By Kathy Chouteau
The Standard found out about Mariscos Los Reyes bar/restaurant in the most Richmond of ways: By hearing about it at The Factory Bar while reporting on our “Rich Dish” series.
A customer there told this reporter about the seafood restaurant on 23rd Street in Richmond. Seafood on 23rd Street? That was a first for me. As everybody-and-their-brother knows, 23rd Street in Richmond is known as a taco corridor, with some of the tastiest Mexican eats around.
The seafood informant then showed me a picture of the eatery’s Seafood Tower, which is ceviche crafted into a rising, round fortress and topped with fresh shrimp. After reinserting my eyes back into my head, I knew I had to visit for another “Rich Dish.”
Everything began to gel when I met Mariscos Los Reyes’ owner, Jose Reyes, at the Taste of Richmond event, and followed our meeting up with a visit. He shared that he owns the Richmond restaurant with his family, set up shop about a year ago, and they serve an array of Mexican seafood and other cultural fare, pastas, fish and grilled items.
Reyes revealed that the eatery’s most-ordered dishes are the Ceviche and the Molcajete. The Ceviche is offered in different forms, including the aforementioned Seafood Tower—or Torre de Mariscos—which builds upon ceviche to create a tower topped with shrimp, according to the restaurant’s friendly manager, Roberto. Another incarnation is the Tostada de Ceviche, which includes a choice of shrimp, octopus, fish or a mix. As for the Molcajete, it can be seafood Molcajete or mixed.
When asked what gave him the idea to set up a Mexican seafood restaurant on 23rd Street, the owner indicated that he was catering to cultural preferences: “23rd Street has a lot of Latino people and they like ceviche.” Reyes, who lives in Richmond part-time, and also has a restaurant in San Francisco, said he knows Richmond well because he once sold houses here.
As for Roberto, his favorite dishes at Mariscos Los Reyes are the Torre de Mariscos and the Molcajete. The manager said that the restaurant’s busiest times are Friday through Sunday, when it’s filled with a lot of regulars and new customers. Patrons can pony up to the bar or a table and watch sports, news and more on one of seven large screen TVs in the spacious bar/dining space.
Whether sitting at the bar or a table, Roberto said one thing everyone has in common at Mariscos Los Reyes is that “they always order food.”
Mariscos Los Reyes (Seafood King) is a Mexican seafood eatery located at 761 23rd Street in Richmond. Find them on Instagram @mariscoslos.reyes.
