Explain why Senor Fish doesn't get more love here.

[sillygoosedown]

It has good grilled fish tacos.

[paprkutr]

I am one of those that really likes Senor Fish. I used to get their fried shrimp burrito with rice, no bean. I think it is really good and I like it that it uses nice size shrimp not the little tiny shrimp. I now like their shrimp and scallop tacos, they are good. You can get any of the items fried or grilled. I also like their carne asada. They have a good salsa bar. I have never had to wait more than ten minutes for my food. I really can't see waiting 30 minutes. I have been to the one in Eagle Rock, Little Tokyo Alhambra, and South Pasadena. The one in So. Pas is probably the least decorated, but we like it and it is across from Trader Joes. Most times we stop at Galgos, the soda pop stop, on the way.

[Will Owen]

In my experience the food has been better at South Pas, though the place feels kind of like a big broom closet, or a very small-town bus station. Eagle Rock's deck is just a nice place to be, with I think slightly inferior food. It's been a while, though, so when it warms up a bit I'll need to refresh my memory...

[JamesF]

I think this thread has gotten a little too wrapped up in whether Senor Fish is "muy autentico" or not. I think it's fair to say that the place is pretty decent for what it does. Probably not very many people's idea of a destination restaurant, but a solid choice if you're in the neighborhood. It's certainly a good choice if you're in the Little Tokyo area and don't want Japanese. Comparisons to PF Chang's, Baja Fresh, or Wahoos strike me as unfair. The food is both better and at least more "honest," if not more authentic, than at those places. (By "honest" I mean food made by cooks that are seeking to make good tasting food, rather than by corporate labs seeking to pander to some mass, focus-group refined taste.)

[thedragonlady]

I haven't been to Senor Fish in many, many moons. I used to order the seafood enchiladas or the fish taco plate (sometimes the sampler plate depending on the selection). We used to love the BYOB aspect tied into the outdoor dining thing (Eagle Rock location, specifically), but could anyone comment on the BYOB rules since they've since acquired their own beer/wine license? Is it just like going to The Kitchen (Silverlake) where you'd often get a whiff of their disapproval when you bust out your own bottle of Cab? Senor Fish's food tastes much MUCH better with a store-bought sixer of Pacifico. I'm just sayin'..

[Servorg]

It would be more than a little ironic if they got bent out of shape if you brought your own beer now because, before they had a license for beer and wine, it was not legal for them to allow BYOB on their premises.

[thedragonlady]

Yes, we haven't personally tested the BYOB thing since just before they got their license and now that we don't live in the Eagle Rock area anymore, gone are the days of our summer afternoon Senor Fish tradition. But that's what was so great about Senor Fish in the first place. We thought the food was pretty good...maybe not awesome...but when you're able to show up with a decent amount of good beer, you could almost say that a nice buzz has the ability to buffer the palate. (The same goes with The Kitchen, now that I think about it.) Maybe the expense of acquiring a beer and wine license took away from the quality in other areas? If so, that's a shame.

[Clyde]

i've totally brought my own wine to senor fish and kept the bottle on the floor and poured as needed. i asked for a cup for water and used that for my wine. i sat outside on the patio and no one noticed a thing. it's so easy to do. they do sell beers but an issue is that if you want another one, you have to stand in a slow moving line to get it.

[Will Owen]

A couple of years ago there was a thread in which someone was looking for a caterer to supply Mexican food for a party, and several respondents recommended Señor Fish, with others chiming in to say how plentiful and cheap the food was and how nice the people were, oh and let's not forget delicious, and did I mention cheap? That kinda strikes me as a bit of love...

I really need to make an effort to go to the Little Tokyo-adjacent location. I've been dragged to the beer joint next to it twice now for after-work parties; I think next time I'll just say I'm over at Señor Fish if anyone wants to chat. I do love the bosky little patio on Eagle Rock Blvd. though.

[mollyomormon]

They actually have a cute patio at the Little Tokyo location as well.

[Clyde]

i LOVE senor fish. i go to the eagle rock location about 3 times a month. the seafood quesadilla and the seven seas soup are two of my favorite items along with the scallop burrito. additionally, i love their potato tacos and their tofu tacos are pretty darn good for when i don't feel like eating fish. great chips and salsa/guacamole. i'm a huge fan of this place. always fresh too.

[sillygoosedown]

Describe the seven seas soup.

[mollyomormon]

I love Senor Fish too and I think it does get some love on the board, particularly when people are looking for Mission-style burritos. I'm not an expert on Mission-style, but the burritos at Senfor Fish are a very good approximation of the ones I've tried up north. Definitely try that scallop burrito if you want to switch it up. I'm also interested to hear about the seven seas soup.

[Clyde]

seven seas soup: it's a redish broth- not spicy just a hint of a 'kick' to it. it is filled with carrots, celerey, scallops, shrimps, crab(imitation i think), some other type of fish, clams, mussels i believe, and a bunch of crab legs you gotta rip into. i always get it to go and it is so large it comes in two containers, one for all the crab legs with some additional soup. it also comes with a side of onions, cilantro, and some other stuff, as well as your choice of corn or flower tortillas. it's a bunch of food.

[nachosaurus]

i like senor fish quite a bit. but - i can't really rave about it because of the price. i find that i can never get out of there for under $10 when it is really an under $10 type of place.

also, the service is absolutely unpredictable. sometimes, i get my food right away. sometimes i wait thirty minutes and have to ask over and over again when it will be ready. meanwhile, the people i'm with have either gotten their food and eaten it. or, insist on waiting for everyone to get their food before eating. both are awkward situations that do not enhance a good dining experience. everyone leaves kind of in a funk and not like - wow, that was a great meal! even though the food was perfectly tasty.

[Servorg]

It is disconcerting to say the least when it seems like playing roulette whether or not you get your food. I find the opposite is true at Dino's on Pico. Even when it's a mad house and you give your order to the guy behind the counter and it seems like he'll never remember you when he's got like 20 ravenous people hovering around the counter waiting for their orders he somehow keeps it all straight and you get your food in a timely, predictable and fair fashion. I love it when apparent chaos comes together.

[katkoupai]

I like Senor Fish. I actually tried it because of recommendations on this board a year or two ago. I have been to the Eagle Rock, South Pas and Little Tokyo locations. My favorite one is the one in Little Tokyo. It is big, with cool art on the walls, and it seems like the menu there is more extensive. I got a taco plate there recently, and it was great. My friend got these things (forgot the name) that were like corn cakes topped with meat, lettuce, cheese and salsa. The salsa bar is good. They have plenty of sauces and toppings to choose from.

Right now, my latest kick is taco trucks. There is one in Pas called LA Place that I like a lot.

[mc michael]

Corn cakes sounds like sopes to me.

[sillygoosedown]

I've only been to the Little Tokyo location. I always order the grilled fish sampler, which comes with three tacos of your choice of grilled fish (e.g., salmon, yellowfish, seabass).

[Robert Thornton]

Yeah, but so does Señor Baja, and it's good (although the fish isn't grilled).

[Tripeler]

Señor Baja sounds reasonable, and not nearly as silly.

[cls]

I think the answer is: no it doesn't.

[sillygoosedown]

Let me just say. I think Tacos Baja Ensenada is terrible. I don't like batter fried fish with mayonnaise sauce. Who has better fish tacos than Senor Fish in the style of Senor Fish?

[cls]

I think you need to travel for that. Locally, I don't know, but I am sure others can point you in the right direction.

[ipsedixit]

"Who has better fish tacos than Senor Fish in the style of Senor Fish?"
___________________________________________________________

What does that even mean? Do you also ask, "Who has better Big Macs than McDonald's in the style of McDonald's?"

Go to Ricky's for fish tacos. Or if you need someplace with tables and seats, then go to The Best Fish Taco in Ensenada.

[sillygoosedown]

No batter. Senor Fish has tacos with grilled fresh fish. I want the best fish tacos that have no batter. Thx.

[ipsedixit]

Wahoo's.

[sillygoosedown]

thx

[joshekg]

Mariscos Chente's smoked marlin taco :-)

[shebop]

I'll second those marlin tacos!

[toitoi]

Went to MC's on Thursday - no marlin. Didn't know if they'd be getting any.

[sillygoosedown]

Was there today; overheard the waitress tell another table they had it.

[martyR]

It's kind of like asking where's the best Americanized Chinese food in the San Gabriel Valley.

[ipsedixit]

Or, rephrased ... "Explain why PF Chang's doesn't get more love here"

[streetgourmetla]

You're killing me, hilarious.

[sillygoosedown]

Well so what if it is? If you like to eat greasy, substandard food and pride yourself on its authenticity, make yourself happy. I think most Mexican food in LA is utter crap. It's like McDonalds for Mexicans. Personally, I like grilled fish in my tacos. I couldn't care less if most Mexicans eat batter-fried cod drenched in mayonnaise. Most Americans eat McDonalds and McDonalds is crap. There we witness Chowhound's ethnic authenticity fallacy.

Senor Fish makes good fish tacos where you can actually taste the nuanced flavor of the fish. Alegria in Silver Lake does too. Both of these restaurants are far better than virtually all the authentic Mexican restaurants in LA.

[Ernie]

What other authentic Mexican restaurants have you been to in Los Angeles that make Señor Fish and Alegria stand out?

[sillygoosedown]

To be fair, Alegria is pretty darn good. I genuinely and without the least bit of flame recommend Alegria for inauthentic but flavorful and high-quality Mexican food.

The fish tacos at Senor Fish have been reasonably decent in the past. Maybe they still are. But man...I talked myself into going to Senor Fish today based on my recommendations in this thread...and it sucked dawg. I had a grilled shrimp and scallop burrito. The whole thing fell apart immediately. The shrimp and scallops were desiccated and tasteless. There was nothing commendable about the beans and rice; they were subpar. What a mess!

I guess the lesson don't listen to me!!

[streetgourmetla]

I commend you for puting your claim to the test. Sr. Fish is pretty bad for the Ensenada style fish, too.

Inauthentic Mexican? You are correct, it's Mexican-American, really more Cal-Mex cuisine at Alegria. It's upscale La Salsa. I understand some people want that, which is fine.

Again I think it's great you were honest about Sr. Fish, so perhaps you are willing to check out some of the Mexican restaurants here in town.

For seafood, Mariscos Chente is the best, be sure to get the pescado zarandeado, their signature item.

Try La Casita, Moles La Tia, Chichen Itza, Flor de Yucatan, Babita, La Huasteca(Rocio Camacho has just started cooking there-formerly of Mole La Tia), Antojitos Carmen, Birrieria Flor del Rio, Ricky's Fish Tacos, the Mariscos Jalisco truck in East LA, Antojitos de la Abuelita, Metro Balderas, etc..........

[sillygoosedown]

The pescado zarandeado at Mariscos Chente is outstanding. That restaurant is right up my alley.

Chichen Itza--not my tastes. Babita: overrated IMO.

[streetgourmetla]

Chichen Itza, is it the cuisine of the resto? Maybe Flor de Yucatan?

[sillygoosedown]

I only went once. I thought it was meh. I'll try again though...not fair to give a restaurant like that just one opportunity. At least it's cheap.

Also, to be clear, I went to the Mercado la Paloma location, not Macarthur Park.

[mollyomormon]

I didn't love Chichen Itza either, although I also only gave it one try. Sadly, the Macarthur Park location closed down.

[streetgourmetla]

There are solid items at Chichen Itza, and now Gilberto Cetina is at the La Paloma location full time, since the closing of the MacArthur Park restaurant. Flor would be my first choice though.

[streetgourmetla]

Actually. McDonald's for Mexican is.......McDonald's.

[monku]

Americanized Chinese?
Owner of Senior Fish was involved in co-running Chop Suey Cafe (formerly Far East Cafe) in it's reincarnation.