Surprised to find a hidden gem in Santa Maria. Seems like there's a loyal local crowd. Burritos were delicious. Heavy and filling. Portions were very large. Friendly staff. Food took 10-15 minutes to come out at peak lunch time. The place was packed 100% but tables were turning over at the same rate as customers coming in. If you are craving some tacos/burritos then you won't be disappointed. read more

No matter what, I will always get the Picosito taco. It's 2 tortillas with melted cheese in between with seasoned shrimp on top!! We ordered the ceviche this time, but the aguachile always hits the spot! The restaurant is really small and there's limited seating, so be prepared to take to-go! The cashier is always so sweet and nice whenever we order from her!! read more

Mariscos El Picosito - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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best breakfast downtown Pismo! made with love and authenticity! Coffee was the best tasting this whole trip!

The taste is there. It's fresh, filling, and flavorful. I got the battered fish tacos and a marlin taco. The place feels like home because it's so small. they have fresh and can option micheladas. Their horchata and Jamaica is brand Rica. Their burritos are very big. read more

I had heard from a friend that this place has some of the freshest, most delicious and authentic Mexican food. Yup. They were right. Parking was a little difficult but ample (be careful as to not go against the arrow on the ground). There was a long line but they were quick and we were barely in line for more than a few minutes. What can I say? Amazing. Delicious. Good portions. I had the Gobernador taco. I could probably eat 10 of them if I was like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day or better yet I would order one of everything on the menu. I wish they would have had fresh agua fresca and jamaica but alas it was from the syrop soda machine (way too sweet). They have bottled drinks. The food is out of this world. You will come back to this review and think "that dude was right." Enjoy. read more

Little hole in the wall with great tasting food. Service is good. Everyone was friendly there!

Great choice of tacos. The carnitas were the BOMB. Definately, hitting this up again for sure. Chef Recommends trying this spot out.

I come to this place often. This was actually the first Mexican restaurant we visited when we moved to Santa Maria. The seafood here is delicious. And so far we haven't had a bad dish. I usually get the fish tacos. But any of the meats are tasty. The burritos are good and filling, It's a small place, and be aware the parking can get full. But I've had groups of 20 with me and the management has been more than accommodating. The vibe is very local and no frills. But the food is quality and delicious. read more

Mariscos El Picosito - Great place even for a large group. - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

The tacos were amazing, the cocktail, filled to the brim with shrimp and octopus, it well worth its price point. The next time I have got to try the 7 mares soup, low key can't wait! read more

Restaurant was nice and clean. We went at lunch time and food came out fairly quick and we found seating. Best spot in Santa Maria for seafood for a good price and quick lunch time bite! read more

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My taco preferences in favorite order, Marinero yum!!!! Fish yummy ! Gobernador! Always have to stop here when in Santa Maria. Doesn't disappoint. Now will have to try their new location in pismo! read more

Mariscos El Picosito - Fish, gobernador, and marinero tacos - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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I wanted to like this place more, but it just came up short for me. Let's get into it... Ambiance - The restaurant is decent size with tables that sit 2-4. Decor is okay and overall the restaurant seemed clean. Good marks for that. Service - The staff were friendly and this is taqueria style where you go and pick up your food when it's ready. No complaints about the service. Food - Being a seafood named restaurant, I decided to go for a shrimp burrito. It was okay. There wasn't a lot of flavor to anything within the burrito and that was disappointing. The hot sauce they give with the burrito was my favorite part. That sauce was tasty, but the burrito itself was a bit of a letdown. It was poorly rolled too which resulted in a lot of toppings falling out the bottom. Overall, the place and the people were nice but the food just didn't do it for me. I'd consider returning just to see if maybe it was an off night, but it's definitely not a "must return" for me. read more

Cute and clean spot, nice staff, quick service, lots of salsa and hot sauce options. Fish, chicken and steak tacos were all great. They have some other fun seafood options too. read more

Pulpo tacos were fire! So full of flavor! Amazing seafood tacos. Tortillas are charred to make them crispy.

I was in Santa Maria for a few days while my brother was having surgery, and my parents and I decided to try this marisco spot nearby since it had good reviews. I was expecting a sit-down restaurant, but it's actually a more casual setup where you order at the register, the cashier was super friendly and helpful! We ordered a caldo de siete mares, three tacos de asada, and a tostada de ceviche. Everything was fresh and flavorful, and the prices were reasonable. Since it was Taco Tuesday, we went back for six gobernador tacos, also delicious! While we were eating, people were constantly coming and going, which made it clear this spot is popular with locals. If you're in the area and craving seafood or just want a good bite to eat, I definitely recommend this place! read more

Food was so good, service was excellent, the place is clean and well stocked with utensils. Family style meals read more

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We got one of each taco. It was the really really really good. Best tacos I've had in Santa Maria. We got the Mar y Tierra, Carne Asada, and fish tacos. The seasoning on the seafood is really good. The fish was really fresh tasty. I wish they didn't use shrimp quality but overall this place is really good. Their jamica is really good also. And the girl who took her order was very nice. I will definitely be coming back here for anytime. I want seafood or tacos. read more

This place never disappoint. The service is quick and anything on the menu is very delicious and authentic.

Food: 4.5. Came by to try a new (to us) Mexican restaurant. Place is a small place with only inside seating. Ordering is at the counter and you picku up your order when your number is called. Drinks are self serve.Menu is available and posted behind the counter and by QR code. I was not able to access by QR code. We ordered one octopus tostada, one asada taco, one pastor taco, and one shrimp taco. Food came out timely and at the right temperature. Portion size is fair. All the food was very good. Another reviewer mentioned the shrimp taco so I decided to order. I normally only eat beef, pork or fish tacos. My favorite ended up being the shrimp taco. Octopus was tender and flavorful in the ceviche like mixture. Hard to eat as a tostada as the filling was watery. Service was good but not necessarily welcoming. Still, worth coming back. read more

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One of my friends always raved about this spot. I finally had the chance to stop by for a quick lunch. I ordered two shrimp tacos which were fabulous. The service was friendly and fast! The inside was clean and there was plenty of parking. Everything was clean, I'll be back! read more

Mariscos El Picosito - Shrimp tacos - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Top tier seafood tacos with an extensive menu. I especially like the way they roll their burritos, flavor and meat in every bite!

The quality and flavor was there, a lot to pick from, I feel the food was very fresh. The service is great also.

this place is a bit of hit or miss. The gobernador tacos are fantastic and are the mexican seafood version of a patty melt. Melted cheese & shrimp in a pressed corn taco to give the taco a bit of crunch. Definitely put some lime over this for a perfect bite. I usually like lengua but for some reason the lengua here wasn't the fall apart tender meat that I am used to. The rice in their burritos had a congealed-mushy texture so when I eat here I stick with the tacos. The octopus taco was ok and the tripe taco was deep fried and crunchy which wasn't my favorite. I also had their birria tacos which are also pressed on the grill just like the gobernador. They were very good. I ended up eating there 5 days in a row and it was 5 days in a row of gobernador and birria heaven! read more

Mariscos El Picosito - birria tacos (only on weekends!) - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Great food and service. I had the 7 mares and my son had birria tacos. I will definitely be back. Recommend this place.

The food is amazing and the cashier was friendly and helpful. A must try. With suggestions from a super friendly cashier I ordered a fish and shrimp taco and the ceviche loca. The portions are generous and the flavor was ridiculously good. The place had an overall hole in the wall feel. The food took me back to Baja. If you're looking for fine dining, this is not the place. But if you're looking for delicious food, then run, don't walk to this place. read more

Mariscos El Picosito - Ceviche loca - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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Disappointed. Seeing all these reviews I was excited to try. Aguachiles, shrimp ceviche, shrimp tacos were all bland. No flavor. Added much salt and still, something was missing. Maybe just a bad night to try? Hope your experience is better. read more

Tasty and reasonably priced! Had a delicious shrimp and asada taco and a shrimp taco. Both yummy.

This was the best meal we had in Pismo. We came here for breakfast just after 9. A lot of places don't open until 10 or even 11. We had the chilequiles with green sauce and huevos rancheros. Both were excellent, and moderately spicy, as we requested. The coffee was also very good. It's one of the few places that offers breakfast inside, which is nice when it's cold, foggy, and windy, with actual tables and booths. A lot of people think of Mexican food as lunch or dinner, but their breakfasts are great. An added plus is the attractive decor with tiles. It's moderately priced, not cheap, but it's very good value for money. read more

My wife and I enjoy coming to this place ever since I moved to Santa Maria 2 years ago. The food is excellent, the service is quick. However, it seems like on the last couple occassions its always an issue with just asking for a few little cups of their salsa. Its not an excessive amount I'm asking for, this last time I paid nearly $40 worth of food and they gave me just 2 salsa. I wanted 2 more, but they told me they would have to charge. Other Mexican spots do not do this, hell not even In-N-Out. Or at least have a salsa bar for customers to get salsa. I won't be back for a while, until we're really craving it. read more

Food is food. Service is fast. Ambiance is very casual. Don't expect anything fancy here, it's "fast food". My picks : taco gobernador, ceviche de camarón cocido (cooked shrimp ceviche) read more

My go to for oysters! They do not skimp on their portions! Their tacos are really good as well! I hope this place sticks around especially given the location they're in a lot of businesses did not have great luck. I have yet to try a lot more of their menu but nothing can be affordable prices that doesn't sacrifice quality! Highly recommend this place! Great and quick service as well read more

Mariscos El Picosito - Prepared oysters - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Had the shrimp tacos today and asada nachos. Just wasn't impressed. SEVERELY OVERCOOKED SHRIMP. I've had them before last year. And they were better and perfectly cooked shrimp. Now it's just dry and tough. Not the way a shrimp taco should be served. The nachos were also horrible. Chewy and unchewable chips mixed together, the meat so tough a chewy. Just awful. The beans they have for the nachos also don't go well. Probably gonna steer clear of this place for awhile. read more

Was craving Mexican food and found this spot highly rated on Yelp. Pulled up and there was only one parking spot available. It was lunchtime on a Saturday and even the inside was packed. We luckily found one table open. You order at the counter and then wait for your number to be called to grab your food. The menu is seafood heavy, which is to be expected based on the restaurant name. My husband opted for the gobernador burrito and I got the chicken burrito. They are large portions! I couldn't even finish mine. I really dislike going out for Mexican and having to order chips and salsa separately, but at least they have the option to order it. I appreciate the variety of sauces on the table. There's definitely some spicy choices- so good! This place was delicious. We'll totally be back! read more

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New champ in town. Diverse menu of tacos done incredibly well. Excellent sea food, fresh and cooked exceptionally.

Very solid fish tacos. Fresh flavors, good sized portions and good service. The shrimp gobernador tacos were very good. The shrimp had a crisp bite and the cheese did not over power the subtle flavor. I noticed they had a mini trompo for their al pastor, one of the few taco places in Santa Maria with one. I'll be making many trips back to explore the rest of their menu. read more

Mariscos El Picosito - Mini-Trompo sitting off to the side of the front counter. Looks legit. Coming back for Al Pastor. - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Really good Mexi-food, for locals and those that stop by. They probably could use more seats on the inside to spread out, but other than that the set up is adequate. You come in, you order your food at the counter, and then servers bring your food to a table of your selection. Fairly simple. Not much more service that, but it was fine... I came for the food. The menu focuses on the tacos, but my extended family were interested in late Sunday morning caldos. Guess what? On a late Sunday morning, they were out of caldo de rez, but they had pozole available and that's what they ordered. I tried the sope de carne asada and it was delicious, and a bit spicy. There was ample carne asada and other toppings on top of the thick and fried maseca base. Lotsa meat, lotsa lettuce, lotsa of crema, and lotsa spicy salsa. The dish comes with three sopes and is very filling. I did come to eat, so I ate half of my suegra's burrito, and two of her carnitas tacos. The carnitas here is very moist, super tender, and full of flavor. That plate also came with three tacos. Also, very delicious. Not much parking, so, but you can probably park farther down the off streets and be okay. I'd come again. read more

The price for the shrimp cocktail went up to almost $22 for the shrimp and octopus cocktail. The contenst of shrimp and octopus was not even a quarter of the cup. Had to fish for the shrimp and octopus in my cup. Asked for more lemons and they would not give any more, first time a had to pay for the condiments for the food at a restaurant. Not worth the money we paid for it. If you want a really good cocktail and a filled cup with shrimp, octopus and avalon and for about the same price. It's worth the drive to ventura or location in oxnard and go to Lalos. They will not make you pay extra for the lemons and you will be happy with the serving. DO NOT RECOMEND El Picosito. read more

After reading many positive yelp reviews we decided to give this place a try and we were so glad we did. The food was delicious and flavorful. We like that the prices weren't outrageous especially for sea food and the restaurant was busy but still specious enough that we got a table. The staff was quick and got our food out very quick, the location is great, parking is tricky but not too bad. Very family friendly my son got the nachos plain and they made them perfectly how we asked. Very clean establishment next time we're in Santa Maria we will def stop by! read more

Amazing tacos esp carne asada and al pastor! Need to comeback and try more esp birra tacos that is served on weekends only! Pls remember to ask for more red sauce if needed! W read more

Really good food I recommend the gobernador, it's like a quesadilla but with shrimp and works really well.