This joint has pretty good food, and decent prices. Portions are relatively big, seafood mostly. The quality and taste of the food is pretty average, nothing really stands out nor memorable. It is a very small, casual location. Good spot for the summer, not so sure about the winter. The Out door seating area is bigger than the indoor seating. I was not WOW-ed away, I had high hopes for this place. I will give it another whirl and see if my opinion changes, stay tune. read more

Wow i see quite a few bad reviews. Well our (my gf and me) experience was great. Ive passed this place sooo many times always saying i been wanting to go. Well the night finally came, it was a spur of the moment decision and a good decision it was. It was a saturday around 530 and it wasnt to packed. we found parking right in front. I could only imagine how hard it would be though if the place were packed. Since its at the intersection of damen and archer it can get quite busy there but luckily that night wasnt. Anyway, the place seemed comfortable, the waitress was very friendly since i told her it was our first time here. I brought beer so it was awn now. I forget the dish i was gonna order but instead the waitress recommended the "Filete Relleno" and it was awsome. It is a talapia filet under a bed of shrimps,octapuss and crab w onions,cilantro and melted cheese on top. it is baked in a foil tent and comes w french fries rice and a little salad. My gf had the talapia filet that was awsome as well. When your seated they give you a consume or fish soup which was def tasty too. Oh and we also ordered the fish ceviche. I havent had enough ceviche to say this was awsome but it def was tasty. along w the beers this was a night to not forget. The icing on the cake was the table in back of us was paying some musicos to play them music for about an hour or so. There was an accordian player and a singer. I felt like i was in mexico on the beach-my gf said the same. Minus the heat and sun of coarse. :( All in all though this was def a great night. I will return and will probably have the same awsome dish. And probably request the same cute waitress. LOL. j/k babe. Two big stubby thumbs up. With a bottle of Modelo in hand. Arriba Muchachos read more

La Palapa - These two guys were entertaining the table behind us. Was a good night. Our first time here and food and music was excellent. - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is another overlooked gem in McKinley Park. Came here for lunch today and was really impressed. The place is tiny but actually seats a lot of people. There is an indoor area and an enclosed patio that is probably open in the summer. There was a lunchtime crowd--we came in just towards the end of the Friday lunch rush, and everyone seemed to be enjoying their food. As we were waiting for our food we saw folks digging into their dishes with gusto. The guys next to us had the seafood soup, which looked great, and they were also making their way through an enormous plate of shrimp. At another table, someone had ordered ceviche tostadas, which seems to be a specialty of the house. They even serve you a little sample of ceviche along with some tostadas and salsa verde as an amuse bouche as soon as you are seated. We were really temped by the seafood soup, but opted for a few lighter items this time. We had an order of shrimp empanadas, which came with four crisp, hot half moon pastries about four inches wide. They were moist and flavorful on the inside and nicely filled with shrimp. We also had a plate of fried smelt. not sure what came over us, but I just wanted a plate o' little fried fish. What can I say? They came probably right out of the deep fryer garnished with four lime wedges and were pretty darn tasty. Finally, we had a hurrache topped with cheese and poblano peppers, lettuce, cilantro tomatoes and onions. The thing was huge and filled one of those oval-shaped plates. It was good, but not the best I've had--probably because the proportion of iceberg lettuce to cilantro was high. anyway, I would recommend this place for a quick, casual bite. I have not been here for dinner, but Denise P.'s review makes it sound pretty rockin'. I'm sure it'll be great to enjoy seafood cocktail and ceviche tostadas on their patio in the summer. The fiberglass shark on their roof is back, and I plan to be as well. read more

If you have hours to kill, this is the place for you. It took nearly an hour to get our food. When we finally got our food, my tacos were cold. My nieces also complaint that their cups/drinks tasted like Fabuloso. I've also never been to a restaurant that took it upon itself to add their own gratuity for a party of five! On top of that, parties over four are not allowed to split the tab. Frankly, I've had better tasting tacos, faster service, and cheaper menu prices. I won't be visiting again. I was raised and grew up along the coast and the prices there weren't even this high for seafood. I had better fish tacos in Madison. read more

In retrospect, it makes perfect sense that there would be a gigantic fiberglass shark lurching from the rooftop of a tiny blue shack of a Mexican seafood joint surrounded by synthetic palm trees. Nothing less than a shark, a particularly tenacious shark with blood dripping from its jaws, could possibly have lured our attention away from the 10x10 likeness of Mark Twain's creation at Huck Finn Donuts next door. That's the way they roll in McKinley Park. All we really wanted was a drink, to sit beneath the thatched straw umbrellas out front, and soak in the cold grey pallor of the March Chicago sky while watching the rumbling metallic boxes sail by on the asphalt sea of Archer Avenue. It did say "cocteles" on the sign out front, and there *were* in fact five kinds of cocktails. As in, five kinds of *shrimp* cocktails. How do people drink those things? The straws are never big enough to suck them up. I didn't think anybody ate at 4 pm other than factory workers and senior citizens, but this place was hopping and festive. We were crammed into a corner, face to face with a fish that looked like a bulldog with scales. We weren't hungry, but after some time it got awfully awkward sitting at a restaurant with no purpose, so we did order something. The snack in review: the horchata was good, the fish tacos were outstanding, the table side hot sauce came in six varieties, but the calamari was pretty unexciting except for the fact that they looked like giant spaghetti-os. We must have crunched on the complementary tostadas (served with ceviche) for hours, but wished we had stayed for one more round... the mariachis (including an accordion) strolled in just as we were leaving. On the way out, looking back up at the lurching shark, it now seemed that it was cocktail sauce, not blood, dripping from its jaws. read more

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. read more

Amazing food! The seafood is very fresh. We ordered charolada de mariscos. Different seafood mixed together. The amount of small size is huge. Definitely enough for 2-3 people. Recommend here read more

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I understand that this location has changed names and ownership several times over the years - so I'm sure I'm not the first to lament the drastic changes - but this place used to be Don Jose Tamaleria and Tacqueria with delicious handmade tamales and not-so-great-but-certainly-interesting champurrado. And now the quiet little tamale shop has become an odd bustling Mexican seafood joint with mariachi players. I'm not saying it's a bad thing - but it's a very different thing. When a place I love changes ownership and gets a new name, what I look for is if it still held onto those things that made it great and worth visiting. Alas and alack, there are no tamales to be found on this menu. The one thing that made them great and worth navigating buses and trains to visit to pick up a dozen tamales - it's all gone. What's worse is that the cheap tamales have been replaced with rather-expensive seafood dishes. If you search the corners of your menu, you'll find a few rare items that contain NO sea creatures, but I guess that's not what their clientele is coming to eat. I will hand it to them - the seafood dishes are large and seemingly plentiful for the price, but I also noticed a lot of rice on the dishes as filler as well as some quite-interesting french fries on some of the platters. And yes, the place is BYOB. Bonus points for the fact that the menu says "BYOB (BRING YOUR OWN BEBERAGE)". If I ever make it back here (after weeks of therapy to cope with my grief of losing a great tamaleria) I will probably wind up trying either the "Vuelve A La Vida" seafood cocktail (no clue what's in it) - or "Camarones Al Gusto" shrimp platter (to choose having it served "Ranchero", "Garlic" or "Diabla") - and I'll definitely have to find out what a "Mexican Coca-Cola" is. The place is a little crowded and noisy for my tastes, and my tastes also don't frequent the "Mexican Seafood" realm, but it seems like a decent place for now and maybe in another year or so I'll be writing a review about whatever came and replaced La Palapa. read more

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... read more

I have eaten at "La Palapa" 3x and I have nothing but great things to say. 1. Food is delicious and their ceviche appetizer will make you want to order it as your actual meal. 2. You are basically transported to a beach located south of the border with all of their decor and the live music they have ( small band plays even during the week). 3. I have had the pleasure to eat here multiple times and the customer service has always been top notch. Overall, I have found a seafood rest. that won't break my wallet but even if it did, I would still eat here often. read more

The filete relleno is so good. The prices are pretty moderate. Not too cheap, not too expensive. But what can you expect? It is seafood. The environment is really nice, especially in the summer time. It makes you feel like you're actually down at a beach or something. I definitely recommend going here. read more

La Palapa - Filete Relleno - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was hoping to like this place but was greatly disappointed . Prices are higher than other places I have to. The positions are small as well . Employees seems unprofessional but I can see why given that the owner was sitting behind my table talking to the girl and work hours . What business owner handles work issues out in the open ? read more

Don't you hate zombies? I do. The smell, the sights, the incessant groaning for brains. Very annoying. You know what scares zombies away? A giant fiberglass shark. Fake trees, giant shark, pigeons, some banda music. And some killer Mexican seafood. That's all you need. I think I'm ready for the zombie apocalypse. If you don't like zombies then replace that with killer robots, vampires, Frankenstein monsters, A Walk To Remember, what have you. They start you off with the obligatory nachos and salsas, but with a twist! A small serving of ceviche accompanies these small starters and you are on your way to Atlantis - where everything's better because it is wetter under the sea. Our order? The house special paella, grilled calamari, and an order of fish tacos. The grilled calamari came to us first, ready to be devoured. It was flavored with the same spicy salsa that seasoned our paella. Soft, succulent, and delectable, we cleaned up our plates so that the wash staff didn't have to, but I'm sure they did anyway cause that's the way they do. Fish tacos came by and were never seen again. Because we ate them. Fast. And finally the paella filled with all the goodness of the sea. Remember that time, as a child, when you were held close by your mother, in the deep of her bosom, and she told you that she loved you? Well, it's not as good as that - and if it were, I'd feel very badly about my childhood. But it's pretty close. Bits of scallops, shrimp, crab, and a couple mussels are mixed into this dish and the flavors are right BOOYAKASHA! Respek. To drink we had an order of melon and jamaica, both very refreshing and very satisfying. Do it. read more

Wonderful Mexican seafood restaurant! So delicious !!! If you like spicy + seafood, this is the place for you! read more

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Tiki hut was cool. Bees were not. A little pricey but food was good. Seafood so price expected I guess. BYOB was a bummer. Wanted a Corona. Wasn't prepared and was my first time there so... well next time. And, yeah, I think there will be a next time. read more

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Seriously What a Disapointment!! My Husband Also has a Business and we truly Appreciate our Customers! For Any business The Customer is Always Right!! 1.Service was Very Bad!!! 2.The Food was Bad!! 3.They overcharge you, SO ALWAYS CHECK YOUR BILL TWICE!! We ended up paying for something we did Not eat, just to stop Arguing with the Manager!! I will Not recommend this restaurant!! read more

I live not too far from this place, and I pass by it all the time so I have always wondered about it. So Sunday night I ventured into this place with my hubby. The place is very small and structure of the place is pretty interesting as you can see the where they made an extension of the place without knocking down the wall that was previously the store front. I found their custom tables fascinating. Service was prompt. Now the food: CALAMARES LA PALAPA (spicy garlic calamari) - a little over-cooked, but tasted okay. CHAROLADA DE MARISCOS (sea food combo) - this was a huge plate of seafood with rice, but given it was $24 the amount was reasonable. This tasted pretty good, but just a tad too spicy for me. I can usually handle heat very well, but this was the limit for me. So brace yourself or have them tune it down for you if can't do super hot. Fish taco - was decent, I actually like the ones from Baja Fresh better. Steak taco - good, but nothing special Steak Burrito - good and huge Horchata - hands down the best I've had at a restaurant. Very refreshing without cinnamon and sugar over-kill. This one reminds me of the first horchata I had back in high school when my locker partner brought me a homemade jug of horchata. I will probably be back just for a horchata to go. read more

We have passed by this place a thousand times and never realized that its existance. I believe it was a tamale place prior to this restaurant. We were seated in the extention area that used to be the parking lot. I think it would very hot during the summer and cold during winter due to lack of ventilation/heat in this area. We ordered fish cerviche - ok, the portion was good but the fish tasteless filete relleno - good, the fish was tender and juicy due to the butter/oil inside the foil, and the rice lemony. carolada de mariscos - very good! loved the well seasoned dish with LOTS of seafood. This place definitely hit the spot in terms of spanish style seafood that is done well. read more

Omg!!! Out standing if im going to get some delicious seafood I go here NOTE!! This is no classy place it is a hole in the wall joint and its a seafood place not a steak or beef tacos place its like me going to a fried chicken place and asking them to give me a nice grilled tilapia HELLO!!! What do you expect!!! One of my favorites! From their amazing crab legs to their equally amazing langostinos my mouth is watering typing about it and their rompecolcho to die for ugh this place is amazing hands down the best and the wait staff are a sweet bunch of ladies as well! So far ive probably gone here like 5 times and every time they have exceeded my expectations my family and i love this place! Yeah their dumb as mariachi dudes are annoying but just look like your in an intense conversation and theyll leave you alone lol ENJOY!!!! and also try their oysters YUM!!! read more

My husband and nephew ordered the mattress breaker and the lady killer. It was kinda meh with not a lot of flavor. Also did not have a lot of mariscos. Mostly rice. I had the camarones la palapa and I thought it was super tasty and lots of shrimp for your money! Mostly the negative review is for the service. I know that they were busy, and that's totally understandable, but we had to wait almost 13 minutes for someone to come up to us just to take our drink order. No bueno! read more

Went on a Friday good place great food! It's byob soo that's a plus! I had camarines al ajo and my bf had langostinos. Both was delicious! They gave us michelada mix on a cup also delicious! Definitely going back!! read more

We ordered take out from this place. The service really sucks. They forgot to give us the calamari we ordered, and they weren't sorry for it either. The food is ok. If you come here, the shrimp is worth the horrible service. Other food items that were pretty good were the snapper, and suprisingly, the steak burrito. read more

5 star food. 5 star service. tostadas & ceviche appetizer is complementary-- awesome first impression. jessica s was our waitress & was as great as can be. authentic in her engagement & fully took care of us. we had the shrimp platter al mojo de aho (served with fries, fluffy veggie rice & lettuce) & a cocktail de camarones (served with tostadas & saltine crackers). both great-- and filling. being from the state of CA we didn't realize BYOB was a thing here. service fee of $3.50 had we brought beer?! awesome value considering they provide a bucket of ice! how great is that?! thank you jessica for making our experience a great one. read more

For a seafood place it was by far the worst shrimp cocktail I had ever ordered in my life. I gave them 2 stars only because I had been here before and I know the rest of the food is held to a higher standard. That same night I went with two friends and they said their dish wasn't what we are accustomed too. read more

La Palapa - This is the shrimp cocktail ... Why is it clear - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Small spot but hidden gem! best oysters ive had in the city and not to mention the langostinos. What makes this place even better is that its BYOB, bring your drinks and enjoy their amazing seafood. read more

La Palapa - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have wanted to go to this restaurant for years. When we finally made our way there, it was amazing. I wish we had gone sooner. We were served a home made ceviche with the usual salsa and chips while we were looking over the menu. They have a la carte and family style plates. My husband and I shared this dish known as "the mattress" which had a mix of seafood (shrimp, crab, scallops, and octopus) over a bed of flavorful rice. It was delicious. But be prepared, it is spicy! read more

Wait time was not bad for being Mother's Day. Customer service by our waitress was not that great. She messed up 4 orders, forgot to bring out one of the plates and an appetizer. She messed up the drinks. It was not that busy once we sat down yet she would disappear for long periods of time. My plate was average nothing out of this world. When the bill was brought over we noticed a 17$ charge byob fee. Yes they charge you for drinking in there. The gratuity was 46 dollars which I don't think she deserved. Several times she walked away to conversate with a man in there instead of taking care of her tables. I would go back to the food but they need to work on the service. Hire someone who does not mess up the orders and will pay attention to her job. read more

La Palapa - Langostinos - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Sat outside under some faux palm trees and shared some Coronas. The ambiance was great, our waitress was super friendly and sweet. Several mariachi bands stopped and tried to play, to no avail. Ordered the small shrimp and fish ceviche, which was a lot of food for a small order. I wish that our waitress would have mentioned that every table gets a small bowl of this, because we ended up with a huge plate and a small bowl. By this point, we were ceviched out. We took the waitress's recommendation for the tilapia stuffed with shrimp, octopus, and cheese, served with rice and french fries, it was just ok. We ordered a side of rice and beans which was just ok as well. We split the only dessert offered, the fried ice cream, and my friend and I are divided on whether we like this dish. It does come with sprinkles, so keep that in mind. And if you dine outside like we did, keep an eye out for spiders. There was a huge one that was lingering over me from the heat lamp. Good thing I didn't notice it till the end. read more

Horrible place. Came to eat dinner with my parents and sister & had obnoxious prices on our water drinks. For a small drink it's $5, for a large drink it's $10. I can get a large drink at a better place for $3. The food that was given to my father was raw & not cleaned well. My order of a burrito was $9 for a very small burrito with no side servings. Overall, not a recommended place unless you're trying to waste your money. read more

Part 2: After our visit, La Palapa charged my boyfriend's credit card 4X. His bank's fraud department is now involved. Needless to say, I will NEVER set foot in their establishment again. CROOKS! read more

I've been a good customer of theirs for a while and eventually introduce my family and they became customers as well. One of the reasons I liked going was because of their BYOB service. I recently went with a group of six and the bill was so expensive turns out that they now charge four dollars per person for the BYOB service although they are not supplying anything. That is the only place that I know that charges for the BYOB service. We are very disappointed and will not be going there any longer. He sido un buen cliente de ellos por un tiempo y eventualmente presenté a mi familia y ellos también se convirtieron en clientes. Una de las razones por las que me gustó ir fue por su servicio BYOB. Recientemente fui con un grupo de seis y resultó que la factura era tan cara que ahora cobran cuatro dólares por persona por el servicio BYOB, aunque no están suministrando nada. Ese es el único lugar que sé que cobra por el servicio BYOB. Estamos muy decepcionados y ya no iremos allí. read more

As a seafood lover, this is definitely a hot spot for me... The food is authentic, delicious and flavorful. I have visited quite a few seafood joints in Mexico and I believe this place is quite comparable. My favorite dish is "Pulpo a La Plancha" - exquisite! My personal indulgence is food and wine, so it being BYOB allows me to pair my meal with my personal favorite wine. I'm definitely a satisfied customer! read more

La Palapa - Pulpo a la plancha - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The service is okay; it's not spectacular, but it'll do. I've only ever had the camarones a la palapa which are great. And the best shrimp quesadillas OF MY LIFE. Also, it's BYOB, so that's awesome. (There's a fee) read more

This was so good i love that it isnt fake Because lots of resturants do that im so glad i came here the cheese sticks are amazing and the fries my mom loved the shrimp cocktail and my stepdad loved diabla shrimp this is so good i recomend this to you jave a good weekend read more

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. We walked in and did not like the weird rock gravel on the floor. We thought they were remodeling. The inside was not clean so I couldn't imagine the kitchen. There weren't many people there when we arrived. As I was looking at the menu I couldn't help but be annoyed with the loudness of the music and not to mention the vulgarity of the songs that they chose to play in a FAMILY restaurant. After waiting for 45 minutes to finally get our dishes, the fish and shrimp soup barely had any fish and shrimp and more carrots. It was very salty. I say pass to this place. Save yourself the money, time, and earaches. read more

I don't know what happened to this place. It used to be good now it's very mediocre. My husband and I took out my parents for a Sunday dinner. My dad wanted mariscos, the place he wanted was a bit far so we decided to stay local. I picked this place. I feel so bad I had to put my parents through this really bad experience. The place was full but we quickly got a table. The server took awhile to take drink order. By this time the table was so close to us that even through the very loud music we could here their conversation. Finally the sever took down our order which it was very dificultades to do cause of the loud music. We ordered appetizers and our main plates. We waited about 30mins and out apps never came out. Twice I got up and asked about our order cause our server never came back to our table. Nobody new what was going on with our order. We were getting ready to leave when suddenly our order came out. 45mins later. The appetizers along with our main dish. Food was very tasteless. Very bland. My husband ordered camarones Palapa and according to what the server said they were supposed to be sautéed in red sauce, the damn shrimp looked like it needed more than sautéed , they were so white and bland. What I noticed is that this place has no adults, I'm sorry but literally servers and hostess were teenagers. My server didn't know how what Filete a la diabla was! This place need experienced servers and cooks. Where's the owner at? read more

Service was lousy. Sat for fifteen minutes before was approached by waitress. Food was to pricey for just average sea food Would not return read more

I have to make sure to return on a day where I don't have to work the next day. Pros: We were seated immediately and we had a party of 12 BYOB MUSIC OVERALL ENVIRONMENT FOOD RATING: To soon to tell -- I let me husband order the food and it wasn't what I wanted. So I wasn't to satisfied with it. Cons: Music was a little too loud Its hard to walk cause its all in rocks everywhere **note to self don't wear high heels like I did ** Parking was a bit of an issue CTA train comes by very often - however the music is louder than the train itself WILL I RETURN? ABSOLUTELY, I sure will.. I can't wait to try other items. The stuffed filet of fish or the empanadas. Pricing: reasonable Do I recommend this place ? absolutely! YES! read more

I grew up in LA. Then moved to the South Loop where good Mexican food goes to die. So i know good Mexican food. This place is Good! Don't expect nice silver wear or table cloths. Just good food. Stars are for food! Coctel de mariscos, ceviche de pascado, Charolada!! Authentic Mexican Food FINALLY!!!!! Just like home!!! read more

The place is decent and I would recommend sitting outside for the ambiance, but food quality was lacking. If you were to come here, do groupon. Mostly likely I would not be returning. The service was SLLLLOOOOOWWWW, food took forever to come out. The Ceviche was good and the shrimp was pretty fresh. Everything besides the shrimp and tilapia was not fresh. I order a mixed seafood in a red sauce (forgot the name and it's not listed on the website). The octopus and the mussels definitely wasn't fresh, the bite was mushy and lacked flavor. I know Chicago isn't near an ocean, but for the price I expected more. The freshness as I describe it, is like buying a bag of frozen mixed seafood from the grocery store. You know what I am talking about if you have done this, if you haven't you should try this so you can differentiate. BYOB Corkage fee!!!!!! I didn't know they had one. The restaurant didn't bring us glasses or opened our bottles. Got charged $4.50 (+tax and tip on top of that too). Didn't like it at all. They should have a sign at the door. read more