Mariscos El Pilar De Nayarit

My wife and I came here for Sunday lunch, I had the menudo she had Camarones al Diablo, the menudo was great the Camarones were good the sauce just tasted like BBQ sauce. Maybe my taste buds were out of range since the menudo was spicy. The fresh corn tortillas were good, beware cash only!

Nothing else to say, you donot have to visit Mexico, or Guerro Mexico to try authentic home made mexincan food. come and visit El Pilar de Nayarit, and if you are looking for kareokee, if you love singing is available 9PM to twelve, Fri and sat located in Seaside California on la salle and Fremont

My fiancé and I have been coming here regularly for over 2yrs great service and amazing food. Always a warm welcoming, the down side is language barrier for others that don’t speak Spanish but overall amazing.

It’s good not great. Wanted to try another spot for seafood. I would come back and try something else. I had fish tacos and it was good and fresh. My husband had tilapia with rice and beans and of course he liked it. Food came out fast and the service was good. CASH only. ATM wasn’t working there so I had to walk to the gas station next door. What if I was alone? Would they hold me hostage until I called someone for cash? Haha

Friendly service, seafood is fresh. I ate a shrimp tostada it was bland and mixta tostada a little bland, but with lots of help from lime, salt and tapatio helped. I would come again.

Decided to swing by here after a trip to the Monterey Aquarium. After seeing all the giant bluefin tuna I got super hungry for some fishies.
Got pretty excited when I saw a Nayarit estilo mariscos pop up on Unilocal as thats the style of mariscos I initially fell in love with. After seeing the abundance of fish at the aquarium I was hoping Mariscos El Pilar De Nayarit would have quite the extensive menu. Sadly they didn’t.
Nothing super exotic on the menu. I tried to order a filete zarandeado but for whatever reason it wasn’t available. I think she said they only had mojarra (tilapia) available ?
Whatever, to what we actually got.
Aguachile: The aguachile verde was deceivingly spicy. it came with nicely cubed cucumbers and some medium sized shrimp that were a lil on the small size. The size of the shrimp and diced cucumbers went well with the free chips they continuously refill. Towards the end of our meal I tried to hurry up and finsih the plate only to tear up as the chiles built in my mouth. Gotta take it slow with a cerveza on this one.
Fish tacos: This should read crispy fish tacos. They were pretty trippy and tasted like fried chicken. I mean that in the best way possible. Gone was the typical Ensenada style beer batter and the way El Pilar does it is more like popcorn fish filets. Pretty damn good.
Enchiladas de camarones: My girl got the shrimp enchiladas. She liked them as they came with what is almost a small salad and queso fresco on top. Their enchilada sauce is pretty flavorful. I would’ve liked them better if they had more cheese added on the inside but they were good non the less.
Overall the prices were right. Beer was inexpensive by NorCal mariscos restaurant standards. Service was warm and friendly. The mariscos side of the menu was reminiscent more so of a cocteleria. El pilar does have an extensive breakfast menu as well and the distinction of being the only mariscos spot I’ve ever seen to offer chicken nuggets and french fries (for the kids i guess ?).
Oh and although I didn’t get to try it as I left they were preparing a huge pot of birria de chivo. Also a lot of the paisa compas who were there seemed to be enjoying their menudo. Some interesting options if you don’t want seafood.

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it.
~W. C. Fields
Full disclosure here… I pine for a little mariscos truck called Mariscos German that Astrid and I found while living in San Diego. I can seriously remember everything I ever ate from that little truck that sat in a dirt lot next door to a hinky little liquor store frequented by day drunks. Now nostalgia might be a seductive liar, and the food might not have been all that great, but I’ve held every other mariscos place to that standard for years… and none of them have ever stood up to the test. This place gave it a good go though!
Astrid and I found Mariscos El Pilar de Nayarit by accident while driving through Seaside to get some fuel. The restaurant is located in an area chock full of ugly 70s strip malls and we just happened to see the mariscos sign in the window as we drove by… the challenge was on! Would this mariscos joint compare to my memories of perfection?
Mariscos are widely available in most coastal towns and cities in Mexico and are often combinations of seafood including shrimp, lobster, fish, crab, mussels, and oysters. They are often served in cocktail sauces, on tostadas, soups, burritos and tacos. We started by sharing the Queso Fundido with Pulpo served with corn tortillas. The queso was a bit oily and the entire dish was a little too heavy. I wouldn’t recommend it. For our lunch, Astrid had the Tostada con Pescado y Camarones (Tostada with Fish and Shrimp) while I opted for the Tostada Mixta, a combination of fish, octopus and krab (yes, crab with a k or fake crab meat). We both ordered freshly-​made jamaica that was sweet, but not cloyingly sweet like most aguas frescas. The fish was super fresh and tasty. The addition of the spicy, tomato-​based ketchup-​like sauce was fantastic. They served housemade tortilla chips and a sting-​around-​the-​rosy inducing green salsa. One tostada was more than enough for each of us. We were absolutely stuffed.
Out the door our bill was about $ 28.00. A little steep for mariscos. We’ll definitely try Nayarit again when/​if we’re in Seaside!
But honestly… I miss that little mariscos taco truck in San Diego.

Good food! This is not your average Mexican restaurant – almost all of the dishes feature seafood and not burritos and tacos. There are only a a few of the expected options with carne asada or carnitas for burritos and tacos and they are not on the regular menu; they are posted on the wall near where you get the menus. The rest of the options are seafood-​based with a variety of ceviches, tostadas, and dishes that include rice and beans. The prices are therefore higher than your typical Mexican restaurant as the food costs more for the restaurant to buy, but it is worth the visit.
We tried the tostada with shrimp, mixed seafood tostada, and langostinos al diablo (spicy langosteens). The shrimp had good texture and were not over-​marinated, while the mixed seafood tostada came with shrimp, octopus, and imitation crab, which is a reason I am not marking this restaurant higher. I know the restaurant serves fresh fish based on the pictures of its dishes but I guess not in all cases. The langosteens were very spicy and very good. We also got fresh tortillas (served on the weekends) and they were DELICIOUS dipped in the spicy sauce that came with the langosteens!

After filling up on gas on a rainy weeknight, we popped into this tucked away restaurant. We were the only patrons in the restaurant, even though the kitchen had plenty of people in it. A telenovela played loudly on the TV.
Don’t expect fancy environs or decorator décor. This place is definitely a locals’ place that probably thrives on a lunch crowd.
The menu is mostly seafood. Really. And, they only take cash.
We were greeted warmly enough and sent the most English proficient server available. She, like the others, were casually dressed but eager to serve. After much deliberation, we ordered a fish ceviche tostada, taquitos de papa (potato) and seafood enchilada.
The server informed us that they don’t serve their food with rice and beans and serve it «like they do in Mexico, you know.» Instead, they give a chopped light salad.
The fish ceviche tostada was yummy! It tasted fresh but also well-​marinated in a lime juice. The cut cabbage and tomato on top was great. The taquitos with potatoes inside were served with a spoonful of freshly, refried beans. Very starchy and tasty as well.
The shrimp enchilada was interesting. The tortilla had been marinated and cooked in red enchilada sauce, so the flavor had been baked in. The shrimp too were well seasoned. So, rather than the typical, drippy and cheesy enchilada, it was a drier version packed with flavor.
Overall, we left full and happy. In total, it was relatively cheap and a tasty adventure that only locals will love. We agreed that we’d be back and bring a vegetarian friend who eats fish. It’s worth going.
One mild warning is that the salsa is geared to those used to super spicy foods. Be warned that the heat is strong.