Mariscos La Playa

Mariscos La Playa serves very authentic Mexican seafood in a very brightly colored and festive-​looking setting.
Despite the inland desert, small town location, the seafood is fresh and high quality. Even the raw oysters on the half shell, a dish you might wonder about this far from the ocean, taste fresh.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time traveling around Mexico, and I can attest that what they serve here is typical of what you’d get in Mexico, and nothing like the usual «Mexican» food you find in the US. I’ve been hunting for a restaurant that serves these dishes, and Mariscos La Playa is the only one I’ve found that captures that authentic Mexican flavor.
I’m especially happy to have finally found a place that serves authentic Mexican-​style Coctel de Camerón (shrimp cocktail). These delicious concoctions, consisting of shrimp, avocado, onions, cucumber, tomatoes, and cilantro in a clamato broth, are ubiquitous in Mexico, and I fell in love with them there. But they seem almost impossible to find in the US, where «shrimp cocktail» has degenerated into just a couple of shrimp with some cocktail sauce for dipping. The Coctel de Camerón at Mariscos is awesome, and comes in chico, grande and «Ballena» («whale») sizes, the latter being nearly a meal in itself. They also offer mixed seafood and ceviche versions.
Meals begin with the customary complimentary chips and salsa, but here they provide three types of salsa: a very spicy pico de gallo, an avocado-​based salsa (not your typical guacamole, but something runnier, with jalapeños and other stuff, and very spicy), and a non-​spicy bean dip. Though it varies from day to day, on some days the spice level on the first two can be very high, but they’re all delicious.
I find all the chilled appetizers and entrees particularly good, especially in the summer. These include the above mentioned cocktails, the tostadas de ceviche, and several seafood salads.
Of the hot dishes, I particularly like the Fillete al la Veracruzana (tilapia filets in a Veracruz-​style tomato-​based sauce with peppers), and the Caldo de Pescado (Fish soup). The latter comes in small and large sizes, the «small» being a very large, almost meal-​sized bowl with two generous filets of either red snapper (the better choice, in my opinion) or catfish, all in a light broth with vegetables.
The location here in Española is similar to its sister restaurant in Santa Fe, although this is larger, newer, and nicer. I enjoy the garishly bright, tropical-​looking undersea themed décor — it’s another authentic Mexican touch. This place is popular with the locals, so you’re likely to be surrounded by conversations in Spanish, completing the south-​of-​the-​border experience.
Alcohol is limited to beer and wine, but they also offer a wine-​based margarita, which is actually quite good.
All in all, an excellent place for great seafood in a casual setting. One of my favorites.