Saturday, November 7, 2009

Tacos Gobernador - San Diego Gobernador Taco Throwdown

From Sinaloa to Sonora to San Diego every time I order a Taco Gobernador (Governor) I can almost guarantee I will be getting something different at each establishment. The Taco Gobernador is said to have originated in Sinaloa Mexico and named after an ex governor of Sinaloa. The first version I tried was in Sinaloa and had a combination of shrimp, marlin, and cheese. Over the years I have had countless renditions with only one common denominator “Shrimp”.

Tacos Gobernador

With my travels to Mexico limited for a few months I decided to put some Gobernadors in San Diego head to head so I grabbed my brother, jumped in the car, and let the games begin. It should be no surprise my favorite gobernadors come from mobile trucks and not restaurants.

First stop Mariscos German 35th and University San Diego. I have tried almost all of Mariscos German locations and they are pretty consistent across the board. Mariscos Germans Gobernadors consist of Red Onion, Cilantro, Celery, Shrimp, Cheese, and Tomato.

Taco Gobernador Mariscos German San Diego

Overall I find no faults in this taco and it has been a long time favorite of mine. The Shrimp was cooked to perfection with just the right amount of seasoning and the veggies and cheese grilled just right. This still stands as my number one choice for this style of taco.

Second stop Mariscos El Pescador Chula Vista. Mariscos El Pescador in Chula Vista is my usual Fish Taco stop but I decided to see how their gobernador stacked up to Mariscos German side by side. The Gobernadors at El Pescador are very similar to Mariscos German. El Pescadors Gobernador consist of Shrimp, Bell Pepper, Celery, Onion, Cilantro, Tomato, and Red Onion.

Taco Gobernador Mariscos El Pescador San Diego

If you’re taking notes Bell Pepper is the only difference from Germans version. Another difference on Pescadors gobernador is they butterfly the shrimp. My only faults with this version is I feel it needs less seasoning and vegetables. Defiantly a top contender in the Gobernador throwdown, and on this day and a close second.

Third stop Mariscos El Paisa San Ysidro. We worked our way south to San Ysidro and decide to check out Mariscos El Paisa. With Mariscos German representing San Felipe and El Pescador representing Ensenada I knew the representation from El Paisa (Culiacan Sinaloa) would be different. This version had no grilled vegetables and consisted of just shrimp, tomato, lettuce, cilantro, and crema.

Taco Gobernador Mariscos El Paisa

The shrimp was succulent and the taco was double wrapped in some quality tortillas however their was way too much crema for my taste. Although the crema was very tasty it just totally took over. Next time I order one from here I will be sure to ask them to go easy on the crema. A minimum of two tacos come in one order which is actually a bargain at $5.00. I believe Mariscos German and Mariscos El Pescador are in the $3.75 each range.

All and all a good day for a shrimp lover like me. I’m sure there are many more great Gobernador tacos out their, if you have any favorites I didn’t mention I would love to hear about them. Its gets very interesting when you judge tacos side by side. It was also great to get another perspective, my brother also agreed at MG 1, Pescador 2, and Paisa 3.

1. Mariscos German
3504 University Ave
between 35th St & Wilson Ave)
San Diego, CA 92104
619) 392-2351

2.Mariscos El Pescador
Toys-r-us Parking Lot
1008A Industrial Blvd
Chula Vista, CA 91911

3.Mariscos El Paisa
3170 Iris Ave San Diego 92154
(Cross Street 30th)Near Trolley

14 comments:

Mike said...

Nice roundup! I would happily eat any one of those three.

Dennis K. said...

Those are three mean looking tacos! One of these are almost a meal for me. Anyhow, I've always loved the name "Gobernador." :)

Anonymous said...

those tacos were bangin !!! too much food for one day ugghhhh....
CH

Elliott said...

Gaaaahhhgh...that looks beautiful. Looking forward to relocating that direction, I'll have to keep those addresses in mind. It'll be a little drive, but still worth it.

caninecologne said...

hello MA!
cool post! i should try the place in CV! i've only tried gobernador tacos once and it was at a higher end place (not sure how authentic it was), Romesco's in Bonita. i need to try it from a taco truck or a hole in the wall joint instead.

KirkK said...

Hey MA - Nice comparison! I agree that MG's GOB is my favorite, I think the tomato is what does it for me there. Nice to have you posting after a brief hiatus BTW.

jah said...

haha 'throwdown'

Bill said...

Hey MA are you impartial to de-pooped shrimp versus shrimp in its glory? Growing up eat Gulf Coast shrimp I had to de-pooped those little critters. If it comes down to it I just close my eyes and think wonderful thoughts before biting in. LOL

Masa Assassin said...

Hey Mike ... Yes indeed

Het Dennis... Yeah they are pretty hefty a meal for most

Hey CH... Yeah I was ready to burst

Hey Elliott... Thanks! Yeah most certainly worth a drive. Good look on your relocation.

Hey CC... I have had a gobernador at a few restaurants in town and they were like shrimp crepes, they were good but not exactly meals like these.

Hey Kirk..Yeah they sauté everything nicely. El pescador actually had grilles tomatoes also but very small hints. Thanks for the words on the short hiatus.. It has something to do with THAI.

Hi Jah... Yeah I was going to use smackdown but if you know me you know why I used throwdown.

Hey Bill.. That’s too funny !actually I will take it de-pooped or not. I know some people freak out when the shrimp is not deveined but that is how I was first introduced to shrimp.

Bill said...

I guess if it doesn't kill ya it will make you stronger.

KirkK said...

Hi MA - Yes, I heard about that! I hoep you're ok.

The Real Tijuana said...

It gives me great sadness to comment on your blog that that the taco al gobernador appears to have been invented by Francisco Labasida while he was governor of Sinaloa.

I say it gives me great sadness because those of us in The Real Tijuana collective do not wish to promote any politician, least of all any who might have a connection to the drug trade.

ed from yuma said...

Around here (Yuma, San Luis) gobernadors are like a folded shrimp/cheese quesidilla de maiz. Some will have a little diced tomato also, but no peppers or celery or crema. But they are not common.

QCEVO said...

Great photos. If I were in San Diego today I would be hunting down some of those bad boys.