Sharky’s Northridge – Feel Good About Eating!

I attended a media lunch sponsored by Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill. The visit was complimentary & I received a goodie bag as compensation for attending. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

I love Mexican food, but living in SoCal I know that not all places that serve Mexican food are created equal. Sure you’ve got your taco trucks, fast food chains, hole in the wall mom & pop places & sit down restaurants. Well what if I were to tell you that there is a fresh & modern, fast casual restaurant that serves Mexican cuisine that makes you “feel good about eating” – which incidentally is their tagline too. That place, my friends, is Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill.

From the moment you step into the restaurant, located in Northridge at the corner of Nordhoff & Reseda Blvd (within walking distance from Cal State Northridge – my alma mater), you just know that Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill is all about fresh food, buying local & sourcing natural & organic ingredients.

The Northridge restaurant took about one year to build & has been open for about 6 weeks. One unique feature at this Sharky’s location is the beautiful bar which serves craft beers, Sangria & kombucha. I can definitely see this as a local hangout for CSUN students & folks who want to swing by after work!

Just look at the fruit inside the Sangria containers! Also, who would have ever predicted that kombucha would be served at a bar of a Mexican restaurant? Kombucha sales have been steady & successful according to David Goldstein (Sharky’s COO), who presented at the media lunch that I attended.

There are plenty of other drink options for kids & those who prefer non-alcoholic drinks. Naturally there is soda & water, but I was pleasantly surprised to see there is organic milk & organic Honest Kids drinks too! Then there are the lemonades – holy cow! I could not get enough of the Watermelon Basil, but the Strawberry Cilantro was pretty good too. I didn’t get a chance to drink the Hibiscus Ginger Green Tea, but a fellow blogger friend of mine said that it was refreshing & not overly sweet. I personally like my iced teas unsweetened so that I can add my own level of sugar packets to it, so that’s just fine by me.

Ok, so how about the food? Everything tastes fresh, flavorful & tasty. You can never go wrong with their classic tacos, but my fave was the Harvest Quinoa Salad.

My other favorite was this Wild Salmon “lite” Burrito. It contains grilled wild salmon, nori seaweed, brown rice, avocado, cucumber & cabbage – all wrapped in a low-fat whole wheat tortilla. This baby can be found under their “Get It Naked” menu which contains items that are lower fat & lower calories. It may be “lite” but it doesn’t skimp on flavor!

My dining experience at Sharky’s in Northridge, from the food to the drinks to the ambience, was a hit! Speaking of ambience, the decor is modern with exposed wooden beams, natural light & cozy booths.

Check out the Sharky’s website for more information on Sharky’s Northridge or to find a restaurant located near you.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I attended a media lunch which helped facilitate this review, however I was under no obligation to blog about this visit. All images & opinions are 100% my own.