I've always had a great experience at Playa Azul, so when I was needing a little "me time", I decided to take myself on a date to Playa Azul. To finish off the list with a solid 10 that I started in my first two reviews, let me add: 8.) Fresh Pomegranate Margarita, blended. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=VHY2vx8XuunB4U1zRqwHVQ 9.) Fresh Crab Tostada: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=y4RtXqw1hDw7euTx2Lr05w 10.) Calde de Camarones: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=Zzi6XzTzc_tHZifed9cfmw I have to say that although everything was great, I could have had those Crab tostadas all day and every day for $4.50 each. A really nice sized portion of crab ceviche, fresh and oh so good. Dinner was great, I even took some of my Shrimp soup home, which made for excellent leftovers the next day. I still love Playa Azul for all those reasons, plus the ones I discover on the next visit. read more

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If you love seafood cocktail, ceviche or any type of seafood. This is your place! I had the ceviche tostadas combo and it was soo good! Fresh, tasty and just good! If you go for dinner try and make it a early dinner or else you'll be waaaaaaiting! Don't get me wrong its worth it to wait... But who like to wait when they are hungry? Uh, not me! The wait staff needs to be more attentive though...took forever to bring me water, eating utensils and menus. read more

Playa Azul - Who needs food? - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

My husband recommended this restaurant as he came here years back with his parents. He remembers being an authentic Mexican restaurant. However the experience walking in today was very disappointing. Walking in we noticed how modernized it looks. The first thing to see is the long bar and the collection of alcohol (i guess they get a star for that) the bottles at the bar are nicely lined up. We started to look at menu since it's mainly seafood and decided to start with fried calamari. We ended up choosing shrimp appetizers (can never go wrong). The calamari was delicious and very crispy (i guess another star for that). The "Camarones Vallarta" (stuffed jalapeño with cheese) were big! One order of 4 was more than enough. The "Camarones con tosino" was nicely decorated on-top of mashed potatoes. Okay let me give them another star for presentation. The calamari and shrimp was nicely decorated. But overall i felt like everything needed more seasoning to match the image. Service was okay it seems like they are always walking face down or away from us in the table. read more

We only go here for one thing: playa azul nachos!! Each chip is layered with cheese, crab meat, & shrimp...absolutely delicious! We've tried a few shrimp dishes and the soups, all of which are pretty good too. The only con is parking is rough & the service can be rather slow. read more

Playa Azul - Nachos playa azul...so good! - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Food was ok.. service was horrible. Waitress would rather talk to her co-workers then actually do her job. You are not missing out on much !

Ah, I want the fried red snapper with oyster sauce RIGHT NOW! I've been craving it since we got back home. The ambiance of this place is comfy, homey, and blaring mariachi music. Areeeba! Haha. Super affordable. There were a few of us so we got a couple of shrimp cocktails and oyster to start. Lets talk about the oysters for a second. We ate a few but sent them back but still happily paid for them. We don't mean to be oyster snobs but these are probably some of the worst we've had. They weren't even especially cold. Aside from the oysters everything else was amazing. Shrimp cocktails were delicious and full of nice sized shrimp. The highlight of the meal though was the fried red snapper with oyster sauce. The veggies poured on top and the rice on the side were amazing. Everything went really well together. And Oyster sauce? This is a flavoring used traditionally in asian dishes I thought? Who knew. Delicious! Good seafood in a good comfy spot. There is a jukebox so the patrons control whats playing. Enjoy the festive music as you eat your fresh mariscos! read more

Playa Azul - Red Snapper w/ Oyster Sauce - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Unfortunately This restaurant is not representing good or great Mexican food and the drinks are horrible I had a Pina Colada no pineapple and way too sweet with some added red liquid not original the food was such a dissapointment,they will surely be closing its just a matter of time. C De Losa read more

Very good food! Homemade corn and flour tortillas. I've already bought 2 dz corn tortillas to take home . Menu has a lot to offer. Go visit this Mexican restaurant . You will enjoy it and Staff is very friendly. read more

Best over all place clean fresh and trust me food is great!!! Love the atmosphere and micheladas !!

El sabor de la comida es bueno . El servicio por otra parte dejó mucho que decear . Nos asignaron mesa y nos trajeron los menús después pasaron mas de 30 minutos para que alguien viniera a preguntar si nos habían atendido. Estaba por irme pero la mesera nos convenció para quedarnos . read more

After walking by this place for years and reading many rave reviews I decided to give Playa Azul a shot. The place was full with a long line when I got there. After standing there for a few minutes I noticed that there were empty seats at the bar so I asked one of the harried waiters if I could seat myself there. Once at the bar I looked at the menu for a while and the prices seemed a little high for the full meals the A La Carte section had ceviche which is what I wanted anyway. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=509T0_GwN_QpJnzwaUCmdA I liked the ceveche but as long as the fish is fresh it's kind of hard to mess up coupled with a decent Michelada http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=2b1J-zlofLgPZueOzOQQhA, maybe the fourth best I've had in The City, it was a nice lunch. I'd come here again but I won't wait in line, I don't mind eating at the bar though. read more

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Good Place, but did not meet our expectations for it!! I really should have done better research for this place. I was under the impression that they offered Shrimp or Fish Tacos, but no. Although, the shrimp cocktail, was great, it did lacked a certain kick and that could had been Tabasco sauce instead of all Tapatio!! Still pretty good, but it had potential for improvement!! I felt bad after asking the server for extra salsa for our chips, since she seemed a bit annoyed by my request, and she said that was the only salsa they offered, a small containers worth, about less than 1/4 of a cup. A few minutes later, after waiting for an offer of more salsa, I decided to ask the nicer guy whom kindly greeted us as we came in and he said definitely!! That was very nice of him!! Thanks for the extra salsa Mr.!!! :) read more

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Some places just have that *something* that makes you come back over and over again. Playa Azul is one of those places that I will never turn down at someone's suggestion because I know that it is guaranteed good food and good times, especially when the company consists of good friends. So much about Playa Azul brings a smile to my face... ...the many large tables filled with Mexican families coming together to enjoy a meal. ...the lively six-piece mariachi band that plays on the weekend (though I'll admit that it kinda sucks to be hungover and having to shout across the table over the music). ...the requisite bucket(s) of beer or perhaps a choice from the massive collection of tequila. ...some really great seafood! You *must* get the fried whole snapper! Crispy, tender, juicy, flavorful...oh damn, and if you eat the meat from the head, you get my respect. If you're a masochist get the chile relleno...huge freakin' chiles stuffed with shrimp, breaded, and fried. (hint: alcohol washes away capsaicin). As sides, you'd never guess, but their potato salad and cole slaw are surprisingly good in addition to their awesome beans and rice. A few things miss the mark like the tres leches cake and the ceviche, which is kind of tragic considering the place specializes in seafood. Anyway, everything's family style and HUGE, so feel free to just order 2-3 items for a party of four. ...the kind of fun, relaxed atmosphere that makes you want to sit around for hours and hours with your friends - eating, drinking, and laughing. Overall Playa Azul's got down the recipe for los buenos tiempos (ugh, is that right or did I just say a recipe for good weather?). read more

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When I want a taco or a burrito, I go to a taqueria. When I crave a shrimp cocktail (coctel de camarones) or some other type ceviche or Mexican seafood dish, I go to a Mexican seafood restaurant like this. The good ones are all pretty much the same; loud Mexican music, beach-scape pictures, and I'm usually the only non-Latino inside. Check, check, and check! Coctel de camarones - $12.75 - Soo good here! They must be losing money with the amount of perfectly cooked shrimp they stuff in the bowl. I like how they put plenty of freshly cut avocado and a touch of cilantro and onions, everything tasted super fresh. I think they use Clamato since the tomato sauce base wasn't too thick. If seafood isn't your thing, they also have burgers and other "American" dishes like steak. My coworker ordered that and it was OK but honestly, why go to a seafood restaurant for steak? Shrimp cocktail - (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=fP43qiOINUS9OJocfehyiA) w/menu (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=WjssU3auU-tfF1NJRYoU-g) Outside - (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=rTXRU3xLnfK1q9wxXPo6Og) Inside - (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mL6McYFYvPmucI4zTZbQAA?select=sGckJarR7wzYvEPLC8fumg) read more

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First off this is a nice clean restaurant with a helpful staff and an impressive tequila selection. Im pretty particular about my mariscos and although I didn't like what I ordered there may be other items that Playa Azul excels at. I came to Playa Azul for their filete relleno de mariscos which is my favorite mariscos dish. I was pretty excited to see it on Playa Azul's menu because I've had a hard time finding it up here in the bay. Normally filete rellenos are either sea bass or tilapia stuffed with shrimp, scallops, octopus, squid, mussels and sometimes tomatoes and chiles.. Well sadly Playa Azul's version has almost none of these items. What it does have is a whole two shrimp and basically some stove top stuffing mixed with crab meat on top of a fish filet. Super disappointing... read more

Playa Azul - really ? - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Located in the Mission, this restaurant was recommended to us by a friend when we mentioned we wanted some good Mexican food. Parking, always kind of an issue, but a reality of big city life, we circled a few times before finally settled on a Public Parking lot. We entered Playa Azul and were greeted by a nice man who gave us a large table. Chips and salsa were brought to the table, and drink orders placed. The salsa was very good I must admit, chips were a bit stale. It took the waiter quite awhile to return to get our orders, but once we did, we ordered and had a large side of guac delivered. About 10 minutes later our good arrived; items ordered were fish tacos (great), chicken with onions and peppers with tortillas, seafood plate with shrimp, rice and beans. A couple tequila shots and a beer, total bill was $73 minus tip. I'd return, but be open to trying other places, too, as that area has a lot of Mexican places to eat. read more

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My husband and I have been here a few times and like it because of all the seafood. It's a super popular place, so it's always busy. Our trip there yesterday, however, doesn't have me in a rush to return. We sat down immediately and pretty much knew what we wanted. My husband was on the phone (rude I know, but It was an important call I swear :-p), so I just ordered for both of us. We got two Victoria beers and wanted to split a coctel de camarones. *Note that I even pointed to the picture when I said the order* We got our beers quickly and then the server brought out a soup. I was confused because I definitely did not want a soup, so I politely said that I ordered the coctel de camarones. He said "No you didn't, you ordered this", and walked away. I just looked at my hubby and was like, I don't even freaking know what this is so how could I have ordered it?! The two dishes do sound similar, but I feel like it was super rude of him to basically tell me I was wrong and walk away. He then proceeded to ignore us for ten minutes even though we didn't touch the soup. He finally approached my husband and offered to bring us the coctel, still saying I was wrong, but by then it was too late. We paid for the beers and left. I've been a server before and would never handle a situation the way this guy did. Guess what, it's ok to make mistakes or have miscommunications, like, it's really not that big of a deal. But to keep insisting he's right and I'm wrong, especially when I don't even know how to pronounce the name of the dish he insisted I ordered, is super annoying. We will probably come back because this is definitely an isolated incident, but like I said before, I'm not in any rush. read more

If it's Mexican Seafood ye be after, look no further than Playa Azul. It's tough picking something off the extensive menu; we split the botanas for one and it was still more than enough. Lots of deep-fried seafood goodness served on a bed of octopus, avocado and tomato. Of particular note are shrimp wrapped in bacon (ah-ed-to-the-em), and chiles stuffed with cheese and a whole shrimp and then fried in batter. These would've been the highlight except the cheese wasn't hot enough. Ambience-wise this place is pretty meh, seeing as it's too large and high-ceilinged to be a dive but still manages to feel dark and cavelike, even when the reflection of the setting sun is streaming through the front windows. Frisco J is right about the crowd; it's muy autentico and completely hipster-free (at least on a Monday). read more

Playa Azul - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Everything else here ranges from fair to pretty good, but you've got to come for the enormous, fantastic seafood cocktails. . . shrimp, oysters, scallops, octopus. . . If you've never had a Mexican shrimp cocktail you're in for a treat. Not as fresh as Baja, but as good as it gets here in SF and it evokes the mood. And when they say mariachi they're not kidding. We're not talking a broken soul with two snaped guitar strings and a six-year-old singing out of key begging you for change in his coffee cup (that's too baja even for me). We're talking full regalia, six or eight piece band singing top of their powerful lungs with un-muted trumpets, several guitars, a violin or two. If the band gets paid at all there's no way it covers their costs, you know how much those uniforms are. They come for the fun. A good special occasion joint, if special occasion for you is loud, informal, and festive. read more

Generous, generous, and generous. Amount of food provided was generous, the great attitude, and customer service was generous. Vuelve a la vida - this seafood cocktail is delicious. I loved how it was so hearty and refreshing at the same time. Definitely not shady with the shrimp, oysters, scallops, crab, and octopus. The sauce was not thick at all. Nice seasoned balance and contained chunks of avocado. Fried calamari - nice breading and not over/under seasoned. This can feed 4-6 people. Oscar's steak - entrées come with your choice of 2 sides and tortillas or buttered bread. Oscar's steak is ribeye grilled to your liking, and it is topped with fried onions. You never want to over season steak, and they did not disappoint. They kept it simple with the s&p and that's all it needs. Next time I will order medium rare instead of medium because it came out well done. I was not fond of my two sides, rice and krinkle cut fries. My husband had clam chowder and refried beans for his sides, and that was delicious. He also let me try the red snapper he ordered and wow that was amazing. Washed everything down with a corona. Definitely will just stick to the seafood. Atmosphere is very festive with the music. Makes you want to dance to burn off the food just to eat more. read more

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I don't know what it is but the meat and chicken dishes I have ordered (which I always ordered in the past) lately have just been bad. And what is up with their cocktail (mainly the shrimp) having like ZERO taste?! I saw my gf pour tons of salt, lemon (really? Is it that hard to get some damn lime in this place?!) and TONS of hot sauce and even then it was ALMOST ok....it's not cheap either and when I order food for 2 people, 2 drinks and 1 small order to go...and spend damn near $80 - I expect to really enjoy it, and I did not. No more... P.S. The cold shrimp on the nachos - NASTY! Sorry...had to. read more

We wanted to go to Tommy's or Puerto Alegre but it was 5:30 PM in the city, so, Playa Azul. I have found, since moving to the city that many decisions are influenced by my proximity. That being said, Playa Azul was middle of the road. This isn't a place I'd visit because I *had* to have their food again, but in a pinch, it will do. We ordered a pitcher of mango margaritas. HOLY CRAP, THOSE WERE STRONG. In fact, I'm almost tempted to add another star just for the strength of the margaritas alone. I ordered the Carne Asada plate which was delicious except for the rice which was weird. It looked a little like that "Mexican Rice" you can make from a box. The meat was flavorful and juicy and the beans were well seasoned. read more

Very disappointed today 10-31-2015 with my food, did not like it. I order "garlic shrimp" with mash potatoes and clam chowder. The shrimps weren't fresh, the sauce was very light in garlic and a lot of clear liquid around the shrimps. I am a shrimp lover, I left some of the Shrimps on the plate. The mash potatoes was not good, the flavor was like the mix a bad potatoes with the rest of the potatoes, real bad!!!! The chowder was acceptable. I am not visiting the place again, sorry Playa Azul, today your playa was very stormy and full of brujas, maybe my food was bad because it's Halloween and was prepare by brujas??!! Oh well, no more playa Azul!! Well, $40.00 with tip for two people lunch! read more

Playa Azul - Shrimps floating in a garlic water at Playa Azul!! - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Playa azul is a good place in the limits of the mission and BH :) Lots of families there during the weekends, kids screaming and mariachi (if looking for a quiet dinner might not be the place) They have a hugeeee menu and after trying it almost all I will say they have 3 good choices to pick from: Shrimp cocktail Camarones playa azul Camarones a la diabla (best sides: salad, rice and the baked potatoe) Check on their margarita pitcher with Tequila tradicional for $20 dlls and AVOID THEIR GUACAMOLE. Playa Azul tends to me more quiet during the week and the service is ok.... read more

I live across the street, so I am a regular. This is one of my favorite breakfast places in the Mission/Bernal area of SF on a lazy weekend morning. And so I would always make sure to get there before noon, since the window sign says to do so. I have walked in to Playa Azul on Sunday multiple times at around 11:20am and according to the waitress, they refuse to serve me breakfast because the chef has decided he no longer wanted to make breakfast food. Either change the sign out front or change the staff because I used to love this place and now I feel like someone is trying to take advantage of me. :( Such a heartbreak read more

I came for the crab nachos. They were excellent, everything else was a drag. Bad service makes me sad :-( Not as sad as stale chips. I got a massive shrimp cocktail, really sweet sauce, like way sweet. The Pollo Loco, dry. The kids qusedilla was marginal. The guacamole was good, but it lacked flavor. Really bland on its own. The service was not so hot, especially for a Monday night. Took forever to get the bill. I felt abandoned after the brought the entrees. The entrees also came before the appetizers had been finished. It finally took me getting up and finding our server. Over 30 minutes after we finished eating. It's not that I'm always in a huge rush. Waiting for a bill, then paying and walking out a half hour later gets on my nerves. And as for the price point, totally not even worth it. Bland Expensive Poor Service read more

Fish Tacos: Excellent! Delicious! Chips & Guacamole: Flavorful, well-made, spicy, but also delicious! Cadillac Margarita: Made from mix using cheap tequila. Really? After having such delicious food at Playa Azul, I was expecting a Margarita made, you know, without a nasty fake-sweet mix. And with non-well tequila. But alas, that's what I got. If I could make 1 recommendation to the restaurant, it is to get the margarita action on track. Life is too short for nasty margarita mixes and cheap gold tequila. read more

Playa Azul - Trio de Tacos (3 fish tacos), Cadillac margarita, and guacamole! - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Another thing to try... 1. stuffed fillet with crab and shrimp. I had it for the first time today and it was legit. read more

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I love this place! Not only is the food amazing but it's a great place to start the night with some great drinks. Unfortunately the service isn't the best. It almost seems as if people wait for the other one to help. We had to keep on trying to get the waiters attention for water, sour cream, boxes, check and he forgot about us half the time so we had to remind him. We had to get another's waiters attention to pay. Don't let the service stop you from trying this place! read more

I'd been pretty stoked to try this vuelve la vida thing and needed a day where i'd be hungover in the neighborhood to make it work. Luckily (or unluckily) that day came and while the portion of my goblet full of seafood was enormous, the rest of the coctel was just kinda bland. I'll check it out again for some of the crab nachos tho. read more

While I'm happy to read the glowing reviews of Playa Azul, I can't believe nobody here has reviewed their nachos! You order them by the dozen or half-dozen. 6 nachos, you think? What the hell? How does that even work? Does the chef just have like nothing else to do, that he would measure out six little chips and squeeze some cheese all over them? Either way, a half-dozen does not seem like enough for one person, let alone two people. When my Bernal Heights-resident friend introduced me to this establishment about a year ago, we ordered the plate of one dozen nachos, two ceviche tostadas, and giant margaritas. A light snack, to be sure. Ha! These nachos were something else entirely. Each chip is its own celebration of delight. Delicately arranged on a bed of shredded lettuce, each glorious corn chip is topped with one thick layer of spicy jalapeno-lime ceviche, melted cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and one individual shrimp, balanced tenderly atop the mountain of nacho. It takes about three bites to get through one chip. So, naturally, six chips each were way too much. But, we managed, stalwarts that we are. The ceviche tostadas were incredible as well. They offer crab, shrimp, or squid, I believe. I had the shrimp. Fantastic. At $3.50 each, they're delightfully filling and leave room on the bill for your aforementioned giant margarita. A truly brilliant place that is thankfully overlooked by raunchy mission hipsters. I always try to take my out-of-town friends here for dinner, followed by drinks at the Knockout across the street. read more

Playa Azul - my brother and his gf and the remnants of dinner - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I love this place!!! I came here today with a colleague of mine who is of Latino decent. He told me that this place is muy bueno. I said fantistico amigo..........vamanos!!! I had the Chicken with oyster sauce. My friend had the chicken with blanco sauce and both were great. I hardly get to eat Mexican food because I'm stuck in the Richmond district. They have a full bar and I heard they have the best michelada. It's fresh lime juice and beer. Missing Mexico just writing about it. I didn't have one of course because I was working. It's definitely authentic!!! read more

I had a project down the street this time last year. I spent many a night looking for something better than Round Table. I wish I found yelp then and Playa Azul. I really like this part of the town. It's one of those types of neighborhoods that does not feel cookie-cutter. There's a real sense of community. Yelp says it is Bernal Heights. It feels more Outer Mission/Excelsior. You tell me. We ate family style. That's the only way to experience a new restaurant with friends...sharing a meal, literally breaking bread and eating our meal with gladness and singleness of heart. We started off with a bucket of cerveza. A discussion ensued of my recommendation to go with Dos Equis Roja versus the tried and true Corona. It seems that not everyone is familiar with the XX label. If you fall in to this category, please try Dos Equis. It is a great Mexican beer that needs no lime. You can't miss the big XX and the face of Moctezuma. The founder of 'Moctezuma Brewery' was German and established this brewery in Mexico back in 1884. The first dish to arrive was a chile relleno. But of course, it's no ordinary chile relleno. The chile stem was replaced by a shrimp and the whole creation was breaded and deep fried. If you like HOT, this is the appetizer for you. Too HOT for our favorite Korean clam bake and BBQ organizer. Definitely too hot for me. When I saw that the nachos come by the half dozen, I thought it kinda strange. These nachos are not your typical chips with stuff on it. These individual mountains of seafood goodness could be served at a posh black tie affair as an individual first course. Shrimp, crab, cheese, avocado, sour cream, on A chip. Whoa! These are the best EVAR! I ordered the chicken in oyster sauce. OMG! I thought it would be something Chinese style. I was sooooo wrong! Think Chinese/Mexican fusion. Weird sounding, yes. Yelpgasm in your mouth, HELLZ YEAH! The other dish we ordered was a fish. It appeared to be a snapper, but I wasn't paying attention. It too was yummy, but nothing spectacular. I was too busy stuffing my face and drowning the workday away so I didn't get to try the shrimp ceviche cocktail. There is always next time, along with the many other dishes they offer. Playa Azul is no greasy taqueria. It is some serious Mexican food for the serious eater. read more

Until I find out otherwise I am going to go on record to say this is the place to get your Messican seafood on in San Francisco. Yes, us brown people don't just live on burritos and carne asada, we actually have some very tasty seafood dishes that we like to throw together when we are feeling crazy. The ceviche tostadas, tortilla slathered with mayo before receiving a heaping serving of the ceviche, are really good. I ordered the camarones gratinados, which are grilled prawns covered in melted cheese. It might sound weird but it's actually really good. The whole fried red snapper is beyond generous. One order would be great for an entire table to share, unless you are of the husky variety and want to tackle this big boy yourself. In fact all of the plates here are very ample, so bring your appetite. I have to come back quite a few more times to sample more of the menu items. Another thing to note, you can order a glass with some Michelada mix (clamato, Worchestshire sauce, lime, tobasco, and salt) for $1.75 and mix in whatever beer on the menu they have. Budweiser or Bud Light are perfect for this but I tried it with a Negra Modelo and it was a nice variation. read more

This place is G R E A T!!! Friendly service! Huge selection of seafood dishes (were you expecting less at a place called Blue Beach?) I'm not exagerating when I say it's possibly the BEST ceviche and BEST shrimp cocktail in SF (the spicy sauce with those shrimp makes my toes curl! And so will yours! And that's what we need in this world, more experiences like THAT!!!! This place is pretty small and unassuming...just down the way from the Safeway @ 29th/Mission (aka as "Mamacita Safeway"...why? because I defy any man, woman, fish or fowl to shop there and avoid getting ogled or whistled at in the first 5 mnutes!!!!...Um hello? Why do you think I keep going back? But we'll save those stories for another time, shall we?) It's clean, reasonably priced, yum food, cool staff and open late! Whats not to like?? Only draw back is the parking...it's street parking, no lot (there's a city lot about 2 blocks down but who wants to shlep that far in the dark, in 3 inch heels? Not me!) If you come here once, believe me, you will turn into a regular! Muy delicioso!!! read more

Playa Azul has the vibe of being a better restaurant than it actually is. I have eaten here at least 6 times over the last 15 years and for some reason have forgotten to write a Yelp review until now. I guess that means I have never been impressed with Playa Azul despite its fancy digs. What they excel at is their seafood coctails - they are big and tasty. I have also had a decent very spicy fried fish with a sauce of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and chipotle chiles. Note: Non seafood items are a complete disappointment at Playa Azul. Nothing here is exceptional, but I come here if I want to have a Margarita with my meal. They do have a full bar with a HUGE selection of tequilas on par with Tommy's, although the Margaritas are not as good. The wait staff is always friendly and helpful and the menu has lots of pictures of the food, which helps. This is the fanciest Mexican restaurant in Bernal Heights and has a mostly Latino clientele. There is often a Mariachi band playing, so it can get pretty loud. For a restaurant that specializes in Mexican seafood, I MUCH prefer another place down the street called Brisas de Acapulco which has better food and prices. read more

Oh, man, am i stuffed after last night. You'd think that one fried snapper, half a dozen nachos topped with shrimp, and some ceviche would not be too much food for 3 people...but it's plenty. The whole fried snapper was delicious, tender inside. And as Molly M. notes in her reviews, those nachos are mega huge. Half a dozen was more than enough for 3 of us. We had to leave one to congeal on the plate. I might go back and order half a dozen for a dinner for myself one of these days. Ceviche was not the best; you are better off getting ceviche at Fresca. I would have been paying more attention to the food except that I was soon tipsy on my one bottle of Corona (Euge and Steph did their share of drinking a couple of buckets). Plus Euge and I were having way too much fun making fun of Steph. Ahhh, good times. Poor Steph...she's such a good sport for putting up with us Koreans, even when we are being outrageously un-PC. read more

Always packed. Always intriguing. Today was the day to see what all the fuss (and strong yelp rating) was about. I must have read the menu three or four times trying to decide what I wanted. Much looked good. I really wanted the two "perfectly" grilled chicken breasts, but for a place that touts seafood, that wouldn't have been too authentic. So I ended up going with Plan B, the grilled fish. Not cheap, and nothing really is, but you get a ton of food. A sizable fillet, tortillas and two sides, which in my case was a baked potato and veggies (other options include soup, fries, refried beans and a few others). The waiter helping me was awesome, had no problem putting my request in for no oil or butter on the fish, and keeping the potato dry. Everything was great, almost enough food for two meals. I see why they are so popular. Consider me their newest fan. read more

Let's hear it for ceviche, how about it? Fresh, lime cured seafood dressed up with onions and cilantro and avocado. Yum. Playa Azul does ceviche, and they do it well and cheap. $4 for tostadas topped with shrimp, octopus, fish or crab ceviche, with a generous serving of sliced avocado. Deep fried tortilla chips and a delicious spicy salsa is served alongside. The menu is expansive--lobster, fried whole fish, seafood soups, shrimp, scallops, oysters. You name it. And all very fresh and delicious. Service can be spotty, and the atmosphere is kind of like a large, much better lit cafeteria, but this place is all about the food. If you are feeling decadent try the nachos: melted cheese, shrimp, ceviche...oh man, so good. Come on the weekends for a party-like atmosphere. Oh yeah, and a good looking breakfast menu served til 11. read more

Went for early dinner. Service a bit slow but friendly. They had Bohemia beer so I got off to a nice start. I ordered a whole fish stuffed with crab & skrimp. This dish came highly recommended so I was anxious to fork this fish. My son, 3 at the time, informs me that he has to use the facilities. I figured, take him in, clean him up, sit back down, right? WRONG! 20 minutes later I sit down, dejected because of my missed date with a certain red snapper. Get this though. In lieu of having re-heated, I began to tear it up. It was good even somewhat cold! Thats some fish. I've yet to return but when I do, I'm going by myself. read more