When your Mother’s Day and Father’s Day plans involve hitting up a taco truck, you know it must be special. The famed Mariscos Jalisco, usually in DTLA/Boyle Heights, deigned to bless its presence in West LA – first at the Rancho Park Golf Course and then a more permanent location on La Cienega. Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times food critic, had included this humble Mexican seafood specialist as one of his top restaurants in LA.

If you want to avoid a line, come early or during an off hour. Otherwise, you will find a line, though it does move quickly. They accept both credit cards (which require you to sign on the tablet) or cash. The few times I’ve visited, people have been good about wearing masks and social distancing.

Fresh ceviche, either shrimp or fish, is accompanied with a couple of tostadas,  a small avocado half, a couple of lime wedges and hot sauce.

If you like spicy, don’t miss their aguachile, a spicy tomato-based seafood cocktail. My husband, who is a heat junkie, is obsessed with it. He even ate all the seafood and then poured in some vodka to the remaining sauce, enjoying it as a seafood-spiked Bloody Mary. 

When you get your shrimp tacos to go, they come deconstructed, with the cabbage salsa and avocado on the side, ensuring that your tacos will remain crispy for your dining pleasure.

The filling of the tacos is well-guarded secret – the only ingredient for sure is shrimp – a soft, creamy filling with a crispy fried shell on the outside. You can smother it in the salsa to recreate the dining experience of eating it at the truck or dip your taco into the salsa (or pour it on bit by bit). I could not resist dumping it all on top, slicing up my ripe avocado half and squeezing a lime all over it.  

I easily scarfed down three tacos and instantly wanted more. I would learn on subsequent visits that I needed either two more tacos or a ceviche to hit that pleasantly full state.

In a year that seems to get worse every month, Mariscos Jalisco coming to West LA was one of the few positives to emerge. While you may not be able to dine in at a restaurant, you can still enjoy some of the best food in LA at this food truck and support a small local business at the same time. It’s a win-win.

Location – La Cienega Blvd., between 18th and Sawyer. Other locations listed on their Instagram.
Website – n/a
Kid’s Menu – No
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly – No
Gluten-Free Options – Yes