Great Mexican Seafood In Joliet: Ferak Food Column

JOLIET, IL - Joliet is not known as a seafood destination, but one east-side restaurant on the outskirts of the downtown has turned into a success. And it's not just serving seafood, it's serving authentic Mexican seafood. Mariscos La Laguna is at 601 N. Eastern Ave., at the corner of Eastern and Liberty Street. It's across the street from the old U.S. Steel plant.

Mariscos La Laguna must be doing something right. The Mexican seafood restaurant has been in existence at its location for 15 years.

On Thursday, I stopped here for an early lunch. It was my first chance to review the menu, and what a menu it was. There are plenty of delicious-looking entrees to choose from. I had a hard time making up my mind, but I narrowed my choices down to two options: the fried red snapper (Huachinango Frito) or the Filete A La Marinera: Tilapia Fillet with Shrimp and Octopus.

The chance to eat octopus in Joliet was the determining factor. I went with the Filete A La Marinera, which is pictured at the top of this story.

It also came with white rice and a lettuce salad.

It was a great lunch. The shrimp was outstanding. The tilapia was plentiful and cooked to perfection, but the real star was the octopus. It was incredibly tender, and it tasted terrific mixed with the sauce. I've always had reservations about eating octopus in the past, for fear that it would taste rubbery, but my dining experience at Mariscos La Laguna has changed my outlook on octopus.

This isn't just seafood, this is Mexican seafood with flair. Most of the plates are between $15 and $20. You can also order trays of spicy shrimp, mussels and shrimp, fried prawns, breaded fish skin and crab legs.

Mariscos employees told me that their restaurant draws most of its customers from Joliet, Chicago, Bolingbrook and Kankakee. Every Friday night, there's a Mariachi band that performs, starting at 8 p.m.

There are also a ton of drink options on the menu including a $16.99 Margarita Bomba and a Michelada Bomba for $17.74. Domestic beers are $2.99 and imported beers are $3.99. The margaritas are $8.50 and available in strawberry, lime or mango.

My waitress told me Mariscos is very proud of its Facebook reviews. "We have really good reviews," she said.

At the moment, it has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 based on the opinions of 434 people.