Tony L.
Yelp
[ Background ]
Friday, October 25, 2024 at 4:40 PM
If you live in Los Angeles County and even slightly follow the food scene, you have probably heard of Mariscos Jalisco. And if you're not a native Spanish speaker like me, "marisco" means seafood or shellfish, so the restaurant's name translates to seafood prepared in a style found in the Mexican state of Jalisco (specifically, the owner, Raul Ortega, is from a little town called San Juan de Los Lagos).
Mariscos Jalisco originally started as a taco truck and now has four locations throughout Los Angeles. They are best known for their taco dorado de camarones (golden shrimp tacos) and boast of numerous accolades, such as being listed in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand designation ("good quality, good value cooking") for multiple years [1], being included on Jonathan Gold's 101 Best Places to Eat in L.A. [2], and winning The Times' 2024 Gold Award [3]. Additionally, if you look at any list detailing the best taco spots in Los Angeles, Mariscos Jalisco will almost always make an appearance.
I was picking up my friend from Ontario International Airport, so we decided to visit the sit-down location in Pomona since it's been on my to-eat list for a while.
The outside of the building is pretty unassuming, but two colorful Mariscos Jalisco signs on top allowed me to locate it easily. Don't let the gated window deter you from entering the restaurant. The interior is simple, no frills. Right when we walked in, we were immediately greeted by an employee at the front counter. The inside was empty except for one other customer who was waiting for their takeout order. There's an overhead menu and a banner that showcases their most popular orders. A few framed newspaper articles detailing their awards hang on the pastel yellow walls. Seating is decent with six tables that can seat four and two tables that can seat two, and napkin dispensers are conveniently located on each table.
[ Parking ]
Mariscos Jalisco itself only has two parking spots and one accessible parking space. However, there's an empty lot with plenty of space behind the building. I'm not sure if it belongs to the restaurant, but I parked there and was fine (although the lot was a bit dirty with lots of litter), and customers who arrived after us also used it.
[ Food ]
Online menu link: https://www.mariscosjalisco.net/menus
Since it was our first time, we ordered the two most famous dishes:
* Taco de camarón ($2.50)
We ordered two each to start and then ordered one more each later (for a total of six).
True to the "dorado" name, these shrimp tacos were golden and perfectly crispy on the outside. The inside contained a tender filling, some sort of paste made of chopped shrimp and a starch (used as a binder, I'm assuming). Each taco was garnished with sliced avocados and slathered with their tomato salsa that included bits of green cabbage. I looked into one taco after I bit into it, and the inside did look a little gray (which corroborated Jaime T.'s review). I'm still not sure if that color was normal or not.
Other reviews were correct in that the tacos' integrity is short lived. It's a fine balance between waiting to dig in because the tacos come out freshly fried and piping hot, but you don't want to wait too long, or they'll get soggy from absorbing the salsa. Maybe try asking for the salsa on the side. Everything tasted great, and I would definitely order the shrimp tacos again.
* Poseidon tostada ($11.00)
We ordered one each.
The Poseidon tostada included a heaping amount of the fresh shrimp ceviche, avocado chunks, octopus, and extremely spicy red aguachile, all sandwiched between two crispy tortillas. This dish was just okay to me. I enjoyed the chewy texture of the shrimp and octopus and freshness from the cucumber slices. However, I wasn't a big fan of the flavor. It's just my personal preference, and I had the same reaction when my Mexican friend once made me a Mexican shrimp cocktail to try. If you're like me and have average tolerance to spice, make sure to have water nearby since this was pretty spicy. Also, this dish contained a lot of food, so I would recommend splitting just one with another person. I probably won't get the Poseidon again, but I'm glad I tried this popular order.
[ Service ]
The workers were quick. After we ordered, they told us we would get our food in about five minutes; it ended up taking six. And since we dined in, an employee conveniently delivered the food right to our table. The staff was extremely friendly, and they all thanked us when we left.
[ Tips ]
They accept credit cards as payment, but there may be a fee if the total bill doesn't meet the minimum.
----------
[1] https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/pomona/restaurant/mariscos-jalisco
[2] https://ballots.latimes.com/lists/jonathan-golds-101-best-restaurants-2017/
[3] https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-07-09/2024-jonathan-gold-award-winner-marisocos-jalisco-raul-ortega