18 of the best seafood tacos in L.A. from the 101 tacos guide
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L.A. has long been a hub for seafood specialties that trace their roots across Mexico. It should come as no surprise, then, that when L.A. Times Food compiled our guide to the 101 best tacos in L.A., dozens of excellent mariscos options emerged on that list.
Now in its second generation of ownership, Coni’Seafood has proven a consistent favorite for Nayarit-style seafood staples, with locations in Inglewood and West L.A. In Boyle Heights, Raul Ortega’s Mariscos Jalisco, The Times’ 2024 Gold Award recipient, launched a new generation of street-food vendors when it unveiled its signature tacos dorados de camarones in 2002. At Mercado La Paloma in Historic South-Central, Gilberto Cetina’s Holbox, The Times’ 2023 Restaurant of the Year, has become a destination for tacos, ceviches and cocteles based on Mexico’s coastal cuisines. (And it just was awarded its first Michelin star.)
Get to know Los Angeles through the tacos that bring it to life. From restaurants to trucks to carts and more, here’s 101 of the city’s best.
And that’s just the beginning. From Baja California-inspired fried fish to al pastor-style octopus and cheesy gobernador tacos, here are 18 of the best seafood tacos to try in Los Angeles:
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(Betty Hallock / Los Angeles Times)
Fried fish taco at Playa Del Carmen
Pasadena Fish Dine In $
The Mexican seafood options in Pasadena are scant, so on a recent weekend afternoon, Playa Del Carmen is filled with diners ordering bounteous goblets of shrimp cocteles, platters of whole grilled fish and ceviche tostadas. But I’m here for the fish tacos, expertly fried by owner Mario Velasquez — who is a one-man operation with a menu of nearly 75 dishes last I counted. I place my order with him at the cash register, and then he disappears into the kitchen to grill, fry and plate the orders at hand.
“Seafood is easy to cook,” he says, “I just have to know the timing. But it’s a lot of work, it’s 24/7. I buy seafood every day, it has to be fresh. Plus I don’t have a lot of storage space anyway.” He tells me he seasons his tempura batter with paprika and cumin among other spices and the fish fillets are battered and fried to order. “The temperature has to be right to make it really good,” he says. “If it’s too high the fish won’t cook, too low and it’s not going to be crispy.” His fish comes out of the fryer hot and crispy and light and airy — simultaneously puffy and crackly-crunchy — piled with shredded cabbage and topped with crema and pico de gallo that’s extra lime-y.
“Seafood is easy to cook,” he says, “I just have to know the timing. But it’s a lot of work, it’s 24/7. I buy seafood every day, it has to be fresh. Plus I don’t have a lot of storage space anyway.” He tells me he seasons his tempura batter with paprika and cumin among other spices and the fish fillets are battered and fried to order. “The temperature has to be right to make it really good,” he says. “If it’s too high the fish won’t cook, too low and it’s not going to be crispy.” His fish comes out of the fryer hot and crispy and light and airy — simultaneously puffy and crackly-crunchy — piled with shredded cabbage and topped with crema and pico de gallo that’s extra lime-y.
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(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
World-famous shrimp taco at Taco Nazo
South El Monte Shrimp Dine In $
It may be a hot take, but I prefer the shrimp tacos at Taco Nazo to the fried fish. I can’t confirm that the shrimp taco is actually world-famous. The restaurant’s fish taco boasts the same claim in its name. But I can tell you that the fried shrimp taco is the finest I’ve had outside of Ensenada. The shrimp are plump and jumbo in size, encased in a fried batter that’s light, crisp and fractures on contact. I’d happily eat a bowl of the shrimp on its own. They pile enough shrimp on the corn tortillas to create a mound, then dress it with shredded cabbage, chopped onion, tomato and cilantro. Each taco gets a generous squirt of the signature sauce, a thick crema with herbs and seasonings that reminds me of a tangy ranch dressing. If you get through this blurb and you think you’re still partial to the fish, order both.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Fish taco at Mariscos El Faro
Highland Park Fish Food Truck $
The blue-and-white food truck is a beacon. Mariscos El Faro is a long-running destination for Sinaloa-style seafood that can draw lines down the sidewalk and find customers gathering in the neighboring park. They huddle over to-go plates of tostadas piled with chilled lobina (sea bass) or empanadas served piping fresh and stuffed with chopped shrimp. While there are plenty of colorful signatures such as campechanas, botanas and aguachiles, the more humble fish tacos are just as enticing. Order them freshly beer-battered by hand, the crispy encasement well seasoned and light as air, or fried without batter, as owner-operator Ana Ibanez used to eat it as a child in Mazatlán. True to how her mother prepared it, Ibanez’s sea bass is coated in a citrusy marinade flecked with black pepper. Both versions are served in thin, soft but surprisingly sturdy corn tortillas along with cabbage, pico de gallo and crema, making for a bright, light, tangy taco.
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(Andrea D’Agosto / For The Times)
Poseidon taco at Evil Cooks
El Sereno Octopus Puesto $
Since 2018, the Eastside taqueria from Alex Garcia and Elvia Huerta has been bringing the rebellious attitude of metal music to modern L.A. Mexican cuisine. The pair first went viral for their McSatan taco, which transforms the classic American cheeseburger: The patty is smashed in a tortilla press and topped with American cheese, bacon, caramelized onions and creamy guacamole on a house-made corn tortilla that’s griddled with mozzarella cheese. Everything from pork to octopus, ice cream and lengua can get stacked on the trompo and shaved directly into tortillas, but the Poseidon is a favorite. Curling octopus tentacles are coated in the signature recado negro blend and stacked on the vertical spit with a pineapple and a white onion speared at either end. The taco is served with salsa quemada, pickled onions, cilantro, guacamole and pineapple and hits every note of spicy, sweet and earthy with a pleasant chew thanks to the slight char. The black pastor and asada tacos are almost equally delicious, or you can embrace the dark side with the Asesino that mixes octopus and pork pastor in a single taco. Evil Cooks also pops up at Smorgasburg L.A. every Sunday.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Marlin taco at Mariscos El Camaron Pelado
Lincoln Heights Fish Dine In $
This mariscos restaurant has been a mainstay for nearly a decade in Lincoln Heights, and while it’s known for its micheladas rimmed with shrimp and cucumber, its tacos are top notch. The marlin taco sandwiches the meaty fish between layers of mozzarella, which oozes out of the griddled, just-blistered corn tortilla in large bubbles, resulting in a perfect crunchy-chewy dynamic in each bite. A sauté of tomatoes, onions, cilantro and garlic is reduced to a potent, textural sauce that keeps the taco moist and messy, juice and oil running down your fingers and hands. Don’t let a flavorful drop go to waste.
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(Andrea D’Agosto / For The Times)
Tacos dorados de camarón at Mariscos Jalisco
Boyle Heights Shrimp Food Truck $
For 22 years, Raul Ortega has been parking his shiny lonchera on Olympic Boulevard, serving what has become one of the city’s canonic dishes. His tacos dorados de camarón ensnare a mixture of spiced, minced shrimp with the elegance of a Venus flytrap. The edges of the tortillas sizzle and crisp in the fryer, while the filling cooks to improbable creaminess. Be careful: The first bite is usually lava-hot, even with the cooling relief of sliced avocado and thin red salsa flooding the surface. Reaching ideal temperature, the range of textures races so fast over the palate that it’s hard for the brain to keep up. I’ve long believed Ortega’s masterpiece is a worthy first-ever meal in Los Angeles. He operates three additional outposts, including a counter restaurant in Pomona and a lonchera on the Westside. If none of them quite reaches the zeniths of the Boyle Heights truck, it still might be the most incredible seafood taco you’ve ever had, and a fast-track pass into the city’s culinary identity.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Poseido at Mariscos 4 Vientos
Boyle Heights Shrimp Food Truck $
What’s better than an order of crisp-shelled, piping hot shrimp tacos dorados? At Mariscos 4 Vientos, the answer is simple: the Poseido, or the fried shrimp taco piled with a small mountain of aguachile rojo. The local family empire that began in 1989 is now overseen by its founder’s son, Erik Luevanos, and encompasses two Boyle Heights restaurants and one downtown, plus a food truck. While highlights include a rich, gooey smoked-marlin taco, seafood tostadas piled to the heavens and a gobernador laced with seared jalapeños, the fried shrimp tacos at this Jalisco-style mariscos shop are fan favorites and some of the oldest in L.A. Level them up by ordering the Poseido, which tops the classic fried shrimp-and-potato taco with sliced avocado and a hearty portion of meaty octopus, plump shrimp, cucumber and red onion all sauced in a creeping, potent heat. The juxtaposition of fresh-from-the-fryer hot tacos and bracingly cold aguachile rojo makes for a memorable, satisfying bite.
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(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
Fried fish taco at Tacos Baja
East Los Angeles Fish Dine In $
Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” creeps into my head whenever I pull into the parking lot of Tacos Baja in East Los Angeles. “Simply the best” is the restaurant slogan, featured at all three locations, on the social media accounts and written on all the signage. The restaurant is known for its excellent Ensenada-style fish and shrimp tacos, both battered in a tempura-like coating or grilled. The fried fish is the one I use to measure against all other Ensenada-style fish tacos. The filet of sea bass is plump and meaty with a thin, golden fried batter that supplies crunch but does not overpower the fish. There’s a heap of shredded cabbage, chunky pico de gallo and a drizzle of crema that work together to cool the hot fish and temper the heat of the salsa. The two corn tortillas are just strong enough to hold it all in without too much spillage. You’re simply the best, better than all the rest.
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(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Lobster taco at Del Mar Ostioneria
Mid-Wilshire Lobster Food Truck $$
Housed in a La Brea strip mall with a wedding chapel, this mariscos-themed truck was opened in early 2023 by partners Roberto Pérez, whose father owns the parking lot, and Francisco Leal, a chef who grew up in coastal Sinaloa and once ran his own sushi restaurant in Baja California Sur. The truck with a focus on high-quality mariscos tinged with Japanese influence is also home to the best lobster taco you’ll find in the whole of Los Angeles. The taco comes on a thick blue corn tortilla with griddled queso, a generous portion of lobster that’s guaranteed to spill, thick slices of avocado, strands of crispy leeks and a house chipotle sauce drizzled on top. It’s a majestic and indulgent taco with buttery meat and an operatic range of textures and flavors. You’ll also find Kumamoto oysters and a selection of sashimi topped with house ponzu and yuzu sauces, plus aguachiles and ceviches. But the crispy octopus with a spicy tamarind sauce, Baja fish with breaded halibut and decadent filet mignon taco with pistachio sauce prove nearly as delicious as the lobster taco. My advice is to invite at least one friend. As you watch other customers retrieve their orders from the window, your hungry eyes will no doubt place orders that your stomach alone can’t cash, so you might as well share.
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(Andrea D’Agosto / For The Times)
Fish flauta at Ditroit
Downtown L.A. Mexican $
Enrique Olvera’s restaurant group, Casamata, opened its outdoor taqueria in the alley behind Arts District jewel Damian in December 2020. Since practically its first week, the fan-favorite at Ditroit has been the fish flauta. The fish in the filling can change (it’s often swordfish), but the setup is consistent: A tortilla rolled into a thin, extra-long cylinder sizzles in the fryer to thorough crispness, arriving at the table dressed with crema, punchy salsa verde, cabbage slaw and a sprinkling of queso fresco. It’s wonderful. Beyond the flauta, Ditroit could use an infusion of energy. The quality of the other meats — usually suadero and carnitas — lean dry, and L.A. is too competitive a field for consistent disappointments. Happily, the flauta (or two if you’re really hungry) rates as a complete meal on its own, paired with cucumber-yuzu agua fresca perfumed with palo santo.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Gringo taco at La Tostaderia
Downtown L.A. Seafood Dine In $
Don’t let the name fool you: There’s much more to love beyond the tostadas at this mariscos stall in Grand Central Market. Tacos, ceviches, aguachiles and daily specials abound at the space from chef-restaurateur Fernando Villagomez, who also founded nearby booths Villa Moreliana and La Frutería. To find his bright and tangy spin on seafood in multiple forms, look for the neon mermaid sign within the historic food hall. For many, the words “gringo taco” likely conjure hard-shell tacos stuffed with ground beef, shredded lettuce and ribbons of cheddar cheese. At La Tostaderia, the gringo taco takes an almost gobernador-like form, with not only shrimp but meaty chunks of octopus blanketed by Oaxacan cheese. The seafood and cheese are seared on the plancha and served gooey with crisp edges in a soft corn tortilla, hidden under a mountain of shredded radish, pops of Fresno chiles and green onion, and a squiggle of sweet-spicy chipotle aioli. Hot, crunchy, cool, chewy, cheesy, refreshing — this taco’s got it all. But if you’d rather sample Villagomez’s mariscos, La Tostaderia also offers a mini-taco sampler of six varieties.
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(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Fish al pastor at Simón
Silver Lake Fish Food Truck $
As a taquero, Francisco Aguilar leans modernist. From the admiral-blue mariscos truck he parks at Sunset Triangle Plaza in Silver Lake, he often re-conceptualizes classic combinations. See, for example, his take on al pastor, subbing fish (often tilapia, but the selection can vary) for pork over a handmade tortilla and incorporating classic elements: the ruddy stain of achiote, a slice of charred pineapple alongside, a slick of guacamole to smooth textures and unite flavors. The taco also departs from tradition. Onions appear two ways — fried for crunch and caramelized with soy sauce for umami. Cilantro, as on most of Aguilar’s tacos, appears as fronds with soft, small leaves or tiny white buds. Beyond tacos, Simón’s menu also runs through a concise list of ceviches, seafood cocktails and aguachiles. The sauce for an aguachile negro is particularly vivid, made by charring tomatillos until they’re blackened and then pureeing them unpeeled with ice and Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, habanero and garlic. Its pungency happens to pair very well with a couple of Aguilar’s al pastor tacos.
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(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Tacos de marlin at Coni’Seafood
Inglewood Fish Dine In $$
Conversations around the universally loved Inglewood mariscos restaurant tend to begin with pescado zarandeado, the Nayarit specialty of róbalo (also known as snook) that’s splayed, brushed with a mixture of mayonnaise, spices and sauces, and then grilled in a wire basket to improbable delicacy. It’s an essential dish. But on the subject of tacos, I will bypass the menu’s fried fish and the excellent tacos al gobernador, all snap and crunch, to most recommend the tacos de marlin. Tomatoes and onion balance flaky smoked marlin, already powerful in flavor, in a dense stew that stays put in flour tortillas lined with cheese. On the griddle, the contrasts sharpen: crisper, brighter, meltier. It tastes at once of fire and sea. It’s also fantastically consistent, thanks to the watchful eye of owner Connie Cossio, who took over early last decade from her father, Vicente “Chente” Cossio.
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(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
Fish taco at Tigre’s Fuego
Redondo Beach Fish Dine In $
In my mind, the debates over the status of the Baja California-style fish taco in Los Angeles might come down to simple geography. Fish tacos just taste better, truer, the closer you are to the shore. This unscientific theory springs to mind when tasting the fish taco at Tigre’s Fuego, a casual storefront taquería with a counter and a few stools. Well-known to coastal locals, this spot is a beacon for taco excellence for the beach cities of the South Bay.
Chef Jimmy Tapia, a Culver City native, and the restaurateurs behind Baran’s 2239 offer a short menu of tacos, burritos and ceviches; fans are especially fond of Fuego’s Peruvian-style ceviche and the weekends-only breakfast burrito. I’ve enjoyed the carne asada taco on flour, topped with frijoles de la olla. Then, despite my honor as a border native, I ventured to try the fish taco. It works. Beer-battered cod in a soft corn tortilla is adorned with the standards of pico de gallo and cabbage, crema and a “fuego sauce.” The taco achieves that laidback Rosarito Beach feeling but with that unspecific Alta Californian confidence. I guess it helps that the sands of Redondo are just around the corner.
Chef Jimmy Tapia, a Culver City native, and the restaurateurs behind Baran’s 2239 offer a short menu of tacos, burritos and ceviches; fans are especially fond of Fuego’s Peruvian-style ceviche and the weekends-only breakfast burrito. I’ve enjoyed the carne asada taco on flour, topped with frijoles de la olla. Then, despite my honor as a border native, I ventured to try the fish taco. It works. Beer-battered cod in a soft corn tortilla is adorned with the standards of pico de gallo and cabbage, crema and a “fuego sauce.” The taco achieves that laidback Rosarito Beach feeling but with that unspecific Alta Californian confidence. I guess it helps that the sands of Redondo are just around the corner.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Media luna at Bee Taqueria
West Adams Seafood Dine In $
Find chef-owner Alex Carrasco’s vibrant taqueria shrouded in a verdant patio space on a nondescript corner in rapidly changing West Adams, with his taco-focused omakase held just next door. When ordering at the window, it’s tempting to make your own multicourse taco feast. Blue corn tortillas are stuffed with near-caramelized roasted mushrooms, slow-braised pork, tinga-style shredded beets or tender skirt steak, but at least one media luna taco is a must. Shrimp and scallops are encased in a fried yellow corn tortilla with a generous stripe of morita aioli on top and a shrimp consomé served on the side for dipping. The mariscos are bright and citrusy, the shell adds crunch and the aioli lends a muted spiciness to the bite. The warm consomé adds depth, slightly softening each bite with brine and earthiness. It’s unlikely that just one media luna will suffice.
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(Andrea D’Agosto / For The Times)
Smoked kanpachi taco at Holbox
Historic South-Central Fish Dine In $
In 2017, Gilberto Cetina opened Holbox, his colorful marisqueria counter angled stylishly near the entrance of the Mercado la Paloma in Historic South-Central. It has grown to become one of our city’s vital dining destinations, an ever-busy showcase for seafood prepared with exceptionally creative skill. Among ceviches, aguachiles and entrees like Gulf of Mexico octopus grilled over mesquite, the menu usually includes half a dozen different tacos. They’re all excellent, constructed on fragrant yellow or blue corn tortillas made by longtime staffer Fatima Juarez; the smoked kanpachi taco is particularly inspired. Cetina and his team smoke the heads and collars of the fish over applewood, while simmering the separated meat with aromatics to create a deliciously mulchy and collagen-rich spread. The mixture gushes from its griddled tortilla, sealed with queso Chihuahua, garnished with salsa cruda and avocado and drizzled with the electric oil of peanut salsa macha. It’s more than you ever imagined in a seafood taco, a conduit equally for culinary pleasure and possibility.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Gobernador taco at Balam Mexican Kitchen
Lynwood Shrimp Dine In $
The only things more plentiful at Balam than the unique tacos on the menu are the inventive T-shirt designs that line the walls featuring the taqueria’s jaguar mascot. Owner Rosendo “Chendo” Jacquez worked in fashion before he opened the taco spot with the Mayan word for jaguar as its name, and he uses the same creative spirit for tacos as he does for his designs. At Balam, a hibiscus-infused slice of jicama could be a tortilla, and Korean-spiced asada goes inside a breakfast burrito. Of all the tacos, gobernador is the standout. The taco usually associated with Sinaloa combines shrimp and cheese for a folded snack that fuses the best parts of a taco and quesadilla. Besides plump bits of shrimp, Balam’s version includes a mix of diced bell pepper, celery, tomato, onion, carrots and mozzarella, crisped up to perfection on the plancha.
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(Sarah Mosqueda / Los Angeles Times)
Baja fish taco at Fonda Moderna
Orange Fish Dine In $
Fonda Moderna has been an outpost for chef Danny Godinez’s casual taqueria inside Mess Hall, a Tustin food court, since 2019. The menu includes street tacos, guisados and vegan options, but it’s the Baja fish taco that keeps me coming back again and again. Hunks of sole are lightly battered and seasoned, resulting in a crispy jacket around the white fish. The fried fish is buried beneath lime-dressed cabbage, creamy chipotle aioli that isn’t overly smokey, mild roasted tomato salsa and minced cilantro; it’s all served in a warm house-made flour tortilla that is soft, toasty and thin enough to not be too filling. If the paleta cart is parked in front, don’t miss out on the strawberry con crema. The pink, red and white marbled pop substitutes a tart Greek yogurt for the traditional heavy cream for a palate-cleansing finish to a sampler platter of tacos.
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