In a city prolific in mariscos, no one in Los Angeles approaches citrus-doused, chile-ignited seafood with quite the same merging of soul and finesse as Gilberto Cetina. He opened his colorful, stylishly angled marisqueria in 2017 near the entrance of the Mercado La Paloma in Historic South-Central. Holbox is named for an island off the northern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, about a four-hour drive from where Cetina grew up with his family in the city of Mérida, and he initially imagined the food would hew to these roots. Cetina had helped his father launch Chichén Itzá, one of the Mercado’s founding food stalls that remains a beacon of Yucatecan cooking, 16 years earlier.

He quickly began dreaming bigger, though, wishing to articulate a sum expression of the coastal flavors he loved across Mexico — and his own imaginings. Some of his menu’s early scene-stealers grew out of relationships he developed with top-tier seafood suppliers. They include limey kanpachi ceviche, garnished with avocado puree and tongues of Santa Barbara sea urchin, and the pata de mula (Baja blood clams) with more citrus and a sauce of morita chiles blended with balsamic vinegar that reaches a thrilling intersection of smoke, brine and acidity. Then there’s the smoked kanpachi taco buzzing with peanut salsa macha and a stretchy knot of queso Oaxaca, the fried octopus taco anchored by mulchy sofrito stained black from squid ink, and the bisque-like stew showcasing delicate seafood sausage.

Even though he can’t serve alcohol at the Mercado and considered relocating, Cetina decided to stay put and invested in a recent renovation. He gained four counter seats, but critically he expanded the kitchen, allowing him to hire additional staff. Doing so has created more room for community and creativity, and for possibility. Holbox is The Times’ 2023 Restaurant of the Year.