The restaraunt interior is a dive. It is small, the service i recieved was fine. I was sitting at the bar, though. It seemed that the manager was the one serving us. He was nice and entertaining, helping us de-shell our king crab. The food was excellent. I went there for the food, not the interior decor. I have to say, for the price of the king crab and the quality, I was very impressed. i know its a dive, but maybe that is probably how they keep the seafood prices to a minimum. I do wish they stocked a better selection of beer, on tap and bottled. i drank Modelo Negro. i would rather have drank a Blue Moon or something a little richer in taste. read more

If I could marry an Alaskan King Crab I would! Trust me, I totally would. I am very picky about my crab in the sense that I expect there to be meat after cracking the shells and getting a sorts of blisters on my hand from it. Fortunately enough, Half Shell delivered! Their King Crab Snow Crab combo was amazing! There was meat to be found after all the cracking of shells and plenty of it. This crabs were not anorexic yet very plump and fat. The combo is served over fries, side of bread and butter w/herbs---lick your chops until your lips become chapped. Fries do get soggy since the crab is on top but they are good unless you are more of a crunchy fry kind of person. Most of the time I don't even make it to a fry, I am usually stuffed with all the crab meat. The place itself reminds me of a dungeon with a bar, very dim not fine dining. It has a basement door entrance which is a turn off to many but hey it is worth every penny. The only down part to this whole experience at Half Shell is that it is not the roomiest place and it is a tight squeeze and does get crowded on the weekends. After a couple cocktails, wine and crab, you will not notice the tight squeeze. Waiting staff is great, pricing for the combo is about $25.90--Alaskan King & Snow Crab combo which is excellent. Parking--its Lincoln Park and there are meters, take the train or just cab it. You will not be disappointed. read more

Food was excellent. Visit was soured by our server, a shorter male who in addition to being curt and rude, reminded our party that the "tip isn't included." Mind you we are all brown skinned. Still enjoyed the food. Very fresh. read more

I've been wanting to try Half Shell out for quite some time and I finally made it there today. All in all, I'm a fan and I will return. The food was fresh and good. I had fried shrimp and king crab legs. The shrimp are huge and fresh. The crab legs were really fresh and steamed perfection. The portion of crab legs was too much for me to finish. The only cons I have for this place is 1. The butter they give you for the crab legs isn't real warm melted butter. It's this room temperature butter like stuff with a garlic flavor that they keep on tables in squeeze bottles......a little disheartening. 2. The indoor seating atmosphere is very seedy like. The indoor seating is in a basement with no lights, so for lighting they use strings of Christmas lights attached to the ceiling......not a good look! Anyway, I would definitely try Half Shell again and I would opt for outdoor seating next time. read more

Mmmmmmmmmmmm Half Shell... cheap place to get crab, sit on a patio, have a few drinks, and enjoy good company. I LOVE seafood and this is pretty decent crab for Chicago without the high prices. CASH ONLY!!!! Which means it's a true dive :-) Don't expect amaaaazing service or anything - it's a dive... it's a chill place. Come relaxed and with an open mind. read more

Nice place and GREAT location. It's at Diverse and Clark near Next Door Cafe, Stan's Donuts, Gramaphones, Gamestop, and right down the street from Replay bar arcade! The food was good and decently priced. I had the Alaskan king crab legs read more

I had some unbelievable good fortune. I mean like Holy Crap ....wow this is GREAT good fortune. I had a friend of a friend treat us to dinner at Half Shell just last night for dinner. Sweet Jesus! First things first, this place is NOT glamorous. I grew up in the suburbs of this fine city, Chicago, so I am qualified to say the decor here is similar to every American Legion I have ever seen. No fuss, no muss. Lots of vinyl, This is however where Half Shell stops being ordinary and starts being fabulous. We kinda over indulged, we really went all out. I feel a little naughty. Apps consisted of shrimp cocktail and oysters of both the raw and fried variety. The shrimps were huge and great. The raw oysters were a good size and very fresh, I love oysters. I was happy. Alright, now for the fried oysters .... ummm ... these were some of the best, most scrumptious, melt in your mouth, pieces of perfection I have ever ever ever had. I may very well love them. I'm pretty sure I do. I will just go ahead and put this out there. I ordered the King Crab. I had two initial thoughts. One .... These are the plumpest, most huge, tender, rich, wonderful crab legs I have ever had. Two ... if I were ever to come across a crab big enough to sport legs of this size, I would run screaming like a banshee arms flailing and head spinning. Those were my first thoughts. My other thoughts would become somewhat X-rated as I ate and ate and devoured and ate some more crab. This was sinful and ridiculous. The service was also very very well done. Our server had a strong personality and was thus very capable of putting up with ours. I may be spending a lot of my extra time dreaming of this place once I am tucked back home in Colorado. I actually may start now .... could you please pass the squirt bottle of garlicky butter sauce ??? YES !!! It comes in a squirt bottle ....genius??? HELL YES !!!! read more

Went to Half Shell yesterday for lunch. Got the shrimp appetizer and snow crab legs. Both were delish! ***Word of caution: they only take cash. read more

Yum, yum, yum. That's all you can say to describe this place. Yes, total dive but its fun and its not like your paying for decor people. You're going to get crablegs get the combo king crab and snow crab you won't be sorry amazing so much food cheapest price in chi! Ps. Its a cash kinda place, prepare ahead and oh ya get the house salad the dressing is dope. read more

Food was delicious and the restaurant/bar is adorable. The bartenders and staff were very attentive and so sweet!

LOVE this place! Always the first night stop when I'm back in town in the hood. Who would have thought a local dive bar would have the BEST seafood?! King crab is to die for. And ask for the scissors to help with getting the most crab out! LOL Seriously this place is da bomb. read more

This place is a staple, especially in the summer when their patio is open. You don't even need look at the menu, as there is only one thing you you ought to get here...CRAB LEGS. One word of advice is to not come here with someone you're trying to impress....I always leave covered in garlic butter and with bits of crab in my hair. So good! read more

We were in the mood for seafood. King crab especially. Got there and we sat outside, ordered a bunch of king crab and snow crab on special which was excellent! Ordered a soup that was so-so, and also got the oysters, tuna and fried calamari. The waiter was helpful in everyway from serving to showing how the best way was to crack shells. Everuyone has their own technique...All in all I was pretty satisfied! I'd go back for the king crab special anyday it's there. It was key that we ate outside. I don't know how i'd feel if we sat in the dungeonlike bar area downstairs where the bar presides... read more

Can eat and drink like a king here.... Budweiser always super cold, king crab AWESOME! read more

Half Shell - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a seafood dive. If you come here with that mindset, you will have a great outdoor dining experience with great seafood. If you come for immaculent service and white table cloths, you will have come to the wrong place. Let's dissect the experience: The Ambiance - The ambiance is what you make it. Outdoor seating in Chicago on a summer evening is wonderful. :-) No frills, just you, the outdoors, and the company you bring. The food - I had the ALASKAN KING CRAB LEGS - Yummy! They are so good that I did not want to share. Whatever they used to cook the crab legs was better than most and there was a side butter with seasonings that went well too. Two others had the FRIED TILAPIA from the list of specials and said it was wonderful. The other two had SNOW CRAB LEGS (from the specials) and SALMON. Everyone enjoyed their meals immensely. Each of the meals came with fries and a toasted piece of bread - Bonus! The service - There was a man and a woman working the outdoor patio with one man assisting with dishes, etc. We had the man - not sure of his name as there were no introductions. He did offer to place an order for us to get us ahead of the other people. He was nice enough. Some Opportunities for improvement - When we arrived, we were given menus to review but we were never told the specials. So, everyone changed their orders once we noticed that there were specials written up on the board. Our request is that they would at least share the specials when we are seated. So, note to others that go - You should ask for the specials for first. We were also never checked on during our meal or offered more drinks. We did receive water refills, straws, ketchup, etc. We were just never waited on as if the waiter was genuinely interested in our experience. However, it is possible that he was waaay to busy to do all of that. And for that reason, we did leave a nice tip - not a great tip - but a nice one. Overall - After I get my family to let down their guard and enjoy being in the outdoor seating, everyone had a great time. It was a casual dining experience with high dining food. I would recommend for couples, groups, families, and friends. I saw it all. read more

Not enough space to write how much I love this spot. I worked for a family-owned long standing seafood restaurant (similar to this) in Phoenix (Salt Cellar) and they prided themselves on serving very high quality seafood and I never felt like I found anything similar.......UNTIL NOW. Half Shell has THE BEST CRABS LEGS ever! Some of the best oysters and that sucker they serve at the end of the meal?....TO-DIE-FOR! It was kind of surprising but honestly the sucker was just a good as the rest of meal. Every restaurant industry owner, worker and die-hard foodie knows when a place has a good "fish guy" and this place DEFINITELY does! read more

three words: must go back!!!!!! It's downstairs and has such great ambiance....the King crab was awesome, the service was great...and the price was hard to beat!!!! This is going to become a monthly spot for me! read more

Wow... This is a hole in the wall working walking into Great chowder, amazing oysters Not overpriced You may sit at a small table with little elbow room but you'll be so focused on the great food you won't care Friendly and filling This is a must visit Get the combo snow crab as snow crab read more

We went there on a Friday afternoon around 4pm and the place was pretty quiet. The dining room was located in the basement. It looked like we were the only people there at the time. We were promptly seated in the dining room by the bar and the server brought us water immediately. Started off with six oysters and six clams in the half shell. The oysters were very fresh but the clams were a little fishy. The combination of king crab and snow crab was very good. Fried frog legs were excellent. Soft crab appetizer was tasty but they were very tiny. Nice cold beer. Great service. read more

We almost left this place because the greeting was so bad,nobody said anything to us and finally a very "what do you want" type of greeting from the bar tender for drinks so we got a beer and stood hoping someone would tell us the wait or something. Then a table opened up and we sat down and that is what it took for someone to come up to us, to ask us to get up. We were going to leave after the cocktails but then they told us we had a table so we stayed. Service and greeting and overall organization was just poor all around but if you get past that the food is very well done. We had a wide variety of food, all done very well. Fried catfish, king crab, snow crab, calamari, crab cakes, Shrimp cocktail. I would probably go back but not on a Saturday night when they were so crowded. read more

Hidden Gem. Has to be the best place for seafood. King crab and mussels especially. The prices are more than reasonable. Cute location in the basement. Staff has always been fantastic. My go to place for a great dinner and drinks in Lincoln Park. read more

Half Shell - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good value, food was fresh and good, not too crowded and no wait for seats! Got the king crab leg appetizer, clam crowder, raw oysters and clams, calamari, crab cakes, cold shrimps and mussels. The legs, chowder, raw clams, calamari and mussels were very good. The oysters were a bit too fishy and sandy and the crab cakes were not the best (especially after having shaws the weekend before), but the price is very low so i didn't mind. You do get a lot of food for a pretty good price. read more

My son and his girlfriend took Dad and myaelf here to celebrate Fathers Day. We love the food and the martinis were out of this world. Always a great experience! Thank you. read more

I went here for lunch. The place was empty and smelled like a dirty bathroom., but I decided to white knuckle it based on recommendations from friends. We started with oysters. They were large and acceptable. They made no mention of where they were from, or what type they were. We also got clam strips which were clearly pre-prepared. They were 100% batter and awful. Then we split an order of crab legs for $25. They served them steamed, but they must have already been frozen. They gave us nut crackers, but the shells were too soft and pliable do to being cooked, frozen and reheated. It was difficult to get the "meat" out of there and it was falling to pieces inside. You can get a pound of crab legs at Shaw's for this price. They are far better and they cut the shells open for you. Considering what a dive this place is, how can they charge the same price as Shaw's? I think Half Shell is popular because they give you a huge mound of fries in place of good seafood, and that must fool the yokels. You are better off buying crab legs at Costco. They are far better and a fraction of the price. Half Shell is Red Lobster run out of basement. read more

Awesome fresh oysters. Not a huge fan of the clams though, they were a tad TOO slimey sometimes in the middle. Would go back again for the oysters and to try out their king crab legs and beef tenderloin special YUM. Also, they have outdoor seating right next to Matisse I do believe. Awesome summer spot with buds. read more

The hubs and I had lunch outdoors at Half Shell this weekend. It seemed as though as soon as we were seated, we were immediately forgotten about. We waited about 15 min. until my husband flagged down the server. After we ordered our food, we waited close to an hour. We noticed that people who were seated about 45 min after us got their food before us. Service=major yuck. The food was meh. We got an order of a dozen oysters. I've had better oysters at Shaw's and at Frontier. We both got the pita sandwiches; I had the fried clam sandwich while the hubby got the fried scallop. The meals were definitely not the greatest. We probably should have gotten the crab legs that people have raved about. Food=never again. I'd say try it once, but maybe not anymore than that. read more

One of my auntie's coworkers highly recommended Half Shell for their crab legs. So we drove down there on an early Friday evening to check them out. The place was hard to spot at first, since it is a small little restaurant sitting on a Diversey corner. We had to walk down a few steps into a basement-like setting. The place wasn't terribly crowded for we were seated right away. My auntie ordered the king crab legs and I ordered the fried shrimp. Needless to say, those were some damn good legs and shrimp! They both came with fries, a piece of lettuce leaf, a sliced tomato, sliced bread, and a lollipop. The legs came with the perfect side of butter (sweet, yet just right), and my shrimp came with two dipping sauces (horseradish and tartar). Honestly, we couldn't decided which to eat first between the shrimp, legs, and fries. And for the size of the dishes, the price wasn't that bad. The only reason I took away a star is the size (you're literally touching another customer's table and can hear their conversations...even the servers had difficulty navigating...) and the method of payment (cash only - they do have an ATM next to the bathroom, but I personally don't carry cash all the time). Overall, I would recommend this place and come again. read more

It's a dive but the crab is good for a great price. If you love crab legs, you'll love this place! That is all. P.S. CASH ONLY! read more

MUST GO! I love crab legs and this place does them right. The pictures are ART! The summer is the PERFECT first time to take a girl here. That way she gets to be impressed by he legs outside and will make the compromise in the winter to eat int he underground "indoor space". It's a dive space but the food I better then JOES so who cares! I take my 75 year old dad hear monthly - we LOVE IT. Thank you! d read more

Good classic seafood joint. This place is a dive with quality food and a great bartender, perfect for a casual night of excellent food. Oddly enough, one of the first things I tell people about his place is their salad. Homemade and delicious!! There has been more than one occasion that I have ordered 2 salads in one sitting. They have all the classic seafood dishes and do them very well. Something they do I haven't seen before is their cold crab leg appetizer. They serve them with a creamy horseradish sauce that is a perfect pairing and quite unique. Cocktails are great, food is great, but the place is a little divey. The service (other than at the bar) is a little sparse and the ambiance isn't romantic or anything special...but I keep coming back! read more

On the recommendation of my friend, two of my girlfriends and I had lunch Friday afternoon. The location can be easily missed, and as many reviewers describe it, it definitely has a "dive" feel to it. That said, the host/waiter was friendly and helpful and the seafood was extremely fresh, hot and delicious. We shared steamed king and snow crab legs, fried shrimp and fried scallops. You would think with all the "fried" preparations one would leave feeling the guilt of a heavy, oily meal. Not at all! The breading was light, the crust crisp, but no oiliness. The timing from ordering to food on the table was quite slow, which I wouldn't have minded as much had I not had a pressing appointment. I will definitely give Half Shell another try. read more

My fiancé and I just love this place! It is cozy and we love Alex, the bartender, who will be celebrating 38 years of working there. We go there when we want to treat ourselves, as the crab legs and oysters are so yummy! They will be celebrating 50 years of being in business, this year, which says a lot. We always sit at the bar and Alex always remembers us and knows that we like to order champagne with our crab legs. His laugh is so infectious and we always leave satisfied. Anyone that doesn't like this place is just clueless! read more

My boyfriend and I haven't been to Half Shell since before the lockdown, but we've been itching to go back! He loves seafood and Half Shell has some of the best selection near us on top of being amazingly affordable. The plates are the perfect level of casual and fun, while still being delicious. Their indoor ambiance is fun and chaotic and captivates your attention with all the lights and decoration, and their outdoor seating looks amazing although we haven't been yet. Half Shell is a neighborhood staple, definitely try it out! read more

Don't pass up on this place! Before you go, know that it is cash only. If your are ever in the neighborhood and you love crab legs, give this place a try. It's located in the basement of what looks like a three flat. I would say the atmosphere is more casual. Some people call it divey, I can see that. But, it's nice to be able to have awesome crab legs and not have to break the bank or be dressed in Sunday's best. After all, there is really no polite way to eat crab legs anyway! I'll start with the cons, the place is small, like I said it is like a converted basement apartment. You have to find street parking. The pros outweigh the cons though. The crab is honestly the best I have ever had. It's sweet not fishy and it's slightly salty. You don't really need a sauce with it, but the garlic butter that they serve it with is out of this world. Fries and bread came with the meal under the crab. On there own the fires and bread were average. Nothing special. But dipping the fries and bread in that garlic butter sauce, holy heck! The king crab legs are huge too! The meat I was pulling out from the leg was bending the fork! Ok that was an over exaggeration, but the meat was bigger then my finger. You defiantly get your money's worth and really do you want to go to a place that has the cheapest crab around? You get what you pay for when it comes to seafood. Don't be a crab and pass this place up. read more

Half Shell - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Worst service I've ever had in life! So frustrating when servers are more interested in their phones than patrons.

Talk about hole-in-the-wall, here's a "hole-in-the-ground" place... not because its bad food, but because its literally halfway underground. It has to be the easiest restaurant to miss when looking for some good seafood around Lakeview. And with the "Half Shell" sign out front looking like the "Shell Gas" logo (but without this summer's outrageous prices underneath) it's easy to pass up. And speaking of prices... the lunch specials are more than fair, ranging from 6-7 bucks for crab cakes, softshell crab sandwich, scallops, catfish etc... It comes with fries, sauce, a pickle, the whole deal. A quick lunch stop shouldn't set you back more than $10. Highly recommended! read more

Went there last night for dinner spur of the moment. Nice low key place, neighborhood bar look and feel. Kept it simple with beer and crab legs - I had the King, she had the Snow. Mine were pretty bad, smaller portion than I thought it would be and about half of them tasted pretty bad. The shells were soft and uncrackable. She had a pretty generous portion, good size throughout. She said all of them were good, and thankfully she had extra because I got pretty tired of fearing my next bite... The ones I had were all good, and we were both full on our way out the door. I know that its tough to guaruntee quality on something like seafood - especially shellfish, and we didnt get food poisoning - so that is why the three stars. I like the unintentional dive bar quality too, and would go back ~ for snow crab legs. read more

Had some excellent crab and shrimp. Delish, and good fries, too. Pleasantish staff. Extremely small, though. Tad claustrophobic. Try to get here earlyish if you don't want to wait for a table, as their table management is an area of opportunity for them. Tried to eat here three times, left the first two cause the wait was ludicrous. Finally sat at a table the third time and felt like a giant cause the table was so small. But, the food was great. read more

It deserves five stars for the quality of food. King crab platter is a great deal Half shell sashimi platter is a must if you like raw tuna. Its a dive bar so don't expect amazing service or some upscale atmosphere. I wouldn't go with more than two people its small and it is cash only. I will certainly be back. People that rate this bad either hate dive bars or don't like crab. read more

This is a great secret underground seafood shack! Great specials, awesome atmosphere and very friendly staff! read more

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