Tacos Punta Cabras

Let me start by saying… I can’t wait to go back.
This place has a super laid-​back, beachy vibe. It has no flashy signs indicating it’s whereabouts, but those are the best places, right? It’s set a little further from the downtown area in Santa Monica so it could be easy to miss. But, seriously, go find this place as soon as possible.
The moment we walked in the door we knew we were in for a treat. You order at the counter by writing down what you want. There is also space to indicate whether you have an allergy to gluten or nuts, which I thought was pretty awesome and thoughtful. The guy taking our order was really friendly and super knowledgeable about the food.
I ordered the tofu taco and the cauliflower tostada. Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously, these might be the best things I have eaten since moving to LA in the past year. The tofu was breaded and lightly fried and then topped with all this awesome goodness– a chipotle cashew cheese (that was the substitution they offered me since I don’t eat dairy and it was amazing!), some shredded cabbage, really thinly sliced radishes. Really, really delicious. The cauliflower tostada— OUT OF THIS WORLD. Very thinly sliced raw cauliflower with an avocado sauce and some of that cashew cheese, cilantro and some other vegetables, and all topped with this homemade pineapple salsa which is divine! I seriously walked out of here SO HAPPY. This food was truly awesome. Best part? My meal cost less than $ 10.
My boyfriend had a fish taco and a mixto tostada and said the same thing– they were both amazing and maybe some of the best tacos he’s ever had.
So we now have a new favorite taco joint. We’ll be back, Tacos Punta Cabras, I can promise you that.

I came in at around 3pm on a Tuesday. The toppings (cabbage and tomatoes) on my tacos were not fresh and was highly disappointed. The cashier was cleaning and mopping like it was closing time. She was cooking at the same time as well. Wish I had a greater experience to be honest. I tasted the bitterness in the cashiers customer service within the food here. Not good. Seats were not clean and not ready for incoming customers and especially on a Taco Tuesday. Bummed out. Horchata sucks, too. I will give them kuddos for having GF flour.

When a friend asks to catch up over some tacos, how can you possibly say no?
I came with a friend last week and was surprised to find Tacos Punta Cabras sandwiched between other restaurants and stores. The storefront is very unassuming, but has a very laid-​back vibe. The directions are simple: you fill out a form for what kind and how many things you want, give it to the cashier, pay, then they bring your food to you when it’s done! I wasn’t super hungry, so I ordered a fish taco and the cauliflower tostada.
FISH TACO: I loved the breading on the fish! It had a light color to it, so I wasn’t expecting it to be as impressive as it was. I enjoyed the variety of salsas that came with the taco. All of the ingredients on the taco were delicious! ⁴⁄₅
CAULIFLOWER TOSTADA: A lot of people on Unilocal recommended this, so I figured it was worth a shot! I liked how light it tasted, even though it was a tostada. My only complaint was that it was on the saltier side, but perhaps if it was paired with seafood it would have been just right. I liked how messy it looked and how the cauliflower was a good substitute to meat. 3.5÷5

There’s rarely been a place that has disappointed me less than Tacos Punta Cabras. Their mixto tostada with the pineapple habanero salsa are redic. I had to order two the last time I was there and I still wanted more. If I could only eat there all day, every day, I think I’d be happy, and I can’t say that about a lot of places.

I work right down the street, and a co-​worker turned me onto this place! BEST fish tacos I have ever had! The guys are really nice inside and today I got to try the daily special, with rhubard, yes, rhubard, and scallops. It was amazing! Super cheap per taco. They are very filling and extremely fresh! A must try if in the area! I will be having alot of fish tacos for lunch!

I got fish tacos and a tofu taco. The fish tacos are solid. The tofu was deep fried and decent. Ordered chips and salsa that never came because they were «making more chips.»
My issue was with the staff. I went in the middle of the afternoon and no one was there to help us for 5 mins. There was definitely attitude on the part of a few of the employees as well and they acted like they were doing us a huge favor processing our order.
For the price point, the tacos are decent, but not worthy of 4 Unilocal stars. This is LA and there are far better taco places.

Awesome, unique tacos with vegan options, great agua frescas, and fantastic salsas! Everything seems to have a tinge of fresh oregano which really makes this place stand out. High end tacos with slightly high end prices, but the music is fantastic so it makes up for that and the slightly cramped quarters. Try the cauliflower tostada, too.

Snap. Delicious. Prob my favorite was the scallop taco cause I love scallops because scallops are delicious to me. Scallops.

fish taco = 4 stars
scallop taco = 4 stars
shrimp taco = 4 stars
tofu taco = 4 stars

Different concept than most taco restaurants since it’s seafood oriented.
The ordering system was so easy, they have you fill out a card with your desired items and also have a section to make known if you have any allergies to nuts (very thoughtful for those who have those)
The food was great, I tried the fish taco, the scallop taco and the shrimp taco and among the 3 my favorite was the shrimp taco for its zesty flavor.
Will definitely be back here soon

Walked in and walked right back out, because it smelled so bad. But then, looked at Unilocal rating and walked back in. Ordered scalloped taco and chips and salsa. I was certainly not disappointed in either. However, the scalloped taco was incredible. I WILL be back!

This is no ordinary taco place.
Seafood stars at Tacos Punta Cabras. Fresh fish with a puffy yet wonderfully light batter topped with a crispy slaw with — is that horseradish I taste?
Scallops perfectly cooked — no rubbery texture here. Accompanied by slaw with a delightful sting of oregano. These recipes feel like high cuisine nestled in a humble — yet home-​made — tortilla.
A bit pricy but totally worth the experience.
Note: I tried their well-​regarded cauliflower tostada but it was too rich with sauce for me. The staff gracefully offered a replacement item. That’s the kind of customer service I value.

Definitely a solid option for seafood tacos on the west side. Both the scallop and fish tacos were good, but I don’t recommend the coctele — too much liquid and overwhelming citrus. Make sure to try the green salsa, great flavor.
Plenty of parking on 23^rd, but beware there’s no sign above the restaurant so don’t walk past it!

The place have good reviews.
For me it’s OK place to eat near Santa Monica UCLA affiliated specialists where it’s really hard to find good eatery.
The food is good but it’s overpriced.
For example, shrimp tacos is $ 5. Just small tacos with no chips or any other sides.
I had fish, scallop, shrimp tacos. Nothing special. Just ordinary fried seafood tacos that I can easily make at home (remember, I am a cooking monster).
They also hide salsa, so you have to ask (not first timer friendly).
Very small tacos joint. Nothing fancy. Slightly better tacos with higher price.
Also there is no parking. So you must pay at the paid street parking.
Should I go back? Nah. (unless they lower the price or add something extra)

Can a scallop tostada be luscious? Can a fish taco be poetic? At Tacos Punta Cabras, a beachy, ramshackle joint along Santa Monica Boulevard by Gregory’s Vacuum, they answer, «Sure, yeah, why not? And the horchata’s good, too.»
What can you ask a fish taco to be except a hefty portion of flakey whitefish, fried perfectly crisp, laid in a simple crop of flavorful red cabbage? Rest ye well, little fish: your destiny was to be greater, here, at TPC, as my lunchtime favorite, than to be one of a million faceless sea morsels for some snub-​nosed shark.
And rest ye well, little scallop: dressed in your finery – avocado and onion, anointed with pineapple salsa – you are a pharaoh in a corn tortilla tomb, enigmatic as the Sphinx, shining like Ra.

Tried the fish taco and the cauliflower tostada. Both good… actually preferred the cauliflower tostada which is a nice treat for someone veggie.
They have 4 different salsas behind the counter but you have to ask for them.
They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Good spot for lunch, it’s cheap and quick. Light as well.
Only downside is that parking isn’t very easy in the area and they do not have a lot.

This is a local hotspot for lunch but not necessarily and nice place to sit down at. Think family owned.
The employees were nice and easy to work with.
Their water is served on the side and it’s warm! Lame. When it’s 100+ degrees I want cold water especially if they have no a/​c inside.
I ordered the cauliflower tostada and fish taco. See photo. Both very good! The tostada was seriously amazing. I’ve never had something so fresh and full of flavor! I haven’t seen this anywhere or ever tried a tostada because I love tacos but I saw it was a hit. I highly recommend getting it.
The fish taco was good but not great. It was topped with too much cabbage and not enough onion or cilantro.
I was disappointed with their salsa. It is all blended and nothing has a refreshing salsa taste. I tried the green spicy one and the the red without black beans. Mixed it worked out but I would’ve loved a more fresh salsa!
Overall I’ll be back for the tostada for sure!

Fish tacos were ok, shrimp tacos didn’t really taste too different with all the batter, so save yourself the $ and just order fish if you come. If you come on a hot day, expect the inside of this place to be STUFFY! I feel bad for the employees. Parking is pretty tough to find.
Overall, not the best experience for dinner last night.

Wanted to see what the hype was about with these tacos!
Tried the scallop taco instead of shrimp or fish — quite pricey for $ 4 after tax and the scallop was so fried that it masked the flavor and texture of the scallop. Two tacos could be filling but I don’t think it was worth the price. At least I got to try a scallop taco, though!

I was in Santa Monica shopping for this week’s produce at the Wednesday farmers market and decided to have lunch at Tacos Punta Cabras on my way back home. One of those local places I don’t usually try at Tacolandia because I usually try the furthest places at the festival and bookmark these local places on Unilocal since they are located in LA.
As I was reading about this place, I was impressed to discover that the owners have come from some of the top restaurants in the city. Josh Gil cooked at Joe’s in Venice, Jonathan Club, and BLT. Daniel Snukal worked at Obica, Urasawa, and LudaBites. Both were also the masterminds behind an underground pop-​up called Supper Liberation Front.
I walked in and noticed the simple restaurant. Maybe someone might describe as hole-​in-​the-​wall. It wasn’t comfortable inside because it was warm. The table and seats well worn.
I walked over to the register and asked what I should get. She told me about the shrimp tacos and the cauliflower tostada. I said cauliflower? She didn’t really do a great job selling it to me, but I was intrigued so I ordered it. I also ordered off the handwritten daily specials menu. I also ordered a horchata.
One I ate the cauliflower tostada, I was surprised at how this could have so much flavor. I was sold on this one and could have ate another. The next one was the shrimp taco. I noticed the tortilla was very different from other tortillas I’ve had at most taco joints. I read it’s handmade corn tortillas. I was immediate sold on their tacos at that point. I love fresh tortillas. The shrimp taco was a bit messy and fell apart as I ate it. It too had a lot of flavor and the batter was light and crisp. The next and final taco was the special eggplant and scallop taco. It was amazing as well. It had this creamy sauce inside that was out of this world good.
When I’m in this part of town, I usually steer clear of Mexican food. After eating here, I can tell you that you can also get a great tasting taco in Westside of town.
The horchata was not my favorite that I’ve tried. It had a little saltiness to it. I’m not sure if they add salt to it.
I didn’t get the fish tacos because it wasn’t the first thing recommended to me. When I get my fish taco cravings, I usually drive to Ricky’s Fish Taco or Best Tacos in Ensenada in Los Feliz. There’s Mi Ensenada Fish Tacos, which is supposed to be the best in LA, which I haven’t tried yet and is on my list.
At around $ 15 for 2 seafood tacos, cauliflower tostada, and horchata in addition to parking, it seemed kind of pricey for food in this kind of environment. I just came from Ensenada and everything was so much cheaper there for seafood tostadas. It’s Santa Monica and not Ensenada or Boyle Heights so I can accept a bit higher prices at this refined Baja-​inspired restaurant with better ingredients than your average taco restaurant.
Parking was a bit tough. I was able to find parking at one of the meters on the side street. There might be parking in the back. I would check this next time.