Heaven on the Side of a Road

It's hard to believe. Patrick and I were nearly stunned. But we can't deny it, we have found The BEST EVER in All of Mexico shrimp tacos. There couldn't possibly be one better. Over the last years we've been evaluating the taco stands of different locations and rating them. We looked at everything - ease of seating, the number of condiments available for garnishing, the amount of filling, the freshness of the tortilla, the choice of stuffings. Shrimp tacos are our favorite and the ones we focused most on finding. We've covered a lot of ground in Mexico and eaten at a lot of taco stands and had come up with a couple shrimp taco stands that were superlative.


The Top Two BLP (before La Paz) were equals since each one had a little edge over the other for different reasons. Pepe's in Santa Rosalia was just really good and had some interesting garnishes (superb, spicy pickled onions, and corn relish in cream sauce) but no place to sit. The Fish Market in Mazatlan was just like a slice of California in a cute little store and offered a choice of octopus, scallops, or shrimp either grilled or deep-fried in batter but did not offer any extra garnishes to add to your taco. Eating at either establishment was a guaranteed good meal. Pepe's was cheaper at 13 pesos per shrimp taco, and the Fish Market was about 22 pesos per taco if I remember correctly.

And then in La Paz, we found Tacos Estadio. It is to die for and gets full star rating on ALL the criteria. It's a street taco stand on a wide sidewalk with lots of good seating in the shade. The shrimp and fish have the best tasting coating ever. The meat is perfectly cooked, crispy and not greasy. They have a separate cart loaded with mounds of freshly made condiments to pour over the top - shredded cabbage, limes, seven different sauces, guacamole, salsa fresca, pickled onions, roasted peppers, and on and on). They are absolutely the most GENEROUS stand and give every customer about 11 shrimp on each taco. If you order a fish taco you get nearly a WHOLE fillet on your taco. It's incredible. Each time you go there and take your first bite, you just can't help but sigh. It is incredible. Then you try to slow yourself down so you can enjoy the eating experience but before you know it, your two tacos are gone. There's no hope of ordering another because your stomach would split open from being too stuffed. All you can do is look forward to your next visit.

And it's hard to believe that heaven can be had for sixteen pesos. Tacos Estadio is across the street from Allende Books and on the corner. It's a walk from the marina but it help work up the appetite.