Best Girls Night Out Seafood Restaurants in Chicago
26 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Tanta
Peruvian ceviches and seafood plates matched with pisco cocktails in a clubby, colorful room.
Notable Picks
#1
Tanta
8.8
Tanta is a high-volume Peruvian restaurant where ceviches, tiraditos, and seafood-forward share plates headline alongside a deep pisco cocktail list. It’s loud, colorful, and consistently busy, making it a go-to when you want seafood with more spice, acidity, and nightlife energy than a traditional raw bar.
Must-Try Dishes:
Cebiche Trio, Pulpo Acebichado, Arroz con Mariscos
What Makes it Special: Peruvian ceviches and seafood plates matched with pisco cocktails in a clubby, colorful room.
Vibes:
Girls Night Out Approved
Birthday & Celebration Central
Trendy Table Hotspots
Group Dining Gatherings
The Hampton Social - Streeterville is a coastal-inspired New American spot where frosé, seafood plates, and shareable snacks anchor lively brunches and dinners just off the Mag Mile. Guests use it for pre-show meetups, group celebrations, and upbeat nights built around cocktails and comfort food. The bright, beachy room and consistent crowds make it one of Streeterville’s most dependable social restaurants for American fare.
Must-Try Dishes:
Lobster Roll, Truffle Fries, Fish & Chips
What Makes it Special: Coastal-inspired American plates and cocktails in a bright, party-ready room.
8.6
A polished Pilsen mariscos room where the kitchen treats aguachiles, tostadas, and ceviches like chef-driven small plates—bright acids, clean seafood flavor, and confident heat. The menu rotates, but the best meals balance chilled bites (tuna tostada, scallop aguachile) with one warm, shareable plate before dessert.
Must-Try Dishes:
Hokkaido scallop aguachile, Tuna tostada, Butter oysters
What Makes it Special: Chef-driven Mexican seafood with rotating, technique-forward aguachiles and tostadas.
#4
Ocean Prime
8.6
A high-volume, reservation-driven surf-and-turf room where the steakhouse side is most reliable when you keep the order classic: broiled steaks, one rich side, and a clean starter. It reads more modern-lounge than old-school clubby, making it a strong downtown choice for polished nights out and client dinners.
Must-Try Dishes:
Filet mignon, Chilean sea bass, Black truffle mac & cheese
What Makes it Special: Modern surf-and-turf polish with a consistent steakhouse backbone.
8.4
A mariscos-forward spot that leans into bold coastal flavors—think bright ceviches, saucy shrimp plates, and seafood that’s meant to be paired with a cocktail. It’s strongest when you order like a table: one chilled starter, one hot seafood main, and keep the drink lane moving.
Must-Try Dishes:
Aguachile, Ceviche, Salmon
What Makes it Special: Mariscos-driven menu built for ceviche + cocktail pairing.
#6
Bar Mar
8.4
Vibes:
Trendy Table Hotspots
Happy Hour Hotspots
Girls Night Out Approved
Business Lunch Power Players
Bar Mar is José Andrés’ seafood-centric restaurant on the ground floor of the Bank of America Tower, built around oysters, ceviches, and luxed-up classics like lobster rolls. Office crowds and destination diners use it for lively dinners, cocktails, and pre-theater seafood in a bright, nautical room.
Must-Try Dishes:
Lobster Roll, Hamachi Cones, Sea Scallops
What Makes it Special: High-energy José Andrés seafood bar with modern takes on classics.
8.4
A Nayarit-leaning mariscos dining room that’s best when you order in its cold-bar and shellfish lanes—ceviches, aguachiles, oysters, and big shareable platters. Portions and flavor tend to deliver when you keep the ticket focused and let one “centerpiece” item lead the table.
Must-Try Dishes:
Aguachile, Jumbo shrimp ceviche, Oysters
What Makes it Special: Nayarit-style mariscos with a strong cold-bar and share-plate focus.
8.4
Raiz Kitchen Sushi Bar is a compact Fullerton spot pairing bright, modern rolls with a short list of cooked share plates. The menu leans toward composed specialty maki and playful starters, pulling in neighborhood date nights and small groups who want more energy than a traditional sushi counter.
Must-Try Dishes:
Medusa Roll, Black Monster Roll, Poke Tacos
What Makes it Special: A modern sushi bar where creative rolls and snacks feel built for casual nights out.
8.3
Vibes:
Birthday & Celebration Central
Girls Night Out Approved
Trendy Table Hotspots
Outdoor Dining Oasis
A riverside, party-forward mariscos room built around shareable coastal Mexican seafood, tequila-driven cocktails, and a high-energy rooftop/patio scene. The best ordering strategy is to mix one composed hot plate with one chilled seafood item, then finish with a larger shared platter so the table doesn’t skew all small bites.
Must-Try Dishes:
Lobster empanadas, Piña rellena (stuffed pineapple with octopus, lobster & shrimp), Build-your-own mariscada platter
What Makes it Special: Coastal Mexican mariscos with a waterfront, nightlife-leaning rooftop energy.
#10
Leña Brava
8.3
Leña Brava channels Baja California’s wood-fired seafood tradition with a menu built around raw and flame-kissed fish, shellfish, and mezcal-focused cocktails. Since opening in 2016, it has become a West Loop destination for seafood platters, whole grilled fish, and vibrant salsas in a design-forward room.
Must-Try Dishes:
Wood-grilled whole striped bass, Baja Mariscada seafood platter, Ceviche with salsa macha
What Makes it Special: Baja-inspired wood-fired seafood and raw bar plates with serious mezcal.
#11
Kayao Restaurant
8.2
A compact Old Town room with a buzzy soundtrack and a Peru-meets-Nikkei menu that’s strongest in bright, citrus-forward lanes. Build your meal around one ceviche, one hot wok or skewer dish, and one rich rice plate to keep the pacing clean.
Must-Try Dishes:
Ceviche, Lomo saltado, Smoked duck breast rice
What Makes it Special: Peruvian-Japanese flavors in a small, high-energy room.
8.1
Vibes:
Birthday & Celebration Central
Girls Night Out Approved
Group Dining Gatherings
Trendy Table Hotspots
A Nayarit-style seafood dining room that’s most satisfying when you treat it like a “one signature platter plus one cold item” spot. Go for bold, coastal-leaning flavors and shareable plates, and it lands as a festive option for groups rather than a quiet, precision-seafood night.
Must-Try Dishes:
Aguachile, Seafood ceviche, Grilled fish zarandeado-style
What Makes it Special: Nayarit-style mariscos built around shareable coastal platters.
8.1
Motorshucker is a roaming raw bar residency at natural wine bar Easy Does It, where founder Mico Hillyard brings pristine oysters and seafood snacks to a casual patio setting. Founded in 2021 as a mobile oyster operation, it now anchors certain nights at this Logan Square address with seasonal oysters, shrimp, and fish dishes for wine-focused crowds.
Must-Try Dishes:
Oysters on the Half Shell, Shrimp Boil, Spicy Fried Peanuts
What Makes it Special: A serious raw bar and seafood program tucked into a natural wine hangout instead of a stand-alone restaurant.
#14
Velour
8.1
Vibes:
Date Night Magic
Birthday & Celebration Central
Instagram Worthy Wonders
Girls Night Out Approved
A polished Ukrainian dining room that also runs a real seafood lane—shareable platters, composed bites, and special-occasion presentation. It’s strongest when you treat it as a celebratory table: one seafood centerpiece plus a couple of cold starters for contrast.
Must-Try Dishes:
Baked Fish (Shareable), Eel Crepes, Fish Tower
What Makes it Special: A special-occasion Ukrainian room with a legit shareable seafood platter lane.
A Michigan Avenue French brasserie with a raw-bar and classic brasserie core that works best when you order in clean lanes: oysters and starters first, then one bistro main to anchor the table. It’s strongest as a downtown occasion spot with a polished room and a menu built for familiar French comfort rather than deep-cut regional cooking.
Must-Try Dishes:
French onion soup, Steak tartare, Chef’s choice oysters
What Makes it Special: A brasserie-with-raw-bar format built for oysters-to-bistro-main pacing.
A Little Village ostionería built for oysters, cocktails, and Mexican seafood plates with a menu that repeatedly comes back to shrimp and octopus. Order like a regular—one mariscos cocktail plus one hot fish or seafood entrée—so the meal stays balanced.
Must-Try Dishes:
Shrimp and Octopus Cocktail, Ceviche Tostadas, Mojarra al Mojo de Ajo
What Makes it Special: An old-school ostionería format with a deep shrimp-and-octopus-forward seafood menu.
#17
Provare
8
Vibes:
Date Night Magic
Girls Night Out Approved
Trendy Table Hotspots
Birthday & Celebration Central
A polished Creole-leaning room that mixes seafood-heavy pastas and starters with a cocktail-ready, date-night pace. It lands best when you commit to one signature seafood dish and one shareable starter, rather than ordering across the entire menu’s mix of surf-and-turf options.
Must-Try Dishes:
Seafood trio pasta, Fried lobster tail, Salmon egg rolls
What Makes it Special: Cajun-Creole flavors channeled into seafood-forward comfort dishes and cocktails.
Worthy Picks
Briny Swine is a South Carolina–born smokehouse and oyster bar that brings low-country barbecue, peel-and-eat shrimp, and crab cakes to a lively Clark Street space. Opened in 2024 with late hours, cocktails, and occasional live music, it’s a newer option when you want oysters alongside ribs and brisket.
Must-Try Dishes:
Peel & Eat South Carolina Shrimp, Carolina Blue Crab Cake, She Crab Soup
What Makes it Special: A low-country–inspired mash-up of smokehouse plates and oysters with a bar-forward, late-night feel.
7.9
Vibes:
Group Dining Gatherings
Family Friendly Favorites
Girls Night Out Approved
Hidden Gems Heaven
A roomy mariscos restaurant that works best for groups who want classic Mexican seafood plates with a comfortable, sit-down rhythm. Keep your order anchored in ceviches, cocteles, and one hot entrée, and it tends to feel more consistent than going wide across the menu.
Must-Try Dishes:
Ceviche, Coctel de camarones, Spicy shrimp (a la diabla-style)
What Makes it Special: Big-room mariscos that’s set up for groups and shared orders.
#20
Tala House
7.9
A polished, reservation-friendly dining room where seafood shows up in modern, composed plates and a cocktail-paced rhythm. It’s best when you order in waves—one seafood-forward starter, one focused main—so the meal stays balanced instead of scattered.
Must-Try Dishes:
Seafood-focused starter (seasonal), Fish main (seasonal), Cocktail pairing
What Makes it Special: Seafood-leaning modern American plates with a cocktail-first pace.
#21
Diego
7.7
A cocktail-led Mexican spot where the seafood shines most in ceviches, tostadas, and fish-and-shrimp tacos that pair naturally with the bar program. Best results come from ordering one chilled seafood plate plus one taco set, then stopping before the table turns into a pile-up of sauces and fried bites.
Must-Try Dishes:
Ceviche, Tuna tostada, Gobernador taco (shrimp)
What Makes it Special: Seafood-leaning Mexican plates built to match a serious cocktail program.
#22
El Calamar
7.7
A spacious Mexican seafood-and-cocktails dining room where the menu leans coastal—bright ceviches and broth-forward mariscos staples—paired with a lively bar energy. It works best as a focused order: pick one cold seafood starter and one hearty soup-style main instead of scattering across categories.
Must-Try Dishes:
Ceviche, Caldo Siete Mares, Caldo de Camarones
What Makes it Special: Mexican mariscos built around coastal soups, ceviche, and a full bar.
7.7
A lively Mexican seafood room that shines when you lean into cold, bright starters and a couple of cooked specialties rather than trying to cover the whole menu. The smartest path is one ceviche plus one hot item, then stop—so the meal stays sharp instead of muddled.
Must-Try Dishes:
Ceviche mixto, Shrimp ceviche de camarón, Ostiones especiales
What Makes it Special: Party-leaning mariscos with ceviche-and-oysters energy.
7.6
A neighborhood cocktail bar that doubles as a late-day food stop, with a seafood-forward basket-and-plate lineup that works best as bar food: shrimp baskets, shrimp and grits, and salmon plates. Come for the drinks and treat the seafood as the satisfying backbone, not a fine-dining centerpiece.
Must-Try Dishes:
Shrimp basket, Shrimp and grits, Salmon basket
What Makes it Special: Cocktails-first neighborhood bar with a seafood-leaning comfort menu.
#25
El Basurero
7.5
A late-hours, bar-leaning seafood option where the win is the vibe and the timing—go when you want food plus nightlife energy. Order in the straightforward seafood lane and keep the ticket tight, and it works as a casual night-out stop rather than a destination seafood meal.
Must-Try Dishes:
Shrimp ceviche, Fish tacos, Seafood cocktail
What Makes it Special: Late-night seafood with bar energy in the Archer corridor.
7.5
A coastal-Mexican mariscos lane where cold seafood dishes and bright sauces are the headline—think ceviche energy first, cooked plates second. Order for balance: one chilled seafood plate for acidity and heat, plus one warm shrimp or fish plate so the meal doesn’t skew one-note.
Must-Try Dishes:
Ceviche, Aguachile, Shrimp tacos
What Makes it Special: Mariscos menu built around bright, sauce-driven seafood.