El Puerto Escondido - Inglewood's Oyster Haven

Driving to LAX is never fun. But it's the holidays, and you're bound to either have a flight to catch or somebody to pick up in the coming weeks. So why not assuage your holiday travel stress with oysters?

At Inglewood's El Puerto Escondido, a 24-hour, aquamarine-walled, neon-lit temple of Mexican seafood, the oysters look worthy of a zinc bar. And with corridos playing on the jukebox and bottles of Corona and Tapatio on hand, the mollusks quickly become the perfect raucous party food.

These are oysters without pedigree, not named for any particular bay or stretch of coast–which will seem of little consequence after tasting their briny flesh and liquor. If you're lucky enough to be in the neighborhood on a Thursday, a dozen will run a mere $7 instead of the usual $12.

Also available are Happy Oysters ($16 for a dozen): half-shells topped with diced shrimp, onion and cilantro, the platter arriving with ample lime wedges.

The menu is gigantic, with plenty of other dishes–fishy and not–available. Botanas de tiritas–an Ixtapa-style ceviche of raw fish dressed in a bracing sauce of lime and cilantro ($15)–is one dish we were willing to make room for on our table of empty shells.

El Puerto Escondido, 915 W. Arbor Vitae St., Inglewood; 310-670-1014