Mariscos Costa Alegre Monterey Hwy — Restaurant in San Jose

Seafood is something that I are particularly picky about, having grown up next to the Pacific Ocean and gorging on my fair share of the marine bounty. Growing up in southern California, Mexican food has been go-to comfort food for me in adulthood. All that said, I was floored when, instead of the standard chips and salsa, I got a little cup of spicy shrimp soup. It was a hot and muggy night and I wanted something chilled and not too heavy. So, I ordered one of the multiple ceviches: shrimp and octopus. A friend was with me and he said he’d share some soft fish tacos with me, even though he had eaten dinner prior to getting together. The simple fare did not disappoint and came in abundance. Most places serve ceviche almost in tapas quantities, so the picture in the menu looked a lot smaller than what came out, which was a decently large mound. You can see how big it is compared to the fork I left in one of the photos. The seafood in the ceviche was so fresh and only just mixed with all the finely chopped fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, that the octopus was still soft and tender. The tilapia in their tacos was beer-battered fried and oozed juice when I bit into it, which did not taste like it had been sitting out nor did the batter have any nastiness that tasted like the fryer oil needs changing. I had thought that it would be grilled fish, but the crunch of the hot batter crust contrasted amazingly with the cool, fresh vegetables on it. I wish I had more time to eat there. Even though the traffic on Monterey Hwy roared behind us, the vibe of the outdoor seating areas was happy and bright—full and still filling up, even though it was almost closing time. I’m not sure how often I will be in San Jose in the future, but I do believe I have found a new go to...

Only tried their sushi. Had the following; Sushi Costero - This needs to have unagi in it. Otherwise, pretty good. 7.5/10 Honey Chipotle - way too sweet and the chipotle sauce could be spicier. 6.5/10 Sushi Pastor - this sounded so amazing in its description but was a huge disappointment. Pastor meat was ok and a little dry. The dressing was lacking. The unagi dressing on the Costero was so much better. Too much cheese. A lot going on but its missing an identity. 6/10 Salmon Roll - salmon was a bit dry but overall, it's was ok. 7.5/10

For presentation, it's really nice but the execution overall was missing in many of the rolls. The star of the meal was the Zombie soup we got as a free appetizer in place of traditional chips and salsa. The soup was amazingly good. Totally can see myself having it on a cold day or if I need to nurse a cold - total comfort food. I will return for it! In summary, definitely am not recommending to try the sushi at this location. Downtown SJ location does it better.

Service: We came on a weekday at 1:30. Service was a bit slow. From getting our orders taken, to the food arriving, to even paying the bill. I forgive them because they had 1 wait staff servicing 6 tables.

Atmosphere: Like their decor. Wasn't too busy. It's situated next to a gas station so location...

La comida esta deliciosa. Que Rico!! Muy Buena visita con este lugar.

I was looking for some Fish tacos and found this Taqueria in San Jose on Monterey Highway. The menu is very big and they have a full variety of Mexican seafood. Cocktails, Fish Tacos, Sushi, Grilled Salmon, Steamed fish with veggies. Rice and beans also available. Molcajetes and Caldos de pescado. Shrimp available in different plates and the traditional CARNE ASADA. The restaurant has the covered patios and flat screen TV's available to watch the latest Futbol and Football games. The service was great. Bilingual Spanish English waitresses and the men cooking handling all of the safe food preparation. The Mexican music playing on the speakers. Not too loud. Enough to enjoy and be able to speak without YELLING!! LOL!

I got the Marlin fish tacos and the rice water AKA HORCHATA! Instead of chips and salsa the appetizer was a cute small cup of Pozole with a plain tostada?? 1st time for me to experience that. It was splendid. I had to order the Empanadas de Camarones to go for later. They have 3 locations in San Jose Ca. Look at their website and online menu and if you are ever visiting NORCAL. Make sure you stop by. They have daily specials too. Plenty of Mexican beers for those of you looking for that...