Seafood Kitchen - Filipino Style Seafood

Was planning a shopping trip to H-mart, so decided to try Seafood Kitchen (located in the same strip mall as Village Creamery) for a quick lunch.

Plate-lunch style choices with fried and Filipino-style grilled seafood. Most of the food items are represented in photo form on the menu.





We ordered the small dinner special that is $14.99 for two entrees from the $6.99 priced items plus one full-size appetizer. We had initially wanted the fried oysters (which come with onion rings or fries), but they were out, but the proprieter mentioned they had smelt available.


The wife usually dislikes fried food, but was delighted with the smelt finding that they were very lightly battered and not heavy at all.

As entrees we chose the grilled trout and grilled squid/calamari.

While waiting for our entrees, the proprieter, Frank, gifted us with a piece of fried ocean perch to try.

It was OK; Probably would have been better hot, but he had some available previously fried for a pickup/delivery (I think they were bringing a seafood feast to an Easter dinner later).


Trout was lightly-seasoned and perfectly grilled. The chef was very proud to reveal the sources for all the seafood sold in the store. This particular trout was farm-raised form Idaho (no surprise).


Grilled baby squid sourced from Boston. These were very tender and flavorful.

In addition to the ocean perch, they had some fried bangus, grilled bangus and a gorgeous grilled spanish mackerel which I believe were going to the party as well.


Fried Bangus $8.50 each


Grilled Bangus $8.50 each


Grilled Spanish Mackerel $15

Speaking with the chef, he told us all the grilled items are grilled on banana leaves (as can be seen in some of the above pictures); He says the char from the burning leaf is what gives the impression they're charcoal-grilling the items. Many of his customers think they use charcoal.


A small collection of Filipino items - La Paz Batchoy and Siopao

Don't expect too much with the side of steamed veges (we heard the microwave going in the kitchen and were worried); Well... yeah... the veges are bad and without flavor - so go for the seafood or bring your own seasonings.

Other entree items include: salmon teriyaki, mackerel teriyaki, shrimp, king fish, white fish, whole tilapia, tuna, soft shell crab (which looked good, however frozen sourced from Thailand), halibut, scallops, swordfish, grouper and lobster tail.

Appetizers included shrimp in a blanket, fried shrimp, calamari, oysters, cod, mussel fritters and shrimp spring rolls.

The grilled bangus and mackerel are special order items. The large mackerel is a 3-day advance order as they source their own seafood and surprisingly do not purchase it from H-Mart. They'd mentioned that they tried the Korean squid sold at H-mart in the past, and found it too rubbery (I agree).

FYI - This place is mainly a takeout business; There's maybe 6 seats and a bench for dine-in.

Seafood Kitchen
8010 N. Waukegan Rd.
Niles, IL 60714
847-966-9350

great post. i've wondered about that place...

A while back, , I did an overview of Filipino places for the Chicago Reader. At many of the places I visited, seafood was on the menu but seemed not to be a central focus – according to swinedining, “meat, meat, meat” is pretty much the mantra in most Filipino dining establishments.

Still, I ate a boatload of bangus in those days; many of the other fish selections at Seafood Kitchen look less than usual and very appealing.

Smelt has long been a favorite of mine, and I like the look of those delicious-looking little fishies in the above photo – the serving size is also appealing, in that I find just a dozen or so little ones are enough to satisfy me.

I wonder about the “lobster tail.” Could that be a traditional Filipino dish?

David Hammond wrote:I wonder about the “lobster tail.” Could that be a traditional Filipino dish?

Lobsters are plentiful in the Southern Philippines and is a staple of the Southern diet. They may not be what people thinks of as lobsters from the US eastern seaboard, but they're lobsters alright. "Curacha" which is similar to spiny lobsters is a big delicacy in Zamboanga.

As a Manila-born and bred Filipino, I am always mystified as to why people in the US say that Filipino cuisine is meat-focused. There is a lot of meat in the cuisine, and lechon, or roast pig, is a culinary centerpiece, but the Philippines is an archipelago, so seafood is an integral element of Filipino food.

fusionfan wrote:As a Manila-born and bred Filipino, I am always mystified as to why people in the US say that Filipino cuisine is meat-focused. There is a lot of meat in the cuisine, and lechon, or roast pig, is a culinary centerpiece, but the Philippines is an archipelago, so seafood is an integral element of Filipino food.

Oh yes, I'd assume there'd be loads of fish on everyday Filipino tables, but I'm guessing that for "fancier" events (or restaurant dining), meat would be the preferred offering. Or, perhaps the percieved meat-focus is owing to the fact that Filipino restaurants in the US tend to offer more meat than fish (as do most restaurants in the US).

It's closed. Windows are papered over. To be replaced by Tic Toc Grill. Location location location.