Shaka Taco Hampstead — Restaurant in North Carolina

Cute little place, relaxed, and casual. Everyone was friendly. The downside was the food - it was terrible. Hands down the worst tacos I’ve ever had in my life, unfortunately. The chicken was supposed to be chili lime and there was zero seasoning, not even salt. Bland, mushy chicken. Slaw was supposed to be chipotle and it tasted like nothing but watery mayonnaise. The pork taco was slightly better in flavor, but still lacking flavor in a major way. Barely any salt or seasoning. Corn tortillas were not heated, seared, or doubled, just plain and cold. The shrimp taco was somewhat decent cause the shrimp had seasoning on it but it still lacked flavor and left a lot to be desired. The queso was so odd tasting and very bland. The canned stuff from the grocery store is better. My mom and my kids all disliked it as well. It was truly not good at all. If a place can’t even season their food, they don’t need to be in the biz. Will not be back.

EDIT: And to respond to the owner- I have been in the food industry most of my life and managed a very busy restaurant in Wrightsville Beach. I understand food well. Your food was terrible and we were in a hurry to get somewhere on time and everyone was starving so we did not ask to remake. And it wasn’t that the food wasn’t “to a particular taste”, it wasn’t to menu standards or any standards. It was bad. Nothing was seasoned as it said it was other than the shrimp. You should ensure proper training of staff and ensure the people making your food aren’t doing you such a disservice. I stand by my statement that it was hands down the worst tacos I’ve ever had. And no, I will...

Updated review from 5 stars after last 2 visits. I took my family here 2 adults and 2 kids on this occasion. After ordering, I was blown away by the price, which was $65. We ordered 2 kids' tacos meals and 2 shrimp tacos as well as nachos. Also 4 cans of water which came to this amount. After looking at the receipt, I noticed they charged extra for beans on the tacos and charged incorrectly for the kids' tacos. They did correct the kids' meals, but price was still $45 for basically 4 tacos and some nachos. Other issues include whrn you order blackened shrimp. They almost never get it right. I brought it up to them, and they said it's just a seasoning they put on shrimp. Blackened shrimp is not just sprinkling seasoning on steamed shrimp. Last reason for the lower rating is the restrooms were filthy the last time we were there.

Best restaurant in Hampstead hands down. This is a hidden gem that really shines. The blackened shrimp tacos are awesome. I do recommend adding some black beans. The nachos are off the charts too. Also, I love their canned water, it tastes great and one less plastic bottle to go...

We have been here several times, and always enjoyed ourselves and the food. Today however, we ordered a chicken taco bowl and a shrimp taco bowl. The shrimp taco bowl was the same as it usually is, and had very good flavor. The chicken taco bowl now has large clumps of chicken (does not look appetizing), with almost no flavor. Previously, it was shredded, and tasty. The black beans that were part of the bowls were so salty they were nearly inedible. The slaw in the chicken bowl was also lacking any flavor, and I didn’t see much of the cheese that is advertised in this dish. We ordered chips and salsa- we used to love the salsa. It was decidedly different, and none of us enjoyed it - the chips were cold and stale. Even the $3 soda was flat! There on Sunday 7/20 at 2:15 - and it was so loud we could not hear ourselves talk. There was a musician playing, he was quite good, but between the music and people yelling, we almost wished we just sat outside in the hundred degree heat! A local favorite has become a no-go for us. So...