The Run Down

This guide is part of our Good Eats series where we find food spots around the city that we think are worthy of going out of your way to visit. We have two places in store for this guide. The first is on the Southside in Bronzeville where you can have a traditional Louisiana-style seafood boil and the second is a massive Filipino grocery store (Seafood City Market) on the Northwest side in Albany Park. Here are the highlights.

1. Crab boil @ Two Fish

2. Garlic pata @ Seafood City Market

2. Two Fish

With Chicago being as far as you can be from an ocean, we’re always scoping out good and affordable seafood options in the city.  Two Fish in Bronzeville fits that bill and has become a go-to place to satisfy those seafood cravings.

This is a place you’ll go to do a traditional Louisiana-style seafood boil and have your meal come out in a plastic bag filled with your choice of crab legs, shrimp, crawfish, corn on the cob, and sausages in their special mix of sauces.

Here’s a pro-tip for you. If you end up going with the seafood boil — get an order of their fries as well and use those fries as a vessel to soak up all that saucy goodness in the bag.

Lastly, another reason why we have such a big affinity for this place is because when you hear about supporting local, this is the epitome of that.  The owner (Yasmin Curtis), probably could have opened Two Fish up anywhere in the city and had success, but she chose to invest on the Southside in Bronzeville. She and other entrepreneurs in the area are the one of the reason for Bronzeville’s rejuvenation.

2. Seafood City Market

Our first featured place is Seafood City Market, a California-based Filipino grocer, that made its long awaited Chicago debut in 2016. Inside the grocery store is a gigantic food court with several restaurants that each specialize in a certain style of Filipino cooking.  Try one or try them all — it’s a cafeteria style setup so you can see all their offerings right up at the counter.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to try Filipino cuisine, then going to this place is a great way to fully immerse yourself in the food culture and get a crash course in this style of cuisine that’s evolved from a mix of Asian, Spanish, and American influences.

You can see those influences jump right on your plate if you order a traditional Filipino breakfast which normally includes rice (Asian), chorizo (Spanish), spam and eggs (American). By the way, you can order that for under $5 here.

Lastly, if you need any further reason to make your way to this part of town, you can also pair it with out this guide we wrote about the Labagh Woods — a forest preserve just a few blocks away.

X