Five places to try shrimp cocktails and ceviche in the Inland Empire
Restaurants from Highland to Temecula serve cold shrimp as well as other shellfish and seafood dishes.
Black News 
This time of year it’s easy to find fried fish and shrimp on restaurant menus, but there are more options.
Shrimp cocktails and ceviche are served at both full service and quick service restaurants in the Inland Empire.
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Both feature cold shrimp, but shrimp cocktail is made with tomato-based cocktail sauce while ceviche is shellfish marinated in citrus juice.
Here are some places to check out.
Cuca’s Mexican Food
27245 Baseline St., Highland, 1752 E. Lugonia Ave, No. 121, Redlands; cucas.com; 909-389-1235
Cuca’s is a local chain with five locations. Each is different.
Its restaurants in Highland and Mentone — actually it’s on the eastern edge of Redlands — are full service and offer shrimp cocktails for about $18.69.
It’s a cold soup served in a goblet with chucks of avocado and cucumber. Although it’s listed among the appetizers, it’s enough for a meal, especially with complementary chips and salsa.
Gambling Cowboy Chophouse & Saloon
42072 Fifth St., Temecula; 951-699-2895, yelp.com/biz/the-gambling-cowboy-chophouse-and-saloon-temecula-2
The Gambling Cowboy is a western-themed steakhouse off of Old Town Front Street in Old Town Temecula.
Its Classic Cowboy Shrimp Cocktail features jumbo shrimp in a goblet with a “horseradish-spiked” cocktail sauce on a bed of greens. It costs $24.
Mr. Taco
2435 Main St., Riverside; mrtacofresh.com, mrtacoonline.com
This Riverside-based quick-service chain can be found in Beaumont and Redlands as well.
It serves several seafood specialties at around $15-$20, including shrimp cocktail and ceviche, which can be ordered with either raw shrimp or shrimp that’s been cooked.
In Redlands, ceviche with chopped shrimp comes on a plate topped with an avocado wedge and three crispy corn tortillas on the side.
Redlands Oyster Cult
16 E State St, Redlands; redlandsoystercult.com
Redlands Oyster Cult is one of the eateries off Umbrella Alley in Redlands. It has a U-shaped bar serving drinks as well as tables for food service.
The menu features oysers on the half shell as well as other cold shellfish dishes and hot items such as crabcakes, Chilean sea bass and chipotle shrimp linguini.
Its shrimp cocktail has five jumbo shrimp hooked on the rim of a champagne coupe glass with a pool of thick, head-clearing cocktail sauce. It costs $24.
Shrimp Corner
330 Third St, Redlands; redlandspublicmarket.com
This new business in Redlands Public Market promises “a taste of Mexico’s Pacific coat” and serves shrimp and other shellfish and seafood in several different ways. Choices include clam chowder, oysters and deep-fried mojarra.
It offers five kinds of ceviche: classic, mango shrimp, fish, imitation craf and aguachile. The price range is $19-$21.
Customers can get the shrimp “lime-cooked” or conventionally cooked.
Ceviche comes topped with avocado wedges with crispy corn tortillas on the side.
