Marisqueria El Escandalo — Restaurant in Cumming

YOU MUST TRY THIS PLACE! I’m serious. This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Forsyth County. And considering I’m ranked in the Top 5% of all Mexican Restaurant reviewers worldwide on Google - that statement carries a lot of weight 😉 Went here today for the first time ever on a whim because I happened to be in the area shopping. Do NOT judge this place by the look of it outside NOR by the dated shopping center it’s located in (Lakeland Plaza - same shopping center as Publix just at the opposite end of Publix). The inside of this Mexican restaurant is very nice, family friendly, clean, and has great aesthetics! The menu is Seafood forward but there are many other options if Seafood is not your thing. BUT if you love Seafood and Mexican food like I do, you will think you died and went to Heaven! Never thought combining Seafood and Mexican food would ever be this good but the kitchen here is making everything from scratch with only super fresh ingredients. You will agree after you take your first bite - I promise! We ordered the Lunch Grouper tacos 🌮 - the Grouper was crazy fresh! We also had the Collared Greens egg roll appetizer - they’re slap your Momma good! 🤤 😋 Also their black beans are the best I’ve ever had (outside of Little Havana 🇨🇺 in Miami, FL).

Final note: skip Los Rios and drive a few doors down and try Marisqueria El Escandalo.

The Cons: Name of the restaurant is difficult to pronounce for gringos like myself. Location is not...

Tonight was a special night - our anniversary - but we wanted to support local so we chose Marisqueria El Escandalo which translates to The Scandal Seafood. This was our first visit and it turned out to be a fabulous choice. The restaurant has a great vibe, full bar and is set up for live music. We were there on a Thursday so it was it was a quieter night but feels like it would be bumpin’ on the weekends. The menu can feel a bit overwhelming but everything looks simply delicious. Instead of the traditional chips and salsa they deliver a tostada with a tiliapa ceviche which Josh devoured. My onion allergy was the only thing holding me back. We chose the shrimp empanadas as an appetizer and they were the perfect crisp with a nice heat from the tomatillo salsa which was balanced with the avocado slice. You simply must try these. The bar delivered two perfectly made skinny margaritas which were made with top shelf ingredients. For our main course we selected the grilled red snapper. Guys this was a whole fish - eyeballs and all - so not a filet and we devoured it. It was beautifully served on a platter with a side salad, rice and fries. Tell me you don’t love a place that doubles down on the carbs. We left very full and with happy bellies. Thinking we may have just found our new fri-yay night restaurant. Highly recommend if you love seafood that’s packed...

Stopped in for the grouper tacos — service was friendly and the place felt welcoming. The tacos were really good! The fish had great flavor and crunch, stuffed with cabbage and pico, and topped with a chipotle-style sauce that tied it all together.

The guacamole was fresh and tasty, but the refried beans were a letdown — thin, bland, and lacked seasoning. Also, they only had white rice instead of Mexican rice, which was unexpected.

Overall, solid spot for tacos and guac — I’d definitely go back for those, just skip the...