The Best Fish Tacos in La Paz? I Found Them and Much More
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Baja California Sur’s coastal gem brings the region’s full authentic flavor to its guests
Words and photos by Susan Able | Edible DC
The best vacations are the ones you that surprise you. For me, this was completely true of long weekend spent in La Paz in June exploring the city and its local foodways.
La Paz, Baja California Sur’s capital city, is two hours north from Cabos San Lucas. It is a delight. If your happy place is having full-flavor authenticity when traveling, then you’ll love La Paz. Beautifully situated on the Sea of Cortez, it may be off the beaten path for tourists focused on the resorts of Cabo San Lucas, but for ecotourists, foodies and those who crave really understanding a region and its people, La Paz is the place to be.
Along the Malecón in La Paz, BCS.
The town was founded in 1811, and its center is a mosaic of historic buildings, winding streets, town squares and around each corner, marvelous publicly-funded artist murals. But the real heartbeat of La Paz public life is along the Malecón, the city’s three-mile esplanade on the waterfront. Lining the Malecón are large sculptures that speak to the city’s history and marine life, dozens of open air café’s, restaurants, bars, ice cream shops, a pier and palapas on the beach—all the best things to enjoy a day in this waterfront city.
The frozen treat program along the Malecón is strong in La Paz, BCS.
On my second day, I was scheduled to go on a morning deep dive of the La Paz fish taco, but on Day One, I started out with a walking tour, visiting local shops, markets and an explored the Malecón. This is where I had an ice cream revelation.
I’m still thinking about about Mexican ice cream. La Paz has a terrific ice cream and shaved iced culture, madly popular with locals, shops are everywhere.
La Fuente on the Malecón is known as one of the best, and at 10:00 am on a Sunday they were open and doing a brisk business. Much has been written about the flavors of Mexican ice cream, but its one of those things you have to really have to experience in person to understand how different (and magical) the flavors are compared to the US. The top flavor for Choyeros or Paceños (La Paz natives), is Chongos, milk curds, sugar and cinnamon—it’s amazing, but very sweet. Lots of tropical fruits star with their own flavors, as well as avacados and pine nut ice cream. My favorite was an ice cream version of the bodega candy, De La Rosa, frozen up in all its peanutty splendor.
Shaved ice (raspado) or snow (nieve) are also very popular. My foray into the La Paz shaved ice program was at Señor Raspado with an order of half pineapple and half plum, topped with dried plums. Of course it was sweet, delicious and beautiful. With temperatures in the summer regularly hitting 100˚, you can see why frozen treats have a following.
One of the top hot dog stands in La Paz, Su Amigo Ernes.
La Paz is incredibly vibrant in the evening, and the city is humming well after 10 pm. Hot dog and burger stands and corner tamale vendors pop up on corners throughout town. Just know that no matter if you’ve had a full dinner, you need to go out late for the can’t miss La Paz treat: The Hate. Hate aka hotdog is pronounced “hah-tay” and a place that is revered as tops is Su Amigo Ernes. The La Paz style hotdog is wrapped in bacon and on the griddle til crispy and hot, split down the middle, next goes a slice of American cheese to melt, then topped with finely shredded beef and onion that have also been on the griddle, all placed on a fluffy, slightly sweet, wide bun, some pico de gallo, and then drizzled with mayonnaise and a final lime wedge squeeze. I can’t explain how good it is and why it may be the perfect example of “umami,” but I would go back to just eat this and that should say everything.
But back to the fish tacos.
With a long history of fishing as a primary source of food and income for its citizens, its not a surprise that La Paz is famous for its variety of fresh seafood.
Debate exisits about what town in Baja actually “invented” the fish taco, but La Paz’s fish tacos are among the best to be found. Locals swear by eating fish tacos for breakfast or lunch, (Ivan Felix, my guide from the tourism bureau explained that La Paz natives find fish “too heavy” for evening meals) and locals fiercely defend their favorites.
To start let’s set the baseline with a The Fish Taco 101 (Tacos de pescado) : The tortilla should be corn. The fish is fried (usually) and can be any fresh local catch such as grouper, dorado (mahi mahi), sea bass, yellowtail—really any kind of fresh white fish found in close by waters. It is 100% local and all depends on what local fishermen are bringing in and the price. The toppings start with a shredded cabbage. It can be like more like a cole slaw or more pickled. That depends. Also, many places provide a topping bar for customers, but otherwise it will be served up with shredded lightly pickled cabbage (red or green), a pico de gallo or salsa and some creamy citrusy mayonnaise in a drizzle. A lime. Hot sauce? Up to you.
With a promise to please even the most discerning fish taco eater, here are three top places in La Paz that will whet your fish taco appetite.
And if you speak Spanish, even a little, now would be your time to dust it off. And if you don’t, I got along just fine just using my translator app. Ordering tacos is easy.
Super Tacos de B.C.S. Hnos. Gonzalez
A simple street truck with a smattering of tables and a couple of counters, this is a favorite of locals. It’s surprisingly inexpensive, expect the cold drinks to cost about as much as your taco. There may be just a bit of a wait, but you can get your drink and stake a claim to a table. The tacos are served up on warm corn tortillas, which was a plus for me. The fish (dorado that day, often whitefish) was crisp and lightly beer battered. There is a condiments/toppings bar, with pickled cabbage, onions, salsas and some very delicious and differently seasoned crema toppings. To quote one local reviewer, “The classic good taste of the tacos de La Paz is found at Super Tacos Gonzalez.” A wedge of lime comes with. Plenty of napkins and hand sanitizer, used before and needed after for cleanup. An ice cold Topo Chico finished me off.
A fish taco is about $2. We ordered lunch for 5 people, with sodas for about $21.
Open 8:30 am to 4 pm, every day but Tuesday. There are other locations, but the address for this location is: Gomez Fariaz, Viosca y Cerrada Palma, 23098 La Paz.
Tacos De Pescado El Estadio
Another favorite of La Paz natives, this location of El Estadio Tacos has a small shaded dining area with about a dozen tables. Order, get a number and take a seat. The fish of the day was fresh grouper at El Estadio (although ask if they have yellowtail), and I also ordered by first taco made with lightly deep fried, locally caught shrimp. Both were outstanding, with shredded cabbage and lettuce, some shredded carrot, and a citrus creme mayonnaise drizzle. I added hot sauce that was not for the faint-hearted. Five of us ate tacos and had soft drinks for about $20 USD.
Open every day, from 8 am to 2 pm. There are two locations, the address here: Guillermo Prieto 1320, Zona Central
Taco Fish La Paz
Taco Fish is a top taco destination in La Paz, and more than a taqueria, is more of a “sit down” restaurant in an open air, covered patio with a full bar and an expanded menu with lot of choices of including empanadas and ceviche. Order at the register, take a table number and the food is delivered to you. My dining partners and I sampled the more extensive menu, (the fish taco was a nicely fried variety of sea bass) and ordered some ceviche on a crispy tostada. The best? A smoked marlin taco and a smoked marlin quesadilla, that had a light cheese as the base. A new addiction. One of the best things in the non-seafood category? A fresh strawberry horchata. Another new addiction. Lunch for five people, plus a tip was about $25 USD.
Open 8:30 am to 4 pm, closed on Mondays. Address: Gral Manuel Márquez de León S/N, Zona Central
Ready to go?
La Paz has an international airport, La Paz Airport (LAP), also known as Manuel Márquez de León International Airport. It is an international airport, is about six miles from central La Paz, and is serviced by American Airlines. Cabo San Lucas International Airport (CSL) is an international airfield located 4.5 miles northwest of Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Both airports have taxi service and rental car vendors.
The courtyard of the Baja Club Hotel.
Hotel options in La Paz?
If you are looking for a boutique hotel, try Baja Club Hotel, by Grupo Habita, which is located on the Malecón in a former colonial-era mansion. (I was a guest here.) Think stylish and chic rooms, with a swimming pool, spa and very good restaurant under a pergola next to a reflecting pool. Rooms are about $300 USD per night.
The Hotel Catedral has a roof top pool and terrific view of La Paz and the water. Photo: Hotel Catedral.
A lovely, budget-friendly option which is highly recommended is the Hotel Catedral, located in the historic center district across from Our Cathedral Lady of La Paz, the hotel features a year-round rooftop outdoor pool and sun terrace with great views, a restaurant and bar. Rooms are about $115 USD per night.
An award-winning writer and publisher, Susan Able writes about food, travel, sustainability and profiles food industry leaders. You can follow her @susieqable and @edible_dc
