El Viejon Seafood

Back in June of last year; I noticed that the Korean Hot Dog place in the strip mall where Dumpling Inn ummm, Shanghai Saloon is located was gone and was being replaced with what looked like a Mariscos place named El Viejon. I was quite interested after reading the Eater post. Though it did take me a while to actually visit. After finally deciding to check the place out in February, I was happy to see that they did online orders. I'm not really fond of that parking lot, especially now, with all the spaces seemingly reserved for specific shops and the other stalls, behind Jasmine now being paid parking - on one of my visits I actually saw a car being towed! And the lot was empty except for that one vehicle!

Pick up was a breeze and the folks here are quite friendly.

I had ordered two of my "go-to" items with regards to Mariscos Tacos; a Smoked Fish (Tacos de Marlyn - $7) and a Gobernador ($7). The tacos were pretty hefty.

 The smoked fish taco was pretty good....I had read in the Eater post that items had a "Asian" touch....I figure in the case of these tacos, it was the sesame seeds? Anyway, the fish was nice and moist, smoky, good savory hints, no off flavors, and the tortillas held up well. The cabbage added textural contrast and a touch of sweetness. 

The Gobernador on the other hand was not a favorite of mine. In fact, it was mostly fried onions....

What shrimp there was in the taco were really tough. This really needed some help, but unfortunately, perhaps it was my fault, there was no salsa in my take-out order. Maybe I should have asked?

Still, that smoked fish was quite good and while El Viejon was a Mariscos place, I had noticed something that I thought was decently priced on the menu.

The 2 Birria Tacos with Broth was $10. So, a couple of weeks later I placed another online order. Which was again ready for pick-up when I arrived. The young lady working was very nice and her little daughter was adorable.

   This was actually pretty good; I mean it ain't Fernandez, but what is? The beef was much more tender than it looked, good savory beefiness, touch of tangy-sour. The tortillas held up well, this was actually better then other versions I've had recently.

The consommé was a surprise as it had a basic mirepoix in it. It was really quite substantial, beefy, mildly spicy, it made for a nice "soup" on its own with a squeeze or two of lime to cut the mild greasiness of it.

I was quite surprised and pleased.

Funny thing was, the young lady had packed salsas in my bag....even though this time it really wasn't needed!

After this visit, I had meant to do a post, but for some reason I didn't. Then February turned into March, which turned into April. During a warm spell the Missus thought it might be a good idea to get some ceviche, so I suggested a visit to El Viejon.

We decided to go at an off hour; so parking wouldn't be a hassle and there wouldn't be many customers and we hit the jackpot, we were the only ones in the place and took that table waaaay in the back by the mural.

After a look at the menu, the Missus decided on what to order; I had thought that for sure She'd want the smoked fish taco, but She decided on a surprise item.

We started off with the Shrimp Ceviche ($15). 

 There was a generous amount of shrimp in this; but we both thought this was a bit lacking in overall flavor and was really too salty. The texture of the shrimp was fine.

The next item up was the "surprise". The Missus seemed to be in the mood for something "fried", so we ordered the "Las Fries" ($18). Man, the portion size was huge. And for some reason, we really enjoyed this.

The fries were crisp, full of potato-ey goodness. On this palette the mildly spicy Mariscos Thousand Islandy type sauce did quite good as did the crisp fried onions, which combined with the variety of seafood in the bowl. Our favorite items were the smoked fish (of course), which was so very good with the fries and fried onions and the shrimp which were plump and perfectly cooked. The pulpo was fine and the dusting of cheese added a pleasant dimension of milky saltiness to things. Of course we couldn't finish this and the Missus had to hose me down when we got home, but the leftovers did well in a pseudo frittata the next day.

We loved the presentation of the Aguachile (half order - $15) which was served in a Molcajete whose edges were dusted with Tajin.

   We got this with the "verde", the green sauce which was tangy and tart, a perfect foil for the spice. Loved the avocado which helped to quell whatever heat evolved from the dish, the cucumbers added a nice, crisp and "chlorophyllic" touch to the dish. The shrimp had spent the perfect amount of time in the sauce, being just toothsome enough. We'd have this again!

This meal was a pleasant surprise for the Missus. In fact, She started calling Les Fries, "stoner fries"....and we've actually ordered it for takeout once. We ate it in our backyard and really enjoyed it. I don't think we can have it very often.....but every once in a while it'll be  a nice guilty pleasure. And they open early and straight thru so we can get in during off hours if we want to dine in.

El Viejon Seafood
4619 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mondays 9am - 3pm
Tues - Sun 9am - 9pm

Comments

[James Watson]

I'd love to try it, but that parking lot is a never-go-there for me.

[Soo]

Place sounds good. I'll have to visit before the lunch rush.

[Loren]

Yeah that ranks among the worst parking lots on Convoy, and boy that's saying something.

I've been there twice and their Birria tacos are a stunning revelation and I'd say in many ways better than Tuteano's in Old Town. Their fish and shrimp tacos (not gobernador) were pretty good too.

Only thing I'd say is never get the Birria Ramen like this YosoDummy did, but then again you probably know better than me :-p

[Junichi]

Love their birria and octopus tacos. Both with cheese of course! Agree that parking sucks there.

[Kirk]

Hi James - Yes, that parking lot is terrible. Which is why we try to do "off hour" visits. I hope you're able to try them out one of these days. Thanks for taking the time out to comment.

That's a good idea Soo.

Yes, their Birria was much better than I though it would be Loren. Lol on the birria ramen!

It's unanimous on the parking Junichi! El Viejon is a nice addition to Convoy!

[kat]

everything looked great! now if they had better parking…

[Jack]

I haven't been able wrap my head around the fact that there is a mariscos restaurant off of convoy, so I have never been. I guess it's tim to check it out! Maybe my son and I will try it later today when we meet up...

[Kirk]

If only Kat!

I know Jack! I guess times are a changin'! If you check them out, let me know what you think.

[Loren]

@Jack - you think that's weird, there's a Mariscos restaurant across the street from a Taco Stand, in the same centers as things like an amazing Taiwanese restaurant, a premier Ramen location, the Tofu house, a dumpling place and a conveyor sushi restaurant.

I mean Convoy is turning into one (if not maybe the top) food streets in San Diego. A food crawl across the entire street would be amazing and a heck of a fun experience.

[Kirk]

I think things are getting more concentrated Loren. I wonder how La Playita, which was on Clairemont Mesa Blvd, where Taisho is now, would do these days. Also, Vietnamese options have not kept up with things. I keep wondering how the car dealerships are doing on Convoy.....