Alegrias Seafood — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Ok so I read a lot of reviews about how expensive this place is and yada yada yada, BUT we went thinking why not try it? First of all, we walked in with two giant bottles of wine and a case of white claw and were instantly brought an ice bucket and glasses. Our waitress was incredibly attentive and able to answer all of our questions very quickly. We were also brought a complimentary tostada with crab and cucumber and carrots on it. They gave us one for each person and they were delicious! The perfect mix of lime and refreshing veggies to go with the crab.

We started with the small alegrias mix. It came on an oval serving plate the length of my forearm and was piled high with chilled seafood! It was more than enough for 4 people to split as an appetizer. That was around $23 if I remember correctly.

I ordered the fish filet with garlic spicy sauce and it was the biggest filet of fish I’ve ever seen! It took up half the serving plate and the other half was piled with French fries, salad, and rice! I thought spicy garlic sauce just meant sauce with a bit of garlic minced in the sauce. However, I was wrong. My fish filet came covered in tons of minced garlic tossed with spicy sauce. It was actually spicier than my friend shrimp diablo! I love spice so it was perfect!

My boyfriend got the red snapper which came out as the whole fish, also covered in garlic, with the same sides. My two friends had shrimp diablo and a mix of octopus, oysters, and shrimp in a spicy sauce. We all shared and everything was incredibly tasty and fresh! We all had leftovers due to the huge serving sizes as well. The lady next to me had the 7 seas soup that came with shrimp,, crab legs, oysters, mussels, octopus, scallops, and fish, and it was in a giant bowl! I will definitely be trying that the next time I go!

Overall, the service was phenomenal, the food was delicious, and the price was not half bad for good seafood. For our big appetizer platter and four huge entrees we paid a little less than $40 per person and that included a 20% tip. I would highly recommend...

Phenomenal food with an even better staff.

BYOB is probably what one should always lead off with. They have virgin cocktails that could easily facilitate some alcohol. There are two small grocery stores on Ashland that sell wine/beer/booze, so support them vs the target/CVS if you are planning to get a bit saucy.

Meal:

Appetizer: Ceviche - fresh and flavorful. They have a side salsa (for lack of a better term) that you can drizzle on to add some heat. Served with tostadas, it was really delightful. Would have ordered more Appetizers, but that would have been a tactical error for the entree to come.

Main Affair: Alegrias Special (2-3) people.

Dios Mio - this thing is stacked. For starters, this things serves 3-4 people if you are an average eater/normal human. The wait staff told us they have a guest that can eat the platter by themselves, and candidly I am terrified to know that some monster man-bear hybrid is walking these streets crushing lobster/crab/shrimp/prawn platters on a whim. That image aside - this dish is a festival of colors and flavors that cannot be missed. The crab was cooked to perfection; half prawns were beautifully seasoned and, the star of the show, the whole lobster split and stuffed with a medley of shrimp, oysters and scallops is something to behold. This meal is a treasure - check out Chicago's Best episode for more - and should be experienced by any seafood fan.

Last, but certainly not least, the staff was amazing. Incredibly attentive, helpful with questions about "what is this spice/flavor I can't put my finger on" and warning us that Joey Chestnut/grizzly bear hybrids are the next great threat to Chicago in 2020. Really helpful overall and helped seal this as a no doubt 5 star.

Only criticism - and I can't fault them for the global situation- is the outside eating space is limited and on Ashland (fairly noisy). Again - 5 stars for normal times when we can eat indoors, but fair warning that this may not be the quiet dinner spot outside.

So please, get out there and...

Saw this restaurant on Fox News one morning and decided to give it a shot.

Very small but comforting establishment. When you walk in you get that homely feel to it, almost reminds you of a spot you would see in Miami somewhere. Came on a Wednesday and it was almost full but we managed to find a seat with no wait at all. Service was great. Waitress was very friendly and helpful with giving us more information about the menu items.

Now lets get to the food... Let me first say...

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My only warning to anyone who comes into the establishment is to go in VERY HUNGRY because the portion size they give you for your entrees is huge. You are almost guaranteed to take at least anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of your meal home. I ordered Shrimps A La Diabla (Hot) and everything from the shrimp, rice, fries and even bread was excellent. Absolutely no complaints. And even with the shrimp being hot, it wasn't hot enough to not eat.

Second entree ordered was Chapuzon Del Mar (a mixture of Octopus, shrimp and oysters) and it was huge. And this was the smaller of the two selections. Im assuming that anyone who orders the Grande selection has to be sharing it with at least 3 other people. Seasoned perfectly.

And if that isn't enough....ITS BYOB!

BYOB! BYOB! BYOB!

Its nothing negative I can say about this spot. Its almost a little hidden gem right there on Ashland. I advise anyone if they are interested in some good quality seafood with a mexican twist to it, THIS IS YOUR PLACE! Even the price is reasonable especially considering how much food they give you.

Will dine many...