Just a couple months ago, a new Mexican food place opened up just a couple blocks from my house, and today, I finally got the opportunity to go down and check it out. This site used to be home to Manny's El Loco, an establishment that was pretty horrific. I hadn't been there for several years, but they had done plenty to lose my business.

Now the space is home to Tacos Ensenada, a Mexican take-out restaurant focused on seafood, tacos, burritos, tostadas, cocktails of fish or shrimp and aguas. They do have a small selection of food made from land grazing animals, but seafood is certainly their primary focus. Tacos Ensenada sits in a strip mall on the doorstep of the Metro Gold Line Atlantic station and next door to a Kaiser Permanente building, so they should have plenty of opportunity for foot traffic. You step inside the door and are welcomed with an explosion of color, vibrant paint and decorations. In front of you is the order/pickup counter and their open kitchen, to the right is their menu and sides bar (chiles, salsas, etc.), and to the left the dining area. There are a lot of windows, so it is a very bright, clean, and exciting space. I was there during the lunch rush, around 12:30, every table was taken and the busy atmosphere made it a great place to have a meal.

I ordered a shrimp burrito. It was a good size, weighing in at nearly a pound and a half. Inside was plenty of shrimp (fried), with rice, beans, cabbage, onions, tomato, and a cream sauce. Let me tell you, they got the balance and flavor in this burrito right. That thing was OUTSTANDING. The shrimp was tender and all the other components worked together nicely.

One of East LA's staples is "Tacos Baja" down on Whittier Blvd, just a couple miles away, a place that is often busy and serves good food. The burro' that I got at Tacos Ensenada was just a bit better, but very similar, don't know if the two places are linked in any way, other than cuisine. This place is GREAT and I'll be dropping by soon, maybe on Tuesday for their 99 cent special on fist tacos.

HIGHLY recommended.