Mariscos El Submarino is the gold standard of Mexican mariscos in New York City right now. The fish is fresh, the portions are generous, and the aguachile negro — a heaping serving of shrimp and octopus served out of a massive volcanic molcajete — is as good as they say. The simple seafood tostadas are one of the best ways to get a sense of the quality of the ingredients here: Limey pieces of fish, shrimp, and octopus balance on a yellow tostada like a surfer catching a wave. Slices of red onion and avocado complete the scene.

El Culichi is the newest mariscos spot on this list and one of the only places in the city you’ll find aguachiles served at a food truck right now. The truck set up shop under the 7 train in August, separating itself from the other mariscos shops in the neighborhood with its seafood burritos, tacos dorados, and aguachiles made with fiery chiltepín. The chiles, native to the Mexican state of Sinaloa, are ground in a molcajete, sometimes with serrano peppers, then mixed with lime and seafood. The aguachile especial, made with both of those peppers and a splash of grocery store Clamato, is spicy enough to make your face twitch.

This mariscos shop operates out of the back of a Jackson Heights bodega. Enter through the deli’s front door, on the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 80th Street, where there’s one indoor table for four, or head around the side of the building where there’s a takeout window and benches for slurping seafood. The saccharine shrimp cocktail is the way to go here. It’s available in a handful of sizes (between $10 to $20 each) with enough shrimp to make for a full meal. Packets of saltines come free, and there’s bottles of Valentina hot sauce waiting on indoor and outdoor tables.

Looking for aguachiles in Brooklyn? Ensenada is your best bet. This spot specializing in mariscos and mezcal shares a dining room with Williamsburg nightclub Black Flamingo, although the two venues operate at different hours. Look out for the colorful selection of aguachiles, which are thinner and less spicy than those found at other restaurants on this list, allowing the seafood to shine. The simple aguachile verde, with shrimp, cucumber, onion, radish, and avocado, is the move here, served with tostadas made with masa from Bushwick tortilleria Sobre Masa.

This bar with live music and club lighting in its backyard opened a month before the city closed restaurants for indoor dining due to the pandemic. Thankfully, its seafood tacos and aguachiles are still here today. Skip the tostadas, which come blanketed in dressing, and order this colorful cocktail served out of a tall sundae glass with saltines on the side. It’s not too sweet, with cut-up pieces of shrimp and octopus floating throughout, and benefits from a dab of hot sauce. The pungent fish soup, called vuelve a la vida, could use a squirt of lime but otherwise comes in close second.