So there I was running low on petrol in City Heights. I decided to stop and fill up at the station on the corner of ECB and Fairmount and what do I see but a mariscos truck! I've passed this corner dozens, maybe hundreds of times and had never seen this truck before.
Since it was almost lunchtime and I was famished, this seemed like the perfect stop…..all the stars were aligned it seemed.
All the standard mariscos offerings were present on the menu posted at the rear of the vehicle. I did find it kind of strange that there were no prices posted, except for fish tacos which were a $1.25.
The woman manning the window looked familiar…..was this truck once one of the Mariscos German fleet? She always seemed a bit gruff before and this time was no different.
The consomme was decent, way too much celery for my liking, but not bad.
I ordered a fish taco and a gobernador, which came out to $6.25.
As fish tacos go, this was ok. All the usual suspects. The crema was mild and the tortilla routine. There was too much batter on the fish, which was on he gummy side. The fish tasted a bit off as well.
I hoped my Gobernador would be an improvement and while not as good as, say the original Mariscos German(no tomatoes), Beyer, or El Pescador, it was not bad.
The shrimp were plump and juicy, though the vegetables were undercooked for my taste. The cheese was perfectly melted and this was super hot, though it could have used more seasoning…oregano, salt, pepper. Still it wasn't too bad.
So I returned the following weekend for another try. Same gruff woman, though she must have a heart of gold as she gave the homeless guy a fish taco……me on the other hand, I just a "yes" as she looked down at me. This time I ordered the tacos de camarones and a taco de marlyn, which cost $7.50 total.
Quite a bit of shrimp in my taco, though this confirmed that I'm not a big fan of the gummy and not especially crisp batter. The tomtoes were green and not very good. The rest was decent.
The taco de marlyn….smoked fish taco was the best item I've had here.
The fish had a nice smokiness to it and while the versions at many places teeters on salty, this one isn't.
Again the peppers, celery, and onions weren't stir-fried long enough, making it them and raw tasting.
It was also a decent sized portion though another customer ordered the same thing while I was leaving and was only charged $6.50. Shades of Vietnam!!!
I'm hoping the pricing was a mistake. I wouldn't want to think the place does random pricing based on customers.
Overall, just ok, not quite in the same league as other trucks I've been too.
Mariscos Alex
In the parking lot of Qwik Corner Service Station
4357 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92105