La Palapa Mariscos is one of those hidden gems on the south side of Chicago, where you practically have to be a local to know anything about it. La Palapa is one of the very few Nayarit state Mexican restaurants I have found in Chicago. Their specialty is seafood dishes. Just about everything on the menu has some sort of seafood in it, and most of it is rather spicy. The atmosphere also resembles that of a tropical beachside restaurant in Mexico.

Usually Mexican restaurants provide complimentary tortilla chips and salsa. At La Palapa, you get saltine crackers, tostada shells, salsa verde, and a seafood ceviche. Getting complimentary ceviche is almost unheard of at restaurants, and it is pretty good. The onion and octopus flavors really pop on the taste buds with lime juice.

Seafood Combo Platter

Everything on the menu looked so great, I decided to go for it all with the seafood combo platter for two. The seafood is drenched in a spicy red chili sauce with a plate of lime wedges on the side for a little extra citrus. This platter includes langostinos, shrimp, octopus, and mussels. All of which are extremely flavorful when paired with the red sauce and lime juice. La Palapa is a great hidden gem, and located right near the Orange Line at 34th and Damen.