Oscars Mexican Seafood — Restaurant in San Diego

If we're thinking of a specific food that represents each city in a grand dining hall consisting of the best foods of all cities in the United States, San Diego enthusiastically offers the "fish taco." San Diego is the city that Rubio's was founded in. The first fish taco sold in the United States was out of bar-and-grill Las Olas in North San Diego County. You can't throw a baseball in any direction in San Diego without hitting a mariscos-oriented food truck selling a fish taco that'd be legendary in any other city in the U.S. And, yes, our fish tacos are better than L.A.'s on average. Don't @ me on this, Angelenos, your fish tacos just aren't on this level.

In my reviews, I regularly dump on San Diego's limited dinner options, but the fish tacos in this city are so damn good that it almost makes up for the fact that much of everything else is relatively terrible.

For me, Oscar's battered and fried "Battered Fish Taco" is the baseline of "good" San Diego Baja-style fish tacos. It is filled with deep-fried fish, cabbage, tomatoes, red onions, and cilantro. The batter is delightfully crispy, and the piece of fried fish therein is relatively small. The vegetal toppings (e.g. onions and cilantro) are fresh, potent, vibrant-looking, and a joy to eat. Topped with Oscar's homemade chipotle sauce, this was the taco that made me love fish tacos when I first moved to San Diego 7 years ago. Is the corn tortilla made in-house? No, no it's not -- but it's sourced from a local mom-and-pop tortilleria, and it's night-and-day better than those awful tortillas you find at Rubio's that smell like herpes, or those foul-tasting corn tortillas at the "X-berto's" shops around town that I wound't wipe the salsa off my chin with, nevermind want to eat.

Better than their regular Baja-style fish tacos are Oscar's "Spicy Shrimp Taco" and "Smoked Fish Taco." These are tacos that compete directly with what is available from San Diego's mariscos trucks like Ocean 97, Kiko's, and Mariscos German Beyer, who serve the very best seafood tacos this side of the U.S.-Mexico border. Not everyone wants to deal with the lack of atmosphere or comfort associated with food trucks and, for those people, I recommend Oscar's.

The "Smoked Fish Taco" is a "marlin-style" fish taco -- which is to say that it could be any kind of fish salted, smoked, and shredded. Here, they prepare it so well that unless I told you that you were eating fish (or you looked inside the tortilla), you would assume you were eating some kind of taco filled with a crumbled pork or chicken sausage. The "Spicy Grilled Shrimp Taco" is indeed spicy, but flavorful as well. Avocado slices help to tame the intense heat.

However, the best thing to order from Oscar's is their magnificent "Torta de Oscar" sandwich, a combo of the aforementioned spicy shrimp and smoked fish, with carne asada. This sandwich is one of San Diego's best bites of food, and I'd recommend it over any of Oscar's tacos, as excellent as they are. I've come to appreciate its balanced flavors (spicy, fat, bread-y, smoky), not to mention that this thing fills me up in a way that it can be a dinner in addition to a lunch.

This location on Pacific Beach is mere footsteps from the sand, and Oscar's isn't exactly "under-the-radar." If you visit here during summer afternoons, expect to find a long line of humanity spilling out of this tiny...

Oscar Mexican Seafood 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 📍746 Emerald St, San Diego, CA 92109 Happy Hour 4 Fish Tacos $5.96 Surf & Turf Taco $5.99 Smoked Fish Taco $5.99 Taco Especial (Smoked Fish, Scallops, Shrimp) $5.99 Grilled Octopus Taco(Pulpo) $6.99 💙💛高價位的Taco店，但口味特殊對得起價格，我最喜歡的是章魚口味🥺

Menu

TACOS BATTERED FISH OR SHRIMP TACO Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro FISH $2.99 SHRIMP $3.99 SURF & TURF TACO (Skirt Steak & Shrimp) Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado & Cheese $5.99 SKIRT STEAK TACO Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado & Cheese $5.99 STEAK ON FLOUR Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado & Cheese $6.75 SMOKED FISH TACO Served with Cabbage, Avocado & Cheese $5.99 GRILLED OR SPICY GRILLED SHRIMP TACO Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado & Cheese $5.99 TACO ESPECIAL (Smoked Fish, Shrimp, Scallops) Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado & Cheese $6.99 GRILLED OCTOPUS TACO (Pulpo) Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado & Cheese $6.99 TORTAS TORTA DE OSCAR (Smoked Fish, Spicy Shrimp, Skirt Steak) Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado & Cheese $13.49 FISHERMAN’S TORTA (Spicy Shrimp, Scallops, Grilled & Smoked Fish) Served with Cabbage, Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado &...

Get ready to dive into a fiesta of flavors at this beachside gem! With an emphasis on seafood, this restaurant offers a unique twist on classic Mexican cuisine that will leave your taste buds dancing.

The grilled shrimp taco was a delicious start to our meal, but could have used a few more shrimp. It wasn't the most filling. However, the real star of the show was the surf and turf taco – a perfect balance of juicy shrimp and tender beef, creating an explosion of flavors.

And, not to mention, the ceviche! If you're a fan of this classic dish, you're in for a real treat. We opted for the fish ceviche and let me tell you, it was gone in a matter of minutes. It was that good! The tangy and fresh flavors were a perfect complement to the tacos.

Their white salsa is something else! This creamy, flavorful sauce is some of the best I've ever had and pairs perfectly with anything on the menu.

If you're in the mood for a quick and delicious bite after a day at the beach, this is the perfect spot. Just a heads up, they do not serve alcohol.

All in all, this restaurant is a must-try for any seafood and Mexican food lover, and is sure to leave you with a smile on your face and a craving for more. 4 stars due to the grilled shrimp taco being a little wimpy, other than that...