Ask any Chicagoan what is the best thing about living in the Second City, and many of them will tell you, without hesitation, that the food is without compare. All over the city’s streets, you’ll find fine dining across a range of cuisines, excellent street food that leaves you wanting more, and budget options that compare with the best. The same is true about its spectrum of accommodations. There are budget hotels for the price-conscious travellers and beyond-compare luxury Airbnbs for the unconventional jet setters. Chicago is truly a cosmopolitan city that has let that cultural diversity infused in its cuisine. You’ll never be short of options whether you favour Italian, classic American, Chinese or any one of a number of other options. Among its best eateries, this coastal city offers excellent seafood. Below, you can find out all about the top seafood restaurants in Chicago, Illinois.
1. Half Shell
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
At Half Shell, kick-start your culinary adventure with their renowned raw bar, featuring a wide array of freshly shucked oysters, complemented by tangy cocktail sauce. For an appetizer, the Half Shell Mulligan and crabcakes are great options. Indulge in their swordfish steak and frog legs, perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. Alternatively, the broiled jumbo shrimp and beef tenderloin, charred to perfection, offers a burst of flavor. For those who prefer non-seafood options, the charbroiled steakburger is a delectable choice.
Half Shell
Address: 676 W Diversey Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
Website: Half Shell
Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 4pm - 10pm; Fri: 4pm - 10:30pm; Sat: 12pm - 10:30pm; Sun: 12pm - 10pm
2. The Angry Crab
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
The Angry Crab offers a unique and flavorful dining experience centered around Cajun-inspired seafood boils. Known for its vibrant and energetic atmosphere, this restaurant allows diners to indulge in a hands-on approach to dining. The menu features a variety of fresh seafood options, such as shrimp, crawfish, crab legs, and mussels, cooked to perfection in a choice of mouthwatering sauces and spice levels. Diners can customize their boil by selecting their preferred seafood, seasoning, and heat intensity, ensuring a personalized and unforgettable culinary adventure.
Beyond the seafood boils, the menu also includes appetizers like hushpuppies and crab cakes, as well as other seafood dishes like gumbo and fried catfish. The Angry Crab’s communal and interactive dining style, combined with its bold and flavorful offerings, makes it a popular destination for seafood lovers seeking a lively and delicious experience.
The Angry Crab
Address: 1308 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
Website: The Angry Crab
Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 5pm - 9pm; Fri: 5pm - 10pm; Sat: 2pm - 10pm; Sun: 2pm - 9pm
3. Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
If you like seafood, you’ll love Joe’s, and you’ll be particularly in love with its wide and varied menu. Even the members of your party who are unsure about the fruits of the ocean will find something here that is to their liking - whether it’s a British-style Fish and Chips, glazed Chilean Sea Bass, or a filet mignon featuring gourmet Ahi Tuna. Joe’s is particularly famous for the delicious Stone Crab that they serve as a main dish or a sharing platter - and if anyone really doesn’t want fish, there’s an excellent steakhouse menu to pick from.
Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
Address: 60 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Website: Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30-23:00, Fri 11:30-00:00, Sat 11:00-00:00, Sun 11:00-22:00
Average price for two people: 31-60 USD
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4. Lowcountry Lakeview
Fairly often, people will use the word “uncomplicated” to refer to a restaurant, as a euphemism for “basic” or “cheap”. When we use the term to refer to Lowcountry Lakeview, we mean “uncomplicated” in all the best ways. A nutritious menu with starters including a hearty gumbo, with mains including shrimp, snow crab, and lobster tail, all with plenty of tasty sides including corn, green beans and potatoes, and with your choice of sauce. Desserts are pretty good too - just try to resist the lure of their deep-fried Oreos!
Lowcountry Lakeview
Address: 3343 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657
Website: Lowcountry Lakeview
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 17:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-23:00, Sun 16:00-21:00
Average price for two people: 11-30 USD
5. MFK Restaurant
Close to the Lincoln Park area of the city, MFK Restaurant is a proudly boisterous eaterie which offers some of the best seafood Chicago has to offer in an atmosphere that is authentically local. While the ambiance might be earthy, the food is of an exceptionally high, even gourmet quality. Treats such as Gambas al Ajillo and Seafood Fideos, along with the pictured Bar Harbor mussels, are highly recommended while vegetarian and vegan options are also available. Dessert options include a specialty Basque Cake.
MFK Restaurant
Address: 432 W Diversey Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60614, USA
Website: MFK Restaurant
Opening hours: Tues 17:00-22:00, Wed-Sun 12:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-23:00, Monday closed
Average price for two people: 31-60 USD
6. Shaw's Crab House
You can take your pick from the two faces of Shaw’s when you come here for a meal. On the one hand, there is an oyster bar with an anything-goes ambience and raucous conversation. Then again, there is a seafood restaurant that offers a more sophisticated dining experience - but both offer the same menu, with options including the pictured platter of shrimp, scallops and crab cakes.
A wide range of seasonally-selected crabs is the speciality at this fancy seafood restaurant in Chicago, but you can also try their innovative sushi. And for meat lovers, there is even the choice to sample from their range of steaks.
Shaw's Crab House
Address: 21 E Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60611
Website: Shaw’s Crab House
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30-22:00, Fri 11:30-23:00, Sat 10:00-23:00, Sun 10:00-22:00
Average price for two people: 31-60 USD
7. Oyster Bah
With a name that’s a pun on the word “bar” pronounced in the broadest of Chicago accents, Oyster Bah is a hugely popular joint for people who want to enjoy seafood in an unpretentious setting, and with daily Happy Hours, there is plenty of chance to make the most of the impressively competitive prices. The menu includes oysters - obviously - but there are also intriguing options such as garlic shrimp, seafood roll and a warming clam chowder that’s perfect for those winter days.
Oyster Bah
Address: 1962 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Website: Oyster Bah
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 17:00-22:00, Fri 11:30-23:00, Sat 10:30-23:00, Sun 10:30-21:00
Average price for two people: 11-30 USD
8. Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House
Hugo’s was started by two business partners who founded Chicago’s famous Gibson’s Steak House. Wanting to branch out and create an equally famous seafood spot, they created Hugo’s - and Chicagoans are glad they did. As the name may suggest, they do serve frog legs, but it’s the seafood (delivered daily) that really stands out here. With appetizers including firecracker shrimp and mains which range from Togarashi crusted tuna steak to seared Alaskan scallops, this is an ideal spot for seafood lovers. You’ll love their (pictured) Crab Mac'n'Cheese.
Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House
Address: 1024 North Rush, Chicago, IL
Website: Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House
Opening hours 15:00 - 02:00 every day
Average price for two people: 31-60 USD
9. GT Fish & Oyster
This impressive restaurant on Wells Street on the north side of Chicago offers a truly astounding range of options - you could happily feed yourself and a dining partner for a price of a standard meal, or you could try one of their curated list of caviars if you’re feeling a little more extravagant. Of course, being on the coast means that fresh oysters are also on the menu, and with a well-curated wine list including excellent champagne, many visitors will choose to enjoy these half-shell wonders.
GT Fish & Oyster
Address: 531 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654
Website: GT Fish & Oyster
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 17:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-22:00, Sun 10:00-14:30
Average price for two people: 31-60 USD
10. Fish Bar
If you wish to savour the best meals made of fish in Chicago, this restaurant fits the bill. As the name suggests, Fish Bar on North Sheffield Avenue offers a wide range of fish dishes and a casual ambience. It manages to fuse the New Orleans approach of grills and gumbo with a New England aesthetic that includes lobster, crab and much more besides. A diverse menu includes Faroe Island tuna steak and steamed mussels, while the basics are also well covered - check out the spiced shrimp on a bed of grits as a snack option.
Fish Bar
Address: 2956 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
Website: Fish Bar
Opening hours 11:30-22:00 except Fri - Sat 11:30-23:00
Average price for two people: 11-30 USD
11. Catch 35
A healthy seafood meal is on offer when you visit Catch 35, with only the finest, freshest ingredients going into making your meal perfect, tasty and within a balanced diet. This restaurant is a fine dining experience - the Chilean Sea Bass comes highly recommended even by those who aren’t fans of seafood. With starters such as coconut shrimp and a chocolate cake so good it has to be tasted to be believed, this is a dining experience that will stay with you for all the right reasons.
Catch 35
Address: 35 W Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601
Website: Catch 35
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30-21:30, Fri 11:30-22:00, Sat 16:00-22:00, Sun 16:00-21:00
Average price for two people: 31-60 USD
12. Eddie V's Prime Seafood
Start 2019 off on a high note. edvs.co/1reserve
Posted by Eddie V's Prime Seafood on Tuesday, 1 January 2019
A Chicago institution, adored by the seafood-loving citizens of this town, Eddie V’s certainly delivers on the “prime seafood” part of its name. Sourcing its seafood from locations as far afield as Nantucket, New Brunswick, and the South Pacific, this is a place to try seafood at its best. As you can see from our picture, the dish of Nantucket Scallops with Gnocchi is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. There’s a plentiful range of surf ‘n’ turf to be enjoyed, too.
Eddie V's Prime Seafood
Address: 521 N Rush St, Ste R01, Chicago, IL 60611
Website: Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 16:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 16:00-23:00
Average price for two people: 31-60 USD
Chicago - a paradise for seafood lovers
If you enjoy seafood, then there are few better cities in all of the world than Chicago for you to eat out. Every night of the week, with a few to spare, you can enjoy the finest in locally- and globally-sourced seafood dishes. From oysters to gumbo and much more besides, there is an abundance of choice if you use the above-listed seafood places in Chicago as a guide.
Frequently asked questions about the top seafood restaurants in Chicago, Illinois
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