Oscar’s Mexican Seafood – Hillcrest

Oscar’s Mexican Seafood has been on my list forever. I blame TJ Oyster Bar for being too damn good to pull me away for even one visit. One weekend I somehow convinced Anh to come with me and give Oscar’s a shot.

We tried our best to mimic what we normally get at TJ Oyster Bar. I tend to favor the fish ceviche.

One of the many reasons why I love TJ so much is their unabashed approach to what I call “lime drenching.” Yes their ceviche is super sour and I can’t get enough of it. The fish also retains its fresh feel. Here at Oscar’s the lime wasn’t as in your face. But the fish is quite refreshing. It’s light and much more subtle than the TJ version. While I do like to be smacked in the face with sourness, this was a decent alternative. I might add either salt or a load of the many various sauces they provide to give it an extra kick if I venture here again.

Anh prefers the shrimp ceviche. While it was okay, there still was a little lack of seasoning we were missing.

Another staple at TJ are the fish tacos. Out of everything we tried these were the closest to mirroring our enjoyment level from a typical visit to TJ Oyster Bar. The fish was crispy yet not dry with a good flavor. All of the toppings added together along with the white sauce on top gave it a great bite. This was a winner.

The surf and turf  (skirt steak and shrimp) would not make our reorder list. The shrimp was barely noticeable and even less so was the presence of steak. I know it was in there but we couldn’t make it out. I was hoping the flavors would pop and the burst of land and sea would bring a party to my mouth. Instead it kind of fell flat.

Something we don’t normally get is grilled mahi mahi. This was enjoyable. The fish flaked apart and I probably would order it again if not for the killer regular fish taco price.

Last we got the smoked fish taco. We at times order this at TJ if we want a different taste. This is like bacon of the sea. The tuna is shredded and I swear if you tried it you might mistake it for pork. Only after you chew it for a while can you detect the tuna flavor. The smoke is that strong. It can weigh you down and that’s a huge reason why we only get it on occasion.

The verdict? Well even though there were some nice things at Oscar’s we won’t be switching teams quite yet. TJ Oyster Bar is just so good. One thing I like wondering is if I tried Oscar’s before I tried TJ, would it make a difference? Or rather, would I be as crazy about Oscar’s as I am about TJ? We will never know. Good thing I can get both if ever in need of a fish taco.

Oscar’s Mexican Seafood
646 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
oscarsmexicanseafood.com