amazing lunch specials on weekdays) and got my food quickly. Highly recommend trying this on your lunch break or whenever you get a chance. Food is high quality with great taste. Definitely going to be a regular here now!“

“We love poke bowls!!! Just had it for dinner last night. Love the addition of the combo to the menu. Service is always great!“

“I really really wanted to give it five stars. I loved the vibe and most importantly how fresh the seafood was. The way the food was prepared shows that they take pride in doing their job. Our order had octopus and shrimp ceviche, which was full of juicy pieces of each generously served. We also asked if they served chips and guacamole, not on the menu but they happily and quickly made it and served with blue corn chips. For entree, my husband got Baja fish taco and I had spicy octopus and shrimp taco. The tacos were so well stuffed it was impossible to pick them up to eat. Our cup runneth over! LOL trust me, you don't need to order more than one taco. The portions are so generous, and the seafood is fresh and high quality. Service was friendly and speedy. Great people, great little business, I truly recommend everyone go support them. The only thing I take points off is the Baja fish taco was flavorless according to my husband. I didn't try it, but he really didn't like it. My food was excellent minus being over seasoned with salt and proportion of tortilla to meat. But all in all, good restaurant, should try.“

“The staff here is excellent!!!! These guys are always running around doing their best to serve people. I FORGOT you okay it the front so bring cash for a tip. I felt I didnt5 leave as much as I sgould have, I'm sorry. Really awesome and welcoming. Haven't been here since I was a kid. Totally fun for the nostaliga love. The salad bar was awesome, glad to see it open again. Good prices for everything as well. Life you get tons of healthy options here! They still have the cheese toast! That was my treat with the salad. The food is good and simple. Perfect spot for picky eaters, I saw plenty of kids getting food and actually eating it.“

“Great service, great food!!👏“

“So many good things. Soba noodle salad. yum! My favorite is the healthy fish and chips. The cajun whitefish was unbelievable! Everything is that I’ve had there.“

“I really enjoyed my catfish meal. But the service here is awesome. Everyone was super helpful, friendly and service oriented. Chris even helped me with the kiosk when I had some difficulty. I will come again!!! Oops forgot to take photos. I was enjoying the meal too much.“

“Food was delicious, especially the Chilean seabass. Service was fast and friendly. Lost my wallet. Went back and the manager Brian Dogotch had it saved for me. Thanks for a great experience!“

“Very good stuff! Being picky and in the same type of business, it's difficult to find. Great job guys. will be back next time I'm in town“

“Wonderful food and great service!“

“Had a wonderful evening out with my wife at Ironwood Cellars in Laguna Hills. We had reservations for 5:30 p.m. and arrived early. We were greeted by Joe, the manager on duty, who was very kind, professional, and welcoming. Art was our server and is amazingly gifted in customer service professionalism and overall people skills. Yes, showing the love. We started with tequilla drinks from the bar, and we each had a wedge salad. Joe sent us over a wonderful Agnolotti appetizer as well, which was more than kind. The ambiance was positive and upbeat, perfect for the evening. Sergio was also quite attentive in making sure our table was serviced properly. We ordered our entrees with my wife having the halibut dinner, and I had the famous giant meatball dish. Both meals were hot & tasty and presented well. We had a terrific time, and Art surprised us with a complimentary dessert 🍨 with berries. The restaurant is so nice and offers an outdoor patio and bar seating as well. The wine list is extensive, as are the craft beers. Highly recommended.“

“We had a beautiful meal and noise level has gone way down due to new elements on ceiling. The service was impeccable. Attentive but didn't rush us. I tried the spinach salad with added shrimp for first time as wanted something lighter. It was amazing with warm vinegar dressing. The salmon special was also excellent. Without asking our waiter brought out a tiramisu to share as noticed we were celebrating a birthday. This was probably the best tiramisu I've ever had including those in Italy!“

“This is my 4th time coming here. Their food is sooo good 😊
Every I came here, I wrote a review but they seemed to have disappeared so I’m writing a new one. I ordered the chicken biryani because my server Amid recommended it. Amid was very courteous and attentive. If you like Indian food, this is one of the best 😋“

“Tasty, delicious food every time. They are consistent. I especially like their house salad with ranch dressing, free pizza bread, garlic bread, chicken parmigiana pasta with meat sauce. These are my faves here. I love their pizza too.“

“Went here for a quick lunch w a friend. In a very unassuming strip mall with plenty of parking (albeit narrow spots). They have loads of tables and chairs inside and a small patio area. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you in no time.

My friend got the ceviche which comes with a small basket of chips. It felt like it was missing something.... Salt? Lime? Citrus? All of the above?

I got a fish burrito bowl w blackened fish. This style was SO good. Spicy and fresh. The bowl was a little heavy on the rice. I definitely could have gone for more beans and way more lettuce but it wasn't bad.

They have a full salsa bar with really fresh pico and some spicy options which I really appreciated plus super juicy limes. It was awesome.

Would absolutely go back!!“

“Great vibes and crew. Food has great variety (large or small portions) and service is quick and efficient. I bring friends and family days and nights when we want frssh Italian meals away from home.“

“I like Nono's Affordable Mexican food, and a front patio to also eat at. I like there enchiladas, tostados, tacos.“

“Very authentic! If you want The taste of authentic Greek food...highly recommended! Don't forget the Greek beer! Ya Mas!“

“The best service ever. Delicious food. 💯 recommend“

“Best fish tacos I've had in the inland empire. Place is always crowded but the get your order quickly and your food out fast. They have 3 ways to order your fish taco, blackened and ensenada style are my favorite. Definitely the best white rice ever. So much flavor! Lots of toppings and salsa to choose from in their help yourself condiments bar.
Having their pico de gallo is a must. I eat that stuff with a fork! So good.
They do offer other Mexican food if you're not into fish.
Enchiladas, tacos carne asada and such. You choose the type of beans that you want both are incredibly good I usually go with the black beans with my fish tacos but the pinto beans are amazing too. The presentation of the food looks extremely nice too I wish I took a picture.
They waste no time in cleaning up your table the second you're out the door for more people to sit down.
The place is clean, loud, and has a great atmosphere with many big screen TVS. They serve different types of beer and all you can drink sodas.

Parking: There's only a couple of spots in front of the restaurant but plenty on the side and more in the back. Parking is never an issue and there are two ways to enter in case you park in the back North side .

Kid-friendliness: This place is for everybody some people bring their whole family a lot of times it's just couples. Fire departments are there all the time and police officers are there all the time it's the place to go.“

“Always enjoy eating here, been a customer for 18+ years. For us it is worth the hour drive.“

“Always a good time at Wahoo's! Food is great, and is very healthy for a Mexican option. I always get a combo plate with a taco and an enchilada. Service is always good too.

Parking: Lunch time might be harder to find parking but never impossible.“

“Very good food. Many choices on menu. Downside is they are very hard to get on phone. Also the hours they have posted online, even on this page, show “OPEN” Sunday, when we found out the hard way they are indeed NOT open. Please change your online presence to state correct days/hours. Including Yelp. This would be very helpful. Other than that, I give it “2 Thumbs up”.“

“Absolutely obsessed with this place. They have a great Baja fish bowls there. Cajun seasoning is fantastic and their salsa a second to none. The staff is always super friendly in the atmosphere is great it’s never too loud and the food is always delivered to our tables quickly and the presentation style is beautiful. Love them.“

“Love this place. I’m surprised I haven’t reviewed it as I’ve been probably 60 times since I found it! I will say here and there sometimes it is inconsistent with the amount of sauce you get based on who is serving you, but otherwise the team is always really friendly and super quick!!!

The fish/ingredients are always fresh and flavorful.

So they earn all five stars.“

“Great value to flavor ratio. We visited on a busy Saturday evening and service was a little spotty, but the food more than made up for it. We were first given some housemade naan with butter. From the dining hall you could see a staff rolling out the naan dough and placing them in an oven, so I was excited to try it. The naan was sweet and fresh, my own qualm is that when it cooled it became stiff very easily, and would have preferred a house special dipping sauce over the butter.

The portions are huge, so we ordered one appetizer and one entree which was the perfect amount for two people. This restaurant has really gotten the texture of meat right; both dishes stood out for the tenderness of the protein. The koobideh was juice and soft, and the lamb neck was completely fall off the bone. The appetizer had a great smoky flavor, and the heaven stew had a rich tomato base. I think one area of improvement for me might be the diversity of spices; the eggplant was a good dipping sauce but had a slightly too overpowering garlic flavor and the pepper and tomato could be flavored with condiments other than salt to add layers, and I would have preferred the stew to have a slightly thicker consistency to condense the flavor.“

“Great service!!! Keep up the good work“

“they go out there way to deliver a beautiful curry, Rice nan, onion bahgee everything beautiful as always..10 out of 10 for everything...Col Carno“

“If you want a high quality taco or burrito you MUST try this place. Taco Tuesday saves $1 on most their selection. Grilled fish, surf n turf, carnitas and shrimp are all my families favorites. They even have some interesting seafood tacos no other place will have in their menu. Check them out once and you will be happy to habe found your new taco spot!“

“buen ambiente familiar me encanta saludos sra aide“

“Our first time at a Wahoo's.
We were greeted by a nice gentleman named Freddy who helped translate the menu in spanish for my parents and explained everything throughly. The food was really fresh and his service was top notch! Thank you cooks and Freddy, my picky parents left very happy! ?“

“always fresh delicious friendly staff.All you can eat Monday and Tuesday 👍“

“The new Smoky Oaxacan Shrimp 🍤 Bowl 🍲 is one their best creations. How can you beat rice and beans, Shrimp, guacamole, tortilla strips, and chipotle sauce. Probably a lot of sodium so you may want to get it to go and save some for later.“