Western Burbs Seafood Challenge

Best seafood in the western burbs (but not Catch-35 or Pacific Blue). Anyone... anyone?

I really, really like:

Parker's Ocean Grill
1000 31st Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(630) 960-5701





I also like:

Braxton Seafood Grill
3 Oak Brook Center Mall
Oak Brook
630-574-2155

I like Hugo's in Chicago, and although I haven't been to the one in Naperville, I assume it's similar:

Hugo's Frog Bar
55 S. Main St.
Naperville
630-548-3764

By the same token, I like Tin Fish in Tinley Park, and although I haven't been to the one in Oakbrook Terrace, I assume it's similar:

Tin Fish
17 W. 512 22nd St.
Oakbrook Terrace
630-279-0808

I like all four of these places I've been to; however, if I had to choose a favorite in the group, Parker's would win, quite handily in fact.

Chinn's 34th Street. Fresh, simple, seasonal. I have never made it to Catch 35 because when it opened that made it possible to get into Chinn's easily - before Catch 35, there was an hour or more wait most of the time.

But the question is not so simple - what do you mean by best? Simple, very fresh and good. Or fancier stuff? Chinese prep, grilled, complex American? Most of these places have different approaches, so I would be hard-pressed to say one is better than the other.

Anyway, Chinn's gets my vote whether you include Pacific Blue or not. If you want a place to compare to Pacific Blue, go try out Fabulous Noodles' seafood offerings - not a joke, excellent seafood prepared Cantonese style including fish, clams, scallops, crab and more. It is what PB would be without the frou frou, and the prices are much better, too.

Can't say I have sampled Parker's, or if I have it was a very long time ago. Like I said, hard to get past Chinn's when I have a hankering for fresh seafood prepared simply.

Chinn's 34th Street Fishery
3011 W. Ogden Ave.
Lisle 60532-1608
630-637-1777

Fabulous Noodles
4663 Old Tavern Road
Lisle, IL 60532
630-305-8868

Fabulous Noodles does a lot of things well, but if I'm craving seafood at a Chinese restaurant, I go to House of Emperor in Naperville. It's on Naper Blvd just north of 75th, at the NW end of the strip mall with Dominick's at the other end. Given the quality of the food, and how long it's been in business, I'm really amazed the place hasn't been mentioned here!

Back to the thread...given the available choices, I would opt for Chinn's or TinFish, with Isabella's, Niche, and Riva as backups.

Mark, have you tried the seafood at FN? Just curious.

Yeah, HoE does feature seafood and has a very good rep. It is my local Chinese place, about a mile from the house, and somewhere along the way I grew to dislike it - I suppose because so much of their food is so Ameri-chinese, so I have this bias against it. But it is a good choice for Cantonese style seafood, you are right.

To reply to one earlier post, I like Hugo's in N'ville quite a bit, but have not found their seafood to be great, just good and serviceable, but nowhere near the choice or quality of prep of the other places mentioned, IMO. Decent place to go, but I lean to their beef which is usually very good.

I love Braxton in Oakbrook. Great specials, especially the 1-lb lobster at cost in the bar (at certain days/times, call first). I've never had a bad meal here.

I ate at Tin Fish in Oakbrook last Friday and also today.

While there may be better options suggested, which I haven't tried yet, I've been to both Braxton and Tin Fish multiple times with different groups of people, and people have always enjoyed their meals. Both places take reservations, too.

Just adding my 2 cents. Chinn's 34th Street is good, as is Braxton, but I really do like Catch 35. The last few meals I've had there have been very good. Try the halibut with crabmeat or sea bass...I think you'll be hard-pressed to find better fish dishes around the burbs.

I'm not a huge fan of Chinese seafood, but HOE usually gets it right, in my experience. Candidly, I order from there a few times a week, and occasionally will order the shrimp and scallops in "phoenix nest", which always is very good. (Dicksond, we must be neighbors.)

Hugo's has quite a bit of fish on the menu, and good seafood appetizers such as crabmeat avocado. However, I, too, am always drawn toward the steak there. In fact, I'll probably be having one in a few hours.

dicksond wrote:I like Hugo's in N'ville quite a bit, but have not found their seafood to be great, just good and serviceable, but nowhere near the choice or quality of prep of the other places mentioned, IMO. Decent place to go, but I lean to their beef which is usually very good.

Ron A. wrote:Hugo's has quite a bit of fish on the menu, and good seafood appetizers such as crabmeat avocado. However, I, too, am always drawn toward the steak there. In fact, I'll probably be having one in a few hours.

It's worth mentioning (particularly if some members of your party prefer meat) that Hugo's is owned by Gibson's Steakhouse. (Which is why it's no coincidence that the Chicago locations of both restaurants are side by side.)

dicksond wrote:Mark, have you tried the seafood at FN? Just curious.

Yeah, HoE does feature seafood and has a very good rep. It is my local Chinese place, about a mile from the house, and somewhere along the way I grew to dislike it - I suppose because so much of their food is so Ameri-chinese, so I have this bias against it. But it is a good choice for Cantonese style seafood, you are right.

I haven't tried seafood at Fabulous Noodles in about four years...so if you feel it's improved since then, please make a couple suggestions, and I'd be more than happy to try one out on my next visit!

I'm of the belief that authenticity is much less important than taste and distinctiveness, so if the main menu at House of Emperor contains mostly Americanized Chinese, I don't hold it against the place. Fact is, they do it better than anywhere else in the area...and they do have a "secret menu" if you ask...

For reference, the Oakbrook Terrace Tin Fish location is no longer.

Reel Club in Oak Brook is excellent. I like it almost as much as Parker's.

Chinn’s 34th Street Fishery closing Saturday after 25-year run; owners say they’re victims of ‘crippling blow’ of business loss

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ ... story.html