From Surf Breaks To Beach Bars, Finding Great Fish Tacos One Bite And Beer At A Time
Finding San Diego’s best fish tacos is an ongoing adventure. It’s not one that’s been an obsession but rather it’s a cultural lifestyle here. As such, I have discovered some outstanding places to have the city’s most basic culinary meal. And because this is from The Nightlife Blogger, there’s usually a cold beer or margarita involved in the research.
Last taste-tested: October 2026. The search continues.
Fish tacos are the quintessential San Diego food. If you don’t think so then try walking a block without seeing a place selling tacos. Heck, there are even taco places in Italian-restaurant heavy Little Italy.
Now most people would assume that tacos are so prevalent here because of the city’s close proximity to Mexico. Heck, it’s less than 20 miles to the border. And that would be partically correct but the real reason, and this is why fish tacos are so big here, is due to the surfers.
You see, some of the best surf spots in Baja are in isolated areas, not near any towns. So when the surfers get out of the water, they are greeted by Mexicans grilling up fresh fish tacos. Since many surfers work at or frequent bars and restaurants when home, they have told the managers and owners “you need to get fish tacos on the menu.” At least that’s the story I heard from locals when I lived up the coast in Manhattan Beach. And that’s good enough for me. Side note: When then-Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza played in a band at Harry O’s there, the name of the band was the Fish Tacos.
So it has been my finding that the best fish tacos are found near the best surf breaks. This is true not just in San Diego but throughout Southern California.
So when I’m out in a casual frame of mind and looking for a good, fairly cheap meal, I’ll check out a place’s fish tacos. And I’ve found a few places here in San Diego that have caught my attention to the point that it prompted me to write this article. It’s no Yelp or Yahoo review of San Diego’s best fish taco places but rather an ongoing journal of what I experience at bar, restaurants and taco stands.
And if you want the quintessential San Diego meal then have a West Coast IPA craft beer with the tacos. The West Coast IPA is a San Diego creation and that combination will have you riding the waves of fish tacos heaven.
Fish Tacos Along Your Way
Out for a bike ride around Mission Bay?
Charlie’s Landing. Big fish tacos, outdoor seating and marina views.
Having beers in Pacific Beach?
710 Beach Club. An unexpectedly good fish taco discovery without leaving the bar.
Coming off the beach or a surf session?
The Taco Stand. A casual, relatively inexpensive stop when you’re hungry and don’t want a formal restaurant meal.
Spending the day around San Diego Bay or Del Mar?
Brigantine. A reliable sit-down choice that fits naturally into an afternoon by the water or after the horse races.
Charlie’s Landing, Mission Beach – Large, Tasty & At A Marina
This is, at the moment, my favorite place for fish tacos. I’m usually starving by the time I get there because I ride my bike and often get turned around in Mission Bay, wind up missing a turn or not making the right one, until I give up and finally break out either Google Maps or Waze on my phone to guide me there.
But what a treat. It’s right on the marina and being able to see water is always good when eating fish. I have a friend who won’t order seafood when he can’t see the ocean. Smart dude. You order from a little room and sit at a table outside. The tacos, either grilled or breaded, are HUGE. They are fat, or gordo. I mean, I have a pretty good appetite but two fills me up almost to the point of belly rubbing.
I get the breaded ones and they have such a great crunch and taste so danged good I’m always torn between tearing into them and savoring the bites. I usually wind up eating them too fast tho. The price for fish (or shrimp) tacos is $16 which isn’t cheap but considering the amount you get and how good they are, it’s a very fair price. I’ll have one, maybe two beers while there, sitting in the San Diego sun looking at boats in a marina. It’s hard to have a better lunch experience in the whole city than this one.
Location: 1717 Quivira Rd.
710 Beach Club, Pacific Beach – A Very Pleasant Surprise
I was in 710 one evening just hanging out while drinking a San Diego Pale Ale when I looked up at its rotating digital board and noticed it was Taco Tuesday. Well heck I was getting hungry so I asked PubClub.com Bartender of the Month Natalie about them and she said you get two for $10 and recommended the fish to me. I trust her judgement and when the server brought them to me, she said, almost in a whisper, “they are goooood.”
Really? I hadn’t really given it much thought beyond being kind of a food filler but by looking at them, I could tell they had tasty potential. They were deep fried and had cole slaw and red onions, were large enough to fill me up and had a few tortilla chips on the side. All it took was one bite to confirm Natalie and the server’s high opinion of them. They were crunchy and the slaw really made for a bold flavor. They were so good I didn’t even use the salsa on the side; didn’t need it. The only reason I’m putting Charlie’s Landing above these is that the former tacos are a bit larger and its location at a marina. Tho 710 certainly has its visual virtues, too.
I took my time eathing them because I wanted to savor them. Natalie said, “it’s the same fish we use in our fish and chips.” That’s something to note for another visit.
Later that night, I was bragging to someone at another bar about the fish tacos and not only did she agree but she went on and on about how good its pizza tastes. Noted, but next time I’m in there, on a Tuesday anyway, I’ll go for the fish tacos. Is it Tuesday yet!?
Location: At the PB Pier
The Taco Stand – The Budget Choice
My favorite go-to place for tacos in San Diego and North County is The Taco Stand. I’m not alone, either; go to nearly any of its locations and the first thing you will notice is a long line outside of the place. It’s so good that in La Jolla, there’s always a line there while two blocks away the taco place liked by Jimmy Buffett, Don Carlos, has no line.
Not only is it a budget place with most tacos costing just $4 and $5 (FYI, I order three to fill me up) but all the tacos are really, really good. One of the things that makes it stand out from the incredible number of other taco places in San Diego is that they make their own tortillas for the tacos. So get the tacos and not the burritos.
The Taco Stand has two fish tacos:
• Grilled Pescado (Mahi Mahi)
Grilled fish, cabbage, cilantro, onion, tomato, avocado & salsa chipotle
• Baja Taco
Battered fish, cabbage, cilantro, tomato, onion & salsa chipotle
Both are great and you might have to wait a few minutes to find a place to sit after you order. Yes, surfers go here, especially in Encinitas.
Locations: All over San Diego. I prefer the ones in La Jolla (at Pearl and Drapier) and Encinitas
Brigantine – A Reliable Favorite
Okay, you may be disappointed in me. I know you expected me to have some hole-in-the-wall place hiding among a row of other bars, restaurants and businesses here but I’m sorry, sometimes I just have to go with the “big boys.” Which in this case is Brigantine. It’s a chain of sorts, but hang on now, it’s a San Diego chain, not a national one, started in Point Loma in 1969 now led by a second generation of owners.
I actually got to know Brigantine and its fish tacos before I moved here. It was after Opening Day at Del Mar and I was among those who (perhaps unwisely) trampled through the grass and across the train tracks to get there before it got too busy. The fish tacos caught my attention and the breaded ones served in soft shells with cabbage are spot-on delicious. At $20 for two they are priced on the high end, but hey, they are just $4 on Taco Tuesday. Brigantine also has a very good clam chowder, by the way.
Locations: Portside Pier downtown on San Diego Bay, Coronado across from the Hotel del Coronado, Point Loma and Del Mar across from there the turf meets the surf.
The Nightlife Blogger is the bar columnist for PubClub.com, An award-winning journalist, Kevin Wilkerson has spent more than two decades covering bars, nightlife, destinations and events around the world, always searching for the stories and experiences most travelers overlook.
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