Saturday, July 14, 2007

Best Fish Taco in Ensenada comes to Hillhurst

Eating L.A. stopped in at the brand new Best Fish Taco in Ensenada stand on Hillhurst Saturday. It's kind of a soft opening as the outdoor seating area isn't ready yet but the tacos are up and running. The super simple menu consists of fish tacos ($1.50), shrimp tacos ($2.00) and sodas. That's it, but what more do you need, really? Well, maybe some good beer from Cap'n Cork next door...now there's a combo I could get behind! Owner Joseph Cordova comes from the wholesale fish business and says he will add more salsas and relishes. They've already got a nice selection; we combined the radish slaw with avocado salsa and sour cream which was a great topper for the shrimp taco. Unlike Siete Mares and most other fish taco places, Mendoza favors a very light breading so they're not too bready and filling. He's serious about serving each taco fresh and hot: the counter girl doles out one at a time so you won't end up with cold fish.
Best Fish Taco in Ensenada (open 11-7 ish, probably 7 days)
1650 N. Hillhurst

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I checked this place out on Sunday..man-o-man..they were good..thanks so much for the heads up for a Los Feliz local Pat...ps...giant "Intelligenstia" sign up on the storefront in Silverlake..(please excuse me if I misspellled)

Eugene Ridenour said...

thanks for the heads up Pat. I was wondering when they were going to open. i walked down there today and checked it out. i'll be sure grab a taco next time.

Anonymous said...

just got back from this place... great fish tacos, shrimp tacos, everything's pulled right out of the fryer and onto your tortilla... nice selection of sauces/salsas (guac mix, sour cream, radish stuff, as well as several salsas)... they're still building stuff in there, putting up signs, seating, etc, so best to check it out now while you can still stand in front of the cash register watching your fish fry before the lines start up...

Anonymous said...

We ate there after reading this blog posting, and everyone should know that the proprietor is the new Fish Taco Nazi.

He won't do to-go orders or takeout. He won't serve you more than one taco at a time if you eat in -- and you have to eat in because he won't do to-go or takeout. So you order one taco, go eat it, then step back up and order a second one if you want it, rinse repeat.

He insists that the only way to eat a fish taco is one at a time right from his kitchen. Very sushi nazi. Only, he applies it to his two-item restaurant (Item #1: Fish Taco; Item #2: Shrimp Taco).

Now, the tacos were great. Two of us plus our toddler boy ate 7, fish and shrimps.

But I told the guy he was crazy if he thought he could stay in business if he didn't offer to-go/takeout and refused to serve you more than one taco at a time. He said "So, I'm crazy."

He reminded me of the character Primo from the Stanley Tucci movie "Big Night".

So, all hail, Los Feliz now has a Fish Taco Nazi!

(That all said, you should try his tacos. They're very good.)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, this place is just insanely good. I've been torn between wanting to tell everyone I know to go there vs. keeping it a secret as long as I can...

Anonymous said...

Yeah the tacos are great expecially the shrimp, it is outstanding. Good salsa and sauces too. Also the price is right but the guy needs to lighten up on not serving them to go. I mean If I want it a little cold so be it. he's not serving Dom PĂ©rignon soaked caviar made by legless children from spain. It's a freaking Taco buddy!
For a guy who's trying to be laid back with his menu he needs to lay back with the attitude as well. Go to New York isf you want to be a jerk.

Colin said...

Please don't anybody go there! It's right across the street from my house and I eat there enough to keep him in business all by himself. Please, seriously, it's already getting so there's a line when I go. Stop going now!

Anonymous said...

Not so nazi.
Boyfriend and I went there Wed Aug 22 about 730pm. Ordered from nice older lady, a shrimp and a fish taco. No shrimp left. OK, 2 fish tacos. To the left of the lady I saw the deep fat fryer and draining racks with about 7-10 fried fish pieces which resemble chicken tenders. After reading all the posts about fresh frying every order, I wondered if the fish taco nazi was going to plop them back into the oil. Well, he put two tortillas on the grill, and when they were warm he picked up the fried fish pieces off the drying rack (don't know how long they had been there) and plopped them on the tortillas and gave me both at once. Did the same for boyfriend. Maybe it was because they were closing, maybe the standards are relaxing, but I thought future customers would like to know that the rules CAN change. After we dressed them and ate them I asked boyfriend if he wanted more, since there was more fish just sitting there. He said he didn't think they are all that great, even though he was still hungry (he's 6'4'').

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if they have a phone number?

Mike D said...

When I went, it was a mixture of the experiences listed above.

A guy walked in, asked for 6 togo. Conversation goes like this:

Joe: So, who's gonna eat them?
C: Me and my wife
J: Where is she?
C: Away
J: Well, I don't serve these togo. I mean, I can put a piece of foil over it, but I don't have any boxes or anything
C: ok

Our pieces of fish were also off the drying rack. But I don't care, because they were f'n delicious!

I could eat these all day long, no problem. Awesome aftertaste, words cannot describe. Go here people, keep this guy in business! So what if he's a fish taco nazi, he only wants you to have the best fish taco possible! I mean seriously, if you go home and the fish tacos are soggy and horrible, that reflects badly on him. But if you eat them there, you get to experience the full gloriousness.

Cesar said...

The tacos are amazing! The owner was also very nice. If the owner was mean to you it's probably because you deserve it or you look like the typical L.A. d-bag.

Anonymous said...

This place rocks! Teh food is great and its a really simple concept. Joseph Cordova is amazing...He even likes my artwork!

Anonymous said...

guy is weird. tacos are great. they made mine to order sometimes, they were already made other times. i dont mind waiting for my tacos. i like them fresh. salsa was nice and spicy. this place is good. its also a restaurant so based on what's going on, you'll get some off the drying rack. really what's the big deal? they were probably just made. roflmao at "...didn't want more even thought he was still hungry. (he's 6'4)." taller people are hungrier?

Anonymous said...

fish tacos are good... but you haven't had the real thing 'til you've had

TACONAZO
the real taste of baja

Anonymous said...

I love the made-as-you-order, crispy, tasty quality of these insanely low-priced tacos. I love the restaurant because they do one thing, and they do it well. And I love the owner because the first time I went there, I didn't have cash on me (they are cash only - at last check, they didn't even have a phone line in the place), and when I said I'd go get some and come back - he said, "You're hungry. Eat first and come back and pay me later." Huh?! Am I in LA, or where is this? Seriously, he fed me on my word that I'd come back and pay him. Naturally I did - and with a nice tip besides, but I was sincerely impressed with this courtesy and trust.

condor said...

yes very good tacos plus there was some interesting paintings on the wall of el salvador by keith higgins it was a overall good experience .