Mariscos El Veneno

It was a warm and mild evening, with glorious puddles of melted snow on the sidewalks, but my heart was in despair. We were on a quest for pierogies and borscht in Ukrainian Village, hoping to knock back a few beers and leave smelling like cabbage. Alas, not one, or two, but three of the Polish restaurants we’d passed were closed for the night. (Apparently, it’s common for Polish restaurants to close their kitchens at 7 pm on Fridays.) Where to turn next? Our eyes alighted upon the glowing signs of Mariscos El Veneno (translation: “poisonous seafood”), and more importantly, the enormous platter of prawns being brought out by a server. We bit.

Unfortunately, the restaurant was packed with diners and people were spilling out the door to get in. We were told it would take about 40 minutes to get a table and decided to wait it out, since every restaurant in the area would invariably involve a bit of a wait. With the cramped size of the dining room though, this involved hovering awkwardly near seated tables, watching as platters of whole fish sailed past, wafting teasing smells.

Fear not, the dining room does provide plenty of distractions. With an abundant amount of fishing netting and kitschy nautical paraphernalia to brighten the room, I soaked in the dried skate adorning the wall and ogled at the poisonous puffer fish overhead. Next, a mariachi band walked in. I am not sure whether mariachi bands typically include instrumentation for accordion and snare, but this provided for some festive entertainment as we all began clapping along. Finally, much to my relief, we snagged a table a little over an hour after first arriving.

Within a few minutes, complimentary fish ceviche tostadas were dropped off at our table, along with a bowl of salsa, a plate of sliced limes and a basket full of crisp tortillas. This went a long way towards ameliorating my hunger and disgruntled mood after the lengthy wait for a table. A note on the salsa: for you chili fanatics out there, this is the hottest salsa I have ever tasted. And I am no stranger to brutalizing my taste buds with capsaicin. Luckily, our server set the bowl down with a warning, “By the way, this is hot.” I furtively put a few drops on my fish tostada and a fiery fiesta kicked off in my mouth. They aren't messing around.

Despite the restaurant’s name, there was no fugu in sight on the menu, which was probably for the best. There is plenty of other seafood though, from crab legs to lobster to whole red snapper. (Hint: don’t invite your vegetarian friends.) Mariscos El Veneno specializes in seafood prepared in the style of Nayarit, a region on Mexico’s western coast. Dishes arrive in large, family-style platters, easily shareable with your companions. To further the bang for your buck, the restaurant is BYOB so you can bring in a case of Modelo and they will provide you with a bucket of ice. I opted to try their fish tacos and split the chapuzon del mar (“a dip in the sea”). The fish tacos were some of the best I’ve had, topped with a crema sauce. The chapuzon del mar was a mixed seafood platter of oysters, octopus and shrimp with sautéed red onion in a slightly spicy sauce. I spooned some onto a tortilla, added a squeeze of lime and went to town.

The overall damage was less than $20, a great deal for what we got. Service is a bit erratic, especially when the restaurant is busy and is fielding large groups, but we were able to flag down our server when necessary. More importantly, the staff was all smiles, all the time, and I was quite happy to forgive them for minor moments of neglect. Besides, we managed to get three slices of red, white and green cake from the boisterous birthday party one table over. I’ll be sure to come back for my next group celebration.

Mariscos El Veneno
1024 N. Ashland
(773) 252-7200
Cash only

Comments

[Pursuit]

Wow! I haven't heard of this place, but it sounds like it is worth a try. Will put on the list.

[Crystal Cun]

Yeah, considering we stumbled upon it by accident, it was a great meal. Definitely worth a trip!

[josh]

Punta de Mita in Nayarit is beautiful... now I want sunshine and ceviche!

[Blanca Perez]

I'm from Texas and went to visit relatives in Chicago that took us to eat at El Veneno Seafood Rest. The food was great and the service was excellent even the chef came to our table to asked us if we needed anything. I wish there was one located in Dallas or Houston area.