KIKOS PLACE SEAFOOD — Restaurant in San Diego

There are a few things that Kiko's is exceptionally good at. First, their complimentary "Consommé," which is a common staple of mariscos trucks around San Diego. The consommé served by other mariscos spots often tastes more like minestrone soup broth than the seafood broth it is supposed to taste like. At Kiko's, you can taste the sea flavor -- and you'll find it loaded up with onions, peppers, celery, bits of fish, and prawns. For sure, a bargain for $0.00!

Secondly, they have served me my favorite octopus taco in San Diego County. The "Spicy Octopus Taco" is no joke and truly is intensely spicy. You should avoid this taco if you're elderly or pregnant. Otherwise, you could be delighted, as I was, with the teeth-melting intensity of the chili-infused lava they have coated their large, delicious chunks of tender octopus with. Fresh onion slices combined with sautéed onion strings and melted cheese (seemingly either mozzarella or Oaxacan cheese) accompanies the octopus, but the octopus is front and center -- and there is a substantial amount of it stuffed into this corn tortilla.

The "Spicy Gobernador Taco" is identical to the "Spicy Octopus Taco" but with shrimp instead of octopus and with celery and bell peppers in addition to the onions. I thus recommend against ordering both the Spicy Gobernador and Spicy Octopus at the same time. Pick one. For my money, I'm rolling with the pulpo.

Kiko's also sells a traditional Baja-style fish taco. (Don't call it an Ensenada-style fish taco, the operators of this truck are from San Felipe!) The "O.G. Fish Taco" is a corn tortilla with fried fish, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and a white sauce that is mayonesa-derived. Kiko's fried fish batter is thin and not particularly crisp. Fish was clean-tasting and firm, but still moist. In addition to a drizzle of lime, this taco needs a few squirts of salsa; here, I'd go with the salsa verde.

Overall, this is an excellent mariscos truck with very good tacos. It is in parking lot of a gas station, and they have a large tent and tables setup if you wanted to hang out and eat your food there. Please be advised that this is one of two Kiko's trucks in Mission Valley. The other truck has a different menu. To find this one, be sure to go to the Kiko's truck with the "Mission Center...

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 out of 5

It honestly pains me to leave a 3-star review. This was my first time visiting this food truck, and I came ready to support a local business. We placed a pretty good-sized order—3 fish tacos, 3 shrimp tacos, 2 sides of chips, and 1 drink—and we left a generous tip. I even attached our receipt to show this isn’t meant to be harsh, just an honest experience.

When we arrived, there were about six people in front of us. I expected a wait, which ended up being 29 minutes. That didn’t bother me too much—if the food was as good as advertised, I figured it would be worth the time.

Sadly, it just didn’t live up to the hype.

The fish tacos were said to be made with fresh fish, but the batter was heavy and greasy. All I could taste was oil and coleslaw. The overall flavor was bland—no acidity, no seasoning, no balance.

The shrimp tacos were the same story. The shrimp were chewy and overcooked under the batter. Honestly, if you didn’t know which was which, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the fish and the shrimp—just fried grease dominating everything.

On top of that, the setup for customers could definitely use some care. There were only 3 or 4 stand-up tables and 2 canopies for shade. While I waited for my order, I noticed several elderly customers with walkers also standing around with nowhere to rest. It was uncomfortable and honestly a bit disheartening to see.

If they invested some effort into the area where people wait and eat—especially for those who might need to sit—it could make a huge difference. A more welcoming and comfortable space could really help attract and retain customers.

I really hate leaving critical reviews, especially for small businesses. But this wasn’t a cheap meal, and it didn’t feel like it was made—or served—with much love. I hope this is taken as constructive feedback. I want to see this place succeed, but there’s room for...

Today we had a horrible experience at Kikos. Ordered "Taco Tuesday " fish taco deal, plain quesadilla and a Octopus ceviche add fish. It was all ordered to go. Got our food headed to the car and we realized they did not give us the Ceviche. So wifey heads back and the cook says "I apologize I forgot to put it in the bag" No problem mistakes happen. We decide to eat in the car. Wife opens her ceviche realizes it is all veggies, cucumbers, and a few small pieces of Octopus (7 or 8). So she starts removing cucumbers and looks through the plate looking for the fish but there was NO Fish. This all happened within 3 minutes of her retrieving the food from the cook. So she went back to the cashier and told her the situation. Cashier snaps back at her and tells her " We'll ma'am you already ate half the plate! Of coarse there is NO Fish" My wife was shocked and appalled by this response specially when she had just minutes prior got the food. Cashier proceeded to give her attitude. I'll make you another one. Wife declined and just asked for the money back. She proceeded to give us the $20 back in cash. The plate was $20 plus tax but whatever. The Cashier who was a young Hispanic female. Continued with her attitude and ended up getting a cook to help us in the end. This is terrible customer service. For a business who has Yelp stickers all over its truck I'm shocked at this type of treatment. We have been here many times before with no issues. This was the first time I saw this Cashier. To top it all off we heard her exchanging Instagram handles with a guy who was in front of us. She took his phone and typed it in. That is also another level of unprofessional service.

Never again. So to new clientele just beware because customer service has gone...