Mitchell’s Fish Market

I went here with a few friends a couple of weeks back but am just now finally getting around to writing the review. As a quick summary, it was a decent fish place with a wide variety of options and a menu that can change with the seasons. It is comparable to McCormick & Schmick’s in terms of pricing and offerings. That said, it’s pricey for the quality of the food and the service isn’t fantastic.
The atmosphere is very casual and meets your typical expectations of a fish restaurant with plenty of fish tanks and port hole like windows. The hostess was a little standoffish and took some time to help us, even though we had a reservation. I wasn’t incredibly thrilled with where we were seated given that I’d made the reservation a day in advance but nonetheless I wasn’t going to create a stir.
They have a decent wine selection and our waitress made a few good suggestions for dinner. I started out with the New England Clam Chowder which was pretty good but nothing really special. My friends had the lobster bisque which they enjoyed but was a little lacklustre. For dinner I had the Copper River Salmon. As expected with CR Salmon it was delicious but it was pricey, even by CR standards. I could have easily bought a bigger piece at Whole Foods and prepared it better for the price. One of my friends had the trout and was underwhelmed as it was somewhat undercooked and didn’t have a lot of flavor. My other friend had soup for dinner and was pleased.
For the price I would have expected more but I would go back there if I had people over during Lent.

I’ve eaten dinner here, but it’s happy hour that keeps me coming back. They have great happy hour half price appetizers in the bar between 5p and 7p, good drink specials too, and the cocktails here are good — really good! Drinks and half price seafood apps for 2 people typically run about $ 40! And the little outdoor bar and patio is so nice in summer!

If you can afford it, then you’ll love it. I loved the yellowfin tuna, and the mashed potatoes were awesome. I shared with my dad, and while I don’t remember what he got, I remember it being fantastic. All around a great place, just not when I’m paying.

Well, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at MItchell’s Fish Market before checking out the play Thoroughly Modern Millie. From beginning to end, they delivered on the food, service, price and general accommodations… and I’d put place on par w. McCormick and Schmick’s a chain that produces fresh fish and above bar attention to detail in my estimation.
Started w. the mussels which had to be altered greatly due to a certain lactose intolerant person at our table. Now let’s just say that the white wine butter sauce would greatly enhance this dish but even without it, (subbed olive oil and lemon reduction), enjoyed the mussels very much, and the quality of the mussels was superb.
Would also recommend the spinach salad which was very traditional but exceedingly delicious… spinach, walnuts, crumbled blue cheese and bacon and a nice light dressing, you know the drill.
For the main chose the Shang Hai Seafood Sampler which was loaded w. fresh salmon, shrimp and scallops steamed with ginger and scallions… this sat atop steamed rice and sauteed spinach in a rice wine soy sauce, really really good. Apparently this «Shang Hai» preparation (steamed w. ginger/​scallions w. spinach and the rice wine soy sauce) is their specialty and you can get this prep on any of the fish they have available.
Overall it’s a solid 4-​star and would definitely go back should I find myself in The Glen again!

I was in the area working for the day and decided that I wanted some fresh seafood for take out and go home and clean up and cook it myself. I called Mitchell’s to see if they had a take out menu and the gentleman on the phone was more than friendly.
I came in and picked up a pound of Tilapia and a pound of Atlantic Salmon. The fish come in a price per pound and the selection is fresh and vast. I think next time I’ll splurge and get the Chilean Sea Bass!
I also picked up a dozen oysters and a couple pints of Lobster Bisque. The oysters were shucked for me by the chef and were outstanding as I lathered them in horseradish and hot sauce.
The lobster bisque was good but seemed to be missing something. I usually see some chunks of lobster in it, but this time I had none. No big deal as it was still good.
I cooked the fish in a little olive oil, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper as fresh fish needs very little to enhance it. I did however make a champagne and shallot vinaigrette for the side.
NOTES —
*My belly is full
*I will be back — very soon
*I firmly believe that seafood is sexy for takeout and truly romantic to cook with (or for) that special someone
*The oysters I ate are definitely aphrodisiacs as I am IN THE MOOD

Let me start out my review by stating that I did not enjoy spending the rest of the evening after our awful supper with my mother in the Evanston Hospital Emergency Room.
First of all, the service was pretty darn bad. When we showed up for dinner at around 6:15pm, we were seated in the corner, which we immediately dubbed the «Bermuda Triangle» because it was as if we’d been lost in another dimension. We were pretty much totally ignored the whole evening, with it taking about 30 minutes for someone to come and take our order for supper. This trend continued, with my party waiting about two hours for food and beverage refills. When the food finally arrived, we dove right into it. The food was decent — nothing to write home about — but what followed was awful. After we finished eating, we waited endlessly for our server to bring the check. During this time, my mother began to show signs of illness, and we contemplated just slapping what we thought was a fair payment down on the table (the amount, my uncle joked, being $ 0) and leaving, but just as we started entertaining our idea, our server traveled from another dimension to give us our check. By this time, my mother was looking extremely ill, and we decided to drive straight home in lieu of strolling The Glen. On the way home, however, it became apparent that we needed to seek medical treatment, and we went to the Emergency Room at Evanston Hospital. My mother had suffered violent food poisoning from bad fish she had eaten, and needed IV fluids and industrial-​strength nausea medications to treat the illness. What was originally supposed to be a pleasant evening turned out to be a horrible adventure from hell.
If I could give two simple words of advice regarding this place, they would be something like this: «STAY AWAY!»

My mom is convinced this is where suburbanites come to pick up other suburbanites. So it gives new meaning to the phrase «Catch of the Day».
The food is good — best bets are the fresh seafood with very little fuss. The appetizers we had were a bit heavy (think 80s Bennigan’s style, artichoke dip and calamari), but the mussels, oysters, and ahi tuna were very good.
They have a variety of seafood entrees, but what I really liked was the fact that in the «Fresh Catch» section you could choose between about 6 kinds of fish, then have it prepared Shang Hai style, grilled or broiled, or blackened. I had grilled Lake Superior Whitefish and it was very good.
This is not somewhere you go to have innovative food, but if you like fresh seafood in a classic presentation, this will fit the bill. Indoor and outdoor seating, large bar area. You know, for seeing what the tide has brought in *wink wink*

Top quality seafood, extremely clean, great location with outdoor seating, professional staff. We went with the whole family (4 Adults, 1 kid). All dishes were delicious, awesome pricing for that kind of food.

My parents have both officially been out of the burbs for a year, but because my dad’s partner still lives out there I still get coerced into coming out occasionally during my visits to Chicago. This time is was that I had to see all of the improvements to his partner’s home, then to take me to their «favorite seafood restaurant.» Apparently they eat here all the time when my dad visits her on the weekends.
Mitchell’s is new since i last spent any significant time in the burbs, part of that quickly developing Northbrook /​Glenview area. The restaurant is clearly trying to make itself a city experience outside of the city — it even has $ 5 valet parking! LOL at this, when there’s a huge parking lot right behind the restaurant with plenty of space.
Mitchell’s wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t up to par with top Chicago restaurants or my favorite new suburban restaurant around the corner, Pinstripes. It has a beautiful patio and an extensive seafood menu. Our server wasn’t remarkable but was pleasant and got all of our orders correct.
I guess the way I’d have to define this restaurant is simply that it was somewhat unmemorable. The seafood was fine but not amazing, as was the service and the restaurant itself. Nothing was wrong with anything, but the whole experience was generic in a white-​bread kinda way, except for the patio and my laugh about the extremely unnecessary valet service. Mitchell’s is a perfectly acceptable option for dinner out in the burbs, but don’t expect to be wowed by it.

The broiled sea bass entrée is what I order the most every time when I visit this place which my girl friend loves as well. They have decent amount of selections from their seafood menu and very well prepared with the raw oyster bar which is not easy to find in Chicago area; however, I would recommend to do some research on their web site for the pricing if you have never been there because it might surprise you how much the bill would be for 2 people with 2 appetizers, 2 soups and 2 entrees. $ 120 and up!

So the Monday oyster special still exists but the happy hour menu! It’s gone now — which is tragic. Now some of those bar menu favorites that I had come to enjoy (Old Bay peel & eat shrimp, fish tacos, mussels) are gone or now only available in the larger, more expensive, appetizer portion of the menu. Tragedy.
I did end up trying their actual menu (I got the price fix menu with the steelhead salmon, which WAS delicious. Also, the crab, spinach & artichoke dip is amazing with giant chunks of crab) but I had given the place 4 stars based on the value: amount of food ratio. Now it’s just another expensive seafood place with a great Monday night oyster special. Still overall good, but not great.
Service was still good though. Saw our regular waitress/​bartender who was all «I haven’t seen you guys lately! I wanted to warn you about the impending happy hour change!» which was sweet of her. I did like sitting at their giant (indoor) wooden bar, which has raised flooring so your feet don’t dangle as you eat.

On my latest soirée to Mitchell’s, I couldn’t wait to order the fish ‘n chips. I salivated just thinking about it. A fish market should put out great fish ‘n chips, right?
Well… yes and no. The quality of what fish I did get was great. The batter was light, crispy, and delightful, but 2 underwhelmingly small battered pieces of fish could hardly be called a lunch entrée, especially one for $ 12.50. The dish came with hush puppies, chips, and some cole slaw, but for all I knew, it could have been called hush puppies ‘n chips.
The service was steady and sufficient, but I wanted fishies, not puppies! Great expectations lead to great disappointment.

I went here with my fiancé and his parents for his Dad’s birthday. They have been to the restaurant multiple times and have always enjoyed the experience, but it was my first visit.
The atmosphere was comfortable, not too trendy but not too old school either. The lobster bisque was good, not the best I have ever had, but I would order it again. I LOVED my steak. I ordered the filet and it was seasoned well and cooked perfectly.
They knew that it was a birthday dinner so they brought out a slice of their sharkfin pie with a candle in it, it was seriously the biggest slice of dessert I have ever seen! It would probably be enough dessert for like 6 people. It was ice cream on an oreo cookie crust, with a ribbon of peanut butter and chocolate in the middle then even more ice cream piled on top of that. It was really good.
The service was good and our waiter was really friendly. If I was in the area again I would go back.

I really enjoyed my time here at this great seafood place.
Very fresh seafood, ginger salmon was very delicious and the ahi ahi was super fresh as well.
Moderately priced and tastefully decorated, this is a good place to come for some good fish.
The service was alright, 1 star deduction is for that. The waiter kept giving us looks because we were doing vodka shots after dinner and just wanst too pleasant.
You can even buy some fresh fish there to take home with you.

The top seafood restaurant in the Glen in Glenview. The location is perfect, right in the heart of Glenview the Glen. The scene inside is decorated with sailboats and fishing mementos. To me it seemed old fashioned and most of the customer base was over 40.
The oysters were very good and the drinks. Our appetizers were quite tasty and light. The fish was very fresh and tasted exceptional. Everything was well cooked and prepared wonderfully. I enjoyed the food very much not the trendiest place but the food is very good and priced reasonably.

My friend and I went here on a Friday night thinking there would be a crowd somewhat our age at this place. We walked in and it was like it was Senior Citizen Discount day! So, that is just a heads-​up on the atmosphere at this place. With that said, it was super loud but not a big deal… it’s not a romantic place.
I thought the food was great. My friend and I both ordered crab legs and they were good; hard to mess up. They weren’t the biggest legs but the entrée comes with asparagus and a potato! For the price, it was a great value. Go anywhere in Chicago and most times, if they serve crab legs, it’s a la carte.
We had the crab spinach and artichoke dip as an appetizer too– it was very cheesy and had big lumps of crab in it. The wine list isn’t too extensive but the bottle we ordered was just like the food– great value accompanied by great taste.

We came here for a late dinner because getting out here to the ‘burbs ended up taking a lot longer than we had expected. The place wasn’t very busy, and by the time we were done with dinner we were the last people there.
Food was ok, depending on what you get. I wish I reviewed this place sooner, as I’d be able to recommend a dish. I do remember the fish being a bit dry, but my wife ordered something smothered in sauce and that was done well.
Three stars because it’s a nice place, though maybe not nice enough to seek out again.

Ok… the service here SUCKS but the food is really good, so I’ll be generous and give it 3 stars.
I usually come here on my lunch hour since I work about 5 minutes from here in Glenview (woo.hoo). Sadly, even working that close to this place, I have found that I always make it back late when I eat lunch here. Why, you ask? Well, the service is HELLA slow! My mom and I ordered an appetizer and out it came out about 20 minutes later. AND we had to ask where it was. Thankfully, they gave us warm, fresh sourdough bread while we waited.
We got the crabcake for an appetizer and it was actually really, really good when it finally came. It made the wait ALMOST worthwhile. When our main courses came out (another 10 minutes or so later) the waitress seemed not only confused as to who had which dish, but also confused as to what the dishes were! At least the servers were nice, and slightly apologetic about their incompetence. The fish there is really good, and fresh. They print new menus every day with the catch of the day, etc. My mom had the salmon and I had the whitefish, both came w/​veggies and mashed potatoes, and both were quite tasty. The portions are large too, you can always take some home.
Bring me the freakin bill… I need to get back to work!

I have never had a bad meal at Mitchell’s (and sometimes very good ones), but their service is very poor about two-​thirds of the time. We come here for business lunches and can never figure out why the dining room is alternately full or deserted in the 12 – 1:30 time frame. The bad service does not seem to depend on how busy they are. «Inattentive,» «mistake-​prone,» and «unfriendly» all describe several servers that we have had. To be fair, when the service isn’t awful, it’s very good; we had one pleasant experience in which the waitress remembered my boss and her unusually particular order. This makes it all that more puzzling when we have a bad experience.
I like the classy-​nautical (as opposed to kitschy-​nautical) décor, and another nice touch are the daily-​printed menus which tell you today’s seafood and the weather forecasts in such locales as Alaska and Key West.
The food makes up for the service for the most part. They have a great crabcake sandwich and key lime pie. Try their house «Shanghai» preparation (ginger/​soy/​spinach/​rice) with almost any fish. You can also get your selection blackened or simply grilled. All three choices allow the quality seafood to shine through.
I recently learned that this place is a chain, which is a shame (I hate chains), but they do what they do relatively well. If they got their house staff running smoothly, they would be a solid four stars.

I was disappointed by this place b/​c my husband had raved about it for months. We went with another couple, and had the kung pao calamari for apps — it was OK.
For drinks, I was surprised they had Italian beer, so I ordered the Peroni — the wine list was decent, although most were Californian wines.
For entrees, the boys ordered the fried/​battered sampler — which included fried scallops, cod, shrimp, and hush puppies. This was the same thing my hubs had last time, and I admit the scallops were yummy and HUGE. I ordered the steak (medium) and shrimp scampi, with a request to have broiled shrimp instead of the scampi. The steak was supposed to be USDA prime, cooked in 1200 degress (sounds good, right), but came out overcooked and blah. Also, she messed up the order and gave me shrimp. with scampi. Our friend had the seafood trio, and said it was boring and bland.
Needless to say, by the end of the night, we passed on dessert (menu was boring anyway), and opted for Via Gelato down the street.