I've been here a couple of times now. They are located inside the Old Town Urban Market, next to Tuetano, their sister restaurant. The first time I went was with friends and we shared the smoked marlin burritos, which were thinner than your usual burritos and they came with refried beans. It was delicious and different! The Baja fish tacos were yummy and came with big pieces of fried fish! The oysters were fresh and clams had some pico de gallo topping on top. The clams were a bit fishy to me. The campechana was presented in pretty cups with a huge shrimp on top! For myself, I got a half order of their aguachiles verde, and it was so good that I got the same thing again the next time I went. One of the staff members recommended that I try a different ceviche bowl, so I'll have to come back soon! read more

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The place itself was very cute and had a nice dog friendly patio seating however if I had to be honest about the food, I left the place pretty disappointed. My fiancé and I ordered the Baja fish tacos and the balandra ceviche. Fish tacos ($16): two came in this order and the battered fish in both tacos were overcooked, borderline burnt. I resorted to pulling off the fried batter part but I only unearthed flavorless fish. Neither of us could fully finish the taco Balandra ceviche (~$21): this is their classic shrimp ceviche. This one had promise, I liked that it had cucumber, mango, and avocado. The major issue was that I don't think the shrimp was "cooked" enough in the acid. Pieces were still gray and mushy. The tostadas that it came with were the best part but this order definitely did not feel like it was worth the over $20 price tag. The only reason I'd give this place 2 stars is because the space itself is nice and the staff were friendly. Otherwise, I think they need to improve on their food's quality control. read more

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Mar Rustico is the younger sibling to Tuetano Taqueria in the new Old Town Urban Market. The two businesses share the same kitchen, but the focus of Mar Rustico's menu is seafood, specifically ceviches. The suites are adjacent to each other with a shared covered outdoor patio for on-site dining. The menu had a limited set of offerings at the time of my visit. Five ceviche bowls and a clam chowder were the choices. Each bowl came with three tostadas and avocado and cost between $14 to $18. The chowder was priced at $8. These seemed to be on the expensive side. I picked a La Paz bowl for my meal. The ingredients were finely diced pieces of whitefish, citrus, serrano, red onion, cilantro, pepino, and olives. The flavors were sharp from the acidity and spiciness imparted by the citrus and chili pepper respectively. I prefer the fish to be cubed into larger chunks so that the protein stands out within the ceviche. I do hope the kitchen will expand the number of menu items soon as I am sure Chef Priscilla has a lot of creative ideas in mind. For now, I have rated my experience at Mar Rustico with 3.5 stars. read more

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Mmmm I'm glad that even though we ordered so much food from Tuetano Taqueria that I decided to go for some ceviche because it was so yummy! Opted for the Shrimp ceviche (Balandra) and it was a good sized portion. It was so flavorful and also spicy, I loved every bite of it. It came with 4 tostadas and those were delicious and perfectly fried and crispy. My only complaint was that not only us, but everyone that ordered from Mar Rustico ended up having to wait a really long time for the food. In fact, we had ordered and finished all our tacos from Tuetano Tacqueria and still had to wait for the Mar Rustico which we ordered at nearly the same time. It probably took 45 minutes. I was really glad we at least had the tacos to eat to fill us up, otherwise, I'd be quite unhappy with the wait. Plenty of outdoor seating and not too crowded for a Friday lunch! read more

Mar Rustico - Balandra - shrimp ceviche - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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Always on the lookout for new places to dine. Came to Old Town and checked out the food hall on the corner of Congress and found this cute outdoor spot. We ordered a birria quesadilla and fish tacos up at the counter and sat down in the covered patio area to wait. About 10ish minutes our food was ready, the food was all delicious, flavorful and piping hot. The birria was my favorite, juicy and tender! Fish tacos came close though I must say! They were flaky and fried just right, crema was delicious as well as the pico de gallo. It's a bit pricey but worth it! Good food, chill atmosphere, come see for yourself! read more

Mar Rustico - Birria quesadilla and fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

After getting off the train in Old Town we walked a couple blocks looking for food and found this location. Lots of outdoor seating and fresh options. The portion size for the shrimp ceviche (La Paz) was huge and easily shareable. The flavors were delicious and very fresh. Would definitely visit again. read more

Mar Rustico - Shrimp ceviche - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

I had the Balandra ceviche and a Michelada and both were AMAZING!!! So so good!! The ceviche has mango, serrano peppers, tomato, onion, avocado, lime, and shrimp. The shrimp is just nearly cooked with the lime, which is how I like it. The Michelada is full of flavor, I got the one that has Clamato for added flavor and it's so so good. One of my new favorites!! The chamoy and Tajin rim with tamarindo stick just make it perfect. read more

Mar Rustico - Balandra ceviche - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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Didn't get any food but popped in for a drink with friends. Got the watermelon marg and it's the best thing I've ever tasted for a marg. Super sweet and tastes like candy so be cautious :) read more

Mar Rustico - Watermelon marg cheers! - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Although Tuétano Taqueria was really good, this ceviche place next door ended up being quite the disappointment. My friend and I both got the Sonora ceviche bowl and not only were they $25 each (seemed pretty steep), but also took more than 25 min to come out to us (even though there were only three orders before us). When the bowls finally came out, the flavors were delicious but the shrimp in my bowl were all still completely raw while my friend only had one shrimp that had actually cured through. The third person with us did have fully cured shrimp in her bowl, true, but the lack of consistency makes that much money and waiting that much time for a ceviche bowl completely not worth it. I wish I could try it again just to see if it was just a bad batch but it's so pricey that I doubt I will. Shout out to Tuétano Taqueria next door though! Really good birria tacos there! read more

Nicest place to sit in the new food court - and you will probably end up sitting/waiting longer (and paying more) than you expect. But music is good - and so is the food (when it eventually is ready). I decided to try their smoked Marlin burritos (to compare with those I often order in Puerto Vallarta - where I am used to paying less than half the price for more than twice as much fish). Here you get 2 skinny burritos. As most people probably order ceviche here, I'd recommend they consider offering a mixed-seafood burrito (Marlin + shrimp + octopus). Drinks include cocktails, beer, horchata, and Jamaica - or water (at no cost). IF prices were lower and wait for food shorter I'd add a star. read more

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We understand it was busy, there's a sign 40 minute wait for food. HOWEVER we waited over an hour for fish tacos that weren't even that good, bland to say the least. They messed up our order as multiple patrons after us received their food before us. The server/cashier didn't apologize or acknowledged they messed up. All he said was "Do you still want the food?". Terrible food and staff! read more

Came on a Sat afternoon for beer and ceviche, 45 mins later my beer is empty and we still haven't got any food. Mind you, it's CEVICHE! Not some special order, just 2 orders of ceviche. Never coming back. Although the cucumber michelada was the best I've ever had, it came from Tuetano Taqueria not Mar Rustico. Next time I'll be sure to go straight there and avoid this place at all costs!!! read more

Mar Rustico - Pepino Michelada - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Cute place tucked in behind the main strip in old town. I ordered the ceviche, a regular and a spicy margarita. This place is a walk up order, pick up your own food on a cafeteria tray and clean your own table kind of place. Ceviche was good, but pretty spicy with all the Serranos in it (& I like spice!). The drinks are served in plastic cups, the food in plastic/paper and plastic utensils. The ceviche was good, the drinks meh and with a margarita priced at 13$ and ceviche at $21. It also took about 45 minutes to get my ceviche. At the time the place wasn't overwhelmed with people, but a normal influx. I found it quite overpriced considering it's not a full service restaurant. Not a place I will revisit. read more

This place was incredible! I really enjoyed my Birria torta. They really hook it up with the meat/beef. 10/10 for good food and good customer service read more

Excellent fish tacos, ceviches, etc. my new favorite restaurant! Friendly employees and great service.

First and last time trying this place. Cocktails are weak and way over priced for what you get. Disorganized service. $21 for overpriced shrimp ceviche with very little shrimp that we ended up have to wait more than 30 min for because they gave our order to someone else, only to give us someone else's take out order of the same dish because we had been waiting so long, and then to add insult to injury another server came over and checked our receipt as we sat eating. Not worth the hype when there are plenty of other places to eat here in Old Town. We should have known better than to tip up front, just asking for water (since their water dispenser was empty) seemed like a huge ask that got us a pissy response. If I could have given zero stars I would have. Headed straight over to ChiChi's for real drinks and service. read more

You need more pictures. When I do go very soon, I will take nice pictures as I took photography

Went here with a larger party. You can order from Mar Rustico and Tuetano Taqueria at the same counter. First the positives: Overall food was fair. Drinks excellent. Try the micheladas. I tried the fish tacos and ceviche. My son liked the birria taco with bone marrow. Ambience is good with seating becoming available pretty quickly as people leave. Negatives: was told wait time for food was about an hour after ordering. Was actually 45 min. Prices higher than other comparable places. Lady at the front counter seemed to be miserable and snappy when asked questions. As people leave, the tables are not routinely cleaned unless you ask for assistance. I would go back for the drinks, not sure about the food and higher prices. Overall a fair experience. read more

Waited about 25 minutes to get 2 bland fish tacos that cost about $20 with tax and tip. Nice ambience though, so 2 stars.

I've been here four or five times in the past month and a half and... I love it! Great location! Really cool outdoor patio with heat lamps and a chill vibe! Delicious ceviche! Full of flavor! Fresh and cold! Served with tasty crispy tostadas!! I wish their service was a bit faster and that they didn't turn folks away at 6:30 pm (too early to close!). I encourage you to try them out! read more

Nice little ceviche spot. Fresh, high quality seafood. I was so excited to see that they carry legit Mexican craft beer and just the usual stuff we see this side of border. read more

We went to visit this place yesterday. The parking was a challenge but well worth the burden because the food was so amazing. I really liked the burritos and aquachilles. Their food is on point. San Diego is lucky to have this place. read more

Marlin fish burritos were legit. They were most and not spicy. Most similar to an actual burrito you get in baja, not a typical 10 pound one in the states. It's also a good area for kids and casual for smaller groups. My only concern is that it did take a bit for the food considering there weren't too many people but all together, a good experience. read more

We moved to San Diego about 5 years ago and have been searching high and low for an "authentic" fish taco. We found it at Mar Rústico. They were perfectly seasoned, and crispy and just damn good! The salsa was amazing and the toppings on top took this taco over the top. This kitchen is entitled to a few bad days. If your fish turns out darker than usual, let the establishment know, or ask for a discount or refund; going on Yelp to totally bash and low rate a restaurant that actually has good food is not okay. Let me also mention, they prepare when you order. The food is not sitting in a holding bin waiting for you to walk in. So, if you choose this restaurant be prepared to wait for your food. I don't know about you, but I want my food cooked, not raw or undercooked. Wait! some reviewed this restaurant with a low rating because the restaurant didn't pour the entire bottle of alcohol in their glass?? Seriously?!?! SMH!!! One more thing, parking in Old Town is quite a challenge this might be why some people were beyond hangry and complained about the wait. Perhaps we will be getting a Mar Rústico in Chula Vista soon?????!!! Come back to the locals. We know good fish tacos and we will take care of you with the business you deserve!!! read more

Tasty shrimp ceviche! $22 for bowl; meal sized portion. Mostly outdoor/ shaded patio seating. I would come back.

It was my very first time trying this place and I was very disappointed! I got fish tacos and they were burnt and mostly batter no fish. The tortillas were very hard also, would not try again it's too expensive. read more

Great seafood joint in the new food hall . The dishes may seem that you won't get full but it's good for sharing . The quality in the seafood is very fresh and full of flavor . You can tell the cook knows what he is doing because you can see the technique in the vegetable cuts in the ceviche and the way the octopus is properly cooked . Very tender octopus and shrimp in the ceviches . They may seem expensive but it's for sharing , I even took home for the next day . The wait was on a weekend so it was longer than expected but it was worth every bite . read more