Las Islas Marias Las Islas Marias

Las Islas Marias Awards

A shiny and only semi-surfy neighborhood hangout for serious Mexican seafood.
Openings: Lunch & Dinner daily
Las Islas Marias, San Antonio, TX


Las Islas Marias Restaurant Review:


Las Islas Marias consists of three largely uninhabited islands off of Mexico’s Nayarit coast; this is camaron country. Accordingly, the lively, colorful restaurant that takes the collective islands’ name is a haven for shrimp-based dishes. We suggest starting with the fried shrimp empanadas and trade in the mayo-like sauce for the house’s jalapeño lime salsa. Adding some of the same salsa to the Jalisco-style ceviche (finely chopped white fish, red onion, shredded carrot, crumbled queso blanco) won’t hurt, either. Shrimp pair up with tender octopus in an unusually brothy “coctel de camaron y pulpo.” Camarones aguachiles (yes, more shrimp) is also available with a feisty red sauce. And camarones zarandeados, butterflied in the shell and broiled with a buttery sauce smacking of Worcestershire or Maggi, further exploit the popular crustacean. A similar sauce bathes the green lip mussels. Surprisingly, the only fried fish item on the menu, “chicharrones” de pescado, comes not fried to a crisp but in delicately battered form. Though there are margaritas, they need lots of lime; we suggest a Mexican beer instead. On a weekend evening, a wait is to be expected, perhaps in the company of an entire soccer team or a three-generation family.