The best fish tacos in Renton

 I have liked fish tacos since forever.  In fact, I've rarely eaten a fish taco that I haven't liked. And I feel very lucky that the town I live in, Renton, Washington, has a huge number of restaurants that serve fish tacos. 

So it's been my mission the last six months or so to try as many different fish tacos as possible. This list contains my top ten finds. There may be others I haven't tried, so if I've missed any, point me in that direction and I can update this list.

So which place has the best fish tacos in Renton? I couldn't decide. I had to go back and retry places several times( a good excuse to eat more fish tacos), and I still couldn't declare one place's fish tacos as the absolute best. Instead, I've broken it down into tiers. I did not dislike any of the fish tacos on this list, and if you brought me a plate of fish tacos from any place on this list, I'd happily gobble them up.

So, without further ado, the top tier, in no particular order:

El Muchacho Alegre- 111 Airport Way, Renton.

This is a Mexican seafood restaurant, occupying the space that was Lermond's for many years, but started as a burger joint in 1960 as The Jolly Boy.  60 years later, it's a Mexican seafood restaurant whose name translates to The Jolly Boy. Is that cool or what? Anyway, the fish tacos there are huge, the fish is very fresh tasting, and they're a bargain at 5 dollars apiece. These are not your standard tiny but good dollar fifty tacos.

The Hop Garden- 351 Park Ave N, Renton

The Hop Garden used to be the Dog and Pony, and they've always had much better than average bar food. As the Dog and Pony, they were featured on Restaurant Impossible, and got a renovation and a menu revamp as a result of being on the show. The fish tacos were one of the new menu items as a result of the menu change, and they were kept on the menu as ownership and menus changed once more years later.  The fish is nice and crispy, and that bit of Mandarin orange really adds something. These are pretty substantially sized tacos, maybe a drop smaller that El Muchaco Alegre's, but a couple of these bad boys makes a substantial meal.

Salty Blue- 601 S 3rd St, Renton

Salty Blue is an Australian style fish and chips joint.They import Hoki fish from New Zealand. The fish tacos are offered both as grilled and deep fried, and they're both good. Well seasoned, they contain a massive hunk of fresh tasting fish. They're a bit more expensive than others on this list, but they're also the largest.

Second tier: These places have great fish tacos, and are just a small notch below the top tier's .

El Kiosko, 526 S 2nd St, Ren-ehn. 

Crispy chunks of deliciousness. Less expensive than most. Busy place across from Renton High school, and it's busy for a good reason. because they're good.

Whistle Stop Ale House-809 S 4th St, Renton

The Whistle Stop does a lot of things well. From marinated grilled portobello sandwiches ( with roasted peppers and melted cheese! The Bomb!) to burgers to pasta to fresh fish, very competent salads, local beers. There's so much to like about the Whistle Stop. The fish tacos are no exception. Like many things on the menu, the fish tacos are done well.

The Local 907- 907 S 3rd St, Renton

The Local is no slouch in the fish taco department, and at happy hour, they're three for seven bucks. The Local's fish tacos are awesome. 

Third tier: They're still plenty good.

Santa Fe Mexican Grill- 1170 Sunset Blvd NE, Renton

They're very solid in the seafood department, and their fish tacos are no exception.

Taqueria El Gym-900 S 3rd St, Renton

Taqueria El Gym  has a few more salads than your average Mexican restaurant, including an avocado quinoa salad. Despite that, they're a competent place with a large selection of reasonably priced , good tasting items. The fish tacos do not disappoint.

Taco Dudes and Caribbean-365 S Grady Way, Renton

As of this writing, it's still to-go only, unless that's changed. They've got a lot of sandwiches on the menu, which are sloppy and delicious. The fish tacos too are very tasty, and on the large side. My only complaint is that the pieces of fish are small. There's plenty of fish, but it's kind of indistinguishable from the rest of the taco ingredients. Still, they've got some amazing Caribbean sandwiches, and is worth going to even if you don't want a fish taco.

I've heard good things about the fish tacos at El Taco Maestro on Sunset, and at Vino at the Landing. It's been years since I had one of Vino's fish tacos, but I remember liking them, as well as their Mac and Cheese.

If I'm missing any, fill me in. And I don't know if my standards are low, but Taco Time's soft fish taco is perfectly good. Maybe not in the top 9 above, but consistently competent.