I let my dad choose this month’s food truck adventure, and it took him a week to decide. Yes, that’s right, a whole week. It wasn’t until the day of our adventure that he told me we were going to get fish tacos. Now, these weren’t your average plain, hard shell, grilled fish, dry cabbage tacos. No, these were the one and only Ricky’s Fish Tacos.

Ricky’s Fish Tacos is an anomaly, with only three menu items and two guys working, they have managed to become Food Network’s number one taco spot in the nation and have only risen since then. 

Located in Riverside, near Dodger Stadium, Ricky’s resides under an inconspicuous overpass and across from a vibrant wall of blue LA Dodgers logos — you can’t get any more LA than that. The menu consists of fried fish tacos, fried shrimp tacos and Ricky’s special: fried fish and shrimp tacos.

On our drive over to Ricky’s, my dad and I put a bet on whether we would like the fish or the shrimp better. I bet shrimp, he bet fish.

I lost. 

The fish was fried perfectly and topped with fresh crunchy cabbage, sweet red pepper and chopped jalapeños. The shrimp, while served with the same toppings and was very delicious, didn’t retain as much flavor as the fish. That didn’t stop me from devouring it in 30 seconds, though.

While I could go on and on explaining the magic of Ricky’s tacos, I think my dad captured the magic ingredients of the fish taco best: “The richness of the fried fish alongside the brightness and crispiness of the vegetables and slaw, with some great crema and some really nice smoky, spicy salsa on top makes for a delicious taco.”

Definitely not your average fish tacos. 

While the tacos were some of the best fish tacos I ever had, nothing can compare to the conveniently adorable salsa fridge on the side of the truck. One pull of a handle, and you were greeted with bottles of mild green salsa, spicy red salsa and fresh crema, all kept nice and chilled in their own little fridge. 

Because the mini salsa fridge made me forget all reason, I managed to douse all my tacos in every single salsa they had. While this salsa strategy did make for a messy meal, it ended up adding the perfect amount of flavor to each and every one of my tacos. All this to say, do yourself a favor and use the mini salsa fridge.  

Not only did I get to eat the famous tacos, but I also got to meet the famous Ricky. Ricky is incredibly nice and an extremely hard worker. Ricky Piñas Ensenada-style fish tacos are inspired by his mom and grandma and the secret to his amazing Baja fish tacos is in the batter. Made with baking powder, oregano, mustard, mayo and no eggs, the batter adds the perfect amount of warm fried crispiness to coat the freshest seafood you have ever tasted.

Now, if you want to visit Ricky’s Fish Tacos (as you should after reading this), you are going to have to do so quickly. In an interview with KCRW, Ricky explains how he plans on retiring soon and selling his truck. This being said, run to Ricky’s to get tacos crafted by “the hand of God” according to fellow Ricky’s fish Taco reviewer Brant Cox. 

You won’t want to miss out on this.