Looking for the best seafood in Chicago? Well, we have the right picks for you with a vast staggering coastline and an amazing experience. The word seafood is already making you drool, isn’t it? So, that’s why we have shortlisted the best Chicago seafood restaurants for you to choose from.
Residents of Chicago can easily get seafood straight from the coasts. Be it carb, sushi, salmon, po’ boy, shrimp, lobsters, or anything else from the sea. So, if seafood is your go-to food, explore the seafood restaurants in Chicago we are going to talk about in this blog.
Where to Get the Best Seafood in Chicago?
Craving for some great seafood in Chicago? Explore these restaurants:
Calumet Fisheries
Known as the old-school seafood restaurant in Chicago, Calumet Fisheries gets all of its seafood from the banks of the Calumet River. A Kotlik-Toll family runs this restaurant and has been maintaining its standards since its opening. However, you need to prepare yourself to take your favorite meal home or enjoy it in your car as they don’t have a dine-in option.
The restaurant follows an old ritual of marinating the fish overnight before wood smoking and baking it. This enhances the taste of fish and makes it stand out from other restaurants. Their specialty includes dishes made of catfish, plump shrimp, herring, rainbow trout, and sturgeon.
Location: 3259 E 95th St, Chicago, IL 60617, United States
Contact: +1 773-933-9855
Glenn’s Diner & Seafood House
Glenn’s Diner & Seafood House is one of Chicago’s best seafood spot. When you visit this place, you’ll feel it is a roadside stopover where you can enjoy your French toast, omelet, or pancakes. But this place has a lot more to offer, and that is your favorite seafood at affordable prices.
Whenever you visit Glenn’s Diner, make sure you try out their cioppino, crab cake burgers, hollandaise-slathered catfish plates, and lobster fettuccine alfredo.
Location: 1816 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
Contact: +1 312-280-8990
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El Barco Mariscos for One of the Best Seafood in Chicago
El Barco Mariscos stands out from all the other places where you can get the best seafood in Chicago. It is the first restaurant in Chicago that started coastal Mexican food. Talking about the architecture and structure of the restaurant it is in the shape of a boat with a pirate figurine in front. Apart from its unique structure, it is also renowned for its budget-friendly portions of fish empanadas, queso fundido loaded with shrimp, zingy seafood cocteles, octopus ceviche, etc.
You can try their queso fundido loaded with shrimp, bright caldos swimming with shrimp, octopus ceviche, fish empanadas, etc. However, if you want to try their popular dishes, the menu includes fried fish, grilled octopus, crab legs, and red snapper.
Location: 1035 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
Contact: +1 773-486-6850
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Bar Mar
A worldwide renowned chef, Jose Andres, partnered with Gibsons Restaurant Group to bring Bar Mar to Chicago. Andres is named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” for the years 2012 and 2018, making it one of the best seafood in Chicago.
This restaurant’s seafood section of the menu includes a healthy dose of gastronomic whimsy like fish-shaped everything bagel air bread filled with cream cheese espuma and draped with smoked salmon and smoked oysters with apple mignonette air. Bar Mar is located at the Bank of America Tower in Chicago.
Location: 120 N Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
Contact: +1 312-820-6602
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MFK Chicago- Spot for Best Seafood in Chicago
MFK is a seaside-focused restaurant that has been winning a Michelin Bib Gourmand Award every year since its opening in 2014. It was named after celebrated food writer MFK Fisher, and that’s why it sets a high bar for other food joints for seafood in Chicago.
Their cuisine type includes the style of Spain’s Catalan and Basque coastal regions. Some of the most popular dishes of MFK are chewy Fideo noodles tangled with shrimp, smoked pork, mussels, and bass Crudo on squid ink tostadas.
Location: 432 W Diversey Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
Contact: +1 773-857-2540
Shaw’s Crab House
Since the launch of Shaw’s Crab House in 1984, it has been offering the best seafood in Chicago with top-quality service to all its customers. Sources of Shaw’s work directly with farmers and fishermen and catches flown in from coast-to-coast on a regular basis. You can either dine in a casual and lively Oyster Bar or in their main dining room, giving you a more sophisticated feel.
You can taste various flavors in their dishes inspired by different countries across the globe. Dishes you can try out are oysters, grand shellfish towers, sushi, and bowls of chowder. But to have a king-like dinner, just opt for the Alaskan King crab diner that serves a huge steamed crab with Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and a layer of chocolate for dessert.
Location: 21 E Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
Contact: +1 312-527-2722
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Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
You’ll find Chicago’s best seafood to satisfy your cravings at Joe’s Seafood’s eating point. You can start with their sugar prawns (Madagascar shrimp), sweet, cool stone crabs and pair them with a delicious chopped salad bowl/plate. If you want to order appetizers from their menu, go for Shrimp De Jonghe, Steak Tartare, Oysters on the Half Shell, and more.
Now, who doesn’t like to have some great dessert at the end of the meal? Interestingly, this restaurant is known for its dessert as well. The long list of desserts includes Key lime pie (their specialty), coconut cream pie, Boston cream pie, mixed berries, and more.
Location: 60 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
Contact: +1 312-379-5637
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Ocean Prime
The restaurant is mainly famous for celebratory meals and business gatherings. Ocean Prime serves you with a special meal, Surf N Turf- that features scallops and braised short rib in gremolata and blackened snapper, along with corn spoon bread and jalapeno corn tartar.
In addition to some good food, we have great news for you if you are a wine person! You can visit this best seafood joint in Chicago on Mondays to enjoy and take advantage of Wine Enthusiast Night. You can get 50% off on your favorite select bottles that are under $99.
Location: 87 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
Contact: +1 312-428-4344
To Wind Up
This blog has made it easy for you to explore the places that serve the best seafood in Chicago. This list has made it obvious that one can never be short of restaurants in Chicago to have delicious seafood.
So, you may plan to visit any of these as per your budget and preferences. And being a seafood lover, you might also want to look at the restaurants to have the best Sushi in Chicago. Also, don’t forget to tell us which restaurant you liked the most and which one was not worth it.
In case you go to Seattle and carve for seafood, check out these restaurants.
