Seafood tostadas are everywhere. Here are 20 of L.A.’s best
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Before it gets topped with seafood, seasonal produce and a medley of sauces, each tostada begins as a blank canvas. Local chefs are the artists, using the tostada as a vehicle to showcase their cultural backgrounds, kitchen expertise and the ingredients they love. Each bite is intentionally crafted to hit certain taste and textural marks: the crispy tostada, buttery seafood, zesty citrus and creamy avocado, plus unexpected elements that take it over the top, like tart grapefruit, piquant pickled onions or earthy salsa macha.
The best part? The seafood tostada comes ready to eat as-is, requiring no more than a dash of salsa or a squeeze of lime to complete the chef’s vision. It’s not unlike a meticulously prepared tasting menu course, except these chefs are handing over tostadas at taco trucks, food halls, raw bars and everywhere in between.
Seafood tostadas originated in coastal regions across Mexico, but in L.A., the dish pulls global influence, including a tostada topped with tuna carpaccio and cachucha pepper aioli at a Central American restaurant in Venice; salmon and chicatana ant mayo at a modern Mexican haunt in the Arts District; and scallops and wasabi aioli that merge Baja California and Japanese flavors at a Frogtown favorite.
For a refreshing bite on a hot day, or anytime really, here are 20 of the best seafood tostadas to try in L.A.
— Danielle Dorsey
Showing Place Places
Aguachiles and Asada on Broadway
Lincoln Heights Mexican $
(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)
Husband-and-wife team Cecilia Pantoja and Marcos Moreno became Lincoln Heights stalwarts with their carniceria, Correas, and though they closed their market in 2022, they recently returned to the neighborhood with a casual new restaurant. Aguachiles and Asada on Broadway riffs on their carniceria’s mariscos pop-up (which was helmed by their nephew, who now runs Correas Mariscos in Boyle Heights). Here Pantoja heads the seafood offerings and Moreno focuses on grilled meats. There are tacos, ceviches and burritos, but the saucy aguachiles ($6.49) are the stars. Piled atop a crunchy tostada and with another on the side, the plump shrimp come in an array of Pantoja’s salsas, each one time-consuming and labor-intensive. Her peppery mango aguachile features chopped cucumbers, mangoes, onions and a thick fresh-mango habanero sauce, while her aguachile in salsa negra, deep with nutty, spicy flavor, is a spin on her secret-recipe salsa macha made with five chiles. For a milder option, look to the regular tostada menu ($3.99 to $7.99) for shrimp, ceviche and abalone, each piled atop a tostada with a crema-based cucumber salad.
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Anajak Thai
Sherman Oaks Thai $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
There are no bad tostadas at Anajak, but there is an originator and it’s worth ordering every week. When chef-owner Justin Pichetrungsi helped take over his family’s decades-old Thai restaurant he introduced Thai Taco Tuesday, which garnered an immediate following of its own. Among these now-stalwart Thai-Mexican offerings was the kampachi tostada, fragrant with fish sauce and garlic thanks to a house-made nam jim seafood sauce and spiked with house-made sriracha. The buttery kampachi is arranged atop a crispy tostada from Boyle Heights’ La Princesita Tortilleria and topped with bright pops of marinated ikura and cilantro frills for a salty, spicy, fresh and untraditional take on the seafood tostada. Dive fully into the Thai Taco Tuesday menu with a chutoro, uni and scallop tostada; the artfully plated Chinese sausage tostada; and the newer shrimp curry tostada with house chili crisp. “My whole thing was like, ‘Let’s put more flavor into the tostada,’” said Pichetrungsi. “Are they particularly Thai? No. Are they particularly mariscos? No. It’s just fun stuff on a nice chip.” The tostadas range from $17-$29.
A Tí
Echo Park Mexican $$
(Ron De Angelis/For The Times)
Andrew Ponce’s Echo Park charmer began as a pop-up in September 2024, leaning into cocktails and a short menu of mostly antojitos and tacos, and has evolved into one of L.A.’s defining modern Mexican restaurants. Right away, the star dish was — and remains — his tuna tostada. Its appeal begins with layered visuals: dark blue corn tortilla (using masa from Kernels of Truth), a slick of aioli peeking out around the edges, overlapping slices of paper-thin fish the color of fruit punch, splotches of salsa negra and whole cilantro leaves to finish. Its composition has been consistent, but as the restaurant settled in, the tostada’s components have sharpened. The aioli is lemonier, and better merges with the yellowfin into unified velvetiness. The salsa rushes the senses more thrillingly with its distinct, smoky-cherry notes from chile puya. Pair it with a cilantro highball, or a glass of sparkling sake, and complete the meal with a crispy beef taco, duck mole … and maybe a second tostada.
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Café Tondo
Chinatown Bar Bites Wine Bars $$
(Danielle Dorsey/Los Angeles Times)
The vibey Chinatown wine bar charts inspiration from all over Mexico, including Colima-style ceviche and a Norteño burrito, but the tuna tostada ($16) reflects the ones you’ll find served at bars in consulting chef Luis Luna’s hometown of Guadalajara. Tostadas raspadas are sourced from nearby Damian and topped simply with tuna, Kewpie mayo, avocado, salsa macha and a sprinkle of cilantro blossoms, making for an ideal, refreshing bite on a scalding L.A. day, or anytime. Pair it with a tres leches latte during the day or a glass of natural wine in the evening.
Ceviche Project
Silver Lake Latin American Seafood $$$
(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times)
The idea for Ceviche Project chef-owner Octavio Olivas’ king kanpachi tostada ($26) was born from his love of sushi, Mexican seafood and tostadas. He said the tostada is the most important component, and sources his sturdy, extra-crispy tostadas raspadas — nixtamalized corn masa that is cooked, scraped on one side for a rough texture, dried and then deep-fried — directly from Guadalajara. He revealed that he was so busy running the 28-seat marisqueria that he didn’t get around to tasting the king kanpachi tostada, the restaurant’s most popular item, until it was praised in critic Bill Addison’s 2019 review. “I was like, ‘OK, this is really good.’”
The tostada is layered with an avocado mousse that gets spread to the edges, grapefruit, ruby radish sprouts, trout roe, a house-made tosazu vinegar dressing with chile arbol and nasturtium petals. It hits every flavor and texture you’d expect from a seafood tostada — crunchy, acidic, creamy and slightly spicy — but is unlike any you’ve ever had before.
The tostada is layered with an avocado mousse that gets spread to the edges, grapefruit, ruby radish sprouts, trout roe, a house-made tosazu vinegar dressing with chile arbol and nasturtium petals. It hits every flavor and texture you’d expect from a seafood tostada — crunchy, acidic, creamy and slightly spicy — but is unlike any you’ve ever had before.
Coni'Seafood
Inglewood Seafood $$
(Nava Rawls/Los Angeles Times)
Coni’seafood was founded in 1987 by Vicente “Chente” Cossio, a business owner who wanted to bring the flavors of his hometown of Acaponeta, Nayarit, to Inglewood. The Mexican seafood restaurant has long been celebrated by the L.A. Times and was a regular stop for the late critic Jonathan Gold. Coni has been heavily featured for its fried fish sandwich and seafood tacos, but its tostaditos — 6 mini tostadas topped with marlin pate, shrimp and octopus ceviche — are a menu highlight. Each bite-sized tostada is made fresh, in-house, and is served alongside fresh sliced cucumber. At $24, the platter is ideal for sharing before digging into the main entree.
Correas Mariscos & Cocina
Boyle Heights Mexican Seafood $
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Edgar Nava founded Correas Mariscos as a pop-up within his aunt and uncle’s carniceria, but in 2023, he branched out with a Boyle Heights seafood spot of his own. Drawing on his family’s Michoacán roots, he incorporates the region’s seasonings found in soups, guisados and grilled meats into his ceviches, aguachiles and tacos. What results are potent, flavor-packed bites, especially when it comes to Nava’s tostadas ($8.49 to $12). In addition to his ceviches and aguachiles, look for specials such as the citrusy, refreshing albacore ceviche tostada with serrano aioli, or the weekend-only sashimi-inspired hamachi tostada dressed with cucumbers and a serrano-spiked ponzu. Enjoy on the back patio with a rainbow of freshly made aguas frescas from Nava’s wife, Dulce.
Daisy Margarita Bar
Sherman Oaks Mexican $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The ample and novel margaritas quickly made Daisy a destination for Latin-leaning drinks, but its food menu of bar snacks, tacos and modern Mexican classics is just as worthy of a visit. It’s almost impossible to see the tuna beneath the mound of crispy, slivered hoja santa and shallots, but there’s plenty of citrus-cured fish below it. Biting into chef Alan Sanz’s tuna tostada ($22) is a balance of texture and aromatics. There’s the light crunch of the herb and allium atop paired with the thick, buttery cubed yellowfin and creamy smashed avocado, and finally, an extra element of smoothness — and spice — on the tongue thanks to an aioli incorporating the smoked chile paste chintextle, and the “Mexi kosho”: a house-made citrus-and-chile condiment. It pairs well with just about everything on the menu, but we’re partial to the viral guacamole margarita.
Damian
Downtown L.A. Mexican $$$
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
The modern Mexican restaurant founded by Mexico City chef Enrique Olvera and helmed by chef Jesús “Chuy” Cervantes has an in-house masa program in collaboration with Masienda, and features two staple tostadas on its seasonally shifting menu. The Cesar ($28) is a play on the Caesar salad that originated in Baja California, and is mounded with shredded romaine, a blanket of Parmigiano and glistening anchovies. The tostada is an ideal replacement for the usual crunch of croutons, and the portion size means you’ll still have room for the salmon tostada ($28) that’s spread with roasted chicatana ant mayonnaise and Sungold tomatoes, and best finished with salsa macha.
Found Oyster
East Hollywood Seafood $$$
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Evenings at this buzzy East Hollywood raw bar are meant to be shared. So is its scallop tostada ($22), which arrives split in half and adorned with raw scallops on a crunchy corn tostada. Its defining vinaigrette is made with lime juice, mirin, yuzu kosho and finely-grated apple, which is drizzled atop the scallops along with olive oil and flaky sea salt before the entire tostada is garnished with cilantro stems and basil buds. In restaurant critic Jenn Harris’ own words, the tostada is a compelling example of chef-owner Ari Kolender’s “consistently flawless execution of anything culled from the sea.”
Holbox
Historic South-Central Mexican $$
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
As the landmark marisqueria in Mercado La Paloma, which earned the No. 1 spot on The Times’ 101 Best Restaurants guide in 2025, Holbox has been thoroughly praised for its unparalleled ceviches, aguachiles and tacos. The smoked kanpachi tostada ($11) is its own masterpiece featuring smoked kanpachi, shrimp, scallops, arbol-guajillo sauce and avocado. Also popular on the tostada menu is the kanpachi and uni tostada ($26) adorned with 20 grams of Santa Barbara uni, and the tuna tartar tostada ($10) with bluefin tuna tartare, Sinaloa-style salsa negra, pickled veggies, avocado puree and sesame seeds.
Loreto
Elysian Valley Seafood
(Danielle Dorsey/Los Angeles Times)
The Frogtown restaurant celebrates the flavors of Baja California with crudos, aguachiles, ceviches, pescado zarandeado, seafood pasta and, of course, a handful of tostadas. Try CDMX ($22) if you hew traditional, with bluefin tuna, avocado, capers, scallion and cilantro. But if you’re open to more inventive takes, order the Bang Bang! ($20) which is crowned with crispy rock shrimp, pickled onion, cucumber and radish, or the Kondo ($22) that pulls in Japanese influence and is draped with scallops, fennel, red onion, wasabi aioli and slivers of green apple. There’s also the Joaquin ($29) with bluefin tuna, soy-marinated onion, tomato tatemado, avocado and yuzu vinaigrette, or the Highland ($28) with Dungeness crab, labneh, avocado and chimichurri. Reserve a table on the picturesque garden patio and try them all.
Mariscos el Faro
Highland Park Mexican $
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
A longtime destination for Sinaloa-style seafood, Mariscos el Faro’s Highland Park and Culver City food trucks are often surrounded by crowds hunched over aguachiles, ceviches, tacos — and of course, tostadas. There are plenty of options for the latter, but consider the original crab tostada ($20), or the tostada mazalteca ($20), topped with seafood ceviche.
Mariscos Jalisco
Mid-City Seafood $
(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times)
Mariscos Jalisco won The Times’ 2024 Gold Award, and chef-owner Raul Ortega is credited with popularizing shrimp tacos and other Jalisco-inspired mariscos in Los Angeles. With locations in Boyle Heights, Mid City and Pomona, the vendor has several options for tostadas, including the Poseidon tostada ($14), which features shrimp ceviche, red onions, shrimp aguachile, octopus and cucumbers on top of a crispy corn tortilla. If you want something on the lighter side, the truck also offers a fish ceviche tostada ($6.50) and shrimp ceviche tostatda ($7).
Ruta 15
Long Beach Mexican Seafood $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
This Long Beach ceviche bar traces the path of Carretera Federal 15, the highway stretching from Sonora to Mexico City. As such, it offers a range of regional styles and dishes, including Culiacan-style garlic shrimp and Michoacan-leaning enchiladas. When it comes to mariscos, Ruta 15 looks to Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and beyond, with bright salsas that pierce with citrus. There are ceviches, oyster shooters, aguachiles and botanas, as well as piled-high seafood tostadas ($19). The tostada Culiacáncito, inspired by the seaside Sinaloan town, crowns a mountain of cubed ahi, sliced cucumbers and onions with crispy onions and herbs. Its smears and drizzles of sauces — chipotle, avocado, sweet-and-sour, cucumber — keep the tongue dancing and guessing, each bite slightly different than the last. Enjoy with one of the many margaritas on offer, from classic to passion fruit or cucumber and jalapeño.
San Damian
Venice Mexican Seafood $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Enrique Olvera’s Venice marisqueria launched only this year, but head chef Chuy Cervantes’ refreshing and at times innovative spins on coastal seafood already make it feel like a mainstay. There are mariscos like briny queen clams hiding Japanese rice in their shells along with cucumbers and onions, and shrimp aguachiles sprinkled with worm salt and celery leaves, but almost nothing is as satisfying as the cool and crunch of the tostadas ($23). They begin with tortillas made at the team’s Arts District molino, which also supplies sibling spots Damian and Ditroit, and are available in two formats. The tuna tostada appears simple with cubes of atún and a showering of chives, but it develops hidden richness thanks to leeks softened in brown butter and deep umami from Cervantes’ shiro dashi. For a slightly brighter option, look to the crab tostada with furikake, avocado and cabbage.
Seco
Silver Lake Wine Bars $$
(Seco )
Natural wine may be the initial draw to the buzzy Silver Lake bistro with patrons spilling out onto sidewalk tables every night, but the at first-unassuming small plates menu is the kind where you and a couple friends could accidentally find yourselves ordering every item, with addictive bites that weave global influences, such as pan con tomate topped with gleaming anchovies and oysters served with a tart yuzu-ponzu mignonette. There are three tostadas on the dinner menu, but it’s the bluefin tuna ($18) that you should first turn your attention to, spread with yuzu avocado, sweet soy, sesame oil and green onion and hitting every mark of crunchy, sour, creamy and nutty without overpowering the buttery tuna. The pork adobada tostada ($21) is a close second, with tender braised Iberico pork rib-meat, crème fraîche, jalapeño and cilantro. Each order comes with two tostadas.
Si! Mon
Venice Panamanian $$
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
The most popular tostada at Si! Mon, a Central American restaurant near the Venice Boardwalk from restaurateurs Louie and Netty Ryan (Townhouse, Hatchet Hall, Menotti’s), is the tuna carpaccio ($16), with thin strips of raw tuna stretched to every corner of a square, cracker-crispy yuca tostada and finished with cachucha pepper aioli, smoked achiote oil and scallions. It’s cut into four pieces that make it easy to share, though you’ll instantly want more after biting into the smoky, zesty, texturally pleasing tostada. Don’t stop there though. The brunch menu adds a daytime-only hamachi tostada ($18) that nearly saved my life after a rough Saturday night — with thick slices of fatty hamachi spread across a sturdy corn tostada and spread with house-made hot sauce that I’d like bottled so I can add it to everything I eat.
Tomat
Westchester Californian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The menu is eclectic at this Westchester gem on the edge of a large parking lot, but seasonal produce is always on the menu via chef Harry Posner’s frequent farmers market trips and rooftop garden. The bounty of both makes its way onto the rotating tostada at Tomat, which Posner owns and operates with his wife, Natalie Dial. In spring and early summer it might feature nectarine jelly with tomato dashi; more recently it was laced with avocado crema and rooftop-grown yuzu and peppers. Sometimes the fish is raw, but it’s often dry-aged in house. Sometimes, as with a late-summer dry-aged tuna collar, it’s smoked until tender and flaky. Pops of bright cucumber, citrus, stone fruit and more make the locally sourced fish all the more unique, and it’s all layered atop a crunchy, tostada made with heirloom corn that’s nixtamalized, ground and cooked there at Tomat.
Two Hommés
Inglewood West African Southern $$
(Danielle Dorsey/Los Angeles Times)
The Inglewood restaurant that pulls inspiration from chefs Marcus Yaw Johnson and Abdoulaye Balde’s backgrounds as L.A. natives with West African heritage features a single tostada on its menu. The fish rotates depending on what’s in season, but when I visited it was flaky salmon on top of tortillas fried in house, a style that riffs on tacos commonly served at Black-led restaurants across the city. The fish tostada ($18) is piled with black beans, pickled onions, cotija cheese, cilantro and a bright cilantro-lime crema. Order it alongside panko-fried plantain topped with crab salad, jerk-braised short rib and honey berbere chicken bites.
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