Is it true San Diego has the best fish tacos?

36 comments

1. *Grabs popcorn*

2. Hahahahahahahaahahahah.

   No.

   Hahahahahahahahahhahaha.

   But in all seriousness, I think Tijuana does it significantly better, but reasonable people can disagree.

3. I always happily jump on the banter when San Diegans think they have the best Mexican food. I’ll give them this one, let’s say they have the best fish tacos in the US.

   And this is one where proximity to the border actually matters. They’re closer to Ensenada and San Felipe so can get fresh stuff conveniently, and also get that Baja California influence.

   We like our mariscos in LA and there’s some shops where the owner catches his stuff down in Baja, but San Diego is a couple hours closer. They can have this.

4. ‘best’ is subjective.

5. Mexican food taste is quite subjective… I haven’t been to San Diego so I can’t judge their tacos

6. San Diego isn’t really known for food (tho I hear the situation is improving) so I imagine there’s probably some place better

7. Nothing good comes out of this discourse.

   Sincerely, SD citizen

8. Best Mexican food in general

9. [deleted]

10. In the US, they probably do have the best fish tacos. There’s an episode of Taco Chronicles on Netflix that talks about how San Diego became famous for them. I go to Don Bravo in PB/La Jolla area for fish tacos when I’m in that area and have a craving.

11. We have the internet now. Recipes and cooking techniques can now be shared and spread around the world. A particular geographical location has no advantage over any other.

12. What makes San Diego Mexican food so good is that it’s San Diego. So TJ food but American health standards. So yea, it’s not going to get much better. The traditional but no extra shit.

13. My sample size isn’t big enough for me to make a judgement.

14. San Diego (San Diego county) has the best Mexican style seafood in the USA, let alone fish tacos.

    Look for a fish taco truck from Barrio Logan, National City, Chula Vista, Otay Mesa, San Ysidro, or Imperial Beach. They are sometimes well seen or hidden, but you will have to try them all to find the best. It’s a constantly changing thing where you’re never done and have to just keep finding the best.

15. no clue, too damn expensive of a city with no real reason to travel there.

16. From LA. Went to college in SD. SD wins hands down for fish tacos. LA wins overall for Mexican seafood.

17. No I was let down when I visited

18. Absolutely. They were introduced into the US by San Diegans who were regularly venturing across the border to Baja California on Spring Break and the like, and brought back up to integrate with our existing (independently fascinating) “taco shop” scene.

    San Diego has the perfect environment for great fish tacos (prior to WWII we were just a small fishing town for the most part), but they’re actually only a small component of the San Diego Mexican food scene. The truly quintessential San Diego Mexican food dish is the carne asada burrito, and its fusion cousin the “California burrito” (as a product, not a descriptor).

19. I’ve never been to San Diego but if I had to guess, I think a large port city that is 17 miles from the Mexican border probably has the best Mexican sea food.

20. Ralph Rubio is a San Diego treasure.

21. No, that would be Taqueria Pico De Gallo in Tucson. Or hundreds of others like it in Tucson. The operative word is “Tucson.” San Diego is full of retired white military, not Mexican cooks.

22. I’m from Louisville, Kentucky, and visited San Diego last month for a week. I ate at 3 different Mexican restaurants while I was there and can confirm that every place had amazing fish tacos. Cafe Coyote, Ponce’s, and Aldabertos Mexican Food were the 3 places and none disappointed.

23. Fish taco

24. Can I get tacos on the west coast without getting jumped by cholos

25. My shipmate makes the best fish tacos.

26. Yes.

    The best Mexican food in the country exists in SD and LA areas.

27. Best fish tacos I’ve ever had were in Cayucos, CA. Not sure I had any in San Diego so I should go back and compare

28. “Best” is subjective, unless you’re willing to go to every join that sells tacos across all 50 states and test this for yourself.

29. Everything from Cabo to slightly north of SD has this history of crispy Japanese fried fish combined with tacos and access to decent avocados. A blessed culinary mashup. SD is the main outpost of it this side of the border. I’ve had equally good in Ensenada. Of course you can make it well elsewhere, but Sand Dog is the American side of the origin.

30. Yes

31. It’s definitely near the top

32. No.

33. No

34. The answer is yes but if they serve it on a flour tortilla then you didn’t go to a good spot. The corn tortilla is essential to a good fish taco.

35. Yes.

36. They have the best and most consistently good in the US.

    I have had, arguably, better ones in Mexico…however, not all of those can be trusted.