Mariscos Las Islitas — Restaurant in San Jose

I'll start of by saying that if you want super prompt service, orders to come all at the same time, and don't like loud music, this place isn't for you. I don't know why, but at Mexican restaurants, in my experience, rather than staging things, they just cook orders as they come in, and bring them out as they are ready, so faster cooked dishes get to the table first.

The place was packed, and I think I was the only non Hispanic person there (I was there with my part Mexican husband and children). We got the huauchinango al mojo de ajo, which was good. (Huachinango is Mexican Spanish for red snapper.. I was excited to see it because I had recently been introduced to huachinango on a trip to Michoacán). We also got the paella, which was quite good. Not strictly speaking paella in the Spanish sense, but rather rice with a delicious seafood broth and a very generous portion of seafood piled on top, really more seafood than rice: mussels, crab, shrimp, octopus, and scallops. The scallops were tender. I was impressed. For the kids we got fish tacos, which were pretty typical, nothing special: deep fried fish pieces with toppings. They accidentally made them the normal way, not our modified kid friendly order, and while the kids ate that (with the veggies and salsa scraped off) they made us 3 plain fish tacos. I would definitely get the fish tacos again for the kids but not myself, as that style isn't my personal preference, and would definitely get the paella and probably the huachinango again.

When we came in the hostess said there was seating available only in the back room, which ended up being a good thing because in the main room the live music was too loud to really have a conversation. Looked like everyone was having a good time though. As I was leaving I saw a couple of tables with some sort of tall beer flask with a tap on the bottom, with enough to fill maybe 10-20 glasses, or more. The musicians were standing around one of the tables playing and singing, and the patrons were enthusiastically singing along with beers in hand. They have an extensive drink selection, and it seems like a great place to go to celebrate or have a good time with friends, but I didn't feel out of place there with small children. They have high chairs and we were right next to a big extended family with kids of various ages. I would...

Very expensive for what you get. It was close to closing time with very few people left inside. Guy who greeted me was friendly and sat me down right away and gave me chips and water then kinda forgot about me for about 20 minutes so i stood up my menu in hopes he'd see it and come over which he did. I ordered what looked like a burger but it had shrimp instead. There were two full slices of melted cheese and some decent quality bacon but they used cheap iceberg lettuce like a fast food place rather than a decent quality lettuce like romaine which would definitely have improved it. Also the picture on the menu had nice steak fries to look appealing but when i got the plate they were cheap mediocre French fries which looked like someone just bought a small bag from Burger King and dumped them on my plate. They were edible but nothing to write home about. All the decent looking Mexican dishes were well over $30 dollars and upwards pushing almost into the $50 range. The pictures on the menu looked very appealing however so I can't judge there. Place was very clean and napkins well stocked and readily available so I didn't have to keep asking for more. Plenty of hot sauces available on every table with a great selection of art least 5 or 6 which was a plus. Waiter was polite...

Drinks - prepared mineral water, Jamaica, tequila sunrise, Michelada

Food: molcajete ranchero, fajitas mix (steak, chicken, shrimp), pechuga a la plancha

This is one of my friends' favorite places for Michelada's, but since I don't like beer, I can't vouch for them personally. We visited for her birthday, and her favorite go-to dish is the molcajete ranchero. She orders it with extra sauce. The molcajete is big enough for 2 people.

I ordered the mix fajitas and loved the combo. Protien packed dish for sure. My only complaint was that the steak and chicken were overcooked. Both were tasty but dry.

Plates are served with corn or flour tortillas.

The service and the staff are awesome. Very attentive, and our table was checked on frequently, which I always appreciate.

I definitely would like to try another dish and one of their...