La Palapa

Some of the best seafood I’ve had in Chicago. We had crab, shrimp, and seafood paella and it was all really good. The picnic table seating works, even in the winter time the enclosed patio area is warm and festive. I live in the area and get tacos and burritos delivered sometimes too. Always delicious, highly recommended.

This place has been going downhill and it is no where near as good as it used to be. I literally live walking distance from this place now and I haven’t gone here once since moving by here. Food quality is going down and they give way less portions now. Also, the BS $ 14.00 disposal fee for a bottle of wine seems kinda stupid. I understand a BYOB fee per person for beer, but wine shouldn’t be charged per person… Anyway, this place was just much better overall back then. Seafood here is not fresh by any means…

First let me say that I’m mexican, born and raised, so I know what real Mexican food taste like.
Service is below good, since all this kind of places prefer to hire just «pretty» girls instead of efficient ones with some minimal people skills.
But the WORSE part of this place is the FOOD!!!
Even my not Mexican friends have been like «what the hell is this?»
Some body ordered a shrimp cocktail, the cup had some «embryo size» shrimp, and was mostly filled with some nasty whitish water, as opposed to just water, tomate juice or shrimp sauce. The octupus cocktail was even more disgusting since it was undercooked.
Regarding other dishes, if u raid your spices cabinet and throw it all in a pan, add oil an onions, yes, u’ll get a tasty sauce, I’m not sure that’s Nayarit style thoug.
7 mares soup, like in some many other places is extremely watery and flavorless.
För u my not Mexican people, u can find way better sea food in some small mom and pop restaurant.
Why do I keep going back there?
On a hot day, my friend and myself grab a 12 pack, sit outside, order some ceviche or fish «chicarrón» (a little expensive).enjoy the breeze and our beer… kinda reminds us of back home.

The seafood is really good, but nothing I would write home about. Just a really good decent place to have some good seafood. The outdoor dining area is pretty makeshift with chairs that are plastic and the floor is basically unpaved, but other than that service was good and the food was good as well.

I love this place. My coworker has so much Mexican pride that he eats mainly at Mexican restaurants on his lunch break. He invited me to go with him here. There portions are huge and good. I tried the ceviche, burrito, and seafood platter. The seafood platter is worth your money. It’s about $ 25 but you can share it with 4 people. It’s a lot if food. Also, in the summer, you get to sit outside. They have it set up like a beach, and with the seafood, you do feel like you’re out on the sand.

1 hr later and definitely got glutened. bummer.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this place. We ordered several different dishes and all were really great. I had the rompecolchon (mattress breaker) without the imitation crab. It was so flavorful! I am gluten free and while there was a bit of a language barrier, I remembered enough Spanish to say i can’t have any flour and they understood and accomodated. I thought service was totally fine so I’m not sure what anyone else is talking about. Maybe because we came on Saturday at lunch so not too crowded.
It was a hike for us to get here, but totally reminded me of studying abroad in Mexico and ending up in a sleepy beach town.

We went here the day after Check Please aired their restaurant and we will definitely be back.
The place couldn’t get any more casual. It’s kind of divey but clean with foam plates and paper napkins, but it doesn’t matter. It’s actually part of the atmosphere and experience. It’s a very laid back, yet busy, BYOB with honest food at a great price. Because of the price some of the ingredients are on the low end but at least they’re honest on the menu that there is imitation crab in a dish. The menu is HUGE, make sure you flip it over because it goes on forever.
Each table is given a complimentary starter of tortillas with ceviche. I’m not a huge fan of ceviche in the first place. I find the lime overpowering but that’s the point I guess. It was good and my Wife loved it. If you like ceviche I think you will like there’s.
First we started with the Empanada’s. I was expecting a thin crispy deep fried empanada but this was much different. The shell was thick masa and softer more like a tamale. The stuffing was good but could’ve used more sea food. I wouldn’t order it again, but I’m just a gringo so I’m sure these are authentic. They were still good just not what I was expecting.
The next thing we had was the sauteed Calamari. This was absolutely delicious. The calamari was not rubbery or mushy but perfectly «toothy» or al dente. I think they used jarred garlic, which I typically don’t like, but it worked in this dish just fine. It was muy picante though. I like spicy food but this was a little too much. Next time I will order milder.
The Mussels came next. I still have dreams about these. They seem like they’re pan fried which I’ve never had and the sauce is a rich browned butter. These were the best I’ve ever had and next time I’m getting 3 orders. Delicious!
My wife and I at this point were getting pretty full and since the portions were huge we split the Filete Relleno entrée and it was to die for! The tilapia was a little «muddy» since it’s farm raised which is typical of any tilapia around here but was easily overlooked with all the stuffing. The Octopus was cooked perfectly too. Next time I will order a Pulpo dish separately to enjoy more of their octopus.
As stuffed as we were at this point my wife had never had fried ice cream before so we had to. They fried the outside with corn flakes and I think because of the size of the flakes they were oily and chewy. Don’t get me wrong though, we devoured it.
I cannot wait to go back to this place and try more dishes. Especially since it’s BYOB. They only charge a $ 3.50 corking fee which I think is fair. We had to wait 20 minutes at 3:00pm on a Sunday so keep in mind that you will have to wait and parking is sparse. You will have to walk.

let’s start off with BYOB! I’ve been coming here for 8 years now and doesn’t disappoint and it’s even gotten bigger. Everything on the menu is delicious so good even my son will eat here. My brother and him are the picky eaters and they both enjoyed it.

Ordered the snow crab legs with shrimp and they were delectable. The ambience here was surprisingly great on a Friday night. We also had a group playing live music (kind of wished they turned on the playlist down on the side though). We had a funny waitress and kept our order accurate and pleasant.
This place has great ambience if you want to be reminded of a beach-​side establishment since you do see a lifeguard chair and plenty of hay umbrellas. I’m not sure about the other food, but the seafood I ordered was definitely delicious and worth going back for!
A part of me wished I had room for dessert…

Two Yuma up. Honestly about as good of a taco as you can find. I had the chicken and steak and both were great, steak just a hair better. The salsa was to die for, I love me some good sauce.
It comes with a free fish ceviche which is novel in my dining experiences. Good as it gets I suppose for being in the central Midwest haha. Then 2 guys in cowboy hats came up and started singing and playing guitar and accordion. All in all a top notch lunch with a fun atmosphere.

I’ll give it two stars because there is always worse out there I guess and if i gave it one star then my wife wouldn’t let me live it down. She comes here often and loves the langostinos. Her and her friends go often. I don’t eat Langostinos (roaches of the sea) so I can’t comment on that.
However, I have tried their fish and I was not a fan. I tried their steak and was not a fan. I tried their tacos and was not a fan. I have eaten here a few times now and as others have said it just isn’t that good. The price isn’t on par with the food either. I think people just love the fact that it is outdoor seating and byob. That definitely adds to the experience in a good way but given the chance, I would rather eat at maxwell’s for dinner. I would rather take my burger home and light some candles and bust out the good silverware and plates than to eat here. I can set my own environment.
I think people are just fascinated with the environment and the fact that is an ok seafood place on this side of town. This is definitely not the best seafood restaurant in chicago. By far.
Maybe they have the best langostinos. I don’t know and can’t tell you but everything I have tried here doesn’t come close to best in any way. I just think people don’t know better or need a way to drink and this provides BYOB to people that aren’t allowed to go out or something. Or maybe people just want to love a seafood place near them. I mean even the other 5 and 4 star reviews say things like «Not the best but I loved it» or «Order the right thing» «depending on what you order». That tells you right there.
I have never had a bad server though. They have always been nice. The restrooms are ridiculous though. I would rather walk on hot coals than piss in there ever again in my life. Don’t let me review sway you though. Go find out for yourself. You may be one that loves the place but it just isn’t for me.

Yes I think this place is amazing if you order the right stuff plus live music and sitting outside under the palapa umbrellas. It transports you to another place out of this country. The staff was super nice, it almost felt we where with family.
We order the small charolada. It has a lot of flavor and a little of everything. You have to have their ceviche on a tostada with a drop of Valentina hot sauce. It was just perfect. We also had empanadas de camaron. They tasted like they just had made them, so fresh and tasty. My son loved them! Oh since we brought wine for the adults, we ordered orchata for my son. I had to try it and it was the best orchata I’ve had. Desert was so good too.
Definitely recommend if you want to try something very adventurous and different.

Best seafood in Chicago. Yeah, I said it.
It’s not fancy by any means. You hear 18-​wheelers passing by and the waitresses primarily speak Spanish but these people don’t mess around when it comes to fish.
On my last day working in the area, I ordered the filete relleno and almost kissed the fish. It was so beautifully overflowing with flavor and spices that food afterwards just tasted bland in comparison.
In the summer, they have a little patio which is cute and makes you forget you’re in a semi-​industrial area with the little mariachi dudes singing every couple minutes. Also, BYOB!
The service is solid and they don’t bug you when you don’t want to be bothered. It’s like they have an internal sonar and know when to come to your rescue. On a recent visit, I chatted with friends for about 30 min after we finished eating and they didn’t push us out/​shove the check in our face. That’s that Latin hospitality.
I will forever suggest this place to any true seafood lover that is all about the fish, not the flash.

This place is one of my favorites. Not entirely for the food but also the ambience. It’s byob and apparently that stands for beer or bottles as in liquor bottles.
My go to dish is the camarones a la palapa with a side of avocado. If you like spice and shrimp that’s your ticket. The dish is big enough to share with another person.
Micheladas are so yummy. Not everyone knows how to make the mix but again byob. They provide an ice bucket to keep your drinks cold.
It’s a good place to people watch. I mean if your into that sort of thing. Once the music starts playing by different musicians that play for a price, you’ll see some people drinking more. Enough said about that. Really good food, just make sure you don’t get an outside table when it’s scorching hot out. It won’t be much fun.

been wanting to try this place for years!
this place is small inside with a outdoor patio. small parking lot. ok service.
i went with a couple of friends that has ate here before. they had suggested a few dishes that sounds delicious.
i ended up with the Mattress Breaker. its a mixture of seafood on top of rice. from what i can see. there was shrimp, squid, and fake crab meat.
the dish was pretty dam good. lots of flavor and it has a kick to it. the food tasted fresh and the portion size is decent.
would definitely come back and try their other food!

I absolutely love this place and I will make this review easy for you:
Pros
–The food is delicious I have tried several things inlcuding Red Snapper, Ceviche, Prawns, and breaded shrimp
–The menu has a huge variety
–Great price for such good and fresh food
–BYOB
Cons
–There are huge rocks on the floor in order to dine outside so ladies do not wear your heels you will mess them up
–There is a trio of singers that walks around asking if you want music played and you cannot hear anything you are saying to your friends it is really loud and disruptive
–Service is so so but not great sometimes they forget to bring you things you ask for like extra lime
–They hardly have any parking so you have to be looking around if their facility is full
Even with the cons I mentioned I still love to go because I feel the food quality is worth going through all this, lol… love it!

Great seafood spot they have an outdoor area with palm trees it makes you feel like if you are on a mini vacation.
Friendly and attentive and you get a free small plate of ceviche as an appetizer
You can Byob since they dont serve liquor. They sell you a michaleda mix that you can add to your beer. Try their pinapple juice its amazing
For food i had their shrimp empanadas. seasoned well crunchy and moist. eat it with chipotle mayo.
For entrée i had a mojarra a la diabla served with cajun fries, rice, and a salad. the diabla sauce is hot but manageable for you to eat unlike other places where you cant even enjoy the meal. And its not watered down (major brownie points)
Like coming here a lot food has never disappointed me and for seafood its cheaper than other places

Ambience is awesome, outside under palapa umbrellas, beautiful sun, music playing.
Ceviche was a 7 served as an appetizer, camarones sarandeados a 7, langostinos get a 6 out of 10. They «ok» but the ones from El Cangrejo are way better and more delicious. That was the over all consensus of the there of us.

Bad service. Que descaro Los precios! Es una mierda de restaurant. This gonna be my last time here !

Awesome hidden gem in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
BYOB.
Ordered:
langostinos
aguachiles
mejillones la palapa (mussels)
Ceviche.
If you normally like the aguachiles (spicy citrused raw shrimp), it is pretty good here.
The langostinos were good as well, though I prefer el Venenos.
I recommend the mejillones la palapa (mussels). Love the sauce!
I look forward to eating there again!

Lo peor en mariscos. El ceviche (togo) era un camarón partido en 20 pedacitos y con una libra de pepino. Un asco muy arrepentidos de haber ido. Para lo que pagamos no valió la pena.
Y el filete relleno lo peor, el arroz parecía que era de varios días con demasiadisimo queso. NO LO RECOMIENDO.

Wasn’t too impressed. We decided to come try it out and we opted for the mattress breaker since I’ve heard quite a bit about it.
I definitely felt the dish was buttery and had a kick too it. My guy didn’t care for the dish. We didn’t even finish the dish.
I felt it was quite pricey since it cost us $ 30 (tax + tip included) for just that one dish. I know it’s seafood, but the dish wasn’t that big.
Also, didn’t care for the waitress just lingering around when we were paying.

Los Aguachiles, el ceviche, y las empanadas son las mejores! Se los recomiendo! Pueden llevar su propia bebida también. Que Dios los siga bendiciendo. A ver cuando ofrecen franquicias para apuntarme lol. Cant wait to go back.