Here are the best fish and seafood tacos in Los Angeles right now.
Because we see you out there, struggling to stay asada-free during Lent. Or, looking to a newly emerging sun to recreate the pleasures of your trip to Baja, a lime wedge-crested Pacifico and piping hot, battered fish or shrimp taco in your clutches.
But you don't need an excuse.
These are the greatest 24 seafood-stuffed tacos you need to try in L.A. right now. And that's all the motivation required to get out there and map your own journey through the briny bliss of a fantastic taco filled with smoked marlin, mahi mahi, fried shrimp, or another one of Ariel's adorable, appetizing little friends.
Enjoy.
TACO NAZO ~ FISH AND SHRIMP TACOS ~ MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
The family-owned OG, Taco Nazo, was the first to introduce crispy fish tacos to the masses in L.A. in 1978. The family has since opened four locations across deep eastern and southeastern L.A., but the Bellflower address holds a special place in the hearts of southeast L.A. locals.
Taco Nazo specializes in Baja-style fish and shrimp tacos with fried fish filets, cabbage, pico de gallo, and crema. If you love Southern California's tradition of having chile-dusted chiles güeros next to your fish tacos, this spot also innovated that. If you’re looking for something more substantial, they also have burritos filled with fried shrimp and fish, too.
Multiple locations
CEFISHÉ ~ TACOS GOBERNADOR ~ POMONA
This coastal Mexican mariscos pop-up CeFishé, from high school sweethearts Darrel and Patty Baker, serves these classic, Mazatlán-born tacos gobernador during their weekend appearances in El Monte, sticking two ends of a smoky, shrimp-and-bell-pepper-stuffed corn tortilla together with a gooey glue trap of cheese, the excess of which gets a sear from the griddle, resulting in extra crispy bits clinging to their edges.
197 E. 2nd St. Pomona, CA 91766
CONI'SEAFOOD ~ SMOKED MARLIN TACOS ~ MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Smoked marlin mingling with melted cheese, tomato, onion, and a crescent wedge of avocado in lightly toasted tortillas makes up one of Coni'Seafood's best-selling menu items. This simple, comforting trio of tacos is transcendent by the restaurant's sharp, tangy, habanero-based salsa verde. Be it for lunch or dinner. This is the spot to recommend for anyone who wants to squeeze in some last-minute tacos on their way to LAX or hit the first thing when they land.
3544 West Imperial Hwy. Inglewood, CA 90303. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 120 - “Imperial Highway/Yukon”
4532 S. Centinela Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90066. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 108 - “Short/Centinela”
EL CORALOENSE ~ TACO REVOLCADO ~ BELL GARDENS
The city of Atlantis may be lost, but Bell Gardens endures, and El Coraloense may be the seventh wonder for seafood lovers. One of many highlights in this menu of ratcheted-up ceviches, battered fish and shrimp diabla tacos, and fiery aguachiles are its tacos revolcados. Slightly puffy corn tortillas strain to hem in large chunks of mahi-mahi, stained red with pastor seasoning over a bed of cabbage and beneath squiggles of crema and a dark jade salsa verde. It's messy and 100% worth the extra napkin.
6600 Florence Ave. Bell Gardens, CA 90201
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 111 - “Florence/Emil”
MARISCOS JALISCO ~ TACO DE CAMARÓN ~ MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Mariscos Jalisco's taco dorado de camarón is L.A.'s most iconic taco, certainly by daylight. It is everything you want in a taco: filling with balanced heat, refreshingly cool, custardy, and buttery, thanks to a thoughtful arrangement of avocado slices. Speaking from the euphoria-to-bite ratio, no other taco is as purely delicious to inhale as these: crispy, creamy, refreshing, and spicy all the same time. This taco is timeless; this taco is perfect.
3040 E. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Line 62 - “Olympic/Dacotah” or Bus Line 605 - "Grande Vista/Olympic"
E. 10th St and Towne Ave. Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90021. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 51 - “San Pedro/11th”
753 E Holt Ave. Pomona, CA 91767. Closest transit lines and stop: Foothill Transit Lines 195 and 292 or Omnitrans Line 61 - “Holt/San Antonio"
1830 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 105 - “La Cienega/18th”
HOLBOX ~ SCALLOP TACO ~ SOUTH CENTRAL
It’s hard to choose the best taco at Holbox, the pioneering Mexican marisquería that was the first to win a Michelin Star award in the U.S. But there’s no other taco like their scallop taco, which seems like it was plucked from a tale of divinity. Meaty, seared scallops anchor a bed of caramelized onions, pickled fennel, and beautifully spicy salsa in a corn tortilla. It always feels like a treat and a wonderful way to experience exceptional seafood tacos.
Second on the list, but still popular, is the pulpo en su tinta, a braised, fried, and tender octopus served with a squid ink reduction sofrito on a perfectly nixtamalized heirloom Mexican corn tortilla, sourced from the molino right next door. It's a deep dive into seafood umami-land and the kind of taco you will go crazy for if you're the type of person with an insatiable craving for ceviches and aguachiles. Yes, there's a line to order, but this taco is worth the wait alone.
At Mercado Paloma, 3655 S .Grand Ave. Stall #C9 Los Angeles, CA 90007
Closest Metro lines and stop: Metro J Line (910/950) or Bus Line 460 - “37th Street/USC Station”
ENSENADA SURF N TURF GRILL ~ FISH TACO ~ MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
This South Bay taquería, Ensenada Surf N Turf Grill, specializes in Baja-style fish tacos. They beer-batter white fish filets and fry them to a golden orange. Make sure to grab a few blistered chiles güeros for an ideal experience: take a bite of the fish taco and another bite of the chiles. Repeat.
Multiple locations
LUPITA'S TACOS ~ CALAMARI TACOS ~ VENICE
Just like the legendary burgers that Mario Curiel makes at Hinano in Venice, the tacos at Lupita's Tacos bear the same approach: simple, fresh, and direct. No reductions, emulsifications, rare ingredients, or gourmet shit is happening, except for a conscious choice to use wild rockfish instead of farmed tilapia. Just quality ingredients, the right portions, and flavors, made fresh to order, and perfectly satisfying.
Lupita’s Tacos pop up every Friday and Saturday evening at Palms and Lincoln Boulevard in Venice.
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 33 - “Venice/Lincoln”
DITROIT TAQUERIA ~ FISH MACHACA FLAUTA ~ ARTS DISTRICT
Ditroit’s crispy fish machaca flauta, fried in rice bran oil and topped with avocado salsa and a creme fraiche-queso fresco mixture, is the loftiest expression of a taco dorado in Los Angeles. The highly-pedigreed Arts District taquería, opened by the Enrique Olvera Mexican restaurant empire, came out swinging with this taco. Their suadero taco won "best in show" at L.A. TACO's TACO MADNESS last year. It is virtually greaseless, and the fish is extra meaty. You are not alone if you find yourself spending a small fortune on three of these. They're worth it and the stuff they use, whether the sustainably caught tuna or swordfish and Oaxacan-grown heirloom corn tortillas they nixtamalize and make in house, is the best taco that money can buy.
2117 Violet St. Los Angeles, CA 90021
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 60 - “Santa Fe/Violet”
ANAJAK THAI CUISINE ~ STRIPED BASS TACOS ~ SHERMAN OAKS
Anajak's dry-aged taco is one of the few recurring menu items featured at the 44-year-old Thai restaurant's weekly "Taco Tuesday" event. The striped bass is hung and aged for a little over a week, fried at a low temperature, and then seared to develop smokiness. The taco is then topped with Boon sauce, a chile oil made by L.A. chef Max Boonthanakit, and a house mayo for a touch of Ensenada realness.
The dry aging of the bass adds a fruitful flavor that effortlessly combines with the sauce’s heat and the mayo's umami. The tortillas are sourced from La Princesita. In addition to the tacos, Anajak's Thai Taco Tuesday is also appealing because of the vibe and natural wine. It's a truly "only-in-L.A." phenomenon that we hope stays around for another 42 years, at least.
14704 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 155 or 240 - “Ventura/Cedros"
SIMÓN ~ Crispy Soft-Shell Crab Taco ~ SILVER LAKE
Simon L.A. is unlike any other mariscos truck in L.A., stoked by the sure hand and innovative ideas of a progressive Oaxacan fine-dining chef who knows the coastal cuisine of Mexico’s Pacific Coast as well as he does the back of his ocean blue lonchera. In between owner Francisco Aguilar’s classic taco gobernador and Baja-style fish taco is their soft-shell crab taco, with a whole battered (but not greasy) crispy soft-shell crab with plenty of sweet crab meat. It's delicately poised on a handmade corn tortilla and for a brief moment, the entire body of a formerly feisty crustacean sitting immobile, tempura-fried and paired with pickled red onion, pineapple pico, and a creamy yellow sauce made from chintextle (the Oaxacan paste of pasilla chiles) plus avocado leaves and shrimp shells. Crunch into this lightly battered beauty, and you’ll be hooked.
3667 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026
Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 2 or 4 - “Sunset/Maltman”
TACOS BAJA ~ FISH AND SHRIMP TACOS ~ MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Up there in OGness is Tacos Baja on East L.A.'s Whittier Boulevard. The taco is perfect every time you order it: a battered piece of catfish that is still crispy on the edges, with cabbage and a chipotle crema with a little bit of mayonnaise mixed in for extra richness. If you're tight on a budget, you can go on Wednesday when each fish taco is only $1.50, but plan accordingly because the line can get up to 30 minutes long.
You won't even remember that when you take that first bite. Though we think this taquería's popularity also has something to do with their all-you-can-eat chile güero bar. Note: Some are blindingly spicy, and some are like bell peppers. Good luck!
Whittier location ~ 16032 Whittier Blvd. Whittier, CA 90603
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 120 - “Whittier/Santa Getrudes”
VILLA'S TACOS #3 ~ MAHI-MAHI TACOS ~ HIGHLAND PARK
Victor Villa, the only three-time TACO MADNESS champion behind Villa's Tacos, was proudly born and raised in northeast Los Angeles. Like out of a movie, he saved enough money after the success of his homegrown taquería to buy the building that used to house the longstanding Tacos La Estrella on the corner of Avenue 61 and Figueroa, where he also grew up eating. His filling seven-layer tacos made him famous, and he is now taking on the mariscos game with his new concept, which features fish, shrimp, octopus tacos, and even a special "Mar y Tierra" taco with A5 Wagyu.
The secret to the new seafood menu is all in the oregano-intensive batter he uses for his mahi-mahi and shrimp tacos. He also fries in rice bran oil, which is renowned for its health benefits (compared to soybean or canola oil) and virtually greaseless, allergen-free crunch.
6100 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90042
Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 81 - “Figueroa/Avenue 60”
RAZO'S FISH TACOS ~ LOBSTER TACOS ~ NORTH HOLLYWOOD
Russian-raised Armenian chef Razo Bakhtamian's seafood is deep-fried to order at Razo's Fish Tacos, using the sunflower oil that remains central to the cooking of so many former Soviet states, resulting in a sweeter, lighter, bright orange hull. The chef sears mahi-mahi on a grill using a sandwich press to ensure every bite of his tacos stays consistently packed with protein. His lobster tacos are among the best tortilla-wrapped seafood we’ve eaten in town. They are snappy and juicy, with lobster flavor popping beneath waves of butter and garlic.
11513 Burbank Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601
Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 154 - “Lankershim/Burbank”
PEZ CANTINA ~ TACOS DE PESCADO ~ DOWNTOWN L.A.
Pez Cantina is like your secret, sun-shading, life-affirming palapa stuck right in the thick of Bunker Hill’s steel and glass jungle. After a long day of buying low and selling high, or simply wandering around Jeff Koons' sculptures, wondering, ‘What in the hell?’ Pez Cantina offers an oasis of coastal Mexican seafood, cold cocktails, and semi-tropical good vibes, all at a superior level. Or skip the oysters and cocteles completely for their crispy, crunchy, creamy tacos de pescado.
401 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90071
Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 76 - “Grand/ 3rd”
MARISCOS CORONA ~ FRIED BASS TACO ~ VALLEY GLEN
Since Joel joined his father in the kitchen, Mariscos Corona has seen its operation shift into overdrive, with a vibrant menu upgrade propelling it to social media stardom. While the hype mostly surrounds its unique take on mariscos, its tacos are worth the trip alone. The fried fish taco is a flaky sea bass with pickled onions and salsa. But every taco here gets a dank treatment.
14901 Sherman Way. Van Nuys, CA
Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 162- “Sherman Way/ Kester"
A TÍ LOS ANGELES ~ FISH TACOS ~ ECHO PARK
A Tí's Andrew Ponce is perhaps the underdog of the year for L.A. TACO. He won TACO MADNESS 2025 for his duck confit-in-mole taco in his first year competing at the onstage blind taste test, and he continues to get better every day at his tiny restaurant in Echo Park. That duck confit is not available in taco form but his striped bass fish tacos are, and they demand just as much respect.
We've had a couple of iterations, including one with a koji-enriched guacamole. Currently, he is serving them with a habanero-and-Kewpie mayonnaise at his freshly opened bar in Echo Park. The one constant with any of his tacos is dedication and a love for Kernel of Truth Organic's U.S.-grown corn masa, which is nixtamalized in Boyle Heights.
1498 W. Sunset Blvd. #2 Los Angeles, CA 90026
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 4 - “Sunset/Portia”
SKY'S TACOS ~ CRAWFISH TACO ~ MID-CITY
Each taco is wildly different at Sky’s Tacos longstanding stronghold of healthy-leaning, soul food-inflected tacos and burritos. The substantially-sized, amply-priced crawfish taco is one we’ve been returning to for 20 years. It’s a seafood-forward, Cajun-inspired taco heaped with cumin-and-paprika-spiced mudbugs and shredded cheddar cheese on a grilled, slightly firm corn tortilla, sprinkled in diced tomatoes and cilantro, and served with a small cup of sweet, red, tomato-based liquid that tastes like salsa roja if it was made by Old Bay. It’s a little like étouffée in a tortilla and so much easier to eat by hand.
5303 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019
Closest transit line and stop: Big Blue Bus Line 7 - “Pico/Cochran”
BALAM MEXICAN KITCHEN ~ TROPICAL T TACO ~ LYNWOOD
It's okay to be taco-curious. So if your eye catches the coconut shrimp on a "jicama tortilla" on the menu at BALAM Mexican Kitchen, go for it. Is it officially a taco if it has no flour or corn tortilla? Maybe not, say some corn and flour tortilla die-hards. But it's still one of the most memorable taco-ish bites in a city full of easily identifiable tacos. It's refreshing, tart, crispy, and definitely carries the feeling of paradise that its ingredients—mango, forever mango—suggest.
11700 Long Beach Blvd. Lynwood, CA 90262
Closest Metro lines and stops: Metro C Line or Bus Line 251 - "Long Beach Boulevard Station" or Bus Line 60 - “Long Beach/Josephine”
CACAO MEXICATESSEN ~ ENSENADA FISH TACOS ~ EAGLE ROCK
Cacao Mexicatessen, a long-standing community gem in Eagle Rock, offers fresh rock fish in their Ensenada fish tacos. The filets are pan-fried or battered 'til beautifully puffed and crisp. Served on Kernel of Truth's organic blue corn tortillas and topped with cabbage, pickled red onion, crema, and salsa, these tacos are testaments to CaCao's ability to riff on Mexican staples while delicately striking the balance between integrity and innovation.
1576 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 180 - “Colorado/Townsend”
TIGRES FUEGOS ~ SWORDFISH TACO ~ REDONDO BEACH
Westside taqueria Tigres Fuegos has a simple concept: tacos and ceviche. Each taco is fully dressed but all five are distinct with their construction. The beer-battered swordfish taco draws inspiration from Baja with a crunchy shell and one of the best fish tacos in the South Bay. Served with fresh pico de gallo, cilantro, cabbage, crema, and fuego sauce, there's something healing about eating this fish taco oceanside on the weekend, a delicious reminder that there's more to life than concrete jungles.
1223 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 232 - “Pacific Coast Highway/Avenue F”
LA PURÉPECHA COCINA MEXICANA ~ FISH TACOS ~ SANTA MONICA
You step off at the 5th/Colorado bus stop and stroll two blocks east, one block north, and enter La Purépecha’s small, white-walled space on Broadway, briefly fiddling with your camera to snap a shot of the pink, neon “Make Tacos Not War” sign. But you’ve got things to do and tacos to eat, so you place a fast order for the fish tacos on rustic-looking handmade corn at the register with co-owner and local Pedro Palomo, whose grandmother’s recipes fuel this taquería.
Soon, you’re slipping into an umami-field in the form of a flaky, grilled fish taco set off on all sides by fresh crema, crunchy cabbage, and sustained heat. And if you’ve come on a Tuesday, you’re getting your tacos for $2.25.
725 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA. 90401
GRACIAS SEÑOR ~ TILAPIA TACOS ~ PACIFIC PALISADES
Gracias Señor is a terrific taco truck operated by a terrific human being who is so terrific that we created a golden taco award to give to him last year. Stop by and you’ll literally hear strangers yelling out, “we love Rudy!” and “this guy is the best” on the sidewalk.
The all-encompassing love for his unlikely Westside community, where he was loyal to the Palisades for a decade before fire forced him to his current curb in Brentwood, permeates everything served on his black taco truck stenciled with a bright green avocado on its rump. Breakfast burritos, surf-and-turf tacos, and vegetarian mushroom tacos bring people back again, as much as the taquero’s welcoming smile makes you feel like a regular in a corn-centered Cheers.
The excellence, as you by now expect from all this glowing about Gracias Señor, extends to the fish taco. The fried version (you can get it grilled) involves Tecate-battered tilapia in a crispy, shaggy, bright orange coat, crisscrossed with crema, pico de gallo, and a chile-flecked salsa roja on ragged edged tortillas de maiz with fat wedges of lime at the ready.
11941 San Vicente Blvd. Brentwood, CA 94513
Honorable Vegan Mention
GRACIAS MADRE ~ TACO DE PESCADO ~ WEST HOLLYWOOD
Gracias Madre is a lesson in "never judge a taco by its cover."
We can talk your ear off extolling the virtues of how they are one of L.A.'s best destinations for vegetarian tacos, plant-based entrees, and cocktails made with obscure agave spirits, but the average Angeleno may not believe us given its luxe location on the intersection connecting West Hollywood to Beverly Hills.
Take our word for it: Gracias Madre's young coconut-battered version of a fish taco tastes of the ocean, thanks to the addition of dulse and nori seaweed to its batter, and it's flaky thanks to the buttery coconut meat. They don't skimp on the toppings either, adding 1/3 of a whole damn avocado—all resting on a beautiful, organic Kernel of Truth yellow corn tortilla.
You'll pay for the quality, but it's worth every penny. And while you're balling out, order a grilled lion's mane taco, too, which tastes eerily like carnitas thanks to the mushroom's fleshy flavor and texture. These are also full-sized tacos as well, so two will fill-up the average taco eater.
8905 Melrose Ave. West Hollywood, CA 90069
Closest Metro line and stop: Metro Local 4 bus - "Santa Monica/La Peer"
