From pop-ups and food trucks to taquerias and seafood restaurants, great fish tacos are made in abundance throughout the Bay Area. We recently shared our favorite nine spots for grilled, battered and piping-hot fish tacos, then asked readers to weigh in on their faves. Here are their picks.
With a sweet Taco Tuesday deal — three for $10 — these fish tacos are highly recommended, says Larry Johnson, who gets them every week. “I think it’s the best I ever had,” he says. “The presentation isn’t always the same, but (there’s) always a soft flour tortilla, one piece of grilled cod, topped with coleslaw and a delicious spicy sauce. I order my sauce on the side, so I can dip.”
Details: Opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday at 4605 Golf Course Road in Antioch; tailgaterssportsbars.com.
“You left out the best place of all, Dia de Pesca on Bascom Avenue in San Jose,” writes Robin Cole. The praise is seconded by Nick Yatsko of San Jose, who says that “Dia de Pesca is the only place for fish tacos in the South Bay.” Go for the halibut, grilled or breaded, Yatsko says. The restaurant, which offers alfresco and indoor seating, serves its grilled or breaded fish tacos with cabbage, avocado and a chipotle sauce.
Details: Opens at 9 a.m. daily at 55 N. Bascom Ave., San Jose; diadepesca.net.
Reader Michael Garcia’s favorite fish tacos hail from Cholita Linda, the small Bay Area chain of Latin American street food restaurants in Walnut Creek, Alameda, Oakland and San Francisco. Their Baja take includes crispy fried fish, salsa roja, cabbage slaw and Baja crema.
Details: The Walnut Creek eatery opens at 11 a.m. daily at 24 Broadway Lane. Find details on the other locations at cholitalinda.com.
Sancho’s Taqueria, Palo Alto and Redwood City
Reader Linda Anderson recommends Sancho’s Taqueria which has three outlets in midtown Palo Alto, Lytton Avenue Palo Alto and in Redwood City. “The Lytton site is two blocks from my home. Grilled fish taco is my go-to order,” she says.
Details: Opens at 10 a.m. Monday-Saturday at 491 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto; sanchostaqueria.com.
Kevin Weinberg — chef and co-owner at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club — says his favorite fish tacos are, of course, from his own restaurant, thanks to the fresh fish he sources from San Francisco’s Osprey Seafood. The restaurant’s fish tacos are made with mahi-mahi, battered or grilled, topped with shaved red cabbage, cilantro and cumin cream and avocado salsa.
Details: Opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday at 1555 Bonanza St., Walnut Creek; wcyc.net.
This Saratoga eatery serves not just wraps but tacos as well, including Baja fish tacos served on double corn tortillas loaded with fresh-grilled rex sole fillet, white sauce, pico de gallo, cilantro, shredded cabbage and lime. “I’ve been going to Rojoz Wraps for years,” says San Jose reader Randy Breunling.
Details: Opens at 11 a.m. daily at 18562 Prospect Road in Saratoga; rojozwraps.com.
Beth Hernandez puts it simply: “You missed No. 1 for the best fish tacos — Vallarta in San Leandro!” The family-friendly eatery offers indoor and outdoor dining, and its fish tacos come topped with fresh avocado.
Details: Opens at 10 a.m. daily at 14366 E. 14th St., San Leandro; 510-352-7340.
Cupertino reader Carolyn Bowker swears by the salmon tacos at this Morgan Hill eatery that opened in 1998. The fresh fish is sourced from Moss Landing, and seafood specials are offered daily. On Tuesdays, the grilled salmon tacos are just $3 and include salsa, avocado, coleslaw, rice and black beans.
Details: Opens at 11 a.m. daily at 17320 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill; rosysatthebeach.com.
