Pescadero — Seafood in Wilmette

Monday night, Moetchandon and I made a trip up to Wilmette, to try Pescadero, that village's new (since late 2018) seafood joint. It was a mixed bag, at best.

The ceviche we started with was comparable to most versions I've had at the Mexican places in Rogers Park on North Clark St — slightly nicer presentation, but more expensive and a smaller portion.

Our main order was Ahi Tuna — two good pieces of perfectly seared tuna, in a salty, heavily soy-based sauce. Wasabi potatoes and bok choy were both okay.

We also had a side of risotto with roasted spring vegetables. The "spring vegetables" were peas, corn and diced carrots. Maybe someone whispered the word "roast" over the veggies, because they certainly didn't get any closer to a roasting than that. (No picture, sorry.)

Service was, frankly, abysmal. After we'd finished our wine (Chenin Blanc, our second choice, since they were out of Muscadet), and had said we didn't need dessert, we waited 30 minutes before we got a bill, despite trying, ineffectually, to to get our server's attention, without being obnoxious about it. After putting down our credit card, it was another 15 minutes before we could flag down a food runner to process the card. Earlier, the promised wine chiller never arrived.

Perhaps some of the missteps could be attributed to the excessive noise level. I have the SoundPrint app on my phone, and it registered the average sound level at 85 decibels — enough to damage hearing over a few hours.

Pescadero sounded good on paper (screen?) I doubt we'll be back.

1167 Wilmette Ave
Wilmette, IL 60091
(224) 215-3011

We had just noticed the existence of this place and were cogitating. I'm sorry you had to take one for the team but we are grateful for the report. Disappointed, but grateful.

Two of my friends and I had dinner at Pescadero last Thursday evening and we had a really nice experience. We arrived at 6:00 and were seated promptly. The decor is very casual-and very light and bright. We were seated at a high top, which isn't my favorite table, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Our server came over right away and we ordered a bottle of wine which was reasonable-34.00 for a white bordeaux, perfect for seafood.
We ordered the crab cakes to share as an appetizer and were served two with a corn salsa and a red pepper (?) sauce which was a little spicy and good. We all tried different entrees which were priced reasonably for seafood. I had the grilled halibut with a beurre blanc sauce and grilled asparagus (28.00), my friends had the salmon and the mussels. All were very fresh and delicious. We were too full for dessert.
By 6:30 the restaurant was packed and there was a waiting list. They do not take reservations. As we were leaving at 8:15, people were still coming in for dinner/drinks. Pescadero is a great addition to Wilmette and I would certainly go back.

Website: https://www.pescaderofish.com