Cocteleria La Playita

Reminds me of restaurants in Mexicali, very fresh, try the shrimp n scallop ceviche, yum.

Upon driving into the lackluster strip mall in which this hidden gem is tucked away, I was surprised to find very HIGH quality fresh Mexican-​style ceviche at La Playita. Don’t be turned away by the exterior of this shop just because it looks like a down-​trodden hole-​in-​the-​wall. Sometimes the most beautiful things in life are the ones that have beauty on the inside… err in this case in the hard work and passion that go into the making of the ceviche. I would much rather have delicious food cooked by your local family than pretentious over-​calculated fare served by people who have lost touch with the fact that food is supposed to unite people rather than divide according to socioeconomic status.
I’ve had their mixed seafood and shrimp ceviche, fish tacos, and shrimp tacos. The seafood tasted very fresh and clean and was very springy in texture, again attesting to the freshness of the ingredients. They have a delicious smokey and creamy chipotle salsa on the side that contrasts and complements the ceviche perfectly.

Nestled in an old strip mall in Clairemont… between a barber shop and nails place, and behind a dental place… this place is your «hole in the wall» in all it’s goodness.
The place itself is tiny… it can’t be larger than a 20’x20’ living room… There are two workers behind the bar stool counter frying up fresh fish and preparing oysters on the half shell and serving up ceviche in a Molcajete bowl (stone bowl) or on a tostada chip. The lady worker at the counter was pleasant and polite and was eager to serve.
Picked up a size «medium» to-​go container (same size as a 16 oz container of sour cream or margarine tub) of mixed fish and shrimp ceviche. It only cost $ 6.50 out the door, which included tostada chips too.
This is the kind of ceviche I love… the old school taste with enough citrus/​sour marinade to really get into the fish and shrimp. The lime/​lemon marinade is not too sour and not too tangy, but just right! I find that often times American made versions of ceviches (in grocery stores or seafood restaurants) make ceviche a bit dry and under marinated (whether by design or recipe)…But the ceviche here is the REAL DEALIO.
One thing to remember is it is CASH ONLY.
This is now my new go-​to spot for ceviche.

Hole in the wall? Yes.
Is this why we went down to SD? No, but thank god we ate here.
Delicious, citrusy and flavorful, even without the assistance of any salsa. Just a party in your mouth. Huge portions, no skimping on filling and friendly service.
Great price, great food … ohhhh cocteleria, till we meet again.
Order; ceviche (the huuuge one) and one taco of each — you’re welcome!

Toastada loca was a large portion of ceviche made with shrimp, fish, squid, octopus, and the usual suspects like onions, tomatoes, lime juice & avocado. The order was HUGE and only $ 13! They gave about 4 – 5 tostadas to eat with it. Well worth it… the seafood was so fresh and tender.

An awesome hole in the wall with delicious ceviche. There was limited seating outside, but we managed to scoop the only table out there and squeeze 5 of us.
Pros:
* Tostada loca ceviche — big bowl full of shrimp, fish, octopus, & scallops. Topped with avocado, cilantro, and orange slices.
* Tostada was thin and crispy
Cons:
* Fish taco was small and it had rice in it (who puts rice in a fish taco?)
* Limited seating
* 75c surchage for credit/​debit card

Loved this place…
Ate here for years, but last time I went, I should have been warned…
The place used to have an «A» health rating, last week it had a fresh new «B» Rating.
I figured the reduction in rating was due to how small the kitchen is and how it is right in the serving area. What I did not expect was 4 days of food poisoning from my favorite Ceviche.
Something has gone terribly wrong here, and they need to fix it, when I see an «A» in the window again, I might give them a shot, when I have 4 days to lose.

The Gobernador taco is amazing! Lots of well seasoned peppers, big grilled shrimps and yummy sauce! Their fish tacos were just okay. The restaurant is kind of run down and not much to sit inside or outside. It’s more of a to-​go place than a sit-​in place. I’ll go back for the Gobernador!

My friends.
The ceviche here is out of this world. I’ve yet to find a place in the good ‘ol US of A that can come close to challenging the ceviche I’ve had in Peru, but this one makes for a pretty good contender. Amazingly fresh fish and shrimp, cilantro, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers doused with a generous portion of limes. All atop a very thick and crispy tostada that doesn’t get soggy from all the juice! So simple but it works. We ordered some tacos and the shrimp cocktail, but I only had eyes for this. And mouth, apparently.
And at $ 5, you bet I’ll be coming here every week once I move down here.

Please Read this in its entirety before you decide on visiting this establishment.
La Playita was a Kearny Mesa Jewel until my most recent visit…
From time to time I stop in and order fresh mixed fish Ceviche, the tacos and sometimes the soups if the whether is right.
Now for my most recent visit…
I stopped in for a casual bite and from the moment I stepped in to this place I knew something wasn’t right. Despite my past positive experiences I decided to overlook my gut feeling and stay. There was this repulsive order that was coming from the kitchen and I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was.
Not being able to withstand the smell any longer i asked to have the food packaged to go. I stepped outside for a minute to wait for my food. When I walked back in the Lady that is normally there had what looked like red sauce on her had at first glance.
Looking further into it, i noticed that that sauce was actually blood and she was trying to reduce the bleeding by band aiding the wound, all while her hands were all over the kitchen area.
Now I have a pretty sturdy stomach and while hole in the walls with bad tile and old paint never bother me, the mere fact that these people have no regard for human safety is beyond my comprehension.
Needless to say i trashed my food and I will never be back to this place ever again.
Nothing is worth compromising my health, so if you are planning on being healthy and safe stay away from this place.
This once jewel of kearny mesa turned into a grueling and disaterous experience.
The Critic.

Damn it, I really really really really wanted to love this place!
I love that La Playita is a little hole-​in-​the-​wall joint located in a nondescript strip mall.
I love that the workers are genuinely friendly and generous.
I love that the place feels authentic, like when I used to get seafood at Rosarito Beach in college — which is why I didn’t mind too much when I saw that the guy preparing our food was not wearing gloves (I assumed he washed his hands).
I love that the prices are cheap!
I love the deliciously fresh ceviche, fish tacos and tacos gobernador — the latter of which was my favorite.
Despite my many «loves» of the place, I just can’t get over the fact that when hubs and I finished our food and went to pay, I noticed that the guy who prepared our food bare-​handed had a huge, nasty, oozing cut on his left index finger that was so deep you could’ve folded part of his skin over!!! Ugh, I was so grossed out and scared myself with the possibility of catching hepatitis or something else.
Like I said, I really really really really wanted to love this place because it is truly delicious — but I just can’t get that finger out of my mind.
Food gets 4 stars. Hygiene gets 1 star. I’m rounding up to 2 stars cause I’m trying to be nice, hoping that the guy who prepared our food used his right hand to cook.

I was expecting more based on the reviews, but I thought the crazy tostada bowl was just okay. I had to put hot sauce on it to make it taste better. My ex thought his taco was good though… It was also pricey– $ 13 for the bowl and it didn’t even come with avocado…

I come here for two things, shrimp ceviche and shrimp tacos, and, they are excellent. The ceviche to go is even better, why? Because it’s actually a bigger order for the same price. You have to ask for the house salsa, or you won’t get it, get some extra to go, and ask for some crackers, or you won’t get any. I also ask for extra «jugo» in the ceviche, which is the juice from the ceviche, it’s delicious.
The owner will make a drink for me when I’m in there with the jugo, which is called Sangre de Tigre in Mexico, which is the juice from the ceviche and some Clamato and fresh lime juice. It’s that good.
Very friendly employees, but brush up on your Spanish depending on who is working. I love this place for all those reasons. It’s a great find, and you do have to find it.

This place is nice place to come for some different take on fish taco, so it is OK.
The fish taco is breaded and not batter fried so that is a nice thing to try. The Governador taco is make with shrimps and veg mix of celery onion and pepper that is not raw and crispy like Mariscos German, so that is good. I have a weird taco that have some risotto-​like rice in it and never had that before. Here, they use shred iceberg lettuce instead of cabbage most other place use. I think I prefer the cabbage because it hold up better to the heat and sauces to stay crisp but lettuce turn to wilt :/​
I am glad I come here and going to return for some seafood cocktail, which is what the specialty is– and maybe then another star but based on the fish taco and because I have high standard for that going to give 3 star (A-​OK)

I hate to do this, but I have to update my review — and not in a positive way. I went back here with my Fiancé because we had such an awesome experience last time and wanted to try more things.
This time I got the ceviche (again), and the fish soup. The Fiancé got 6 oysters, and a fish taco. I’ll go through them one at a time.
Once again the ceviche was 5 stars for sure – totally excellent. However, the other things we tried really weren’t up to par.
The fish taco was good, but overwhelmed by some sort of chipotle sauce. I’d give that 3.5−4 stars.
The fish soup just wasn’t good. The fish was fresh, and there was fresh cilantro and celery in the soup, but it was SO SALTY. Not good salty like potato chips, but just like eating raw salt with a side of fish soup. Very very sad. I attempted to eat it because it was 10 $ and I’m too poor to waste food, but the closer I got to the bottom of the bowl, the more I tasted what I think was dish soap. UGH! I’d give the fish soup 1 – 2 stars.
The oysters, however, were by far the biggest disappointment. My Fiancé really likes oysters, and was excited to try them here because the rest of the seafood is so fresh, but they were just BAD. One or two of them literally smelled like fresh poop, and were spit out. Just all around bad news. And at 10 $ for 6 oysters, you’d really expect more than that. I’d give these 0 stars, or negative stars if possible.
Moral of the story: Go here to try the ceviche for sure, and the tacos if you like chipotle sauce (because I did like the gobernador last time), but try everything else at your own risk. AND BEWARE THE OYSTERS.

Great Food! Great Price! Great people!
We got the camaron ceviche. one the freshest and most authentic ive ever tasted. i say authentic because the shrimp was cooked in lime juice instead of boiling it like most places. The quality of the shrimp was very good. it was crisp and springy like good shellfish should be.
The hot sauce they gave us was also very good. Im at not sure whats in it but it taste like habanero to me. It had a nice smokey flavor and a bit creamy (as you can see from my picture). Spicy level was decent. it was not overwhelming but hot enough.
We showed up at 7:35 thinking it closes at 8 because thats what it states on Unilocal.that is incorrect, they close at 7:30. Might be because its a sunday. Anyway, we showed up after closing but they offered to take our order without hesitation. I was very happy with that.

Grab a seat right at the bar to see the fresh seafood firsthand. A delicious taste of Mexico (seafood only) in Clairemont. We looked for the A rating before walking into this hole in the wall exterior and were not disappointed! Staff were welcoming and friendly. If you can look past the exterior, the fish ceviche is most excellent — tender, fresh and just melts in your mouth. We also tried shrimp ceviche, a shrimp taco and a fish taco. All were delicious and fresh, but, the fish ceviche won us over! Plenty of tostada shells and hot sauces to choose from — including house made chili sauce.
We’ll definitely be back. This place would make great take out. There are only a few tables and the bar. I’ll still give this place 5 stars, despite the lack of ambiance. The food just hits the spot!
Apparently, they also sell at many local Farmer’s markets 6 days a week too! Glad to have found this place…

Awesome ceviche! I’m a huge fan of ceviche and am always on the lookout to find some good places and I’m glad I came across this place.
It’s nestled in a shopping center and kind of hidden. The inside has about 3 tables and bar with stools you can grab a quick bit at. There are two tables outside but that’s pretty much it. A total hole-​in-​the wall.
We ordered the ceviche and 1 fish taco to go. The ceviche was made to perfection! Could not have wanted it any better than how they made it. The fish taco on the other hand, I wasn’t too impressed with. The fish was fried and I think it would have been better if it were grilled and didn’t have all that batter on it– made it a little to heavy for my liking.
Overall, awesome place if you’re on the hunt for some fresh and tasty ceviche, but not for fish tacos, I’m sure you’ll find better places out there.

«Mi Adiccion»
La Playita serves up some very tasty mariscos. It’s all surf here, and no turf. Seafood is what they specialize in and they’re damn good at it. This is authentic roadside café fare without going south of the border and could easily be passed off at a toidy restaurant with some flare and a hefty menu markup.
I stopped in on a late afternoon well after the lunch rush. The small shop is tucked at the back of the Smart-​n-​Final strip mall, between a nail salon and barber shop. There’s two tables, one of which was occupied by a couple, and barstools that are up close and personal to everything else. Dishes are made to order, and I grab a front seat to the kitchen show. Be prepared to wait if the place is full of hungry customers.
They were out of the mixed seafood ceviche tostada, so I went with the fish ceviche, which was not settling by any means. The dish is a heaping mound of citrus marinated fish, fresh tomatoes, bright cilantro, and creamy avocado wedges. The «limeyness» is sharp and tangy, but not sour or bitter.
. They provide a generous serving of crispy tostada shells and saltine crackers to scoop up the seafood delight

I tried the fish and shrimp tacos, both of which are breaded, pan fried and served on soft corn tortillas with the same fresh veggies and their homemade seafood sauce. I was thrown off by the layer of white rice because of the slightly dry, chewy texture. Not a dealbreaker for me, but an unusual component for my tacos

Nevermind the hole-​in-​the-​wall appearance. This is a definite recommend from me. Friendly people and deliciously filling food. The next time I go, I want to sample their Gobernador and Pescadillas tacos. Oh, and a can of Tecate beer that they pour into a glass with a chili salted rim. Hijo le… I also need to get the mixed ceviche too… and a coctele, I suppose. It may be a couple of visits, then.
* Don’t forget to hit up the ATM before stopping here. It’s cash only. *
Sorry if I failed at shorthanding my review. I clicked on their website link and let the music play as I typed away, reminiscing of old adventures in TJ, Ensenada, and Puerto Nuevo

La Playita has the unique kind of hole in the wall ambiance of a cash only Mexican seafood restaurant mostly found south of the 94… but in Clairemont. Overall, it’s a somewhat weak compared to other «real deal» Mexican joints, but it is «Clairemont good» for serving pretty authentic stuff in a strip mall on Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
This is literally two Mexican guys behind a bar counter with a range, serving up mainly cocktail bowls and tacos. Our hero thought the shrimp tacos were the best item on the menu he tried. Other than that, the «super tostada» ceviche bowl was mediocre and the mixed seafood and fish tacos were somewhat mushy and greasy.
Want a burrito? Forget about it.
Tortas? As if.
Are you a vegetarian? Hope you like a cheese quesadilla because that’s your only option here.
Remember not to mistake La Playita for Los Palmitos in the same strip mall, which has a much much worse ceviche.
PROS:
— They have many bottles of different hot sauces available for adding to your items.
— Decent shrimp tacos for $ 2.50.
CONS:
— The juices in the ceviche are a bit weak, and the soup base for the fish soup was too light.
— Tortillas and tostadas are not made in house.
— Not much seating for groups of 4 or more.
— Service is somewhat slow.
— Cash only.