SAN DIEGO: Fish tacos
San Diegans have voraciously embraced fish tacos since 1983, when Ralph Rubio opened his first Mexican restaurant in a defunct Orange Julius stand next to a gas station in Mission Bay. Today an empire of Rubio's Baja Grills exist in Southern California and beyond, all stemming from the original recipe of deep-fried cod dressed with mayonnaise and yogurt and a spill of white cabbage, and garnished with lime. But even the original can be improved upon: Take yourself to La Jolla and a 1920s bungalow called The Cottage. The choice seats are on a sunny patio, and chances are your fellow diners will park their surfboards at the door. The Cottage makes its fish tacos with mahimahi, grilled rather than deep-fried, and the sauce is cilantro–avocado. The result is a magnificent taco so chunky it's knife-and-fork food.

The Cottage
7702 Fay Avenue
La Jolla, California
Tel: 858 454 8409