In search of the perfect taco in Contra Costa County, I find myself at Del Pacifico Mexican Seafood and Sushi Bar in the City of Pittsburg.
When I posted this on Instagram, folks seemed confused and weirded out over the combo. Not going to lie, so was I. I came for the tacos, had no idea there was sushi and Japanese meals—apparently this is a big trend in Southern California with Al pastor sushi rolls and other chaos cooking (weirdos!!).
I found myself at this place with Pittsburg Chamber CEO Wolfgang Croskey after an employee reached out that its located at the old Tuna House location—new business, new owners and they opened in November and have been tweaking their menu little by little. The menu is inspired by Japanese and Mexican cultures.
For this tasting I kept it simple: Two carne asada tacos and a shrimp taco. With it being Taco Tuesday, the special was $7.75 for 3-tacos. You can’t beat that price! Meanwhile they offer some of the best salsa I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time–Croskey agrees with this assessment.
Started with the shrimp taco. Highly impressed and by far the best of the tacos with some solid seasoning, onions and cilantro. If you wanted sauce, you can add it yourself—which I like. Plenty of shrimp so they don’t skimp there. Of the three tacos offered, these by far were the best.
Next up, the carne asada tacos were pretty average but they are worth getting with this lunch special. In the score, they were docked because I do wish temperature wise they were warmer and the tortilla was less chewy.
- Score for Shrimp Taco: 7.7
- Score for Carne Asada Taco: 7.0
Note – a buddy who tried this place several hours after I was there rated their shrimp tacos an 8.5 and also confirmed what Croskey and I suspected… their salsa is amazing!
Bonus:
This is where it gets insane and confused the heck out of my food pallet between chips and salsa, tacos, and a sushi roll… they brought out some dishes to try which included ceviche (amazing), stuffed bell peppers (amazing), Mexican seafood stew (plenty of fish in the dish) and a couple of mojito’s–see photos below.
Bottom line, if not for the tacos, go for the seafood! Del Pacifico Mexican Seafood and Sushi Bar is a place you should try but understand they are finally coming out of their growing pains since opening up in November and then hit by storms in January. They will figure out their food temperatures because they are eager to provide a fabulous experience with great staff who are friendly and want to get it right. The owners have also put a lot of effort into the place and working to over come people thinking its still the Tuna House. This place has some serious potential with more time.
Del Pacifico Mexican Seafood and Sushi Bar
4285 Century Blvd
Pittsburg, CA 94565
(925) 778-1798
Instagram: Click here
Scoring
- 9.0+ = Masters of the taco.
- 8.0 -8.9 = This is a great taco.
- 7.0 – 7.9 = Taco you can eat everyday and be perfectly happy.
- 6.0 – 6.9 = Eatable.
- 5.0 – 5.9 = Might as well eat fast food.
- 4.9 & below = Pass.
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If you are interested in your tacos being rated, please email [email protected] for consideration. Otherwise, we are randomly showing up to taco places around Contra Costa County.
