Mariscos Monday: Oscar's Mexican Seafood - Hillcrest

It seems like more than a bit over two years ago that the Missus and I had a meal at Oscar's Mexican Seafood. While the meal was decent, we didn't find it especially great, at least in comparison with other Mariscos restaurants and trucks we eat at. I think the major draw was the location; there was nothing quite like it in the area. Since then, Oscar's has expanded. To PB and Hillcrest. I'd always been meaning to return and revisit, but having a location in Hillcrest is pretty easy since I'm in the area quite often for work.

One really great thing is that they open at 8am. I often have meetings at odd hours and the early opening was a big plus for getting me here....also, the parking here can be a nightmare during prime time.

Like the decor, though the regular seating is nd of uncomfortable. The menu is very gringo friendly...everything fully explained.

I decided on the Smoked Fish Taco (Taco de Marlyn - $4.25) and the Fresh Fish of the Day ($4.50) which was Yellowtail....actually I ordered a Battered Fish Taco ($1.99), but they just rang up the grilled fish....which I probably should have ordered anyway.

There was much to like about the Smoked Fish Taco, loved the way the queso was melted onto the tortilla (very routine mass-produced) to prevent breakage and add a mild milky edge. The fish was a bit too mild in terms of smokey flavor and even salt....I consider this "bacon of the sea". On the good side; it was less fishy than some versions I've had recently. I do think the portion was pretty small.....

I also thought these tacos were a bit under-dressed, though I do understand wanting to make the rather mild yellowtail the star of the show. The fish was a bit overcooked for me.....yellowtail can dry out pretty quickly. I also thought it needed to be seasoned a bit more. This was on the bland side and really needed more....also, there wasn't enough onion or anything else to give it some textural contrast.

A quick word about the salsas...the Chipotle is nice and mild....I thought that white salsa was crema...but whoa, I believe it's habanero based, which I really thought added a nice kick.

In total, not bad, perhaps priced on the high side....but of course, there's the location.

I had an odd hour meeting and another scheduled over lunch so I headed back to Oscar's before traveling back to the office. This time I did order the Battered Fish Taco ($1.99).

The batter was light, but could have been a bit more crisp it got soggy fairly quickly. The fish was moist, though the whole thing lacked flavor. Still, definitely worth a buck ninety-nine.

Curious about both the shrimp and non-seafood items, I ordered the Surf and Turf Taco ($4.50). This was a nice two-fisted taco.

The shrimp was well seasoned, cooked to the edge of being overcooked, but didn't go over that line. The skirt steak was too tough and chewy, which I don't mind if there some nice assertive flavors to obscure the texture, but that wasn't the case here. Overall, a decent taco.

I'll probably return to Oscar's because of the location and hours. I think I'll go with some shrimp tacos and maybe the Cucarachas which we enjoyed last time, but is now like $11.

Oscar’s Mexican Seafood
646 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Sun - Thurs 8am - 9pm
Fri - Sat   8am - 10pm

 

 

Comments

[J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats]

We go to that location a lot, I always get the mixed fish ceviche and a small fish stew. The fish stew can be really hit or miss, somedays its full of fat chunks of fish, octopus and shrimp....and other days its just bits of carrots and onion with the occasional fish sliver. Although for $2.50 I suppose its not the worst gamble I make on a frequent basis.

[kat]

everything looks great!

[Derric]

My choice taco here has been the Taco Especial which has smoked fish, shrimp, and scallops. I like it better than the surf and turf taco. Battered fish taco is okay but not one of my favorites in SD.

[Kirk]

Hi JS - The two times I had the "fish stew" at the La Jolla location it was like the watery consommé you get free at Mariscos trucks, but with less flavor.

Hi Kat - Pretty good stuff.

Hi Derric - I wanted to see what the ground critters tasted like here....I'd already had the smoked fish which was too mild in my opinion. Yes, there are many better fish tacos around...though probably not within a mile.

[nhbilly]

DANG! That's some very expensive tacos, IMO.

[Kirk]

Hi Billy - Well, most of it was seafood, though the bang for the buck is on the lower end.