When restaurants claim to have the world’s best blank — pancakes, coffee, cookies — it almost always suggests hyperbole. The one instance it rings true to me is at Taco Nazo, the Los Angeles microchain that purports to sell the world’s best fish taco. In this case, I can believe them — the fish remains flaky and plump after its fry with a surprisingly light batter that still offers a shatteringly crisp exterior. Alongside what may be Los Angeles’s best fish taco, find generous portions of ceviche, trays of dorado tacos, and a virgin michelada that is arguably better than its beer-filled counterpart.
What to order
- The fried fish taco is Taco Nazo’s most famous dish and, yes, you should order one (or multiple). Double corn tortillas envelop a whole freshly fried Alaskan pollack filet and, in true Ensenada style, get topped with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and a drizzle of crema. It is a superlative fish taco.
- Nazo’s shrimp taco feels just as noteworthy: My usual shrimp tacos gripe is that they’re small and fall apart. Here, the shrimp are monstrously large with the same satisfying batter clinging to every fiber.
- Fluffy mashed potatoes fill the potato taco dorado, fried until extra crispy and blanketed with the same shredded cabbage, pico, and crema combination as the seafood tacos — but with the addition of cheese.
- Find plump shrimp, tangles of octopus, and shredded fish and imitation crab in the mixed ceviche, which gets crowned with sliced avocado and served with bubbly, freshly fried tostadas. Lashings of hot sauce really amplify the lime-forward mix.
What to drink
You can sip on spicy and tart micheladas at Taco Nazo made with Modelos but I love the virgin michelada made with your choice of agua fresca. Go
for watermelon for something undoubtedly refreshing and sweet against the michelada mix or pineapple to double down on micheladas’ naturally sharp flavors.
Insider tip
In true California fashion, locations in South El Monte, La Puente, and Santa Ana have drive-thrus available for particularly speedy visits.
