la.foodblogging

Señor Fish
618 Mission Street, South Pasadena 91030
Locations in Eagle Rock (Señor Fresh), Alhambra, and Downtown
(626) 403-0145
Under $10 per person

Daily 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Bottom Line: If you’re jones’n for fish tacos, there is no other choice.

“Always fresh, never fishy,� is a mantra more commonly associated with your favorite sushi joint than your corner taco hut, but Señor Fish may very well be bucking that trend. Sharing an unassuming strip mall with a Laundromat and House of Coffee (now the soon-to-be Señor Fish annex), this bare-bones, no-nonsense Mexican serves up what some consider to be the best fish tacos in Los Angeles.

Little can be said about the interior, except, perhaps, that it does not look like much has changed since it opened over 10 years ago: Worn, yellowed press review cutouts pepper the walls. A sterile, washed-out orange hue of formica gives the room some color, while a lonely soda machine sits perched atop a frail, crooked, wrought-iron buffet. It appears, thankfully, that the kitchen is in better shape.

A plastic or paper plate appears at your table less than five minutes after you order. The fish tacos are hot, crispy and moist, served with a well-balanced complement of lettuce, tomato, spicy Baja salsa, and sour cream – though more toppings are available at their fixins bar – and the rice is nice and fluffy. Order their famous Callo de Hacha (scallop burrito), but be wary of your eyes being wider than your stomach; it’s a tasty gigantic wrap easily large enough for two meals, though the combination of perfectly crispy, deep-fried scallops, lettuce, tomatoes, and mexican rice may be good enough to cloud your sense of delayed gratification.

What is most impressive, however, is that nearly every dish costs less than $10 – when was the last time you could eat shrimp and scallops without breaking the bank? Sure the service is non-existent and the digs could be updated a bit, but this means that you’re really only paying for the food, and good food, at that. No wonder take-out is a popular option. This is a perfect “cheap eats� destination for the adamant foodie, because the food is the star and you’re just there to eat up.

sneakypeteiii is a doctoral student in Chemistry at Caltech. He has been eating since he was a child, and reckons himself quite good at it. (see more of his posts).