Dining Advice, Tips, Recommendations, and News
PrintBest Fish Tacos in San Diego
In December, we brought you a Serious Eats Fish Taco crawl, but played special favoritism to Orange County. Commenters squealed when San Diego got no love. Herewith, a second chapter of the crawl, focusing on the San Diego county. This one especially goes out to observant Catholics, looking for more than just the local parish's fish fry on tomorrow's last Lenten Friday.
Mariscos German
Address: 2802 Ocean View Blvd, San Diego, CA
Phone: (619) 239-3782
It's got nothing to do with kraut, wurst or the Deutschland whatsoever, so don't be fooled by the title. Instead, the taco shop serves up exotic alternatives to the normal mahi-mahi fillings like octopus with grilled onions (the Pulpo Mexican taco), garlicky shrimp (the Gobenador taco) or smoked marlin.
Blue Water Grill
Address: 3667 India Street, San Diego, CA
Phone: (619) 497-0914
Walk up to the counter and order (the usual fish taco routine) then wait for huge portions thrown into plastic baskets. Fish here is notoriously fresh. So much, you can see just-caught slabs still sitting on ice.
Bringantine Seafood Restaurant
Address: 9350 Fuerte Dr, La Mesa, CA
Phone: (619) 465-1935
Website: http://www.brigantine.com/index.html
A sit-down alternative to the informal street food staple. Some take issue with the white tablecloths and "fancier" vibe (relatively speaking) but hey, you can still wear flip-flops, so calm down.
El Zarape
Address: 4642 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA
Phone: (619) 692-1652
Hard to beat 99-cent fish tacos, and harder to beat avocado salsa. Fat Packers should try the fish burritos.
South Beach Bar and Grille
Address: 5059 Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach, CA
Phone: (619) 226-4577
Website: http://www.southbeachob.com/
Thanks to a tip from a Serious Eater on this one! They serve flour instead of the usual corn tortilla, piled high with red cabbage, salsa fresca and your choice of mahi, wahoo or shrimp.
Rubio's
Address: Mulitple locations, check here.
Website: http://www.rubios.com/
Love or hate this fish taco-pioneering chain, it still gets the job done when times are desperate.
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10 Comments:
I saw South Beach Bar and Grille featured on a FN special hosted by Alton Brown. Since then, I've been hoping to go during my spring break while I'm back on San Diego. I should really get on that before I have to fly back to Boston.
El Zarape and Blue Water Grill also look enticing.
Rubio's is certainly not bad. It's not necessarily great either.
wunami at 6:13PM on 03/20/08
As a former San Diegan, I'm glad to find my old neighborhood hangout, El Zarape, make it onto the Serious Eats recommendation list. The review, however, doesn't do it justice. The fish tacos are good, but the real draw is the scallop burrito. I'm not supposed to admit to eating scallops (they're on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's seafood watch list), but the scallop burritos at Zarape are well worth the shame.
Also, what about a fish taco review devoted to Baja California?
paselkin at 7:14PM on 03/20/08
The fish tacos at South Beach Bar are amazing. On Alton Brown's special, they made the place look a little more glamorous than it really is. It's mostly a dive, but delicious nonetheless.
sharsd at 7:36PM on 03/20/08
I thought Fish Tacos sounded terrible until I ate one. Now, I dream about them at night.
eatorama at 11:12PM on 03/20/08
I love fish tacos. tremendously. one of my favorite foods hands down. I first had them when I moved to san diego 10 years ago and I've craved them ever since.
that being said, I think the lists for both san diego and orange county are a bit off base. I lived in SD for 5 years and have now been in OC for 5 years and I've been around when it comes to good fish tacos.
I'm sorry to offend the health-conscious, but authentic and wonderful fish tacos should NOT be grilled. and more often than not, the best ones come from hole-in-the-wall joints. by far. seek them out and you shall be rewarded.
for me, the best fish taco I have ever had is right here in orange county and, even better, about a half mile from my house. I didn't know they were there until about 6 months ago and I haven't gotten any others since.
links to this hole-in-the-wall, for anyone who lives near here:
Yelp
Monster Munching
and from the OC Register:
Los Cotijas' fish tacos are nothing more than thick corn tortillas draped around a small brick of golden battered white fish, a little shredded cabbage, a few tomatoes and a drizzle of sour cream. The fish is meaty and the coating crunchy; the tortillas are tender and perfumed with a subtle flavor of corn. It's everything a fish taco should be but rarely is. (Tenny Tatusian)
alosha7777 at 12:10AM on 03/21/08
My Mexican grandparents recently took my sister and I to a great seafood restaurant in Chula Vista (down in the South Bay area of San Diego; they live in nearby National City)-- Hector's. It's a little bit of a drive, but worth every bite. They have an extensive menu and everything here is delicious, including the crab tacos I had. From what I can see on this page, there's no love for the barrio...¿Por que?
Lorena at 12:57PM on 03/21/08
Being a San Diegan born and raised, and now transplanted a hundred miles or so north, I have still yet to find better fish tacos than in my hometown. Thank you so much for coming to your senses and making the trip south. For the party-goers, definitely try Taco-Tuesday's at Fred's in Pacific Beach. It might not be the best taco's, but the extensive tequila menu will definitely make up for that. Cheers!
jeremypb at 3:13PM on 03/21/08
I have to go to San Diego in a few of weeks for a conference and had not been looking forward to it, but you've given me a new lease on my trip, especially since I didn't do well in the fish taco department last time I was there. So many thanks, Erin!
emily20008 at 7:09PM on 03/21/08
I'm also a native San Diegan and love that you put together this list! I've been to El Zarape but I haven't tried their fish tacos yet. If you go, add some lobster dishes to your group's selection -- they're awesome!
FeedMe at 12:41PM on 03/22/08
To JeremyPB; 100 miles north of SD sounds like you are probably in L.A. I too am from San Diego, North County actually, and am now in L.A as well. You may already know about it, but if you are looking for fish tacos up here, try Tacos Baja Ensenada. IMO, better than anything SD had when I lived there. Might be worth a shot. A bit divey, but many swear by their cuisine.
http://www.tacosbaja.com/home.html
PommeDG at 2:24PM on 03/22/08