The Original Island Shrimp House
| Address: | 12902 South La Grange Road, Palos Park, IL 60464, USA |
| Phone: | +1 708-923-6646 |
| Site: | originalislandshrimphouse.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | Closed 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11:30AM–8PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 13
JI
Jim Petrella
The bad: If what you are looking for is a lobster roll Id say youre probably better off just going up north to Dalobsta or perhaps try something else on the menu (Im hoping the shrimp is better). I took a gamble on this place and what Id gotten was simply unlike any Lobster roll Ive ever eaten or seen pictures of in my life. The owner alleges that the meat is of the utmost highest quality, but the sandwich itself was lacking flavor. Aside from the fact that what I had received did nothing for my taste buds, it was also very aestetically plain and unoriginal as well. I dont doubt that this establishment uses high quality lobster (as the owner claims) but I question the use of fillers, as I struggled to verify a single piece of the contents of the so called lobster roll as an apparent chunk of claw meat, which in retrospect I can say with confidence that there has never been a doubt in my mind that what I was eating was undeniably (at the very least partially lobster) claw meat. The good: After having chatted it up with the owner he offered me a generous sample of clam chowder which was with out question the top three best Ive ever had. Chowder was not at all grainy (sand left behind from not properly purging the clams prior to shucking) the vegetables firm, yet supple and still flavorful, the meat not at all chewy. With that being said, and all things taken into account (vegetables not mushy clam meat not rubbery) I can reach the conclusion that Chowder and the ingredients were absolutely as fresh as can be.
LO
Louis Cucci
This place can be a bit tricky. Ive had stellar breaded and peel-and-eat shrimp many times here, but the lobster rolls are uninspired and all too typical of the many shrimp houses that are popping up everywhere lately. For example, its served on an over-buttered "roll" that is basically two large pieces of Texas toast fused together. Its way too much bread for the lobster you get. Moreover, the lobster-salad filling is cold, under-seasoned and under-lobstered. The overall quality here can vary significantly as well. The soups have always been hit or miss for me in terms of freshness and quality. While they seem to be becoming more consistent, Ive had to return food more than once here (theyre never rude about it, to their credit). But the biggest problem, I surmise, with TOISH is the overly ambitious menu. Theres way too many items that are remarkably sub par such as the salmon, calamari, clam roll and few others. Whenever a seafood place has 20-plus daily items, its a certainty not all of of them will be fresh. Furthermore, they charge "5-star" prices but often do not deliver the value. Overall, I actually like this place and the family that runs it and would recommend giving it a shot, but be weary of ordering anything they arent turning over rapidly and daily or youll probably wish you hadnt.
AL
AllForTheGame
customer service is good. food is bad. lobster roll is 15 dollars, about 30 percent of the "meat" is lobster, the rest is imitation meat. The oysters were the worst. obviously frozen and refried, and the batter is very cakey and thick. really? you couldnt batter an oyster and fry it for 1 minute? could not taste an ounce of oyster because how old and frozen the oyster was, probably a week old. oyster was a dark in color, sort of like fried mushrooms. maybe they only specialize in shrimps but i wont be trying again so too bad for me.
DH
dhpacella
Finally....a local restaurant that offers excellant breaded jumbo shrimp on their menu. I like how they have booth seating that will accommodate XL size individuals. Every time we go out as a family, we are forced to sit at a table. Cant complain about prices, because we all know what to expect when we dine-in at seafood establishments. The serve was friendly and observant. And while dining in, I also noticed that its very clean inside, which is very important to me, exspecially when there is seafood being served!!
BA
Barb OConnor
We stopped in to just check out the menu, but decided to try the Lobster Mac n cheese and the Large shrimp. Both were excellent (I just wish I couldve gotten a smaller portion since we were on our way to a function so had to discard some of it). Dan, the gentleman behind the counter couldnt have been more helpful and informative about the chef, the food and history. We actually figured he was either an owner or the owners son. Its very rare to find someone that age who really cares about service. Well definitely go back
AL
AL Forte
Shrimp is not jumbo, it is rather a heavy gummy breading, with a medium sized 16-20 sized shrimp. I ordered a jumbo shrimp dinner, It came with 5 shrimp, left hungry and overpriced. There shrimp has too much horseradish in it. Kind of a foul taste. Everything in this restaurant is served on paper with plastic dinnerware. This is really sad, we waited a long time for this restaurant to open, as we live right in this subdivision. Our neighbors had the same response about this place. We wont be going back. Good luck !!
DA
Dan Traina
You really need to visit this place. Friendly owner, family, staff. Great food cooked in a thoughtful manner. Lobster roll is delicious, light and fresh. Peel and eat shrimp is some of the best sourced shrimp Ive had, including in season Florida and Carolinas. Both the clam chowder and shrimp bisque are properly done. In a world where menus dont match the quality of food this place is a gem. Perhaps, comparatively, even better than Im giving them credit for (which is five stars) Well done!
HU
Hungry Haus
I stumbled upon TOISH from an article naming them one of the 10 best seafood restaurants in our state. Their claim to fame seems to be their lobster roll. It was so delicious, I couldnt put it down. Already planning my next visit to experience their housemade soups and the weekend fish fry. Looking forward to a fried clam roll too. Super friendly family run shop. Plan a visit soon! They offer some very decadent desserts and the smoked salmon spread was outstanding too.
JE
Jennifer Cordin
So good! Crab legs are even better in a casual restaurant when you can eat with your fingers. The jambalaya was delicious! And the cornbread was perfect. Friends we came with loved the lobster roll and the haddock. The service is very attentive and the owner stopped by our table and was very attentive and friendly too.
PA
Patricia Margentina
Owners (Tim & Patty Keefer) are very abusive people. A terrible dining experience. I cant see this business being around much longer. They apparently are struggling The 1lb king crab inexcusable The waste portions was actually bigger than the leg itself..... they have to rip off to maintain their business
JI
Jim Dež
I had a pound of smoked shrimp and a bowl of Jambalaya. The smoke shrimp was not very good, and its obvious they use oil to smoke it versus really using a smoker. The jambalaya tasted just like New Orleans, but it had 4 pieces of meat in it and about 3 shrimps. Not worth a visit again.
GE
George Malone
Spent 85.00 shrimp to Spicey ,scallops to much breading corn bread jiffy mix,king crab legs pretty good. Hate to say I dont like red lobster all that much.Red lobster over them any day,will not be going there ever again. I traveled 30mins one direction this place is beyond over rated
AN
Anthony Franklin
Great Great Great Food ! Been there many times and have tried many different things on the menu. I can honestly say everything has been exceptional ! The Lobster Rolls are exquisite ! If you havent been Get There ! The owners are great people as well !
