Taqueria Del Mar — Restaurant in Monterey

So, very nice man at the front counter, with (I believe) his daughter prepping tortilla 'dough'. He took my order, one fish taco...fish is sea bass...cheese extra...no problem....Sat down and watched the man cook the tortilla and then the fish...after awhile he brought me a Taco. ...a large one at that...but something was 'off' ...the smell....it was repulsing...so I waited a moment and then tried to pick the taco up but while doing so was repulsed by the smell once again...I quickly looked towards the trash can but fought the urge to dump it in trash receptacle. ....I tried another little piece thinking it must be me...but the fish did not taste right.... I quickly got up and went to the counter and (with a smile) requested a to go box...I went back and picked up the taco put it in the box and closed it...I took my tray back to the counter along with the salsas and thanked them before departing.....the smell was muted by the closed container or so I thought....I placed the container on the passenger side of my vehicle and then went around to the driver side...in that short amount of time, my car reeked on the repulsive smell....have you ever vomited and then had to clean it up, well that's how the fish smelled, acidic like human vomit....anyhow, I was completely unwilling to drive back with the fish in my car so I tossed it ...out the window...don't judge me, you would have too...

Skip this place....and if you are wondering why I did not tell them about the taco - by them I mean the owner and his daughter - well, I was the only customer there on a Tuesday night, and we'll charging $4.75 for a fish taco indicated to me that there is a need for the money so , hey it was a $5 lesson....never ever...

A much better Mexican restaurant is only one block away at 675 Lighthouse, called “La Bahia”, or, “Nacho Bizness” at 615 Lighthouse, also, several other quality Mexican restaurants on Cannery Row.

Taqueria Del Mar food is not that good and the business practices price switching. I entered this establishment after reading the displayed menu at the door. I ordered a Burrito (which turned out to be mostly raw cabbage and very little meat or anything else) with two beers. I was told to pay when I was all finished. When I paid I was overcharged by $4. I brought this to the attention of the cashier (Lilly) and the owner as well. I was told that they had increased their menu prices but didn’t take time to update the menu at the door. They adamantly refused to honor their posted menu prices and refund the difference.

There are many other Mexican restaurants in the area with much better food, lower prices and a pleasant staff, without dishonesty or disrespect. Go to one of these instead. You...

I was driving through from SF to LA and had a craving for fish tacos while passing through Monterey. After looking up a lot of places I decided on this one as I love to support small business. I was highly impressed by how fresh and delicious the fish tacos were. The fish tacos came in a small flour tortilla with cabbage and their delicious cream sauce on top. I also got rice, beans, chips and salsa on the side and all were delicious as well. The black beans and rice taste freshly made and very flavorful. The portions were also generous. The restaurant was so clean and the chef prepared and packaged my food to-go so nicely. I will definitely stop by again when I am in the area. I highly recommend this local...