Crab Loco

I drove by Crab Loco last week and it caught my eye and today I was doing some work on 18th st. so it was right there. Located on Ashland just North of 18th it's a small spot that you walk into go the left to place an order at the counter and then there's a small a sitdown area to enjoy your food in back. I haven't been to Cali in ages but I imagine there are quite a few of the same style spots as Crab loco all over the West Coast.


In Pilsen on Ashland just off 18th street

The menu is small Cali-Mexican fare with a little Cajun flare added in. I was very tempted by the baja style fish tacos when I first saw the place and knew I would be trying those on my initial visit. I checked out the menu online before I went along with some Yelp reviews (use at your own risk). Surprisingly with the name Crab Loco there are only two crab dishes on the menu which is the crabbycake sandwich and the crab taco made with the crabcake mixture. They do have a seafood boil with shrimp and crawfish but the menu doesn't mention crab legs which would of been nice. The reviews on Yelp were all in favor of the sandwich which comes with a fried egg and sounded like something I should try and I did along with a fish and shrimp taco which I got in a meal deal for $6.50 with fries and drink. Added on the dynomite shrimp and some fresh fried mushrooms to top it off.


breaded mushrooms (L) Dynomite shrimp (R)

Both of these app's were pretty good. I'm a sucker for fried 'shrooms and these were pleasing, not the best but a very nice batch and at $3.50 not a bad price. I also really liked the dynomite shrimp which were corn crusted fried shrimp tossed with a spicy mayo. They had a similar taste profile to buffalo shrimp which are another guilty pleasure of mine. I don't know what the yelp the people on that other site are yelping about but the crabbycake sandwich didn't work for me. First thing I taste for when trying crab cake anything is that real crab meat flavor. This didn't have much and was most likely from a can. Ya the fried egg was nice as were the fresh toppings and toasted bun but when the cake aint great the sandwich isn't going to be either.


Crabbycake sandwich

The tacos were what drew me in. Could this be the replacement for that much loved LTH fish taco joint in Hegewisch? The folks on that other site were making mentions of how the fish tacos were also excellent and much better than Wahoo's and some other chains out in California. I must admit my all time blunder in food exploration was never making a stop at the no longer with us Tacos Del Pacifico. I still wasn't expecting these to be what those were despite never having them. These come with flour tortillas and a roasted corn salsa with cabbage and mayo. The fish is fried cod and you can also get them with fried shrimp, crabcake or blackened chicken. I thought the fish ones were ok, the pieces of fried fish were small as opposed to one strip and there wasn't much fish meat in some. The shrimp were much better and fried the same way seen in the pic of the dynomite shrimp up above. The fries were a frozen eh brand. These fish tacos wont be replacing TDP that much I know, still never having been.


Fish and shrimp tacos with Cajun dusted fries

With the Hipsters moving in to Pilsen this place reminded me alot of Del Seoul and Big & Little's, small menu with food made popular on the trucks in Cali. It's definitely for the gringos. This is the type of place that could really of benefited from starting out as a food truck (new Chicago mayor candidates can steal some votes from the food fiends endorsing them), making sure the food is great and building a customer base and then moving into a place on land. The shrimp taco meal deal is a nice option for the neighborhood and some other menu items might be worth trying. Ill stop back in some day when I'm around there.


dining area

Crab Loco
1723 S Ashland
Chicago, IL 60608
(312) 226-2722

Da Beef wrote:Ya the fried egg was nice as were the fresh toppings and toasted bun but when the cake aint great the sandwich isn't going to be either.

Crab cake sandwich looks delicious, glad I read the accompanying text. Still planning on a stop when in the neighborhood, just not a priority.

Interesting place, interesting post.

Enjoy,
Gary

i have pasted this place a few times ,looks great .
next time i will stop

Da Beef wrote:This is the type of place that could really of benefited from starting out as a food truck (new Chicago mayor candidates can steal some votes from the food fiends endorsing them), making sure the food is great and building a customer base and then moving into a place on land.

RIP

Drove by today and the crab loco sign was gone and the place is empty with a "taqueria for rent" sign now in the window.

I was mildly intrigued by this place and had thought about stopping in sometime. I didn't get around to it in the month or two I was aware of its existence so I'm happy to at least read about it here.

Da Beef wrote:RIP

Drove by today and the crab loco sign was gone and the place is empty with a "taqueria for rent" sign now in the window.

This might not be the end of Crab Loco, however. Who knows?

On Yelp, Crab Loco wrote:Announcement
We're moving! Our landlord refused to honor our lease agreement, so we're relocating to avoid a legal battle. Stay tuned for next location.

Crab Loco (in transit?)
http://www.crabloco.com/