As soon as I walked into So Cal Fish Tacos I knew I was in for a beachy California experience. Located in downtown Gilbert, the first and only restaurant of it’s time, So Cal Tacos is a trendy, delicious place to eat and converse with peers. It sits next to the most photographed spot in Gilbert, a little alleyway decorated with hanging lights.

Having only been open for three years, it doesn’t have any trouble getting business. I was able to talk to the owner Pablo Reynoso, a man who looks as if he just came from the beach himself, who gave comments on their success, “Next week we have the new times magazine who does a dining guide every year for all the valley restaurants and they picked us to be on the cover of it this year. That’s going to blow us up really huge.” They deserve it, in addition to the southern california vibes and the 90’s grunge music their food was amazing and conversational.

My Dad and I chose to sit outside under a large ramada in the slightly windy 75 degree weather. Our personable server greeted us with a warm smile and made sure we had everything we needed before we started the meal.

Going with the server’s suggestion, we ordered the calamari fries as an appetizer, breaded and fried served with an aioli and marinara sauce. It being my first time trying calamari, I was hesitant at first but ended up loving it. My dad, familiar with the taste of calamari, said that compared to the squid he’s had, it was tender and not as chewy as he has had before. 

After warming up our tastebuds from the squid, we were presented with the day’s adventure: Oyster shots. My Dad also being experienced in the oyster field, urged me to try them and so I did. We ordered 3 oysters served in their shell. that came with a margarita sauce and some horseradish. We sprinkled some of each sauce on the oysters and took the shot. Being a rookie at the whole experience it was strange and was uniquely different then to what I was used to. It was mostly for the experience and a one time experience at that! Reynoso added, “A lot of our stuff is very unorthodox. Is not your normal style of food. A little bit of everything.”

After the encounter with oysters, we were greeted with the main dish Corona beer battered tacos served with cotija cheese and baja sauce. As soon as I bit into the taco I was met with a crunchy outside to a tender slipper-tail lobster inside marinated in baja ranch sauce. It also came with seasoned beans and spiced mexican rice.

I enjoyed every bite and that wasn’t even my favorite part. My favorite part was the dessert when we ordered churros. It was the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar that we were able to dip into a caramel sauce. The combination of warm and crunchy with the cool and creamy caramel was worth it all.

I’m thoroughly satisfied with my experience at so cal fish tacos and recommend it to anyone who wants a taste of southern california.