El Cacho: A mariscos haven in Chula Vista
Taco Valle de Guadalupe (Octopus) | © Life & Food
It may be considered Fall in October, but the weather in SoCal is in no way shape or form on the chilly side. It has been in the mid 80's-90’s for the past couple of weeks, and still on a heatwave streak. I don’t know about you, but when the temperatures are scorching, mariscos are always calling our name. Just the thought of seafood drenched in citrus juices, crunchy tostadas and hints of heat; is pretty high up there on my list of my all time favorite meals. Though we often pay visits to Baja, we are always on the lookout for local gems here, in our own neighborhood of Chula Vista.
El Cacho, one of many outstanding food trucks on Chula Vista's Main St, is the perfect place for bright and fresh mariscos that we have deemed as one of our favorite spots in the South Bay. The family owned business has been operating since 2000, but it wasn't until 2016 when they debuted their new concept at their current location. The seafood lonchera, as locals like to call it, serves a variety of fresh Baja-style seafood tostadas, tacos, ceviches, aguachiles, meat dishes, clamatos, aguas frescas and more.
We love to order up a few different items from the menu, and spread them across the table. As much as I could totally have indulged on the Sinaloa tostada (shrimp ceviche in a serrano sauce) myself, it’s all about sharing the love, and also making sure I have enough room for bites of the Tia Juana tostada (red snapper), and the Culichi taco (shrimp in poblano sauce). The Valle de Guadalupe taco lives up to its name, octopus (I see you Finca Altozano pulpo dish!) and olives, some of my favorite ingredients in taco form. Of course, I have to mention the traditional Ensenada-style fish tacos in here as well, not only do the littles love them, especially our son when he drenches them in lime juice, and crema, but we also thoroughly enjoyed them. I love when the batter is on the lighter side, and there isn’t an overwhelming taste of just oil and fried crunch. You can taste the flaky white fish and enjoy the crispy battered exterior. The Bufadora tostada, named after Baja's infamous blowhole, is as outstanding as the real thing. A tower of callo, shrimp and fish ceviche, followed by silky bits of avocado, topped with fresh ahi-tuna served with a side of crispy tostadas to scoop up every morsel.
Tostada La Bufadora (Ahi-tuna and ceviche especial) | ©Life & Food
Tacos and tostadas| ©Life & Food
Tostada Sinaloa (Shrimp ceviche in serranosauce) | ©Life & Food
Tostada Tia Juana (Red Snapper) | ©Life & Food
Taco Culichi (Shrimp in poblano sauce) | ©Life & Food
Taco Valle de Guadalupe (Octopus) | ©Life & Food
El Cacho Fish Taco Stand
2830 Main St
Chula Vista, CA 91911