The Pier at 192 — Restaurant in Park Ridge

5 STARS ALL THE F*CKING WAY. Thank you, Ralph, for running a local business that provides a memorable dining experience for seafood lovers! I'm not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best meals I've had.

The Pier is a casual family-owned restaurant serving only the freshest seafood. They only have five tables for dine-in, so it's more of a take-out place. If you would like to eat in, you can always call for a reservation and they're happy to accommodate. We called for a table around 4pm on a Sunday. There's plenty of parking available on site.

The interior is super cute and filled with beach and ocean-themed decorations. If you're a seafood lover, this is heaven for you. They have tons of variety on their menu- lobster, crab, octopus, calamari, mussels, clams, oysters, shrimp, salmon, cod, etc. I only saw a few non-seafood options, such as their house burger, ribs, and strip steak.

We ordered the bacon wrapped scallops (4 for $13) and 2 lobster rolls (warm with butter aka Connecticut style) for $25 each. You get to choose a side with the roll, so I went with the sweet potato fries. It does take awhile to get your food but that's because they make every single dish FRESH!!! So many restaurants nowadays don't care anymore and just hand you reheated, low quality food. That's not the case here.

The bacon wrapped scallops with sweet chili soy sauce... OH MY GOODNESS!!! The flavor profile was out of this world- salty, juicy, tangy, sweet, buttery and spicy all at the same time. The scallops were seared perfectly and were so tender. The bacon wasn't too crispy or fatty either and its smokiness paired well with the scallops.

Now for the big prize... the lobster rolls!!!! This is the best lobster roll I've ever had. They did not skimp out on the portions. The lobster pieces were big, juicy, and full of flavor. The butter sauce and fresh lemon were just the cherry on top to enhance the flavor. The bun was fluffy and well toasted with butter. SOOO GOOD. The sweet potato fries were crispy and well seasoned. It was a meal I wish I could savor forever.

The service was amazing from start to finish. Our server was super friendly and Ralph, the owner, was a pleasure to speak with. He checked in on us and asked us how we liked the food. He truly cares about customers' dining experience and serving food cooked with love. He's been in the restaurant industry for over 20 years, so this man really knows what he's doing! I will be a returning customer again and again and again. Please come by and try The Pier...

Rejoice, this is one of those restaurants that simply does not miss — even with takeout, which by its very nature suffers a smidge from the cooling and in-container steaming. Everything is good, and I've tried most of the menu at this point. Three cheers for the staff (who are extremely friendly and accommodating) before I detail the food AKA why you're reading this at all.

Pro Tip — Take advantage of the specials. The delightful mainstays will be there when you come back (and you will)

THE ESSENTIALS

RHODE ISLAND CALAMARI — For you traditionalists, you'll still enjoy what is perfectly-cooked calamari with a banging marinara. For the boundary-pushers, you're also getting a nice lil stickysweet dipping sauce and fried accoutrement. Everyone wins.

SAUTEED MUSSELS — I won't even explain these in hopes the intrigue alone compels you to try them. Just do it. Even if you're allergic to shellfish. For legal reasons, I will clearly state that this is a joke, but seriously tho, these are so good.

RISOTTO — I get it with scallops bc hello, scallop risotto? How chic. And I come back to it time and time again because it is scallop risotto done Perfectly

FISH AND CHIPS — Funny story. My mom is TRYING to try everything on the menu but she keeps ordering the fish and chips bc it's so good. She's bothered by this, but it's a good thing.

STEAK FRIES — I know, I know, steak fries usually suck. I used to think so until I tried these. Millenia of potato cultivation has led us to this, their finest application yet.

STUFFED SOLE — The beauty of the Pier @ 192 broils, but with a #Dazzling, dill-laden filling. I love her with all my heart.

BROILS — Whichever you choose, know you are choosing correctly. Talk about rich and buttery. It ain't health food, but that's what keeps me coming back.

With the essentials out of the way, some other things I can personally attest to. While they didn't make the Essentials list, they are no less fantastic.

(app) coconut shrimp (app) grilled octopus (main) fried clam strips (main) lobster roll (main) filet tips (yes, land-critters at the seafood place...) (main) fish tacos (main) lobster ravioli

You'll notice that most of the menu is within this review. Like I said, given what/how much I've tried, I'm confident everything here...

First off, the taste of the lobster roll was good. But Im pretty sure its hard to mess up a warm lobster roll warm lobster with butter. The new england clam chowder was a bit wattery for me. I prefer a thicker, more clam flavor NE clam "broth". This was far too soupy and not nearly the clam taste Im accustomed to. It's probably due to the lack of meat. The clam chowder was 85% broth, 12 % potato, and 2% clam. Weak at best.

The portion size vs. cost was even weaker. Approximately 5 ozs of lobster on a tradional sized hot dog bun. The roll is $25. The clam chowder was served in a pint container 2/3 full. 6ozs of chowder for 8$.

While the flavor of the roll was good, it was not great, and the soup ( which is one of my favorite style soups) was far below par. These two items are definitely a hard pass for me in the future. The service is very good. The place is clean, and Im sure there are other items that are their strong points but the roll and chowder are neither standouts nor a fair value for portion size. I personally. Prefer a slightly larger portion of food but this place serves portions that are too small in one portion but too much food if I doubled my order. Maybe they should offer small and large alternatives. Ill go back and give another item a try because of the good service . Hopefully Ill find something I like. Finally $47 for two soups and a small sandwich is not a great value. But nice people and a clean...