Half Shell

Opened in 1968 by Danny "The Turk" Denizman and now steered by his grandson Anthony, Half Shell holds distinction as Chicago's longest-running crabhouse. The North Side basement kitchen focuses on straightforward seafood, plating fresh oysters and generous crab combinations at prices rarely seen in the city for fresh catch. Diners can ask for scissors to work through the gigantic clusters of Alaskan king crab, leaning into an unvarnished tavern atmosphere sustained by generations of returning regulars.