Tacos Fenix

Tacos Fenix is a stand at the corner of Avenida Espinoza and Calle 5a in central Ensenada, and it is one of the strongest claimants to the title of best fish taco in the city that invented the dish. The Baja fish taco, a piece of white fish in a light beer batter, fried to order and folded into a corn tortilla with shredded cabbage, crema, salsa and lime, was born in this port in the mid-twentieth century and travelled north from here to become one of the defining foods of the Californias. Fenix has been frying since the 1970s and is run by the same family, working from a compact stand with a fryer, a counter, a handful of stools and a queue that forms from mid-morning. Two items dominate. The fish taco uses angel shark or a comparable firm white fish, battered thinly so the crust shatters rather than sits heavy, and the shrimp taco uses whole shrimp fried in the same batter, which many regulars prefer. Both are handed over plain and finished by the customer at the condiment bar, which is where the stand distinguishes itself: shredded cabbage, several cremas, pico de gallo, pickled onion and carrot, guacamole salsa, chilli sauces of varying heat and stacks of lime, all replenished continually through service. Tacos cost roughly 35 to 60 pesos each and most people eat three or four, so a full meal comes in well under 250 pesos. Payment is cash, there is no table service and no reservations are taken. Service runs daily from about 8AM to 4PM, with the queue heaviest between noon and 2PM, and the stand can close early once the day's fish is gone. Locals rate it above the counters inside the nearby Mercado Negro, and the difference is usually attributed to the batter and the freshness of the frying oil.