La Palapa

It's OK. Looks more appealing from the outside than it is on the inside.Pros: Plenty of options to choose from.Lots of seasonings offered.Cons:Food doesn't seem fresh.Fries were too salty.Karaoke speaker volume is not balanced out well, excessive highs.Pro tip: If you want to see the worst Photoshop ever, it's in the bathroom.I've been wanting to eat here for a while now. Every time I go by this place, the large, gimmicky shark is hard to miss and all the guests dining makes me crave seafood.Hostess service was friendly and our server had a welcoming personality. The food arrived in a timely fashion and we were all ready to dig in. The paella had plenty of variety but the quality of the seafood did not seem fresh or worth coming back for. Granted, Chicago is a city that prides itself on encased meats and not fresh seafood. Yet, plenty of better seafood options are to be found across the city. We also ordered a burrito which seemed average in taste and quality and fries that were too salty.This place can probably be a lot of fun with an all-adult party of friends, ceviche, and beers. But if you're looking for a great seafood experience, best to try other venues. Sorry.

Mexican restaurant in McKinley Park that specializes in seafood dishes. I've gotten it to go and dined in. Dining in is the better experience. It's got a big space, with lots of tables, and on Saturday nights, when I went, there was a mariachi band playing. A fun atmosphere for sure. I got the squid (pulpo) dish, very tasty, and when I got it to go, I'd gotten the prawns dinner, good, but a lot of shell. Regardless though, you get a lot of food. Since it's mainly seafood, as you can imagine the prices aren't cheap, but they're not SUPER high, and you get your money's worth. A few parking spots along the side, but you can just do street parking down the block if those fill up. I'd definitely recommend if you live in Bridgeport, or any nearby area, if you're a fan of seafood and looking for a little nicer Mexican dining experience.

I've always been curious about this place, and gone past it a million times. There's plenty of street parking nearby. The place is incredibly spacious inside, and there wasn't a wait for a table even on a Saturday night, but there were plenty of folks there. We loved the live mariachi band that was playing, though it was quite loud which made conversation hard. The music was fantastic though, so I really can't complain. I wasn't familiar with the names of a lot of things on the menu, and the descriptions weren't always helpful, so we just kind of guessed and picked a couple options based on what sounded exciting. Shortly after sitting down, the waitress brought over chips and a salsa and a ceviche - they were both fantastic and got me so excited for the dinner we were about to have! I also ordered a limón agua fresca which was delicious - and massive! For our dinner, we ordered a prawn dish and an octopus dish. While both had great flavor, the octopus was a bit chewier than I prefer and tasted a little overcooked - my husband really enjoyed it. There was some kind of red chili or pepper with a sort of plasticy texture all over the octopus that both of us couldn't figure out. The prawns were fantastic though a bit messy since the head was still on. I also wished that there was some sort of side or vegetable to balance out the dishes - perhaps we couldn't find it in the menu, but I think it would have been nice to have a bit of brightness to help the seafood really pop. We ended up eating most but not all of the octopus and the waitress kept asking if we didn't like it after we finished. We said that it was nice and we were full, and didn't love that she kept pushing on that. I'm game to try anything once, and I'm glad I came here, but it wasn't my personal favorite.

Tried it for the first time with some friends. Ordered the mariscada for the three of us. It was more than enough food for all three of us and comes with a side of rice. The dish exceeded our expectations, the octopus was so tender and the seasoning was so good, just enough spice to get that warm feeling. If you add the sauce on top of the rice too, bomb. It also went great with the garlic bread. Service was a little slow for the amount of ppl they had working and the amount of ppl in the restaurant, we had to keep flagging the server. The restaurant itself had ample seating and we were seated inside but they have a side with garage like doors that were open and we were right next to so we were able to eat inside but still enjoy the great weather.

I told my honey bun I had a taste for Red Snapper and after a quick google search this is where he brought me. The restaurant was extremely spacious and all of the staff was extremely friendly. We were brought salsa and ceviche as an appetizer. Both had a nice flavor. They gave a large drink selection. I ordered horchata. It was more thin in texture than I'd like but again the flavor was great.I ordered the snapper as my meal and was shocked by the serving size. I ordered the diabla sauce on the side and enjoyed the fish and the sauce. Def will be back again.

I had not been here in years. I love what they've done to the place. It is definitely way more spacious than before. We came for my dad's birthday & he loved it. They had live music playing since we went on the weekend. We did not have reservations and we were seated quickly.

I don't know what's in the langostinos and ronpecolchon sauce, but it was amazing! And the ceviche and salsa were really fresh.Lots of patio space and great for groups!

I'm glad I was able to finally make it to La Palapa the other night. We went around 8 on a Saturday night and were seated right away but the restaurant was pretty busy. We tried their prawns and octopus - the prawns were delicious but the octopus was a little overcooked. We enjoyed our drinks but service was a little slow so we decided to forgo a second drink. I'd love to try it when the patio is opened in the summer

The food is good. But they charge extra fee for paying with a card. If you want to just pay for what you ordered and tip, you need to pay with cash. If you don't have cash with you, you have to pay extra fee. Among all the restaurants that I have been to, it is the only one that charges extra fee if you pay with a card. No one told me that they charge extra fee when I made the payment. I found it on the bill after I got home. I called twice and the waitress said the manager hadn't come to work yet. She said she will tell the manager to call me back after he came. But I never got any call from them.

Absolutely the best mariscos in Chicago! Always pristine and very flavorful. Service is prompt and gracious. The outside patio and mariachi bands are great fun when the weather cooperates.