Frank's Chicago Shrimp House

Is anybody hip to this place? It's at 5600 West Addison. Any info
is appreciated. I know there was a discussion about JD's and Snappy's
shrimp awhile back. I live kind of between both of them.

Let me know

Dave M

I have not seen this place. Check it out and let us know what you think!

There are 2 south side locations too. Always seems busy

After reading a recommendation of Franks in this andthis thread making me hungry, I was inspired to make my first shrimp house visit to Franks Chicago Shrimp House at 104th and Kedzie.

Being my first visit I am not a shrimp house aficionado but after this visit I would like to become one.

I ordered the Chicago Style shrimp dinner. Which included a generous portion of shrimp, fries, and a choice of cole slaw or macaroni salad. I went with the macaroni salad and liked it but nothing compared to the shrimp. Made-to-order they were hot and fresh, the "Chicago-Style" breading was light as air and nicely seasoned, and the hot sauce had a good flavor of tabasco.

The daughter/father team working were very friendly, they knew it was my first visit (I used the coupon from The Street and San Man's Guide) and they made sure I liked the food and had everything (ketchup, sauce, etc.) we needed.

I am only starting my shrimp house learning (and LTH posting) but I believe it Franks may be near the top of my curve.

Since last December when I asked where this place was, I have been there on several occasions. I have to say that the Chicago Style fried shrimp are the real deal and some of the best of their kind that I have ever had. They are right up there with Calumet Fisheries. I've been holding off posting about my experience at Franks until I could go and take some pictures. Now that this thread has resurfaced, I'll make it a point to get over there soon and finish the report.

P.S. The difference between the Chicago style shrimp and the regular shrimp is that the Chicago style has some of seasoning and herbs added to the breading, while the regular is pretty much unseasoned breading. Chi style is the way to go.

When I lived on that side of town, I would stop by Frank's occasionally. They also have a place on Van Buren near my office. The oysters on the Addison location were better. All of their items were good and reasonably priced.


pd

timmx wrote:After reading a recommendation of Franks in this [Streets and San Man’s Guide] and this thread making me hungry, I was inspired to make my first shrimp house visit to Franks Chicago Shrimp House at 104th and Kedzie. . . . I used the coupon from The Street and San Man's Guide

I’m a little confused here. What shrimp house are we talking about? As far as I can tell, Frank’s is not mentioned in the Streets and San Man’s Guide nor is a coupon included. Unless my eyes are failing, the only shrimp houses Dennis Foley mentions are Hagen’s, Heinie’s, Lawrence’s, and Mama Nena’s. I believe the place on Kedzie is Frank’s Chicago Style Shrimp. They have a different owner than Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House but use the same recipes. I haven’t tried the Frank’s on Kedzie but it sounds good. When I’m in that neighborhood I’m usually lured by Pop’s Italian Beef, almost across the street.

pdaane wrote:They also have a place on Van Buren near my office.

Frank’s in the Loop, once sharing space with Burrito Buggy, is closed. I think there are currently 4 locations of Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House and 1 of Frank’s Chicago Style Shrimp (see list at end).


Here’s a report on Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House on Archer, the only one I have visited.

Sign Inside Frank’s

The interior of Frank’s on Archer is spartan but this nice little sign hangs on the wall. No seats, no counter, Frank’s is take out only.

Potato Pancakes, Hushpuppies, Shrimp

Potato pancakes went straight from the freezer into the grease and were not worth eating. Hushpuppies, also frozen, weren’t bad at all and were quite a deal at $1.25 for 10. The shrimp are breaded in house and taste pretty good especially if you like fairly thick breading. Two ketchup-based sauces are available: regular and hot, neither special.

Shrimp Cross-section

Here’s a closeup of a jumbo that gives an idea of the breading. Two types are available, regular and Chicago-style. The latter is seasoned, mainly with garlic powder, and reminds me of Goose Island Shrimp House’s coating (but not as thick). I also sampled fried oysters (trust me, you really don’t want to see a closeup of a half-eaten oyster) and clam strips (a few can be seen in the background). These too had been fried straight from the freezer and neither was awful but I doubt I’d order them again. I think the key to happiness at Frank’s is sticking with the shrimp and perhaps a side of hushpuppies. The homemade onion rings also sound worth trying. Or if you’re in the area, just go to Southside Shrimp House and be happier still.

Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House
4459 S Archer Av
Chicago
773-523-4624

Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House
5439 W Addison St
Chicago
773-286-2533

Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House
6539 W 79th St
Burbank IL
708-233-9844

Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House
9745 W Franklin Av
Franklin Park IL
847-455-1934

Frank’s Chicago Style Shrimp
10410 S Kedzie Av
Chicago
773-445-3100

Southside Shrimp House
335 W 31st St
Chicago
312-567-0000

Rene G wrote:I’m a little confused here. What shrimp house are we talking about? As far as I can tell, Frank’s is not mentioned in the Streets and San Man’s Guide nor is a coupon included. Unless my eyes are failing, the only shrimp houses Dennis Foley mentions are Hagen’s, Heinie’s, Lawrence’s, and Mama Nena’s. I believe the place on Kedzie is Frank’s Chicago Style Shrimp. They have a different owner than Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House but use the same recipes. I haven’t tried the Frank’s on Kedzie but it sounds good. When I’m in that neighborhood I’m usually lured by Pop’s Italian Beef, almost across the street.

My copy of the book says it is the first edition, published May, 2004.

Frank's at 104th and Kedzie appears on page 87 of this copy. The coupon was on the last coupon page before the index. (I may be crazy but it does not take a form where I have imaginary book entries.)

Now, more importantly, what do you like from Pop's?

How very strange. My copy has none of that, either. Page 87 is Simply Ray's.

stevez wrote:
P.S. The difference between the Chicago style shrimp and the regular shrimp is that the Chicago style has some of seasoning and herbs added to the breading, while the regular is pretty much unseasoned breading. Chi style is the way to go.

That may be true, but I think ReneG's pics characterize to me, what is the defining feature of Chicago shrimps, that enormous crust around the shrimp.

Hi,

How often are these Chicago-style shrimp freshly breaded? My reaction to the thick coating is fresh from the freezer commercially prepared shrimp. Is it possible this shrimp style is driven by locally available commercial product?

FYI - For years, we would buy our take-out shrimp from Al's Fishmarket (RIP) by Navy Pier.

My favored place for take-out shrimp is from Zion, Illinois at Captain Porky's. The owner is from Greece who weighs the jumbo shrimp, then breads them in front of you. Depending on when you come during the day, you will see an older woman (I think it is his Mother) de-shelling and de-veining the shrimp by hand. Whatever they can do in-house, they do.

If you order large shrimp instead, then it is your Chicago-style fresh from the freezer already breaded and into the fryer.

This guy owns an olive grove in Greece where he annually imports olive oil pressed from his trees.

This is strictly take-out, though they have benches in front, my preference is to drive over to the Illinois State Park Beach for an impromptu picnic.

Closed early June, 2010:
Captain Porky's Inc
39210 N Sheridan Rd
Zion, IL
Phone: (847) 872-4460

Open June, 2010:
Captain Porky's - established 1984
US 41 & Wadsworth Road
38995 Route 41
Wadworth, IL
Phone: 847/360-7460
Fax: 847/360-7461
http://www.CaptainPorky.com

Cathy, I too remember, very fondly I might add, Al's on Grand Ave. I think you're right about it being prepared fresh. In it's heyday that place did so much business that stuff never had time to sit around very long.

VI: Both versions have the thick breading, the difference between regualr and Chi style is the seasoning.

Cathy: Franks fresly breads the shrimp to order, or rather they have a bunch of fresh shrimp in a bus tray full of breading and pull them out and shake off the excess breading to order. EWverything else at Franks is frozen, but not the shrimp.

I have been going to the Franklin Park Location for several years, I never noticed the other locations. Is it possible the name was changed from Frank's fish Pier? I might be wrong but I think thats what the FP Franks was called at one time.

They have offered the Chicago Style as long as I remember, sometimes the counter lady refers to them as garlic shrimp. But I am 100% sure that they are fresh breaded on site as I have seen them doing it.

I have had a running joke with the owners wife (assumed) since the first time I went in. I asked "do you have Frog Legs?" At the time they did and she said "Yes" and of course I replied "Well , hop on out to the kitchen and get me 1# of shrimp" Now I am expected to do this whenever I walk in and their are customers waiting.

Bob

timmx wrote:My copy of the book says it is the first edition, published May, 2004. Frank's at 104th and Kedzie appears on page 87 of this copy.

Mike G wrote:How very strange.

Yes, how very strange. The online copy of the index doesn’t list Frank’s either. I wonder how many other changes in the book there have been. By the way, I probably made a few errors when talking about the names of the different Frank’s. I’ll try to correct them when I have the facts straightened out.

timmx wrote:Now, more importantly, what do you like from Pop's?

Beef, dipped, hot from Pop’s

The beef is quite good and I like their fresh-tasting giardiniera very much. Prices are highly reasonable: this sandwich was $3.15 + 0.30. All things considered, one of the better beef stands in Chicago (top 10?). Pop's is at 10337 S Kedzie Av (and other locations).

Cathy2 wrote:How often are these Chicago-style shrimp freshly breaded? My reaction to the thick coating is fresh from the freezer commercially prepared shrimp. Is it possible this shrimp style is driven by locally available commercial product?

Most of the good places use freshly breaded shrimp. As Steve mentioned, some places (e.g., Frank’s) bury the shrimp in a plastic tub full of crumbs and take them out as needed. Other places (e.g., Calumet Fisheries, Mama Nena’s) lay the freshly breaded shrimp out on trays and display them in a glass-fronted cooler. I’m sure there are many lesser places that use frozen shrimp.

I suspect the thickly breaded style predates the frozen product. A number of Chicago shrimp houses go back to the 1950s (some are older than that) and claim to use original recipes. I think that was before frozen products were commonly used in restaurants.

ReneG,

That's one fine looking beef sammy. The giardiniera, in particular, caught my eye.

We also like the beef sandwiches from Pop's, and we like the sausage sandwiches. You can also get the beef and sausage as a combo. While we used to order other things from the menu, I've found over the last year that I am not happy with the quality of many of their other sandwich offerings, the last being a gyros sandwich (somewhat new on their menu) which I threw out after taking three bites. Very disappointing.

We go to Pop's in Homewood, on 183rd and Governor's Highway in the Cherry Creek shopping center. As long as the beef and sausage sandwiches keep their quality, we'll keep eating there.

I was at that old newsstand in Evanston this morning, which has a considerable collection of Chicago-related books, and spotted a couple of copies of The Streets & San Man's Guide. Remembering that the disputed page was 87, I opened it up... and sure enough, these copies had Frank's, not Simply Ray's Pub & Grub, on page 87. (Simply Ray's is absent entirely from this version. To be honest, I think it may be closed anyway.)

I have no idea what other differences there are, nor any other way to tell them apart offhand, since both show a May 2004 publication date. But I can testify that there are, in fact, two versions of this book, and Frank's is in one of them.

This afternoon I went to the Frank's in Franklin Park.

First, let me admit that I might be old and 'not with it' anymore, but I don't believe that any retail business of this nature should have someone working the counter who's face looks like a pin cushion.

But on to the food. I didn't see any mention either via signage or verbally that there was more than one style of breading. No mention at all of 'Chicago Style." If there was a breading with spices, I didn't get it. This was pretty bland.

The shrimp itself was different than I've gotten at most similar type of the places. I'm not a shrimp expert, and I'm sure someone who is can give more details of the differences, but they referred to them as Gulf Shrimp. At both the Fish Keg and Hagens the fried shrimp is typically a small curled piece not much larger than the size of a quarter. At Franks the shrimp are huge long extremely meaty pieces. They sort of remind me of the type you'd get if you ordered a shrimp cocktail at a nice restaurant.

They offered both mild and hot sauce. I opted for the hot. This might have been a mistake. It really didn't bring much flavor. It had plenty of hot, but not much else interesting about it. Next time I'll give the mild a shot.

It's been a while since I've had fried shrimp anywhere, so my perception of price might be a little whacked. But at $13.50 a pound, it seemed a little high priced. But it's hard to tell since these are so much larger than what you get at the other places.

I know the overall tone of this sounds rather negative. But the shrimp itself was excellent. It's just hard to compare to the places I'm familiar with because it's just so different.

Cathy2 said: "My favored place for take-out shrimp is from Zion, Illinois at Captain Porky's. The owner is from Greece who weighs the jumbo shrimp, then breads them in front of you. Depending on when you come during the day, you will see an older woman (I think it is his Mother) de-shelling and de-veining the shrimp by hand. Whatever they can do in-house, they do.... This is strictly take-out, though they have benches in front, my preference is to drive over to the Illinois State Park Beach for an impromptu picnic.

Closed early June, 2010:
Captain Porky's Inc
39210 N Sheridan Rd
Zion, IL
Phone: (847) 872-4460

Open June, 2010:
Captain Porky's - established 1984
US 41 & Wadsworth Road
38995 Route 41
Wadworth, IL
Phone: 847/360-7460
Fax: 847/360-7461
http://www.CaptainPorky.com

Cathy, yesterday we did exactly as you described -- went to Captain Porky's, ordered the collosal shrimp. The large counterman weighted the raw shrimp and then breaded them ( more like dusted them with a floury mixture) and fried them up. We grabbed our hot styrofoam clamshell and went to Il Beach State Park, sat at a picnic table in the sun and stuffed ourselves with wonderful shrimp. We even saw two young deer that ambled past, relaxed, ignoring us. The shrimp were truly fabulous, almost like tiny lobster tails except more tender and not as sweet. Absolutely delicious.

The place itself to me was a bit off-putting. As much as we all think we want hole-in-the-wall joints, when buying shrimp in one, well, I start to wonder. The large dried alligator head on the counter could use some dusting. But we were very happy. THANK YOU very much for this recomendation!

--Joy

Joy!

Glad you loved the place! I had to go to a meeting last night up in Grayslake, I was thinking Zion would have been a more attractive destination. I'm glad somebody got some pleasure!

I learned about this place in an Army-Navy store in Waukegan. I had a friend from Moscow visiting who declared he wanted shrimp. I'm still thanking my lucky stars about that chance encounter led to one of the finest take-out shrimp I've encountered.

They also smoke fish and ribs on the premises, too!

Thrilled you made the effort to visit Zion and found the trip worthwhile!

Regards,

This shrimp house simply has the best shrimp in Chicago. If you like Frank's then you will absolutely love Southside Shrimp House. They are near Comiskey Park 31st Shields. Their shrimp are lightly hand breaded and deveined. They were written up in the Suntimes,Chicago Magazine, and TimeOut Chicago. U have to try this place. 312.567.0000. They also have deep fried lobster meat. Wow!

I'm with you on Southside, BlueBob. Having grown up ibn spitting distance of the South Carolina Coast, I prefer a light coating so that the shrimp is the prmary thing that I taste when I eat fried shrimp. Southside definitely achieves this presentation for me.

Now, if I could only find a place that makes a decent Frogmore Stew.

Cathy2 wrote:Joy!

Glad you loved the place! I had to go to a meeting last night up in Grayslake, I was thinking Zion would have been a more attractive destination. I'm glad somebody got some pleasure!

They also smoke fish and ribs on the premises, too!

Thrilled you made the effort to visit Zion and found the trip worthwhile!

Regards,

She wasnt the only one to get some joy, BTW - I did it too, late last week.
Been to Captain Porky's before, and liked it, but didnt know the trick till
your tip - had just ordered the "normal" shrimp before. Last week I
ordered the jumbo (went with the dinner, he said it was over half a pound
of shrimp in the dinner, plus fries, roll, slaw, for 7-something, and he said
it would be a pretty big meal - and he was right). Twas very good,
fresh, breaded right there in front of you, then fried up - the fries were
very good as usual too.

BTW, have mostly tried the fish there, not the ribs etc - this time I asked him
if he smoked the ribs or baked em. He was almost offended - said they
were obviously smoked, if they were baked he wouldnt be Captain Porkys,
he'd be some "shitty place like Popeyes or something", I think he said
And then he gave me a sample of his rib-tips gratis - they were pretty
good, too. But one would be hard-pressed not to stick with the
shrimp while there (or other seafood - catfish dinners etc).

He also has other food items, sort of specials, sitting out every day BTW.
Apparently the sauteed-seafood special of that day was very good
too - so a couple of other patrons said. And he's famous for his
"fried goat cheese", fresh from his own goat (have tried it before and
its good, but remember to take a slice of lime to squeeze over it) - didnt
takei t this time as it would have been too much food (it already was a
whole heck of a lot, actually).

Also does some goat items etc - we had a nice chat, in which he deplored
the "American tendency" to not appreciate goat, that it was one of the best
meats out there etc (with me nodding along in agreement I told him how
I thought goat didnt work well when grilled, and he agreed - said he often
bakes goat dishes at his place, when he makes it. '

If youre ever near Illinois Beach Park, its the obvious choice for a meal -
when you pick something up (as I have before), the drive to the beach
is only a couple of miles IIRC. That particular day last week was a little
cold for it (as is this week), but once the weather turns it'll be an obvious
thing to do.

c8w

Cathy2 or anyone else that knows - as Zion is a bit of a drive for me I'd want to make sure I arrive when Captain Porky's is open. Can someone please post their days/hours of operation or a phone # so that I can check prior to leaving? Thanks.

Captain Porky's
39210 Sheridan Road
Beach Park, IL 60099
847/872-4460
Mon-Sat: 10 AM - 10 PM, Sun: 10 AM - 9 PM

Franks Chicago style shrimp are seasoned with garlic and some of the best take-out shrimp in CHICAGO HANDS DOWN. Better than Hagens,Lawrences and no longer in business Joe's Fisheries,Goose Island. If you like onion rings, Franks are home made but not always available.THESE SWEET MORSELS WON'T DISAPPOINT

richard wrote:Franks Chicago style shrimp are seasoned with garlic and some of the best take-out shrimp in CHICAGO HANDS DOWN. Better than Hagens,Lawrences and no longer in business Joe's Fisheries,Goose Island. If you like onion rings, Franks are home made but not always available.THESE SWEET MORSELS WON'T DISAPPOINT

Goose Island is RIP?

dicksond wrote:

richard wrote:Franks Chicago style shrimp are seasoned with garlic and some of the best take-out shrimp in CHICAGO HANDS DOWN. Better than Hagens,Lawrences and no longer in business Joe's Fisheries,Goose Island. If you like onion rings, Franks are home made but not always available.THESE SWEET MORSELS WON'T DISAPPOINT

Goose Island is RIP?

I know the Rockford Goose Island has been closed for awhile now, don't know about Chicago.

It has been a long time since I've had Franks, I'll have to go back based upon these positive posts as I didn't think it was good at all, IIRC I had the Chicago style breading.

richard wrote:Better than Hagens,Lawrences and no longer in business Joe's Fisheries,

how about (as "better than Lawrences" isn't really saying much):

Southside Shrimp House
335 W. 31st St.
312-567-0000

they tout their Chicago-style fried shrimp as having more shrimp, less crust. (not sure if this is a good thing considering this thread on bleached shrimp)