If you have seen the documentary, City of Gold, you will see LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold ordering from the Mariscos Jalisco food truck. The Mariscos Jaliscos food truck is an LA favorite and on the LA Times Top 101 Restaurants. Owner Raul Ortega recently opened a brick and mortar restaurant and I recently paid them a visit.
Raul Ortega at the LA Street Food Festival in 2013
I first met Raul Ortega at the LA Street Food Festival. This was prior to the creation of the 101 Top Restaurants in LA. He was there to educate festival-goers about his shrimp taco. While the event had many vendors, I circled back a couple of times and ended up eating three of his addictive tacos.
Driving east on Holt Ave in Pomona, I saw the familiar sign high in the blue sky. Fortunately, they have a sizeable parking lot and since it was almost full, I parked on the street. I was looking forward to their shrimp taco because I hadn’t had one in quite a while.
An “A” rating from the Department of Health Services is proudly displayed on their front window. The cashier faces you as you walk in and I was surprised to not see a menu on the wall. Instead, they have a stack of printed menus without prices listed. A handwritten sign on cardboard says “cash only”.
In addition to the mariscos, prepackaged snacks are also available. Drinks are presently limited to water and sodas. Because their price point is so low and they appear to lack a public restroom, I don’t expect Ortega to apply for a beer and wine liquor license.
Each table had good hot sauce and plenty of napkins
Indoor seating is available in the back of the restaurant. There, space is quite cozy and there are only a limited number of seats available. While I was there, I overhead people say that they were quite happy to have Mariscos Jalisco in Pomona because the location in Boyle Heights was much further for them.
Tacos de camaron
The shrimp tacos were actually an upgrade over what you receive from their truck. The presentation is improved and the avocados are nicely sliced and arranged. They had the familiar crunch and the addictive shrimp and potato mixture inside. While others try to duplicate Ortega’s taco, they have never been able to master it.
Ceviche de pescado
Finely diced white fish topped the tostada. It was mixed with diced white onions, chopped cilantro, and chopped tomatoes. I found the fish to be chilled and I enjoyed the generous amount of sliced avocados on top. The price for all 3 including tax was only $8.49. What a deal!
Other tostadas include the Poseidon and the Mixta (mixed). The Poseidon is topped with a mixture of ceviche, octopus and shrimp aguachile. They also have two seafood cocktails: campechana and their coctel. I like the campechana because it is cold, sweet and full of seafood like abalone, oysters, shrimp and more. It is the perfect dish for a hot summer day.
What’s missing? A cold Mexican beer.
Mariscos Jalisco, 753 E Holt Ave. Pomona, CA 91767
or at their original food truck in Boyle Heights
Mariscos Jalisco, 3040 E Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023