Pete Wells included Mariscos El Submarino in 2023 New York Times list of 100 Best Restaurants in NYC — together with Le Bernadin, Atomic, Via Carota, Daniel, Silver Apricot, Le Coucou, Aquavit to name a few.
We’ve been to some places from the list. The line up is less about smoke and mirrors and more about food. Good food.
The storefront of Mariscos El Submarino does not stand out much from others alongside action packed Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.
There’s plenty of action on the sidewalk to even pay attention to the storefronts.
And plenty of street food competition.
Inside Mariscos El Submarino, it is casual, bright, well lit, and clean which is not easy to maintain when the scheme is white and the neighborhood is busy with a heavy pedestrian traffic. The counter service is even keeled and efficient. Prices are reasonable.
But the food! Need to take a breath and look for words. The first that come to mind are fresh, flavorful, and interesting.
At Mariscos, the main attraction is Mexican aguachiles, raw seafood tossed in ‘chille water’ and served immediately unlike ceviches that take time to marinate. There are four: Rojo — mild, Verde — medium, Negro — hot, Mango — habanero.
We opted for Negro mixto. Firm large pieces of fish, shrimp, octopus were served in a serious molcajete with pieces of cucumber, onion, and avocado — plenty hot, citrusy, bright, smoky from charred chilies. Divine.
Tostada La Sicaria was a tower of mixed seafood ceviche, presented with extra shells on a side to scoop bites of seafood. Amazing.
Our choice of Taco El Rey was to offset fresh seafood galore with generous bites of grilled steak and shrimp lightly touched by melted Oxacan cheese. Excellent.
Shaken butterflied shrimp were spicy and crunchy they bounced on the bite. Perfection.
There’s a sign on the wall here: “El amor puede esperar el hambre no.”
Truth.
