When it comes to determining who serves San Diego’s best fish tacos, everyone has an opinion on where they like best.
But no matter where you go for tacos in San Diego County, Pablo Baker, chef and owner of Fish Guts in Barrio Logan, said it’s being neighbors with Tijuana that gives local taco shops the edge over other cities.
“You have an influx of people not only who commute here (from Tijuana) every day to work, but also people who have (Mexican) roots who live here, so that all comes out in the cooking and the ingredients they bring,” Baker said. “One of the advantages is getting the produce (from Mexico), and the local produce is close to what Baja California kind of uses.”
Baker opened Fish Guts, located at 2222 Logan Ave., in 2023 with a small but mighty menu of tacos, including Baja California-style beer-battered fried fish; chipotle shrimp; moonfish with chile guajillo, achiote chili and pineapple; coconut-battered shrimp; and swordfish. Each order comes with two tacos for $12.
Baker said the restaurant sources fish from Tunaville Market and Grocery in Point Loma.
“We try to use local, sustainable fish to help the local fishermen here in San Diego,” Baker said.
Fish Guts does not have a freezer, so, because of the small, 600-square-foot space and its dependence on locally caught fish, this taco shop will sell out before regular closing time. And it is common to see long lines right when it opens at noon, Wednesdays through Sundays.
What also makes Fish Guts stand out is that all tacos are served on a soft and warm made-to-order corn tortilla. Baker said it’s one of the reasons he thinks Fish Guts is special.
“I might get in trouble for saying this, but to me, if your business model is to have the best tacos, I think you have to make your own handmade tortillas,” Baker said. “We get the masa locally and then we still kind of put our own spin on it.”
But Fish Guts isn’t the only place creating savory and spicy Mexico-inspired seafood tacos. Here are five other places to try fish tacos this summer.
Fish Guts’ De Coco is a coconut-battered Baja California-style shrimp taco with Mexican coleslaw, pico de gallo and chipotle aioli. (Carlos Rico / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Evaga Lounge: In North County, Evaga Lounge is offering seafood tacos with handmade corn tortillas in a small cantina. A go-to item is the $7 grilled fish taco with seasoned cod, topped off with a chipotle sauce, pico de gallo and cabbage. For those who like it hot, this family-owned restaurant also prepares an $8 spicy octopus taco with homemade hot sauce and a signature $7 spicy shrimp taco, which is tossed in “fuego sauce” and is wrapped with jack cheese, cabbage, chipotle sauce and pico de gallo. The cantina side of the restaurant includes a sit-down bar and serves signature cocktails such as hibiscus margaritas and a watermelon paloma. Locals can also order tequila, mezcal and Mexican beers. 1906 Oceanside Blvd., Oceanside. 760-547-5624, evagalounge.com
Kiko’s Place serves a battered fish taco with Mexican crema, chipotle sauce, pico de gallo and cabbage. (Carlos Rico / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Kiko’s Place: Those familiar with Mexican seafood know that Kiko’s Place is a delicious place to get mariscos. The $4.25 OG Fish Taco is a staple at this food truck. It’s served Baja California style with a deep-fried cod fish that is super crunchy on a freshly-made corn tortilla. This savory fish taco is topped with pico de gallo, cabbage, Mexican crema and a slightly spicy chipotle sauce. On Tuesdays, customers can get three OG Fish Tacos for $7.50. Kiko’s also dishes out a variety of other seafood tacos, including octopus, shrimp, smoked marlin and mahi mahi. The business has been in Mission Valley for several years and is now located off Morena Boulevard, about one block south of the Tecolote Road trolley stop. 1170 West Morena Blvd., San Diego. 619-623-0675, seafoodkikosplace.com
Quinero Restaurant’s fish taco is beer-battered with cabbage, pico de gallo, chipotle and lime aioli sauce on a flour tortilla. (Carlos Rico / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Quiero Restaurants: For a laidback outdoor spot overlooking the Pacific Ocean, there is Quiero Restaurant in Imperial Beach. One of the most popular items there is the fish taco. The chewy and salty cod fish is deep-fried in a beer batter. The fish strip takes up the entire hand-sized tortilla. The homemade warm flour tortilla is soft and holds the ingredients together nicely. The cabbage and pick de gallo add a good balance of freshness to the heavy fish. The chipotle and lime aioli give the taco a bit of spiciness. Tacos are 10% off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and for $15, diners can get two fish tacos and a pint of beer. The menu also features a crispy shrimp taco, which is a rolled taco with shrimp, bacon and cheese that is also wrapped in a flour tortilla with melted asadero cheese on top. Quiero Restaurant is located inside Mike Hess Brewing, so it’s the perfect spot for beer connoisseurs. 805 Ocean Lane, Imperial Beach. 619-621-5814, quierorestaurants.com
Seafood La 57: In Golden Hill, there is a food truck selling an array of seafood tacos, including the No. 1 seller, according to staff, the $3 fried beer-battered fish taco. It is filled with a plump and juicy cod fish and drenched with Mexican crema, pico de gallo and cabbage. The menu also features an abundance of seafood tacos such as shrimp, marlin, garlic octopus and spicy octopus. Plus on Tuesdays, fried fish tacos are $2.25 and two fried shrimp tacos are $7. Seafood La 57 is parked outside Golden Hill Liquor, with a small seating area. 2795 B St., San Diego. 619-530-6790, instagram.com/seafoodla57
TJ Oyster Bar: For almost 25 years, TJ Oyster Bar in Bonita has been a staple in the South Bay, serving customers with mouth-watering Baja California-style fish tacos and several other Mexican-style seafood dishes. The menu highlights a $3 fish taco, which is served either fried or grilled, with pico de gallo, cabbage and various salsas on the side. Another heavily requested item is the smoked tuna taco. The meat is diced and served on a corn tortilla with melted cheese, raw onion and cilantro. The smoked tuna taco is a beautiful combination of savory and salty. TJ Oyster Bar also serves a chipotle shrimp taco, octopus taco, stingray and oysters. 4246 Bonita Road, Bonita. 619-267-4577, tjoyster.com