Mahalo, Coconut’s Fish Cafe

Famous fish tacos: Coconut’s Fish Cafe opened in Sacramento last week (1420 16th Street, in the short-lived Noodles & Company spot) with a lot of accolades. Its original location in Maui earned an excellent Zagat score of 27, and its fish taco gets national buzz for its use of 17 ingredients, seven layers of texture and tropical flavor profile.

First thing to note: Coconut’s Fish Cafe is not like L&L Hawaiian BBQ. Meals don’t come in Styrofoam with macaroni salad and steamed jasmine rice. Sure, the tables resemble surfboards, and the servers wear purple leis, and there are proud photos everywhere of turtles and surfers and waterfalls and rainbows and sunsets, but it all feels tasteful. It’s also quite a bit more expensive than your usual Hawaiian fast-food spot. Expect to spend $10-$15 for most of its seafood-focused meals.

For $10.99, you get two of these famous fish tacos. That may sound a little steep, but they’re enormous and filling. The stars are the tender, moist cubes of mahi mahi and ono; coleslaw treated with coconut milk and wasabi; and sweet mango salsa. Best fish tacos I’ve ever had? Well, I’m partial to the Baja style, but Coconut’s definitely isn’t kidding around.

Calling burger junkies: Fairfield gourmet burger joint Monsoon Burgers (4740 Natomas Boulevard, Suite 130) opened in what used to be a Natomas video game store last month. Its burger-centric offerings range from about $7 to $11, depending on size and toppings, as well as a few hot dogs. Can’t decide? Try the NOLA ($8.79-$9.49), a burger topped with half of a Louisiana hot link.

More pupusas: El Izote (5650 Power Inn Road) just opened, bringing Sacramento another Salvadoran option. That means lots of pupusas ($2.99) as well as Salvadoran main dishes, such as beef stew ($11.99), roast chicken ($10.99) and grilled shrimp ($12.99). Like other Sacramento Salvadoran spots, El Izote also serves Mexican food.

Sushi alert: West Sacramento all-you-can-eat sushi favorite Raku Sushi recently moved. Don’t fret—it literally just went across the street, to 805 Harbor Boulevard. Now, fans can enjoy more space and presumably less lengthy wait times. The Roseville location is safe and sound in its same building.