For the price your not gonna get a bad dish here. I order the Sope Marina something ( was in under the impression that it was cold) and it was very tasty! My wife ordered the civeche and that was 5star quality. I was jealous cause I thought mine came cold like cocktail fashion! Either way great food atmosphere louder and got being outside cause it was a desert inside! Wish they hired more staff and cleaned a little better but I still recommend this place to anyone! read more

Alegrias Seafood - Seafood sope something! - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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They are still offering complimentary crab ceviche tostadas/tortas, which are still so good. The complimentary salsa on the table is misleadingly spicy. A little bit goes a long way. There were four of us, and the server recommended a special sampler platter for us for $100. (On the menu is a $139 family-platter that feeds 6 people.) Our $100 platter included one lobster, five sets of crab legs, prawns (langoustines sliced in half), a noodle dish with lots of little shrimps, 3 giant scoops of their seafood rice, and 3 pieces of garlic bread. It was a TON of food, and definitely could have fed more than the four of us. Needless to say, we had a lot of leftovers. They've raised some of the menu prices since my visit half a year ago. A tray of crab legs used to be 6 sets for $40. But NOW it's 5 sets for $46, and 10 sets for about double that price. Overall food is still fantastic in quality & quantity. I knocked down a star since it was so cold in here. I was here on a 20 degree night, and it seemed like they didn't have any heating on. I was still shivering while I had on a heavy sweater and down-filled jacket, and sitting in the corner furthest from the doors. Maybe some better insulation for their set of doors? read more

Alegrias Seafood - $100 for this giant platter of lobster, 5 sets of crab legs, prawns, shrimp noodles, 3 scoops of rice, 3 pieces of garlic bread - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went to Mariscos al veneno on a weekend with a group of 6 -not the best idea for hungry folk as we waited about an hour. The food was well worth it! Upon seating they brought over the citrus ceviche on a tostada which whets the appetite. Had the prawns which were out of this world! Amazing flavor and the sauce (i have no idea what was in it) was spicy and a party in the mouth! Also loved the red snapper - entirely fried. Delicious! The service was meh, but it's a crowded hole in the wall, so don't expect much on that end. This place also wasn't the cleanest and there were screaming children at the table next to us, so don't go if you are expecting a great ambience. The food made it all vale la pena! read more

OMG!!! The Fried Snapper with garlic was incredible as well as the crab legs. I couldn't get enough, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach. This place is so unassuming. You could easily pass it up if you're not paying attention. The place is simple and quaint, but who cares since the food packs a punch. It's just a little hole in the wall, but boy oh boy what fantastic feeding frenzy we had when we were there. I definitely will become a regular. read more

Alegrias Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My mom was visiting and she is a hard-core seafood fan and was craving for some spicy seafood. Heard of this place from a contractor that came to fix the phone line at my home. Wanted to check this place out and was perfect for a cold winter night. The place it quite small, but could fit at least about 30-40 people on the ground floor. Had the nacho type of appetizer, watch out for the hot sauce that comes with it. It could burn your mouth, but yet was numbing-ly delicious. We ordered the Shrimp Nayarit and the Crab-legs Nayarit style too. They brought the shrimp out in a foil container and oh my! It was a lot of shrimp but just perfect for 2 people. Each bite was very flavorful and had just the perfect spice!!! Their lemonade was perfect too and the horchata (rice milk drink) is a must! read more

Really good seafood here. Starting with the shrimp app that u get as soon as u sit down. Then try the garlic shrimp or the tilapia tacos. All good and worth a visit Place can get busy fast and then service is slow. Would be great to have an AC inside too. read more

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If you're in the mood of big plates and seafood, this place won't let you down. From Saturday night or Tuesday night, I've always noticed how busy they are. Since I've been here before, I kinda knew what to oder and not be surprised on how I'm going to finish my plate. We decided to share the 2 to 3 people platter. It had shrimp, mussels, prawn and crab legs. It's cooked in red sauce - with spices. I enjoyed peeling shrimps and cracking crab legs, it's just fun and rewarding when you get that big piece of meat. It's just unfortunate that some servers really understand you well because of languages barrier but hey just point it in the menu and if you have a question, they'll find you someone who can explain it to you. I'll be back. read more

Alegrias Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is my second time eating at Venano and I was pretty sure that I could only be let down... because the first time was so damn good. Mutumbo finger waving: no such disappointment! It was even better than I remember. Huge portions, amazing flavor, great service and its BYOB (but only on the inside). So much better than crabs smothered in old bay! The flavors are so bold that we showed no shame and boxed up the remaining sauce ( yup, no crabs just sauce)... It's that #serious in these streetz! The place isn't beautiful and its always crowded as a church on Easter, but if that stops you then great, you don't deserve to partake! Good day sir. read more

Alegrias Seafood - Atmosphere - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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You're missing out if you haven't made your way to Algerias yet! An airline friend of mine contacted me asking if I had been to Alegrias.. since apparently several of the flight attendants had been speaking about it down in Atlanta. I hadn't, but I quickly headed there because I have major FOMO. Hahaha. Let me tell you, the food was FANTASTIC! The portion sizes are massive. The atmosphere is very homey and the servers are very friendly and attentive. I'm already planning my return! Glad to have found out about this gem! read more

Alegrias Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Second time coming here. It was totally worth the wait. We ordered 4-6 family platter, it's comes with little bit of everything, huge portions, and exquisite flavor. Overall, ambience was good we got to seat in the second floor, it was too crowded in the first floor. A bit pricey but the food is so worth it!!! read more

Alegrias Seafood - Family platter of 4-6 people - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ordered the Nayarit prawn plate - be warned, it is a huge order of slightly salty deliciousness. The number of prawns (at least 7) was awesome, and the rice, salad, fries, and seafood all complemented each other perfectly. They also serve you a shrimp taco free of charge to start with which was a nice perk. Many of the restaurant goers ordered a seafood plate, but when we asked we were told a 2-3 person seafood plate was going for ~$120 that day, which was a bit atrocious, and hence the one star deduction. The place gets pretty packed. read more

This place, let me tell you. If you want to get your socks absolutely ROCKED off with some delicious seafood than look no further. Best seafood I've ever had. read more

Service was OK at best, although I will say the place was pretty busy on a Tuesday for the dinner crowd. Ate the platter for 4-6 people and it was delicious, enough food for the 5-6 people that were eating it. BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP! Walked in with a 6 pack of beer since they are BYOB, it would've been nice for them to bring an ice bucket for the beers since they encourage the BYOB option. One order came out burnt, so it was sent back and replaced with a fresh order. Our party was 12 people. Food was delicious and warrants 4 stars despite the service issue. read more

You go in the door, and if you're really lucky, you get seated right away. Someone drops a basket of tostadas, a plate of limes, and some innocent looking salsa on the table. A few minutes later, you find out why this place is called el veneno (the poison). This place has the best hot hot hot salsa I've ever had. Most hot habanero sauces sacrifice taste by making it unbreably hot. El Veneno makes it taste great and hot - i love it!!! Excellent seafood. Get the huachinango (red snapper) nayarit style! A whole fish fried and crispy on the outside but soft and fresh on the inside, drizzled with nayarit style (a little spicy) sauce and sides of rice, salad, and fries. Plenty of food for 2 people. Also, if you're like me and love their sauce, get some extra on the side. I've also tried some of their ceviche and it was so-so. It can get very crowded and stuffy weekend nights and the food quality is also inconsistent. I suggest going there on a week day. IT's BYOB, the food is excellent, and the service very friendly. read more

This is def. a hidden local place that somehow everyone knows about. ambiance: VERY crowded and a long wait. it's just like home-cooking- you smell like what you just cooked. but that just makes me sad b/c i want to eat more and the smell of my clothes just reminds me im not there! i have to take points off for that. :( that, and i hate being crowded. so claustrophobic. also, everything is in Spanish- a little bit too un-english friendly for my taste. food: so interesting and delicious! i had a seafood stuffed pineapple! I would've thought that was disgusting sounding, but my server insisted, and i'm so glad she did! It was filled with tons of seafood and hot bubbly cheese inside a huge pineapple! it also came with delicious fries, pinepalle slices, and garlic bread. so delicious. however, it did get too rich after a while, so i had to stop. my date had a whole red snapper! very delicious as well. however, he was a little weirded out by the fish head (normal for me and my culture, i gladly ate the fish's cheeks- def. the most delicate and delicious part of a fish!) great price for the amount of food you're getting! probably won't be back b/c it's quite out of the way to get to from my place, and i really hate being crowded. however, if i did come back, CRAB legs would def. be what i choose. those loooked SO delicious! def a place you should try out. read more

Come here to have tasty and delicious Mexican seafood. Good ceviche, prawns, shrimp, fish etc. They give huge portions, food is reasonabley priced and service is excellent. Expect to wait for a table. The place is usually busy. They have BYOB service. So if you bring Mexican beer, you can have good Micheladas. So definitely check this place out. It's worth it. I highly recommend it. read more

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Taste could be better but the portion size was very big. It's a one of the best value seafood in Chicago. I went there with 5 more friends. We ordered Langostinos Estilo Nayarit (Prawn), Filete Perla (Fish with seafood on top), and Alegrias Special (mixed seafood platter). These were enough for 6 people (with 2 people ate a lot less than others), and we paid about $34 each. It took some time for the food to arrive. Luckily, they had a free appetizer which is a minced seafood on a tostada. It's good. But I wish there's be more flavor. The dishes that we ordered were good too. I like the sauce in Langostinos Estilo Nayarit (Prawn) but it was overcooked and a bit cold when they arrived. The Filete Perla was different. It is like a fish with tasty seafood on top. The Alegrias Special was very special indeed. It consisted of 3 main parts, the prawn (just like above), stuff lobster tail, and crab legs. The lobster tail's stuffing was similar to the fish dish that we got. But the way they prepare was very different. It was more spicy here. I really like this one. The crab leg is good, but I think it's not as fresh as well like it to be. Also I think the sauce was just salt. The service can be slow, but the servers are very friendly. It can get loud inside because most tables were large groups, so you can try to sit at their patio. One of the alternative to this could be the Asian Cajun or the Angry Crab. P.S. It's BYOB. read more

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This place is FANTASTIC! Why oh why, have I not eaten here yet. Ok, so I have seen its competition across the street several times and never once, paid attention to this little gem! Its super small so go early or be prepared to wait. The food was some of the best seafood I have had in awhile. We had this seafood mix and the crab legs. They both were amazing. Cooked perfectly, not fishy, delicious and talk about bang for your BUCK! Its a BYOB place. There was three of us. They gave us fish tacos first. YUMMY! The salsa they provide is HOT! I love it! If you dont like spicy, dont eat it. Then the crab legs and seafood mix (cant remember the name). The total bill was like $72. It was seriously $23 for each of us for some of the best seafood I have had in a very long time. Amazing. The service is nice, however not 5 stars. You will have to flag them down, however, they quickly bring whatever you need. I will DEFINITELY be BACK! read more

This place is just amazing!! Perfect execution of the food, the service, how things are presented, the prices, the service and the music. You can't ask for a better place. Got the camarones cucaracha, wanted to lick the plate and take that salsa to go. The langostinos al ajo were amazing and they have a thousand salsas you can pick plus complimentary tostada! I also got a fish taco, oh god that tortilla and the fish was so flavorful. And the drinks, they are just superb how they present them. And it is authentic!! Very unique food. read more

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So I went to try this restaurant by myself... I had heard all kinds of great reviews, to my dishes that order I felt like a queen in my own table, with all this food in front of me, the shrimp and octopus was great in the platter but the king beans were OOOOVER cooked. And so was the lobster, they were so over cooked that they were so dry like leather, was so disappointed, I was not about to leave it there after all I spent over $150 on me, the waitress was so sweet she packed all up nicely for me. But when I went to eat later that day she never put the seasoning in the packing so it tasted worst, dry...... They should really get a timer!! Service was great by the waitress, who never refilled my drink. read more

This is the best tasting seafood I have ever had in my life! I have gone to many seafood restaurants across the United States and this is by far the best tasting I've had. Unfortunately the service is HORRIBLE. It took about 20 min to even get offered drinks. The waitress would rarely come around and after asking for the check about 3-4 times, it took about another half hour to receive the checks. Great food, horrible service. read more

Came here with my sister and had the red snapper and the shrimp and it was finger licken good. They give you these tostadas in the beginning to eat with a very spicy salsa so have your water prepared for that. I believe it was the langostinos nayarit style shrimps we got. Good to come with a group of people so you can try a little bit of everything. read more

Came here for a friend's birthday party. We got here around 6 on a Saturday night and were able to snag a table for 8 without waiting. If you get here much later than that though you'll probably have to wait. The food here is incredibly flavorful. Our group liked the sauce on the Charola Mixta platter the best. Definitely echo the other reviews about the 2-3 person platter being large enough to share between 4 if you get some of the other entrees. The fries were really good too. Prepare to get messy! This is not a place you should be dressing up for. Also, I feel like this place should be $$$ (3-dollar signs) on Yelp. read more

Incredible service from Jose. Delightful food. You're missing out if you don't eat here.

We came all the way from the burbs for Mexican seafood and the place we picked across the street was closed. Too bad , so sad, for that place. Algerias was all to happy to welcome us for dinner this evening. Wow, what a find. Watch out for smoking hot salsa. I teared up and got sniffles. We started with the shrimp in house red sauce, came with onions on bottom too, and it was very good. Loved the mess. Even sucked the head like a crayfish, New Orleans style. Ordered guacamole and it was $5.99 but 3 times the size of sissy suburban overpriced places. Insert any name you want here: Junkel schmoolio's, etc. and it was very good. My red snapper was amazing. Came with rice, super crispy fries, onions, shrimp, and a sauce they call the house red. Yeah, I got some on my shirt but it was worth it. Three people are like kings and it was $80. Shrimp appetizer, giant guacamole appetizer, and 3 main courses. Even the doggie bag was bigger than typical take out food places entire order. Nice feed! read more

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We (2) were very hungry and just got back from swimming, so you can imagine. We decided on ordering to go, and we're very excited to get back home to enjoy the food. The aroma was very strong the car ride home. We ordered the shrimp Ceviche, and shrimp empanadas. The empanadas were very tasty, as they usually are. The shrimp ceviche on the other hand was another story. It was very watery. We ordered the ceviche before and it looked totally different. Not only that she recommended we get the medium for 2 people so we did and it was more along the lines of being a small. We are very disappointed with the ceviche. The taste was even off, it didn't taste fresh. The excitement quickly vanished as soon as we opened the lid on the small cup they gave us. read more

Alegrias Seafood - More water than ceviche - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Super cozy place right off the street. Parking was easy, curbside with a meter. Once you get inside they have festive music playing which make you feel right in Mexico. I wanted to dance, but didn't want to embarrass my friends . Anyway, our waiter was really nice and attentive. He brought out salsa and chips that were on the house. He said the salsa was hot, my friend didn't believe him. Basically burned a hole right through her soulso be careful. The waiter said "I'm Mexican and I can't even eat it" So then we order the Alegria's special which is large enough to feed 3 ppl easily and came with fries and rice as well. I'm not fond of snow crab legs so we also ordered the king crab legs and OMG there wasn't much take space. The food was so good. The sauce was perfect, not spicy at all. There were ppl staring at how massive our spread was since it was just 2 ppl eating. I felt no shame lol. The waiter even told us to eat slowly and pace ourselves lol. All items really good and I'd def go back! read more

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This food was amazing. The place is small and it's a byob. Check menu there are some limitations on the alcohol per person. Bring your appetite because the portions are mad crazy. You definitely get your monies worth. We had plenty to eat and take home. We split the seafood platter and had plenty for the next day. The staff is very personable and gave excellent service. read more

I have been coming to this spot when it was El Veneno and the new owners, Alegrias, have done their best to maintain the Nayarit flavor. The menu offers such a vast selection and my favorite has to be the king crab legs Nayarit style and the fried red snapper with Nayarit sauce on the side. My mom raves over the 7 seas soup and the Nayarit prawns...im a fan of it all! Yes it's cramped, you do have to wait, but there is a method to the madness. Don't come here for the fried, White rice or the tortillas. Focus on the fresh seafood and the fact that it's BYOB. You get to eat like a king or queen without worrying about the liquor tab. So be patient, bring your booze and enjoy the delicious food. I LOVE ALEGRIAS! read more

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This was a great seafood place! I had the shrimp tacos and they where so great, the ingredients where so fresh, tortillas homemade. Our food was quick and staff was nice! read more

Long wait as it's a favorite in East Village. Portions are huge. BYOB. Seafood options is abundance. Service was great where server suggested what was best for our appetite. read more

Absolute worst service experience ever. Liz our waitress didn't bring us our waters, wine glasses, or every a bucket for a our wine until I had to ask 2 servers and received these request until 10 minutes before our food arrived. Once we received our food it was all cold food. I love this restaurant for the food but the service and quality of food was by far one of the worst experience I've ever had in Chicago. I was contemplating the tip for the waitress but because we had 4 adults and 3 children our tip was automatically included and Liz took advantage of that. The rest of the tables around us received their drinks, food, check, etc before we did because their partys were less than our meaning she actually had to earn her tip rather than have it be locked to a % due to the party size. She didn't even bother to ask us not once how our service was. Absolute worst! read more

I came here with a few friends on Saturday night. We didn't have a reservation and it was busy, but we were still seated within a few minutes. It's BYOB which is always a plus! They brought us complimentary ceviche, which was spicy but tasty! We ordered the seafood platter with lobster and all shared. The menu says it's for 2-3 people, but it was more than enough for 4. I will definitely be back here! read more

Alegrias Seafood - Seafood platter - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing from start to finish everything was perfect!!! Loved the platter with everything on it! Messy so be ready to get dirty! read more

Alegrias Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best seadfood I've ever had I'm a repeat LOYAL customer and they never disappoint. I always get the lagostinos but the ceviche is always fresh and delicious BYOB read more

Alegrias Seafood - Lagostinos full tray - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Im dissapointed at this place. I went with my boyfriend since he and one of our good friends had gone a few times for soup. It was a Saturday day night ,we were able to get a table right away. When were seated they give us the complementary chips and the sauce to dip in and there is a hair in my boyfriends plate. We're about to leave but say hey let's stay for the soup and get out of here. The soups were fine, my boyfriend ordered a few diet cokes. We didn't order appetizers or anything like that. The bill came up to 34 and some change. I tipped 20 percent at $7. Now when I look this morning at my account looks like they gave themselves $17 dollars which is $51 for 2 soups and a few cokes. First time something like this happens to me. Needless to say won't be coming here for soup anytime soon. read more

Alegrias Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best place by far for seafood! I took my mother here for Mother's Day and we are from the islands. The way they made their seafood was spectacular! The service is great too! Highly recommended and will def be back. read more

Alegrias Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's Byob, depending on the day or time parking is ok. The food was great! For any of their market dishes, ask for price ahead of time so you're not surprised when you get the check. Otherwise, good mexican seafood dishes including the snapper, 7 seas soup and the huge plate of king crabs which were seasoned wonderfully. This is small no frills mexican seafood spot that deserves a try if you like seafood. Caution: their table salsas are super picante like on a level 11 so go easy or you'll get bit! Update: Nov 2017 - Unfortunately we've been disappointed on more than one occasion since my initial post. I wanted so badly to give them a second, third and fourth try before updating my initial review. But they have now consistently been inconsistent with the following: 1. Food is now mediocre in quality and taste. 2. Plates are messy! ie: Siete Mares soup is splattered all over the place when they bring to you. Same with sauces in dishes. 2. They've run out of essential items like our favorite King Crab legs on more than one occasion now and we've had to walk out because they always fall short on other items as well. Sadly must change my initial 5 rating to a 3 at best. Quality and quantity must improve before we go back. read more

I have mixed feelings about this place. We ordered a platter for 2-3 people which was more like for 4-5 people. It came with prawns, mussels and Crab. No bread or rice. Everything was seasoned the same which was disappointing. The Crab was pretty good, if you can get someone to bring you the right tools. The shrimp was a bit muddy tasting and the mussels were rubbery and not quite right. The price was higher then expected too. I would recommend the crab but nothing else I had. I would ask the price before you order too. read more

As soon as we walked in we were promptly seated... from there the server never came. We kept looking over until a young man approached us. One word RUDE ! He didn't even bring water no menus nothing we had to keep asking for him to bring us what we needed. He also brought us some ceviche , one tostada per person with very minimal ceviche on top. Not to mention the tostadas were stale ! The ONE star this place gets it's because of the langostinos they were really good. Other than that , terrible service , terrible ambiance. If your looking for good food go somewhere else it's not with the disrespect read more