2313 S. El Camino Real (phone 949-498-5904)
AND on the other side of town at
550 N. El Camino Real (phone 949-498-5908)
San Clemente, CA 92672
You may have seen the bumper sticker on random surfer’s cars in South County… “My child was outstanding student at PEDROS TACOS.”
Well the folks at Pedros must have been outstanding students at the school of tasty food making because this little walk up/ drive thru taco stand always has people gathering around its windows.
Pedros unique little buildings on either end of town make getting a quick bite after a surf session an easy chore for the locals and tourists alike in this cozy little city.
The menu items all seem very awkwardly priced at first glance, but another convenience about Pedros is that everything adds up to fifty cents or an even dollar after tax. Smart because A) nobody likes getting a fistful of random change back and B) this place is frequented by folks in wet-suits and board shorts, so why not make it so people can get their change back and easily tuck it in the neoprene of a wet-suit sleeve. Whether that was their intention or not, it’s still kind of cool.
Nonetheless, on to the taco!
Pedro’s makes a fried fish taco, and much like a good taco shop should, it comes to you piping hot on a bed of cool crisp cabbage and pico. The golden battered piece of fish hangs delightfully out of both ends of the doubled up corn tortilla and they add a little creamy sauce to the mix for good measure.
While I was eating my taco, I couldn’t help but think of fish n’ chips and how much this reminded me of it. Similar to something one would buy at a county fair, this taco was as delicious as it was bad for you and I left the stand with a smile on my face and a sauce stain on my shirt.
Definitely a place I would recommend to all that pass this city. The next time you’re on your way from LA to San Diego, take a half-way point pit stop and break at Pedros.
The never-ending quest, however, continues…
This little hole in the wall spot is located just a few blocks from PCH on Beach Blvd. It always seems to me that the little hole in the wall places tend to have the best food. I attribute part of this to the fact that they are more often family run, thus all the recipes are from scratch. Less use of stuff from places like Sysco foods. Well, Surf City Tacos is no exception. Though its always a bit cooped up and warm inside, and they only take cash (the liquor store next door has an ATM machine for ya), you are sure to leave this place feeling satisfied. Norma, the owner, is there every single day taking orders and handing out delicate sarcasm that’ll make you feel right at home… at least my home, hyuk hyuk. Now on to the taco…. The standard here is fried, though they will make a grilled taco for you should you ask. This is another one of the places that makes your taco right there in front of you. The piece of fish that comes on the double layered tortilla is friggin gargantuan. Seriously, two of these bad boys and some rice and beans and you won’t be needing food again for a day. The fish is piping hot, something to be weary of, but I wouldn’t recommend taking this to go (actually I wouldn’t recommend taking any fish tacos to go EVER. The fish will always get soggy and the tortilla will always disintegrate if you get a legitimate fish taco to go). The sauce is creamy and the veggies are fresh. What differentiates Normitas from other fish tacos is that golden batter they use. It’s one of the best fried tacos I’ve had in OC. It’s probably why such a small, hard to find place that only accepts cash is able to thrive in a place where rent ain’t cheap and tourism reigns. Enough locals know about this sweet spot to keep it cookin’. Give it a whirl, tell your friends…. The never-ending quest, however, continues…. 