Wild Goose Tavern Wild Goose Tavern

Wild Goose Tavern Awards

Tasty food pairs with small-batch spirits at this Costa Mesa watering hole.
Openings: Lunch & Dinner daily, Brunch Sat.-Sun.

Features

Wild Goose Tavern, Costa Mesa, CA


Wild Goose Tavern Restaurant Review:


Unlike a lot of dank, dingy taverns that are scattered about Costa Mesa, this compact venue is clean and comfortable. It has plenty of unique character, as its wood-paneled walls are festooned with taxidermied items, Americana bric-a-brac, and other like pieces you might find in a hunting lodge. Wild Goose Tavern takes its libations seriously; the drinks menu consists of a wide array of single-barrel whiskeys and small-batch spirits, although the selection of beers on tap is surprisingly small. Some of them are used to create a cocktail program that leans toward traditional mixed drinks and shies away from more modern, brightly colored beverages. The brief menu consists of salads, burgers, sausages and bar snacks, and they are done rather well. The boundaries of what you may typically find in this type of establishment are stretched, as evidenced by the rabbit and pork meatball sub or the ahi burger with sautéed kale and spiced garlic aïoli. At brunch, you'll find an array of classic entrées along with playful, contemporary fare, like the arugula and tomato chutney-topped Walk of Shame burger.