My friend and I came to Cy's for a late dinner, as we were in the neighborhood. The menu features items such as hot appetizers, oysters, shrimps, soups, salads, sandwiches, crab combos, etc. I really liked the look of the restaurant itself, as it looked very unique and fun; they had a special menu in which some of their 'famous/popular' dishes were a good few dollars off. We started off with the Buffalo Chicken Wings for an appetizer - the wings themselves were on the smaller end and came with a side of ranch and celery sticks set on top of lettuce. The wings themselves were okay, although it could have been fried a little longer. I ordered the Stuffed Shrimp with Crab Meat - this came with 6 shrimp, sliced in the middle, and had crab meat set on top. I chose a side of a baked potato with sour cream, butter, chives, and cheese; the potato was a bit small, and two of the 3 toppings on the potato were missing T___T The crab meat on the shrimp was a little less fresh and underseasoned, but the cocktail sauce that came with helped the overall taste of the dish. My friend had the Chicken Kabob, marinated in olive oil, which came with a side of basmati rice. She stated that there should have been sauce or something, as the chicken itself was very underseasoned and bland (I think it was literally chicken bread with brushed olive oil). Our sever was a forgetful one, and I had to kindly remind her of my missing potato toppings as well as the Coke I ordered, but she was apologetic :P I'm glad I was able to check out Cy's, but not sure if I'd be back. Just a note: there are ample street parking up along Ashland. +special menus occasionally +forgetful service +parking on Ashland
(3)
Jacqueline F.
We went to Cy's to celebrate the birthday of two friends. The food was horrible. We had the Sea Bass, Red Snapper and King Crab legs. The Sea Bass and Red Snapper tasted like it had been frozen. The texture was mushy and somewhat fishy. My friend enjoyed the King Crab legs Immensely. We ordered key lime pie, which also seemed to have been frozen and did not have great flavor. so, unless you are spending $50 For the King Crab legs I would give this place a pass. The service was uneven but one of our waiters was charming. There is free off street Parking.
(1)
Andrea B.
*sigh* ... We'd read the reviews, but we really, really hoped that we'd luck up and have a pleasant dinner, especially since we were gifted a Groupon. Alas, we did not. The only reason I'm not giving one star is because our service was good and the restaurant itself was a nice space. But the food was so, so bad. First, there were like 3 things on the menu that were wrong. Um, update your menu. We ordered fried calamari as an app, and we just ... Kept ... Chewing. No flavor. Bad cocktail sauce. My bf ate some of it out of pity (for the state of the restaurant in general). We ordered the fried shrimp and shrimp tempura. They were both out of the box ... Could have gone to Long John Silvers. My "steamed" broccoli pretty much disintegrated in my mouth. Yuck. My bf's mashed potatoes. Box. On top of the food being terrible, the place was a bit depressing. It's Friday night, and I think they had 5 tables occupied. That place is HUGE. Super high ceilings, nice patio and dining space, but with it all being nearly empty, it just felt sad. The managers looked very sad, which I understand. Cy's isn't in w very sad situation right now. Great space, bad location, good service, bad food. Also, the lobsters in the tank looked sad. :-( How much would a meal like that cost, you ask? 60 bucks. But luckily our Groupon allowed us to pay what it was really worth... $9.59.
(2)
Scott S.
We've been there twice, once right after it opened and then again just the other week. The first time was pretty bad, but we chalked it up to it being opening week. When we went back again, it was slightly better but the best I can say is that it's not terrible, but definitely not good. We had the Atlantic King Crab and Dungeness Crab legs. They were rubbery to the point that we could literally bend the leg in half and the shell never cracked. This is super disappointing since the space itself is pretty nice and the outside space is gorgeous. We can only hope that the next restaurant in this space will be better.
(2)
Bill P.
So Cy's moved to this location last year and they are still trying to make a mark about a quarter mile from Isaacson and Stein on Fulton Market. I love the location. You can drop your car off for a full detail just east of here if their free parking spots are taken and walk away knowing body, soul and vehicle are reset to "cleansed" status. Seriously, this place has the sickest oyster special in the city (WHENEVER) and exhibit a humbleness that I find really endearing. Apparently the owner is from an Iranian fishing family and has made a home in good ole Merica for the last 40 years. Whatever the background and reasons behind their present state, I sit here basking in the afterglow of some time very well spent on a Saturday afternoon! Thanks Jill, Guillermo and crew.
(5)
Harold S.
Guest and I had groupon. She had ordered softshell crab tempura style. Came out smothered in sauce and told that the chef was out of tempura mix. My fish filet was much too salty and poorly prepared. It's hard to believe that these dishes were prepared by a professional chef. Would not return even if offered free meal.
(1)
Mandy Y.
Maybe we got lucky and came on a really good day? Our experience was very different than the recent reviews and I'm glad we didn't take them into consideration to them before deciding to eat here. (Mostly because people tend to bitch about silly things here on Yelp) who orders seafood for delivery anyway? Um. Ew. Complaining because the place is too big? THAT deserves 2 stars? C'mon people!! People also complained about the music and I do believe the owners saw the comments as the music was soft and low. Definitely not radio. So this place was reallllllllly close to 5 stars but decided to give them the bump because I feel like the food and ambiance deserves it. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful. Vaulted ceilings complimented with a huge chandelier. Big horseshoe shaped plush boots and a patio I can't wait to sit on. (It is already open but we opted to eat inside) Myself and two little ones all had the shrimp alfredo and it was tremendous. No complaints about the grilled prawns from the husband either. The ONLY thing I will say is that the hot combo was small for being $12 but it was very good. Skip the iced tea and go to a lemonade. Ohhhh and the Blue Point Oysters, FANTASTIC!!! Free parking out front which is unheard of and a definite plus. Will definitely be back.
(5)
Kalok C.
Well... I read the reviews before going to this place with pretty low expectations, but found out it is actually possible to be worse. We came in at 4pm when they just opened - empty. Very uncommon for such a good location. Decors were alright, looks high class. Fresh lobsters swimming in the tanks. We stayed for an hour while no other customers walked in. Ordered fried oyster - YUCK. Hard as rock, one of the worst in my life. Shrimp scampi was bad too, the portion is small and sauce was too sour, but the shrimp linguini is good. I have to agree with what others said, the pita was the best part of the meal. Our server Mike was very nice though. For the price I paid I could visit much better seafood restaurants.
(2)
Tara F.
We bought a groupon. The food was good but not the service. And they added 20% tip already to the regular price without giving a good service
(3)
LaSondra K.
The place was empty on a Friday night. We thought maybe people were just out enjoying the amazing weather or were at the Taste of Chicago. Our party of three was only served 2 glasses of water and 2 sets of utensils. I had to ask for a 3rd. It took an hour to get our food, and the King crab legs were room temperature. Additionally, the shells were soft as though they has been sitting in water all day. They didn't crack at all, making it extremely difficult to get to the meat inside. Upon questioning our waitress, she brought a different waitress who hesitated, then said she was the manager (it appeared as though she was not telling the truth). She fed us some lines about how it depends on the crab and how she didn't know how long they were cooked. Then she brought more crab legs that were hot. Good, right? No! They were just as soft and soggy as the first ones. The food was horrible. The service was slow. We absolutely paid too much money to be so dissatisfied.
(1)
Anna P.
Sorry Cy's, but I have to agree with most of the other reviews that you are just not good. First, the ambiance....it's a cool space, but HUGE. Way too big for this type of restaurant. The music was terrible (B96 I think?) and made the whole experience feel more like I was in a bad nightclub just before it opened for the night than in a seafood restaurant. Second, the service...the service was good, but was too much and too stuffy for the type of food they serve. Third, the food...bad. The sides were definitely Green Giant bags from the freezer, and the seafood itself was pretty flavorless. The highlight of the night food-wise was the little pita breads they bring you when you first sit down! And last, the price...absolutely outrageous for the quality of food. We came here with a Groupon or similar deal, and if we hadn't I probably would have protested paying the amount we did. It was almost $100 (before tip) for two people, and we each had 1 drink and 1 entree (I think my boyfriend's was combo platter, but still!). In short, they have some serious work to do if they want to stick around. I do not see Cy's lasting much longer.
(2)
Alberto P.
I must say one of me and my best friends came here had the best. Experience ever the food was great delicious crab legs and the sangria drinks were a plus the patio seating it's amazing comfortable and spacious and the customer service is perfect will be here again soon I would love to go a least once a week loved it here
(5)
Michelle L.
The best thing about this place was the hot garlic pita bread served when you sit down. Everything else was mediocre except for the waitresses. The decor which is still left over from the previous restaurant does not fit the ambiance that they're trying to go for. There were odd kid's stickers on the mirrors which seemed to be leftover from a kid's party, which is hard to imagine someone would host a kid's party here. The food: the clam chowder was lukewarm. The white fish which was supposed to be broiled looked microwaved from the grocery store and was lukewarm. The shrimp scampi was served in a nice garlicky sauce but the shrimp quality seemed to be from a frozen freezer. I live down the street from here and really wanted to like it but it was not a great experience.
(2)
Michelle M.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement - The portions were not good - I felt we were just paying the rent for the space in fact there was no one in the fancy restaurant side honestly all I wanted was some crusty bread to go with my Mussels and the waitress brought out a greasy pita - Red lobster does better
(1)
John L.
This is the worst place ever. The crab was old and not fresh. We didn't receive any silverware from Mike the bartender. The filet mignon sandwich was extremely terrible. Close this place now !
(1)
Kat D.
The service was friendly and accommodating but a bit slow. Nice ambiance and space, could've been warmer inside the dining room. Food- the lobster bisque was good and the portion was large. The hot combo with the fried shrimp, calamari, and mini crab cakes was tasty- not a very big portion for $12. We also got the mussels- good flavor with a a green onion sauce -my favorite part! Alaskan snow crab platter- 1 lb and wasn't too fishy but was cold when it arrived and over cooked. If you get the groupon this place is worth a try but for truly delicious seafood it might be best to spend double at shaws. And make sure you're not in a hurry.
I thought the space and staff were excellent. The food was not so great in my opinion. My lobster was over cooked. They only gave me one lemon with an Alaskan King Crab. They gave me a small thing of synthetic butter, I would have made garlic butter. The oysters Rockefeller were ok but a little bland. I am a tough critic though because I used to live in New Orleans.
(2)
Winnie D.
Our first time here will definitely coming back in the near future. Ordered escargot and mussels for appetizers both were so good melt in your mouth! I had the grab and slab bbw ribs and crab legs with side of tempura veggies and hubby had the pound of crab legs with a side of garlic mashed potatoes we both enjoyed our meals and oh hubby also had half dozen of Chesapeake oysters our overall experience was great the host and servers were friendly and very attentive we will be back soon!
(5)
Leigh W.
Visited here recently on a Saturday night. The two of us were seated in a giant horseshoe booth in the front room, which meant we had to shout at each other across the table, or one of us had to butt-scoot all the way around the booth. Service was a little off - the manager guy stopped by a few times, then our waitress came by and started her spiel, then said "I'll be right back" and wandered off. Overall, not terrible service, just spotty. I had the lobster bisque and the shrimp alfredo, neither of which I thought was all that great. Something about the flavor of the bisque I just didn't care for. Plus, it was served with stale Saltines. A hunk of crusty bread would have been so much better. The pasta dish was just OK, nothing special. My friend had the fried shrimp, which she liked. With so many other options in the area, I'm not sure I'll be back any time soon, although to be fair, we did not have any of the straight up seafood, so I would be willing to give it a shot unfried and un-doused in pasta sauce.
(2)
Pierre W.
I attempted to take my Valentine to this location for Valentines Day dinner. It was disappointing because we never got seated. I think the owners were overwhelmed with the large group of people waiting to be seated. There was NO awknolegement of the people waiting. It was like they were HOPING we'd go away...yeah, ...and we did. I'll go back because my wife Loves Crab legs so much. I'm always the type to give you a 2nd chance if ya mess up.... but that's all..
(2)
Danny W.
I'm ecstatic that someone finally put something in this space and I really hope Cy's does well because they've got a pretty good over all product. They'll definitely grab the family demographic with affordable seafood, easy accessibility, and a pretty fantastic back patio perfect for the summer months. I'm not quite convinced that the more hip men and women of this neighborhood will be frequent offenders though due to the current branding they've got in place. They've got a gigantic, cheesy, cartoon crab as the mascot and although it is kinda funny I don't think it's super appealing to the young professional demographic that populates much of this area. I really hope I'm wrong cause like I said the food is great and I'm all for being able to roll out of bed and having oysters within a block of my building.
(4)
John F.
ATTENTION CY...WHYYYYYY?! I've been to their previous location before and it wasn't great, figured with their new location they would at least try to upgrade things. FOOD: Lobster Bique was ok, not bad but not outstanding. Caesar Salad was wilted and old. The cook probably mixed a lot in a big bowl, left it standing and by the time we got it was wilted and soggy. I also got a mixed seafood app. Really was awful, how do you mess up fried calamari, shrimp and a crab cake? Even the Ice Tea was weird tasting. ATMOSPHERE: There is no pride in this place, and it's too bad cause the new location could have been really nice. Walk in and there is a bucket of salt in the hallway, nice greeting. There was a bunch of crappy Valentines Day stickers all over the restaurant (Was there on March 9th). Bathroom has crappy notes up "don't flush feminine products down toilet" and "log about cleaining" hung up. With entree's that cost between $15 - $40 a plate this place can't decide weather to be a hole in the wall seafood shack or a nice seafood restaurant. Service was fine, nothing great. Cy needs to up his game!!
(1)
Aisha J.
Oysters, calamari, steak and jumbo shrimp were all delicious. I liked the atmosphere. The other reviews here are definitely exaggerating. I went there after reading the yelp reviews and i was determined to see for myself. The bar set up is nice, sat in a booth. Very sharp place. Server was a sweetheart. Didnt bother us at all. Manager came by once to see if all was well. Down one star because a certain beer my boyfriend asked for was out as well as a side he wanted. Otherwise, 5 stars :)
(4)
Shari O.
99% sure they get the food from the Costco frozen food section. I had poorly seasoned swordfish that tasted more like tuna with a swordfishie finish...whatever that means. BUT they have a patio...that's awesome. Groupon...got what I paid for. Ah well
(1)
Mina S.
I don't know about the rest of these reviews but my dinning experience was awesome! My friend and I came in about a week ago and sat on the patio which was absolutely lovely. I started of with a dozen blue points and the steamers delight which was Phenomenal especially with the pita chips our lovely server Meena recommended for us. To drink we had some of cy's famous Mai Tai's also very tasty and pretty strong which I love! For dinner I had the cy's favorite and my friend got the crab stuffed lobster. Both were breath taking! My lobster tail was cooked to perfection as well as my king crab legs. The crab stuffed lobster my friend had was also cooked to perfection! Service was great just as good as the food! I will definitely be back!!
(5)
Eric J.
Two stars for the actual experience and a generous third star because they're brand new and going through some of the typical pains restaurants have on their opening. I think my main problem with this restaurant is they just don't seem to have any continuity in their style, menu, ambiance, and decor. The building used to be the Red Canary and they've kept all of the tables and chairs which gives it a very upscale feel. The problem is... this isn't an upscale restaurant. The appetizers are fried shrimp and the entrees are mostly crab, which is messy, fun, and certainly not made for a white linen style dinner. The menu and food want to be a dive but the restaurant is decorated to be upscale and classy. It made for a very odd ambiance. Switch out the white chairs for some wooden bar stools, some new tables, and get rid of the chandeliers and maybe you have something. When you have a low-budget opening, you run into these types of problems. The food menu is limited in variety and quality. If you want crab then this is your place, but if you're going to dinner with people who want something else then you might be out of luck. The appetizers were good and priced appropriately and I can see us coming here just for that. The crab was really good, but the oysters --- oh man these were awful! Whoever was opening them needs some brushing up on his/her technique. There were shell pieces in every oyster and none of the oysters were cut from the muscle. The quality of oysters was poor as well. My bias: I live in the neighborhood and I really, really wanted to LOVE this place. I'm hopeful the can make a few changes. I'll be back with a great deal of optimism in tow...
(3)
Nadya R.
They lack professionalism and BUSINESS ethics! I recently (May 29th, 2015) placed a delivery order from this establishment for a business client in downtown chicago. The tracking said that the food should have been delivered at 5:50pm (the restaurant is 1.5 miles away ). I contacted the restaurant and spoke with a manager who seemed to not know anything about the order; yet I had already prepaid for the food and the delivery!!! I mentioned the tracking and he said he'd look into it from the delivery driver. At this time I inquired about a refund, since I already prepaid $80 for my food including a $5 delivery charge via my credit card when I originally placed the order at 5pm. 7:30pm rolls around and I get a call from the doorman about the delivery. I told the manager since the refund is being processed that I won't be accepting the order if it gets delivered as it is over an hour late of the promised delivery time and the client has already left! At this time the manager continued to harassed us with phone calls about the order repeatedly. I said for him to call us no further, and that I wasn't going to spend my time on a matter such as this. They need to get their customer service in order !! Point blank I ordered the food at 5:00 they didn't deliver it till 7:30 and wrote on the foyer log as being delivered at 5:00pm (how ridiculous!!). The manager and delivery driver both came to business and Falsified the delivery time to save face on the sign-in sheet. With all being said. we discarded the food since it was disheveled and not at an edible temperature (we ordered seafood-this can't be in the back of a delivery car for hours lost).
(1)
Zach W.
Holy bad delivery food. Rather than editorializing let me speak directly about the food. The very soggy fried (and clearly frozen) shrimp on the Po'boy were all laid out on the stale bread loaf. That was it. No sauce, no mix of veggies, literally nothing but soggy tiny shrimp on bread. The clam chowder was equally atrocious. It was pure cream with a few potatoes thrown in for good measure. My 7.95 key like cheesecake was smaller than a sliver. I'll post a pic, as it was less an "ordering"and more a "robbery." I'd state this was one of my worst food delivery experience in a long time.
(1)
Nicole B.
After all these years and two locations later I still love this place! Very family friendly, reasonably priced, convenient parking easy menu. Beautiful patio space.
(4)
Leyla H.
I'm sorry to say that this place is terrible. I took my boyfriend there for his birthday and what a mistake. The server was the worst I've ever experienced. I don't think it was entirely her fault. It was as if the manager had hired someone with no serving experience and no training and then just set them loose on customers. The other servers seemed to know what they were doing and even tried to help us out a few times. To highlight just a few of the mishaps: Our server started out by calling us "kids", we are in our 30's. She didn't know the menu at all and looked at us with a blank stare when we ordered. She brought us the wrong drinks. She ordered us the wrong food. Everything took forever!! I could write pages about what she did wrong but I will just move on to the rest of the disaster. There was an older gentlemen who seemed to be a manager that was basically just pacing around by the server station and the tables (getting in the servers way) and looking awkward. The food was not good. I was hoping for a saving grace when we finally got our food but nope. The ambiance and decor is less than desirable, as well. A real shame. Shame on management for putting someone on the floor who is not ready. I did decide to complain to the manager at the end because it had been 15 min since we had given the server our cc to pay and she had been standing at the register the entire time looking confused. I decided I couldn't hold it in any longer and plus I couldn't wait to get out of there. The bartender came over and made some excuse about having hired her to "give her a chance". I'm sorry, but she didn't have a chance without being trained. She took our drinks off our bill and we finally got outta there. I have worked in the industry for 10 years, so when I see something this bad, I must say something. Steer clear of this place. For those of you tempted to go because the prices are good, just remember: Good aint cheap and cheap aint good.
(1)
Naomi L.
Love the new location! Love Denise and I'm happy they finally opened! The old location on halstead was small and cozy. This location is much nicer and very spacious!
(5)
Erin B.
Over anxious wait staff and managers. Constantly checked on how you were doing. Were out of wine we wanted to order and brought incorrect mixed drink. Food was ok, too. Nothing spectacular, especially for the price we paid.
(2)
Madison W.
Everything was amazing -- crab legs! Yes! But the best part was our server!! Chelsea did such an amazing job. Very sweet girl!!
(4)
Rosalynn E.
This place has so much potential but fell flat for my birthday dinner. First off, they do have a really great selection of seafood and the venue is huge! Unfortunately, those are the only positive things I can say about the place. Service was extreemely slow and just not very good. There was way too much time in between ordering our drinks to our appetizers to our main course. The restaurant only had about 5 other customers. I don't understand why or server would disappear so much. She even had to come back a few times to make sure she wrote down the right thing, and blamed it on bad hearing from being in a band in her youth. She wasn't sure of the market prices or if they had Jameson "because the bar was new." Then she was surprised with what I ordered because she had never seen it on the menu and continued to just stare at it... Then, there had to be something going on in the excruciatingly slow kitchen. Our 1/2 dozen oysters app took 20-30 minutes to come out. We had already finished our first round of drinks and got a second by the time it got it to us. After waiting another 20-30 minutes, my original order of 12pcs of shrimp came out to only be 6pcs. She later told me that they ran out and she could give me what they had left but it would take a while to thaw... The lobster my friend ordered was flavorless and spongy. It made me wonder if the live lobsters in front were only for display. What should have been a quick dinner, turned into 2 1/2 hours of disappointment. I think this place has a lot of work to do in the FOH and BOH or it may not last very long.
(2)
L K.
Horrible experience.. Will never go back there. Food was cold. Service was bad. And slow. But I guess you gotta try everything once. And, god forbid you should even try to do a carryout order there. Too many issues with this place...
(1)
Leang E.
Selfishly, I'd like this restaurant to stay because it might be the closest seafood restaurant to me. The old Cy's doesn't look as nice as this one, so it's certainly an upgrade. I have been meaning to try it out for a while, and finally got an opportunity with my cousin and his friends. They were already seated in a booth and we were quite comfy. Our waitress was pretty nice. We started out with the Hot Combo which was tasty, but you can't really go wrong with fried stuff. I also had the lobster bisque, which was good but not the best I ever had. For my entree, I had the 1 lb. Alaskan King Crab legs which was just ok. The shells were a little soft and the meat wasn't as sweet. The teriyaki vegetables were passable. The prices seemed average. I wasn't impressed, but I might give it a try again.
(3)
Leon W.
Great place service five star Woohoo! As good as it gets!
(5)
Chris J.
I will keep it short. Like some of the others have said...This is NOT the "old king crab". The old King Crab was awesome...this place is a joke. Crabs are cold and waitresses are aloof and the prices are not worth it for me anymore. Also at night they are trying to turn into some type of club or something. Look do yourself a favor and DONT come here..the old King Crab was awesome this place sucks now. The old King Crab, like somebody else wrote, was a hole in the wall...but the food was awesome..the new location is nicer but the food and service sucks now....My crabs were cold!! lol what the hell? How are you king crab serving cold crabs! And they were $28 for a pound..I can go to Hooters for cheaper crabs and at the very minimum they will be steaming!....Save your time people go elsewhere.
Went there a few months ago. It was much better. Tonight---- Fried Calamari was okay. Oysters were good but had shell bits in the half shells. Blacken catfish stay away from!!! Mashed potatoes were that just okay. Mixed veggies just pick something else unless you like frozen. Rice was just that nothing special. But the Shrimp Scampi was awesome! I would give it a 2.5. I might give it another chance because I had a better time last time.
(2)
Laura A.
So King Crab moved from Halsted, and changed up their name a bit...a hybrid of King Crab, and the former Cy's on Ashland. We were a little excited upon first hearing about this move, because the new location is way closer to home for us, with far easier street parking. Although I am most concerned with food and service, I do agree with other reviewers that the space is kind of too big, (massive actually) and a bit odd. They kept most of the decorative elements of the former business, and brought along some of their nautical decor. The multiple single rest rooms are nice, but it's quite a hike to get there! The patio out back looks really nice, and I look forward to sipping some Mai Tai's back there once Summer arrives. The food has not changed whatsoever, though. Still fake butter. Still mediocre food. Still painfully overpriced. I love snow crab. I don't love it boiled and water logged, which it was on our most recent visit. It's really gross, to put it mildly. Sides are limited and sad. If they haven't changed by now, I fear they never will. I just wish they'd step up the quality! I really want to like this place. The 2 owners (I assume) are always present and appear involved, and are friendly when engaged. Our last meal was especially horrible though, and I just hate taking chances of it happening again. Cocktails are good, as is the service typically, although the young, seemingly inexperienced server brought out a completely wrong entree last time. I can excuse that, but I cannot excuse such poor execution of what comes out of the kitchen. It's so close now, I'm sure we'll be back, and keep hoping that they'll make improvements.
(2)
L B.
I've never actually been motivated to post a review before but I hope to help others avoid a similar experience. Caveat: this is for the food only and not for service. I had carry out. I had a crab cake sandwich and clam chowder - neither of which I could finish. Their interpretation of a crab cake is liberal at best. There were obviously a number of filler vegetables in the patty, and the flavor reminded me more of the salmon patties my mom used to make out of canned salmon than anything with fresh crab in it. The bun it was served on was also ice cold and there was a huge tomato slice almost as thick as the patty itself. The tomato and lettuce were fresh, I'll give them that. The clam chowder I could only have a couple bites of. It was sort of a glutinous texture and was only lukewarm. I didn't taste much in the way of clam - it was pretty bland overall. The texture and lack of flavor prevented me from eating more than a few spoonfuls. I was sad to have wasted money on the order. Overall I was extremely disappointed as I used to live on the east coast and I was hoping to satisfy a craving I've had lately for my favorite foods from back home. The temperature issues could perhaps be accounted for by the fact that it was carry out - although many restaurants manage to serve lovely temperature-appropriate food that way. But the flavor and texture issues cannot be attributed to any outside circumstances. Perhaps the oysters are good there, but it's hard for me to picture going back. In a city like Chicago, where there are many other options even for seafood, I will not be patronizing this restaurant again anytime soon.
(1)
Ryan S.
I'm not quite sure which was worse - the service or the food... We chose this place as a friend had a $25 gift certificate. However, upon arriving, we noticed that they had a bar special advertising discounted oysters, wings and shrimp, among other things. Unfortunately the coupon could not be combined with the special. Based on the special though, we decided to forego the $25 off to order off of the discounted bar menu. Although we waked into a large ice bucket full of oysters sitting on the bar, we were told by our less-than-customer-service-driven-waitress that the designated oyster shucker had run off to pick up an order and therefore we would have to wait until he returned to place our order. After waiting 15 minutes for her to check to see when he was expected back, she unapologetically advised that she simply didn't know when he would return. (Duh, why should we expect that an oyster restaurant would have the help to open the oysters at peak dinner time!?) It appears that this mystery delivery man was also picking up 50% of the other items on the special menu as they were also out of the wings and hamburgers. Fine. We ordered the shrimp, mussels and a few items off the regular menu. Shrimp was decent, mussels didn't come with bread (all they had was pita after a special request) and the grilled catfish sandwich was one of the blandest items I've ever ordered out. My friend requested the shrimp scampi sauce with her linguini dish and was told that the kitchen rarely veers off the menu and so if she wanted a different sauce, then she would have to order two different dishes... WTF? No thanks. We were probably there for a full two hours and it was the longest two hour dining experience of our lives. Not only was the place empty on this Tuesday night (perhaps a total of 10 other people dining), the waitress was no where to be found and when she was waiting on us, we received nothing but sass. I would rather dine at a morgue than have to sit in this restaurant again. The wait staff is completely unprofessional and inattentive, not to mention that the older gentleman (presumably the manager or owner) was constantly waking by our table without acknowledging us, knowing we were completely displeased with our overall experience. Don't waste your time or money on this place as it will only end in aggravation and regret.
(1)
Marcin M.
Literally just left this place and holy shit I am stuffed! We used a Groupon to check it out and will definitely be back without one. Our awsome server Jill recommended the right dishes and we couldn't have had a better expirience! Great craft beet selection as well. Girlfriends Mai Thai was delicious! I did the 2 lb ultimate crab feast and I'm pretty sure I got more because I was eating it for hours... Girlfriends Mahi Mahi was great as well. Will be back.
(5)
Vivian C.
Since they opened up there new location they seem to be a tad bit un-organized great food but very rude and bad service..... Reservations, uh what is that ?..........
(3)
N P.
My wife and I went here on whim. We ended buying a groupon type thing off yelp. I would possibly go again with the groupon, but not without it. We had a few drinks, oysters, and split an entree. The food is mediocre at best. If I didn't have the groupon it would have been 1 star.
(3)
Brandon B.
I live nearby and was excited that a new restaurant had finally opened in the building. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed in my experience. Arriving at Cy's, I walked to the back patio to meet my friend without being greeted by any of the staff. We ordered: Crab Cakes: good flavor and texture but small on the portion; it was only a single crab cake Chilean Sea Bass (one of the specials): nicely cooked and seasoned; I enjoyed it and the mashed potato appetizer was really good as well Shrimp Alfredo: the shrimp was overcooked and the Alfredo sauce was bland, although the pasta was cooked to my preference...just a little past al dente Overall, the food was good but it wasn't exceptional and I thought it was overpriced. The wait staff was friendly and attentive although to be fair the place was practically empty. I'm most disappointed because I know the building has so much potential; the dining area is beautiful and there's a huge outdoor patio. I just don't think that Cy's is going to make the cut.
(2)
V. G.
I love it here! Food is great, staff is extremely friendly. I definitely recommend it, completely satisfied!!
(5)
Jenell H.
I had been to the old location and had a great experience which is why we came back. Unfortunately, our experience at the new location was less than desirable and we will not be returning. The service was slow and the waitress was non-existent. We sat on the patio and we were swarmed by flies the whole meal so we couldn't even enjoy it. The food was ok but not worth dealing with the other issues to go back.
(1)
Doug F.
On our first visit we came away thinking that Cy's King Crab is overpriced with average food. We went for lunch on Sunday and there only two other people in this Huge space. We had the crab cake appetizer that was ok but nothing special, and was price at $13. Our entrees were soft shell crab $25 and shrimp scampi $20. The soft shell crabs were mushy instead of crisp, and heavily covered is sauce. The shrimp scampi came in a large bowl with a lot of sauce, but the shrimp were somewhat small. Our server very pleasant, but seemed inexperienced with the restaurant's menu. Since the restaurant is close to where we live we will probably return and try the oyster bar specials, instead of ordering off the menu.
(3)
Julie S.
I'm only giving a one because I have to in order to write a review. This restaurant, and I use the term loosely, was abysmal. They were out of oysters. OUT! it's toted as an oyster bar. king crab, as per the restaurant name? out. even more deplorable was the chef trying to pass off snow crab as King crab at a PREMIUM price. they were also out of 312 and Goose Island. it was a Tuesday night, they were not busy, and the service was awful. don't risk it!
(1)
Phillip L.
Waitress was perfect. Had the snow crab legs. The unsalted butter they are using had a off taste to it. I added salt and lemon to it and it still tasted off. Unless it was the crab legs. Is that even possible? It's a sea food place. Should have been better. I have had better snow crab legs at Hooters. For half the price and tasted better. That is sad.
(3)
Teetee P.
Let's just say, I was not impressed at all! After being seated, we stared at our server standing at the bar watching TV for about 10 minutes and not once did she look over. We eventually flagged down another server to take our order. The oysters were good but after that ... it went downhill. The crabcakes were extremely salty. The fried shrimp was bland. The hot combo appetizer was pretty small for the price we paid. Their "famous" Mai Tai was pre-made and served out of a pitcher and there was nothing "famous" about it. This is just my opinion from my experience. I would never discourage anyone from coming, because you may have a different experience. For myself, I won't be going back! There are far too many restaurants that I have yet to try in this big city!
(2)
Angela S.
King crab legs and fried shrimp tasted frozen. My dining partner didn't finish the shrimp, but before taking the plate away, the server asked if I wanted the rest. I said sure so the server, albeit politely, with his fingers, plucked them off of the plate and put them on my side plate. Beginning to lose my appetite, but really not wanting to waste expensive seafood, I asked for the rest of my legs to go. Opened the to-go at home only to find a healthy portion of rice and nothing else. I don't even think it was rice from my plate because I had eaten most of it with my dinner. Feeling lucky I didn't go for the lobster as there was one lifeless - perhaps dead - on display in the tank and I don't think it's because they were selling out of them. Service was good, but place wasn't the least bit busy for Sunday dinner. Location and parking are also a plus. Prices could be cheaper to reflect the quality of food, but even so, not interested in eating here again. It was nothing but an awkward experience all the way around.
(1)
Carina D.
Love the new place! Amazing back patio that's perfect for relaxing with oysters and wine. They also do an all you can eat crab legs special on the weekends. Food was amazing and well priced for seafood in Chicago. I recommend the jumbo crab legs or the crab stuffed lobster- both to die for. Service was excellent and we will definitely be coming back!
(5)
Nabeel S.
Has mussels, scallops and oysters. The mussels were really amazing. Overall, the place is great, good ambiance, friendly waiters and excellent food. Will go back next Sunday.
(5)
Tom B.
Where do I start? I went in there last Sunday (Nov 9th) around 7:30pm. We live in the neighborhood and have driven by numerous times and commented to each other how similar the name was to "King Crab." We have been long time customers of "King Crab" on Halsted for many years and were very disappointed that they closed this spring. When we saw online that "Cy's King Crab" on Milwaukee was the same restaurant, we made a bee line to the new location. The sign above the door is a plastic banner that you would expect to see for a newly opened business. We recognized some of the nautical decorations as we entered, but once we entered, it was confusing what the main decoration theme was. The walls were dark and several large circular booths were on one wall, a full bar (in size, not in stock) on the other and a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There were maybe 6 other patrons in the restaurant at the time. Three flat screen TV's were mounted on the walls. Later research online revealed that "Como" an outshoot of formerly famous "The Como Inn" was the first tenant and then "The Red Canary" a sports bar was the last. It was clear that the heavy/dark decoration theme was from the "Como" and very little has been changed. The nautical pieces placed around the wall gave the impression that the new tenants were not planning on staying long. Kind of like when you move back to your parent's house while your new place is being built. You can put your things out, but don't touch the plastic sofa covers on grandma's furniture. Our waitress came to get our drink orders. When we asked what vodka's they carried, she screwed up her face and said that they don't have a liquor license yet and they are a week away from getting it. She said we had two options: go to the CVS down Milwaukee or go across the street to the wine store where the owner had an agreement that he would sell us a bottle for 50-60% off the retail price. And then we would be charged a $5 corkage fee. So I walked across to purchase a bottle of white for $19. The owner of the wine shop was very helpful, but no discount was offered even though he knew I was from Cy's. The waitress also said that the owner's had to close the Halsted restaurant due to a new building development and moved here in June. The owner stopped by our table and he related that there were 5 different places throughout Chicago and the north suburbs that were a part of the same restaurant. He said that there used to be 5 partners and now there were only 2 and just this one location. We ordered our "go to" favorite: the crab cakes. I had mine with garlic mashed potatoes and my girlfriend ordered mixed vegetables. When they arrived, it was clear that the patties were burned even in the dark lighting. Flipping them over showed even a darker char. Her vegetables were right out of a freezer bag including huge stems of broccoli and my potatoes were ice cold. The plates were served with a lack of garnish or any attempt to make them appealing. Two machine made patties and a scoop of mashed potatoes. We complained to our waitress who apologized and took both orders back. My girl friend's order was back in 4 minutes and it was clear that these new patties were not even fully cooked. The inside of the patties were ice cold. We signaled another server to get the owner to come over so we could settle our bill for the appetizers and leave. This was not our normal server and once we told her what was our complaint, she said that today was the cook's second day. When the owner came over to explain that he was baking us a new order and assuring us that this (our 3rd attempt) would be better as he was making them himself, we asked to settle our bill and leave. He said there would be no charge and we thanked him. We told he that we were told that the cook was new and this was his second day. He asked us who said that. He said his cook has been with him of 15 years. That may be, but not as a cook. Change is good and change is inevitable, but I think this is an end of an era. "King Crab" was a "hole in the wall" where you could spend a lazy afternoon, eating some of the best fresh seafood in Chicago at an affordable price. I understand businesses change and owners follow new pursuits. It just seems that the current owners are not into this at 100%. The new location is great, easy parking and in a very active neighborhood. But show some interest in being a fixture of River West as much as you were a part of Lincoln Park. Take "ownership" of your new space. Remove the heavy "Como Inn" feel and make it look and feel like the warm ocean breeze and salty smell are a part of the eating experience. Or take into another direction, go up scale. Throw out wine barrels and ship's wheel and flat screen TV's. But pick a direction. Pick a theme and go with it. Make us all believe you want to be there and you want us back. It seems like you lost your "fire." And I will not be returning.
(1)
Elizabeth L.
We came across this place because we purchased a groupon. When we first pulled up we couldn't really tell if the place was even open. When walking in we were greeted by a tank full of lobsters and a server who sat us right away. The place was dim and quiet. The booth we were seated at was huge and comfortable. The first thing we noticed was the bar was not a open bar. It looks like it has not been used in forever. When we asked the server she said they did not have there liquor licenses but we could go across the street and get a bottle for 20% off. So we ordered our food and went and got a bottle of wine. When we came back our server had already set up a wine cooler at our table and the bus boy brought us two wine glasses. I thought that was very nice of both of them. Our food came out quick and it tasted soooo good. My only dislike of the place was it felt like a abandoned banquet hall. A huge space and the only light was on our table. I understand not being able to use the bar but maybe lighting it up or putting any kind of lights around the place would make it feel more comfortable. We did however find it to be a tad romantic because we were the only ones in there. We will be back again. Hopefully then you will have the bar open or at least lit up.
(3)
Dedria P.
Customer service was great. The food on the other hand very bland. Ordered the snow crab $28 bucks of i wish i would have went somewhere else. So bland thank god for the butter sauce i had to dip it in.
(2)
Rosario S.
the worst experience ever..food was raw and used a groupon. total bait and swithch!! dude staff and waiter ..i would not recommended this place at all!!
(1)
turn p.
Unsatisfactory customer service. The linguini was just full of mussel shells and dumped with sauce from a jar. It took forever to get our check. They took my feedback poorly. Would not go back.
(2)
D L.
The place is very nice (but it comes with that old building smell) and the patio looks amazing except it's 20 degree in Chicago. Service was good, that's about all the nice things there is. We started with the mussels and it's not fresh and mushy, laying in a bath of oil. If you can't get mussels right, I am not sure how you can call this place a seafood place. We had the shrimp alfredo to play it safe. They cut every single shrimp (they are not big) into halves. Who does that? The stuffed swai was ok... I see the owner standing in front of the store, seemingly eagerly waiting for patrons to visits. but if you really want your business to do good, you really should fix the food! :/
(2)
Richard S.
Truly awful. If your idea of Shrimp Scampi is salty, oily brown gravy with a handful of tiny shrimp, then you'll love this place! Staff and atmosphere was mediocre too. This place is in my neighborhood so I was hoping it would be good. Nope.
(1)
Luis C.
I had previously visited the lincoln park location. This is a much better location and bigger with a great outdoor patio. Food was good (oysters, kwai, mussels) and BYOB is a plus. Our server was great as well as everyone else. Staff worked together to make sure we were doing ok.. We will definitely visit again. Definitely not expensive, very fair priced.
(5)
Frank P.
This was my favorite seafood place when it was at its previous location! Not a fan of the new place. Decor does not fit the place at all. Food lost its touch and was very fishy. Sorry but the only thing good was the bread with the meal. The service was terrible and waitress seemed stoned! Very disappointed!
(2)
Brad F.
I'll start with the positives: the restaurant is beautiful and our waitress was great! That's all I got... The place was empty just like either of their other two restaurants on Halsted or Ashland used to be. The appetizers were just cheap frozen fried shrimp and calamari. The snow crab was tasty but the pieces were tiny. The king crab were nice size, but I didn't think they were that great. Two of the people that were with us, ordered the jumbo crab and they seemed to like it. If the place wasn't so slow, I'd give it another star. But even though it was empty, it took forever to get our food. And they don't use a POS system. So when it came time for our party of six to get the check, it took the waitress 10 minutes to add everything up. The restaurant is huge, and I cannot imagine how long it would take when busy. Just like I remember at cy's on Ashland, the owner is there watching everyone nervously. I feel bad for the guy. You could definitely see the stress on his face running an empty, giant restaurant. And it was super expensive, especially considering we brought our own wine. It was $150 per couple for mediocre food. If you want to try this place, I'd get there soon. Running a restaurant in Chicago is not easy, and I can't imagine this one will last too long.
(2)
Larry R.
Probably one of the most bizarre restaurant experiences! We called to make sure they were open and they said nothing of the new address, we went to the old address. Found that they moved and went to the new location. Walked in to a very nice, large, new restaurant with outdoor seating. Only a couple of tables with people there. We were told the outdoor seating was not open, don't know why. We sat down in a room all by ourselves. Looked at the menu and was told that they had no liquor license yet, that they could get us wine across the street. We ordered a bottle, which later we were told we needed to pay for separately so that they could run it across the street. $5 uncork fee for the screw on cap. Waited quite awhile for the wine and even longer for wine glasses. The wine bottle holder was messed up and we needed to prop it up against a chair so it didn't fall over. We asked for more of the little bread bits, service was very slow. Again, this was an empty restaurant! We asked the waitress where the oysters were from, and she didn't know, would have to go to the kitchen and find out. Really? Can you know the menu any less? The crab meat stuffed shrimp was OK, the King crab was over cooked! Your are a king crab house, it should be perfect. It was there first night at the new location, stuff to work out. We thought we would help them and told a manager about the server who needed quite a bit more training, and apparently so did he. Didn't apologize, try and learn, etc. Just explained our bizarre experience away. We were there for a birthday and so they brought tiramisu, not so good. Was pricey for what we got, took two hours in an empty restaurant. We will not go back, ever!
(1)
Leslie F.
The decor and atmosphere was a little cheesy and they didn't have a liquor license so they were sending guests to a bar across the street for drinks. Having the lobster tank right at the door also gave off a fishy smell on entry. Didn't set a great first impression but the good was great! We had crash legs, oysters, and stuffed lobster. Quality meal.
(3)
E Rae K.
King Crab, we are vibing. Food was just as good as I remember, but huge upgrade on the location. Who doesn't love a good patio? Oysters and King Crab Legs were my meal of choice and both highly recommended. I'm also a fan of the temporary BYOB status. Maybe I drink too much, but my tab will be less friendly to me when that's gone. Oh, and of course, our service was fantastic.
Great place to bring out of Towners. Nice service and the ambiance on their patio is so cute you feel like you are in Paris king crab plate is enough for two ! Gotta love that. Wish we had known about byob but next time we will be prepared. I had my first fried oyster here. I must say I'm hooked.
(5)
Gsconi C.
Was out looking for a late nite bite and stumbled across Cy's. Food was horrible, server okay. Crab legs cold and bland. Thank God for butter. Mushroom app, great concept but not executed well. Ordered the Filet Mignon. It was not filet mignon more of a chuck cut, should be used for a braising steak. Nice atmosphere. Overpriced food. Would do better going to "Half Shell" for crab combo for half the price. WILL NOT BE BACK.
(1)
Ellie Z.
Not sure what to make of this place. Our waitress said they've been around for over 30 years. Apparently they used to be up on North Halsted, in a much smaller venue. I see how that could work....but now, it's just very confusing. Is it a nice venue? Am I suppose to dress nicely? The menu is very "cheap" and "beachy" looking.....yet the restaurant "look" is quite nice. I'm familiar with the this location since before i was the Como Inn and Red Canary. The staff (including management) were very attentive and the food was delish! I'm just nervous that they're in the middle of an identity crisis. Having a HUGE beatiful bar yet being BYOB isn't going to help either. This isn't necessarily a BYOB neighborhood. I'll be back purely because of the food and prices.
(2)
Rod T.
Went to Cys king Crab on Milwaukee Ave. for Valentines day. Although I've been here before and had a good experience......today's adventure was absolutely horrible. Let's start with the fact that they seriously overbooked the place. The hostess was tripling as a bartender and a waitress....let's say there was a serious backlog at at the door devoid of a hostess taking down names and directing traffic. They eventually started 3 separate seating wait list...........fast forward about 1hr. When the food comes the waitress takes all of the eating utensils and did not return with new ones for at least 10 min. Oh by the way my food had hot and cold spots like it came out of a bad microwave. ....I complain and they bring me a new plate with new food....but still cold........ I finally throw my hands up and refuse to eat anything.... then they screw up the Groupon for the bill. Tried to take off what we paid for the Groupon as opposed to the value of the Groupon......... oh I forgot. Another waitress spilled wine on a guy a couple of tables over............ Really a bad experience. .....
(1)
J P.
tried this place out on a groupon. place looks very promising , nice wooden doors ,decor suggests your in for a great seafood experience. guess that's all I was semi impressed with. crab stuffed mushrooms were good. entree, not impressive whatsoever. ordered the grilled prawns, and I must say, they were a nice size, but lacked any kind of kick, flavor wise. also tried four way shrimp. one was way to garlicky , the others were quite forgettable as well. Mai tai was nothing special either. value was so, so. bill would have been exaggerated , if not for the groupon.
(2)
Aaron W.
Great experience great crab great atmosphere I live around the corner and was super excited to have this place come here.
(5)
J K.
I have been coming here for years, since it was located on Halsted. Absolutely delicious and generous portions of food. My favorites include the oysters, lobster, king crab, bisque -- you really can't go wrong! The outside patio is really beautiful in the summer, such a huge upgrade from the small outdoor place they had in Lincoln Park. I haven't eaten inside yet, but I already miss the dive-y aspects of the old place -- agree with the previous reviews that said this is definitely not a white tablecloth type of place, so I hope they change it up. Service, as ever at the old place, was great. Can't wait to go back.
(5)
Jessica M.
This place is amazing, no complaints on any of the items ordered including the king crab, bluepoint oysters, Caesar salad, lobster bisque. The patio was spacious, with great ambience. Our service was terrific, definitely coming back very soon.
(5)
Erin R.
Came here on my Birthday with a party of 6. Food was amazing, service was fantastic. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful. I think the only threat to this business is the unique location. I hope they plan on sticking around awhile because it's delicious!
(5)
I L.
This place has no soul. The hostess had no soul, the waitress had even less soul. I didnt even want to eat the way they made me feel. I thought for a second I was in the suburbs for some strange reason. Ordered a po'boy with mixed vegetables was given a piece of bread and some breaded shrimp on top of it so basically eat dry with dry; oh and a side were mixed veggies with a chop suey sauce... Owners: ATTN: have you heard of Pappadeaux? if not please look into this and how to get your seafood in order. You have come to River North, time to play with the big boys not in the suburbs. Dont see you making it like this past the summer.
(1)
Jelena B.
Amazing food, service, and patio! What else could a group of girls want??? We've has the lobster bisque, Caesar salad, king crab and oysters.... So good!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Accepts Bitcoin : No Good For : Dinner Parking : Valet, Street, Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Hannah H.
My friend and I came to Cy's for a late dinner, as we were in the neighborhood. The menu features items such as hot appetizers, oysters, shrimps, soups, salads, sandwiches, crab combos, etc. I really liked the look of the restaurant itself, as it looked very unique and fun; they had a special menu in which some of their 'famous/popular' dishes were a good few dollars off. We started off with the Buffalo Chicken Wings for an appetizer - the wings themselves were on the smaller end and came with a side of ranch and celery sticks set on top of lettuce. The wings themselves were okay, although it could have been fried a little longer. I ordered the Stuffed Shrimp with Crab Meat - this came with 6 shrimp, sliced in the middle, and had crab meat set on top. I chose a side of a baked potato with sour cream, butter, chives, and cheese; the potato was a bit small, and two of the 3 toppings on the potato were missing T___T The crab meat on the shrimp was a little less fresh and underseasoned, but the cocktail sauce that came with helped the overall taste of the dish. My friend had the Chicken Kabob, marinated in olive oil, which came with a side of basmati rice. She stated that there should have been sauce or something, as the chicken itself was very underseasoned and bland (I think it was literally chicken bread with brushed olive oil). Our sever was a forgetful one, and I had to kindly remind her of my missing potato toppings as well as the Coke I ordered, but she was apologetic :P I'm glad I was able to check out Cy's, but not sure if I'd be back. Just a note: there are ample street parking up along Ashland. +special menus occasionally +forgetful service +parking on Ashland
(3)Jacqueline F.
We went to Cy's to celebrate the birthday of two friends. The food was horrible. We had the Sea Bass, Red Snapper and King Crab legs. The Sea Bass and Red Snapper tasted like it had been frozen. The texture was mushy and somewhat fishy. My friend enjoyed the King Crab legs Immensely. We ordered key lime pie, which also seemed to have been frozen and did not have great flavor. so, unless you are spending $50 For the King Crab legs I would give this place a pass. The service was uneven but one of our waiters was charming. There is free off street Parking.
(1)Andrea B.
*sigh* ... We'd read the reviews, but we really, really hoped that we'd luck up and have a pleasant dinner, especially since we were gifted a Groupon. Alas, we did not. The only reason I'm not giving one star is because our service was good and the restaurant itself was a nice space. But the food was so, so bad. First, there were like 3 things on the menu that were wrong. Um, update your menu. We ordered fried calamari as an app, and we just ... Kept ... Chewing. No flavor. Bad cocktail sauce. My bf ate some of it out of pity (for the state of the restaurant in general). We ordered the fried shrimp and shrimp tempura. They were both out of the box ... Could have gone to Long John Silvers. My "steamed" broccoli pretty much disintegrated in my mouth. Yuck. My bf's mashed potatoes. Box. On top of the food being terrible, the place was a bit depressing. It's Friday night, and I think they had 5 tables occupied. That place is HUGE. Super high ceilings, nice patio and dining space, but with it all being nearly empty, it just felt sad. The managers looked very sad, which I understand. Cy's isn't in w very sad situation right now. Great space, bad location, good service, bad food. Also, the lobsters in the tank looked sad. :-( How much would a meal like that cost, you ask? 60 bucks. But luckily our Groupon allowed us to pay what it was really worth... $9.59.
(2)Scott S.
We've been there twice, once right after it opened and then again just the other week. The first time was pretty bad, but we chalked it up to it being opening week. When we went back again, it was slightly better but the best I can say is that it's not terrible, but definitely not good. We had the Atlantic King Crab and Dungeness Crab legs. They were rubbery to the point that we could literally bend the leg in half and the shell never cracked. This is super disappointing since the space itself is pretty nice and the outside space is gorgeous. We can only hope that the next restaurant in this space will be better.
(2)Bill P.
So Cy's moved to this location last year and they are still trying to make a mark about a quarter mile from Isaacson and Stein on Fulton Market. I love the location. You can drop your car off for a full detail just east of here if their free parking spots are taken and walk away knowing body, soul and vehicle are reset to "cleansed" status. Seriously, this place has the sickest oyster special in the city (WHENEVER) and exhibit a humbleness that I find really endearing. Apparently the owner is from an Iranian fishing family and has made a home in good ole Merica for the last 40 years. Whatever the background and reasons behind their present state, I sit here basking in the afterglow of some time very well spent on a Saturday afternoon! Thanks Jill, Guillermo and crew.
(5)Harold S.
Guest and I had groupon. She had ordered softshell crab tempura style. Came out smothered in sauce and told that the chef was out of tempura mix. My fish filet was much too salty and poorly prepared. It's hard to believe that these dishes were prepared by a professional chef. Would not return even if offered free meal.
(1)Mandy Y.
Maybe we got lucky and came on a really good day? Our experience was very different than the recent reviews and I'm glad we didn't take them into consideration to them before deciding to eat here. (Mostly because people tend to bitch about silly things here on Yelp) who orders seafood for delivery anyway? Um. Ew. Complaining because the place is too big? THAT deserves 2 stars? C'mon people!! People also complained about the music and I do believe the owners saw the comments as the music was soft and low. Definitely not radio. So this place was reallllllllly close to 5 stars but decided to give them the bump because I feel like the food and ambiance deserves it. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful. Vaulted ceilings complimented with a huge chandelier. Big horseshoe shaped plush boots and a patio I can't wait to sit on. (It is already open but we opted to eat inside) Myself and two little ones all had the shrimp alfredo and it was tremendous. No complaints about the grilled prawns from the husband either. The ONLY thing I will say is that the hot combo was small for being $12 but it was very good. Skip the iced tea and go to a lemonade. Ohhhh and the Blue Point Oysters, FANTASTIC!!! Free parking out front which is unheard of and a definite plus. Will definitely be back.
(5)Kalok C.
Well... I read the reviews before going to this place with pretty low expectations, but found out it is actually possible to be worse. We came in at 4pm when they just opened - empty. Very uncommon for such a good location. Decors were alright, looks high class. Fresh lobsters swimming in the tanks. We stayed for an hour while no other customers walked in. Ordered fried oyster - YUCK. Hard as rock, one of the worst in my life. Shrimp scampi was bad too, the portion is small and sauce was too sour, but the shrimp linguini is good. I have to agree with what others said, the pita was the best part of the meal. Our server Mike was very nice though. For the price I paid I could visit much better seafood restaurants.
(2)Tara F.
We bought a groupon. The food was good but not the service. And they added 20% tip already to the regular price without giving a good service
(3)LaSondra K.
The place was empty on a Friday night. We thought maybe people were just out enjoying the amazing weather or were at the Taste of Chicago. Our party of three was only served 2 glasses of water and 2 sets of utensils. I had to ask for a 3rd. It took an hour to get our food, and the King crab legs were room temperature. Additionally, the shells were soft as though they has been sitting in water all day. They didn't crack at all, making it extremely difficult to get to the meat inside. Upon questioning our waitress, she brought a different waitress who hesitated, then said she was the manager (it appeared as though she was not telling the truth). She fed us some lines about how it depends on the crab and how she didn't know how long they were cooked. Then she brought more crab legs that were hot. Good, right? No! They were just as soft and soggy as the first ones. The food was horrible. The service was slow. We absolutely paid too much money to be so dissatisfied.
(1)Anna P.
Sorry Cy's, but I have to agree with most of the other reviews that you are just not good. First, the ambiance....it's a cool space, but HUGE. Way too big for this type of restaurant. The music was terrible (B96 I think?) and made the whole experience feel more like I was in a bad nightclub just before it opened for the night than in a seafood restaurant. Second, the service...the service was good, but was too much and too stuffy for the type of food they serve. Third, the food...bad. The sides were definitely Green Giant bags from the freezer, and the seafood itself was pretty flavorless. The highlight of the night food-wise was the little pita breads they bring you when you first sit down! And last, the price...absolutely outrageous for the quality of food. We came here with a Groupon or similar deal, and if we hadn't I probably would have protested paying the amount we did. It was almost $100 (before tip) for two people, and we each had 1 drink and 1 entree (I think my boyfriend's was combo platter, but still!). In short, they have some serious work to do if they want to stick around. I do not see Cy's lasting much longer.
(2)Alberto P.
I must say one of me and my best friends came here had the best. Experience ever the food was great delicious crab legs and the sangria drinks were a plus the patio seating it's amazing comfortable and spacious and the customer service is perfect will be here again soon I would love to go a least once a week loved it here
(5)Michelle L.
The best thing about this place was the hot garlic pita bread served when you sit down. Everything else was mediocre except for the waitresses. The decor which is still left over from the previous restaurant does not fit the ambiance that they're trying to go for. There were odd kid's stickers on the mirrors which seemed to be leftover from a kid's party, which is hard to imagine someone would host a kid's party here. The food: the clam chowder was lukewarm. The white fish which was supposed to be broiled looked microwaved from the grocery store and was lukewarm. The shrimp scampi was served in a nice garlicky sauce but the shrimp quality seemed to be from a frozen freezer. I live down the street from here and really wanted to like it but it was not a great experience.
(2)Michelle M.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement - The portions were not good - I felt we were just paying the rent for the space in fact there was no one in the fancy restaurant side honestly all I wanted was some crusty bread to go with my Mussels and the waitress brought out a greasy pita - Red lobster does better
(1)John L.
This is the worst place ever. The crab was old and not fresh. We didn't receive any silverware from Mike the bartender. The filet mignon sandwich was extremely terrible. Close this place now !
(1)Kat D.
The service was friendly and accommodating but a bit slow. Nice ambiance and space, could've been warmer inside the dining room. Food- the lobster bisque was good and the portion was large. The hot combo with the fried shrimp, calamari, and mini crab cakes was tasty- not a very big portion for $12. We also got the mussels- good flavor with a a green onion sauce -my favorite part! Alaskan snow crab platter- 1 lb and wasn't too fishy but was cold when it arrived and over cooked. If you get the groupon this place is worth a try but for truly delicious seafood it might be best to spend double at shaws. And make sure you're not in a hurry.
(3)Daniel D.
Let me tell you all something... Come hungry because when you order the king crab legs it's worth it!!.. Every time I put a crab leg down it seemed like they were adding more on my plate (I swear tho).. Large portions.. The bill ended up being $110 after gratuity.. 2 adults 1 child.. My fiancé enjoyed her lobster tail/ stuffed crab meat.. The alcohol beverages were reasonably priced also.. The serve went through the the menu and gave us intricate details. Also the Groupon helped with the bill!!
(5)Tiffany R.
I thought the space and staff were excellent. The food was not so great in my opinion. My lobster was over cooked. They only gave me one lemon with an Alaskan King Crab. They gave me a small thing of synthetic butter, I would have made garlic butter. The oysters Rockefeller were ok but a little bland. I am a tough critic though because I used to live in New Orleans.
(2)Winnie D.
Our first time here will definitely coming back in the near future. Ordered escargot and mussels for appetizers both were so good melt in your mouth! I had the grab and slab bbw ribs and crab legs with side of tempura veggies and hubby had the pound of crab legs with a side of garlic mashed potatoes we both enjoyed our meals and oh hubby also had half dozen of Chesapeake oysters our overall experience was great the host and servers were friendly and very attentive we will be back soon!
(5)Leigh W.
Visited here recently on a Saturday night. The two of us were seated in a giant horseshoe booth in the front room, which meant we had to shout at each other across the table, or one of us had to butt-scoot all the way around the booth. Service was a little off - the manager guy stopped by a few times, then our waitress came by and started her spiel, then said "I'll be right back" and wandered off. Overall, not terrible service, just spotty. I had the lobster bisque and the shrimp alfredo, neither of which I thought was all that great. Something about the flavor of the bisque I just didn't care for. Plus, it was served with stale Saltines. A hunk of crusty bread would have been so much better. The pasta dish was just OK, nothing special. My friend had the fried shrimp, which she liked. With so many other options in the area, I'm not sure I'll be back any time soon, although to be fair, we did not have any of the straight up seafood, so I would be willing to give it a shot unfried and un-doused in pasta sauce.
(2)Pierre W.
I attempted to take my Valentine to this location for Valentines Day dinner. It was disappointing because we never got seated. I think the owners were overwhelmed with the large group of people waiting to be seated. There was NO awknolegement of the people waiting. It was like they were HOPING we'd go away...yeah, ...and we did. I'll go back because my wife Loves Crab legs so much. I'm always the type to give you a 2nd chance if ya mess up.... but that's all..
(2)Danny W.
I'm ecstatic that someone finally put something in this space and I really hope Cy's does well because they've got a pretty good over all product. They'll definitely grab the family demographic with affordable seafood, easy accessibility, and a pretty fantastic back patio perfect for the summer months. I'm not quite convinced that the more hip men and women of this neighborhood will be frequent offenders though due to the current branding they've got in place. They've got a gigantic, cheesy, cartoon crab as the mascot and although it is kinda funny I don't think it's super appealing to the young professional demographic that populates much of this area. I really hope I'm wrong cause like I said the food is great and I'm all for being able to roll out of bed and having oysters within a block of my building.
(4)John F.
ATTENTION CY...WHYYYYYY?! I've been to their previous location before and it wasn't great, figured with their new location they would at least try to upgrade things. FOOD: Lobster Bique was ok, not bad but not outstanding. Caesar Salad was wilted and old. The cook probably mixed a lot in a big bowl, left it standing and by the time we got it was wilted and soggy. I also got a mixed seafood app. Really was awful, how do you mess up fried calamari, shrimp and a crab cake? Even the Ice Tea was weird tasting. ATMOSPHERE: There is no pride in this place, and it's too bad cause the new location could have been really nice. Walk in and there is a bucket of salt in the hallway, nice greeting. There was a bunch of crappy Valentines Day stickers all over the restaurant (Was there on March 9th). Bathroom has crappy notes up "don't flush feminine products down toilet" and "log about cleaining" hung up. With entree's that cost between $15 - $40 a plate this place can't decide weather to be a hole in the wall seafood shack or a nice seafood restaurant. Service was fine, nothing great. Cy needs to up his game!!
(1)Aisha J.
Oysters, calamari, steak and jumbo shrimp were all delicious. I liked the atmosphere. The other reviews here are definitely exaggerating. I went there after reading the yelp reviews and i was determined to see for myself. The bar set up is nice, sat in a booth. Very sharp place. Server was a sweetheart. Didnt bother us at all. Manager came by once to see if all was well. Down one star because a certain beer my boyfriend asked for was out as well as a side he wanted. Otherwise, 5 stars :)
(4)Shari O.
99% sure they get the food from the Costco frozen food section. I had poorly seasoned swordfish that tasted more like tuna with a swordfishie finish...whatever that means. BUT they have a patio...that's awesome. Groupon...got what I paid for. Ah well
(1)Mina S.
I don't know about the rest of these reviews but my dinning experience was awesome! My friend and I came in about a week ago and sat on the patio which was absolutely lovely. I started of with a dozen blue points and the steamers delight which was Phenomenal especially with the pita chips our lovely server Meena recommended for us. To drink we had some of cy's famous Mai Tai's also very tasty and pretty strong which I love! For dinner I had the cy's favorite and my friend got the crab stuffed lobster. Both were breath taking! My lobster tail was cooked to perfection as well as my king crab legs. The crab stuffed lobster my friend had was also cooked to perfection! Service was great just as good as the food! I will definitely be back!!
(5)Eric J.
Two stars for the actual experience and a generous third star because they're brand new and going through some of the typical pains restaurants have on their opening. I think my main problem with this restaurant is they just don't seem to have any continuity in their style, menu, ambiance, and decor. The building used to be the Red Canary and they've kept all of the tables and chairs which gives it a very upscale feel. The problem is... this isn't an upscale restaurant. The appetizers are fried shrimp and the entrees are mostly crab, which is messy, fun, and certainly not made for a white linen style dinner. The menu and food want to be a dive but the restaurant is decorated to be upscale and classy. It made for a very odd ambiance. Switch out the white chairs for some wooden bar stools, some new tables, and get rid of the chandeliers and maybe you have something. When you have a low-budget opening, you run into these types of problems. The food menu is limited in variety and quality. If you want crab then this is your place, but if you're going to dinner with people who want something else then you might be out of luck. The appetizers were good and priced appropriately and I can see us coming here just for that. The crab was really good, but the oysters --- oh man these were awful! Whoever was opening them needs some brushing up on his/her technique. There were shell pieces in every oyster and none of the oysters were cut from the muscle. The quality of oysters was poor as well. My bias: I live in the neighborhood and I really, really wanted to LOVE this place. I'm hopeful the can make a few changes. I'll be back with a great deal of optimism in tow...
(3)Nadya R.
They lack professionalism and BUSINESS ethics! I recently (May 29th, 2015) placed a delivery order from this establishment for a business client in downtown chicago. The tracking said that the food should have been delivered at 5:50pm (the restaurant is 1.5 miles away ). I contacted the restaurant and spoke with a manager who seemed to not know anything about the order; yet I had already prepaid for the food and the delivery!!! I mentioned the tracking and he said he'd look into it from the delivery driver. At this time I inquired about a refund, since I already prepaid $80 for my food including a $5 delivery charge via my credit card when I originally placed the order at 5pm. 7:30pm rolls around and I get a call from the doorman about the delivery. I told the manager since the refund is being processed that I won't be accepting the order if it gets delivered as it is over an hour late of the promised delivery time and the client has already left! At this time the manager continued to harassed us with phone calls about the order repeatedly. I said for him to call us no further, and that I wasn't going to spend my time on a matter such as this. They need to get their customer service in order !! Point blank I ordered the food at 5:00 they didn't deliver it till 7:30 and wrote on the foyer log as being delivered at 5:00pm (how ridiculous!!). The manager and delivery driver both came to business and Falsified the delivery time to save face on the sign-in sheet. With all being said. we discarded the food since it was disheveled and not at an edible temperature (we ordered seafood-this can't be in the back of a delivery car for hours lost).
(1)Zach W.
Holy bad delivery food. Rather than editorializing let me speak directly about the food. The very soggy fried (and clearly frozen) shrimp on the Po'boy were all laid out on the stale bread loaf. That was it. No sauce, no mix of veggies, literally nothing but soggy tiny shrimp on bread. The clam chowder was equally atrocious. It was pure cream with a few potatoes thrown in for good measure. My 7.95 key like cheesecake was smaller than a sliver. I'll post a pic, as it was less an "ordering"and more a "robbery." I'd state this was one of my worst food delivery experience in a long time.
(1)Nicole B.
After all these years and two locations later I still love this place! Very family friendly, reasonably priced, convenient parking easy menu. Beautiful patio space.
(4)Leyla H.
I'm sorry to say that this place is terrible. I took my boyfriend there for his birthday and what a mistake. The server was the worst I've ever experienced. I don't think it was entirely her fault. It was as if the manager had hired someone with no serving experience and no training and then just set them loose on customers. The other servers seemed to know what they were doing and even tried to help us out a few times. To highlight just a few of the mishaps: Our server started out by calling us "kids", we are in our 30's. She didn't know the menu at all and looked at us with a blank stare when we ordered. She brought us the wrong drinks. She ordered us the wrong food. Everything took forever!! I could write pages about what she did wrong but I will just move on to the rest of the disaster. There was an older gentlemen who seemed to be a manager that was basically just pacing around by the server station and the tables (getting in the servers way) and looking awkward. The food was not good. I was hoping for a saving grace when we finally got our food but nope. The ambiance and decor is less than desirable, as well. A real shame. Shame on management for putting someone on the floor who is not ready. I did decide to complain to the manager at the end because it had been 15 min since we had given the server our cc to pay and she had been standing at the register the entire time looking confused. I decided I couldn't hold it in any longer and plus I couldn't wait to get out of there. The bartender came over and made some excuse about having hired her to "give her a chance". I'm sorry, but she didn't have a chance without being trained. She took our drinks off our bill and we finally got outta there. I have worked in the industry for 10 years, so when I see something this bad, I must say something. Steer clear of this place. For those of you tempted to go because the prices are good, just remember: Good aint cheap and cheap aint good.
(1)Naomi L.
Love the new location! Love Denise and I'm happy they finally opened! The old location on halstead was small and cozy. This location is much nicer and very spacious!
(5)Erin B.
Over anxious wait staff and managers. Constantly checked on how you were doing. Were out of wine we wanted to order and brought incorrect mixed drink. Food was ok, too. Nothing spectacular, especially for the price we paid.
(2)Madison W.
Everything was amazing -- crab legs! Yes! But the best part was our server!! Chelsea did such an amazing job. Very sweet girl!!
(4)Rosalynn E.
This place has so much potential but fell flat for my birthday dinner. First off, they do have a really great selection of seafood and the venue is huge! Unfortunately, those are the only positive things I can say about the place. Service was extreemely slow and just not very good. There was way too much time in between ordering our drinks to our appetizers to our main course. The restaurant only had about 5 other customers. I don't understand why or server would disappear so much. She even had to come back a few times to make sure she wrote down the right thing, and blamed it on bad hearing from being in a band in her youth. She wasn't sure of the market prices or if they had Jameson "because the bar was new." Then she was surprised with what I ordered because she had never seen it on the menu and continued to just stare at it... Then, there had to be something going on in the excruciatingly slow kitchen. Our 1/2 dozen oysters app took 20-30 minutes to come out. We had already finished our first round of drinks and got a second by the time it got it to us. After waiting another 20-30 minutes, my original order of 12pcs of shrimp came out to only be 6pcs. She later told me that they ran out and she could give me what they had left but it would take a while to thaw... The lobster my friend ordered was flavorless and spongy. It made me wonder if the live lobsters in front were only for display. What should have been a quick dinner, turned into 2 1/2 hours of disappointment. I think this place has a lot of work to do in the FOH and BOH or it may not last very long.
(2)L K.
Horrible experience.. Will never go back there. Food was cold. Service was bad. And slow. But I guess you gotta try everything once. And, god forbid you should even try to do a carryout order there. Too many issues with this place...
(1)Leang E.
Selfishly, I'd like this restaurant to stay because it might be the closest seafood restaurant to me. The old Cy's doesn't look as nice as this one, so it's certainly an upgrade. I have been meaning to try it out for a while, and finally got an opportunity with my cousin and his friends. They were already seated in a booth and we were quite comfy. Our waitress was pretty nice. We started out with the Hot Combo which was tasty, but you can't really go wrong with fried stuff. I also had the lobster bisque, which was good but not the best I ever had. For my entree, I had the 1 lb. Alaskan King Crab legs which was just ok. The shells were a little soft and the meat wasn't as sweet. The teriyaki vegetables were passable. The prices seemed average. I wasn't impressed, but I might give it a try again.
(3)Leon W.
Great place service five star Woohoo! As good as it gets!
(5)Chris J.
I will keep it short. Like some of the others have said...This is NOT the "old king crab". The old King Crab was awesome...this place is a joke. Crabs are cold and waitresses are aloof and the prices are not worth it for me anymore. Also at night they are trying to turn into some type of club or something. Look do yourself a favor and DONT come here..the old King Crab was awesome this place sucks now. The old King Crab, like somebody else wrote, was a hole in the wall...but the food was awesome..the new location is nicer but the food and service sucks now....My crabs were cold!! lol what the hell? How are you king crab serving cold crabs! And they were $28 for a pound..I can go to Hooters for cheaper crabs and at the very minimum they will be steaming!....Save your time people go elsewhere.
(1)Marian R.
We went back yesterday, we have been there several times. One of the worse experiences we have ever had. We took my mother for dinner, all three of us agreed that it was horrendous, we had a Groupon. We first started with waiting over 5 minutes waiting for someone to sit us, finally walked up to bar and asked if we could seat ourselves. We ordered a coke, club soda, and a glass of Merlot. Merlot came out first and 5 minutes later the other beverages. I ordered 2 appetizers, escargot and 1/2 dz. blue pointes on the half shell. We also at the same time ordered extra lemon and Tabasco sauce before she left the table. Got our blue points, had to ask for plates and cocktail forks plus the lemon and Tabasco sauce. Finally got those. We wait over 20 minutes for the Escargot, we received no bread or anything to eat with them. They served the Escargot in a white ceramic 6 hole Escargot plate with melted cheese on top, so much that you could not see the Escargot, it was horrible. We asked for bread and informed us they serve pita, we did not receive the pita chips until after Randy and my mother were done with their meals. Again we had to ask for more small plates to serve the snails. We had our oysters plate and tray sitting there, I finally stacked them up and had to ask someone to come & get the plates. When my dinner was served with my mom's and Randy's my came with pasta and since I am a diabetic I couldn't eat it, it was the dish as described on the menu, it also looked so unappetizing. The manager (that is who we think it is) came over and I explained I didn't ask for pasta with my meal, offered to take it back and bring it right back, asked him for the prawns. Randy ordered the Grilled Prawns and says it comes: Jumbo shrimp with grilled onions, served with ginger soy sauce...there were no onions. He ordered the sautéed teriyaki vegetables which consist of carrots, onions, green beans, and broccoli, all he got was broccoli. My mother ordered Crab Stuffed Shrimp that was stuffed with crabmeat, you said it all crabmeat, she hardly tasted or saw the shrimp. Last time we were there she raved about the blackened catfish, loved it and wanted to go back. I ordered the Shrimp Scampi which says it was sautéed with garlic, olive oil, white wine, & scallions, it looked like soup and nowhere near Shrimp Scampi. When I said to the manager that is not how it is described on the menu he informed me Shrimp Scampi is served in various ways. We asked for another coke, club soda, and water and we got water but had to ask 3 times for the sodas. The waitress never came back to our table until we asked for our check. The manager was the person that presented the check to inform me he took my dinner off the check, and apologized and asked how everything was, I told him the worse service and meal we have ever eaten there. Our check was for $96.00 before discounts, and our portion was $46.00 but still for what we received and how we were taken care of was totally horrendous. We asked for to go containers and the waitress offered to box them, but every time she was to come back it took her close to 15-20 minutes. Prior to going to the restroom, I asked the waitress for the check and when I came back asked for the check and we still sat for 10 minutes waiting for the check. We got our pita chips after we were done with the Escargot, last visit we got a bowl of that when we were seated. Asked the manager how long the waitress has been waiting on tables and informed him someone needed to still follow her or train her longer. When we left, no one came over to say goodbye or apologize. Now going to talk to Groupon what we can do about our last Groupon there, we don't ever want to go back. The place was truly empty.
(1)Just M.
Went there a few months ago. It was much better. Tonight---- Fried Calamari was okay. Oysters were good but had shell bits in the half shells. Blacken catfish stay away from!!! Mashed potatoes were that just okay. Mixed veggies just pick something else unless you like frozen. Rice was just that nothing special. But the Shrimp Scampi was awesome! I would give it a 2.5. I might give it another chance because I had a better time last time.
(2)Laura A.
So King Crab moved from Halsted, and changed up their name a bit...a hybrid of King Crab, and the former Cy's on Ashland. We were a little excited upon first hearing about this move, because the new location is way closer to home for us, with far easier street parking. Although I am most concerned with food and service, I do agree with other reviewers that the space is kind of too big, (massive actually) and a bit odd. They kept most of the decorative elements of the former business, and brought along some of their nautical decor. The multiple single rest rooms are nice, but it's quite a hike to get there! The patio out back looks really nice, and I look forward to sipping some Mai Tai's back there once Summer arrives. The food has not changed whatsoever, though. Still fake butter. Still mediocre food. Still painfully overpriced. I love snow crab. I don't love it boiled and water logged, which it was on our most recent visit. It's really gross, to put it mildly. Sides are limited and sad. If they haven't changed by now, I fear they never will. I just wish they'd step up the quality! I really want to like this place. The 2 owners (I assume) are always present and appear involved, and are friendly when engaged. Our last meal was especially horrible though, and I just hate taking chances of it happening again. Cocktails are good, as is the service typically, although the young, seemingly inexperienced server brought out a completely wrong entree last time. I can excuse that, but I cannot excuse such poor execution of what comes out of the kitchen. It's so close now, I'm sure we'll be back, and keep hoping that they'll make improvements.
(2)L B.
I've never actually been motivated to post a review before but I hope to help others avoid a similar experience. Caveat: this is for the food only and not for service. I had carry out. I had a crab cake sandwich and clam chowder - neither of which I could finish. Their interpretation of a crab cake is liberal at best. There were obviously a number of filler vegetables in the patty, and the flavor reminded me more of the salmon patties my mom used to make out of canned salmon than anything with fresh crab in it. The bun it was served on was also ice cold and there was a huge tomato slice almost as thick as the patty itself. The tomato and lettuce were fresh, I'll give them that. The clam chowder I could only have a couple bites of. It was sort of a glutinous texture and was only lukewarm. I didn't taste much in the way of clam - it was pretty bland overall. The texture and lack of flavor prevented me from eating more than a few spoonfuls. I was sad to have wasted money on the order. Overall I was extremely disappointed as I used to live on the east coast and I was hoping to satisfy a craving I've had lately for my favorite foods from back home. The temperature issues could perhaps be accounted for by the fact that it was carry out - although many restaurants manage to serve lovely temperature-appropriate food that way. But the flavor and texture issues cannot be attributed to any outside circumstances. Perhaps the oysters are good there, but it's hard for me to picture going back. In a city like Chicago, where there are many other options even for seafood, I will not be patronizing this restaurant again anytime soon.
(1)Ryan S.
I'm not quite sure which was worse - the service or the food... We chose this place as a friend had a $25 gift certificate. However, upon arriving, we noticed that they had a bar special advertising discounted oysters, wings and shrimp, among other things. Unfortunately the coupon could not be combined with the special. Based on the special though, we decided to forego the $25 off to order off of the discounted bar menu. Although we waked into a large ice bucket full of oysters sitting on the bar, we were told by our less-than-customer-service-driven-waitress that the designated oyster shucker had run off to pick up an order and therefore we would have to wait until he returned to place our order. After waiting 15 minutes for her to check to see when he was expected back, she unapologetically advised that she simply didn't know when he would return. (Duh, why should we expect that an oyster restaurant would have the help to open the oysters at peak dinner time!?) It appears that this mystery delivery man was also picking up 50% of the other items on the special menu as they were also out of the wings and hamburgers. Fine. We ordered the shrimp, mussels and a few items off the regular menu. Shrimp was decent, mussels didn't come with bread (all they had was pita after a special request) and the grilled catfish sandwich was one of the blandest items I've ever ordered out. My friend requested the shrimp scampi sauce with her linguini dish and was told that the kitchen rarely veers off the menu and so if she wanted a different sauce, then she would have to order two different dishes... WTF? No thanks. We were probably there for a full two hours and it was the longest two hour dining experience of our lives. Not only was the place empty on this Tuesday night (perhaps a total of 10 other people dining), the waitress was no where to be found and when she was waiting on us, we received nothing but sass. I would rather dine at a morgue than have to sit in this restaurant again. The wait staff is completely unprofessional and inattentive, not to mention that the older gentleman (presumably the manager or owner) was constantly waking by our table without acknowledging us, knowing we were completely displeased with our overall experience. Don't waste your time or money on this place as it will only end in aggravation and regret.
(1)Marcin M.
Literally just left this place and holy shit I am stuffed! We used a Groupon to check it out and will definitely be back without one. Our awsome server Jill recommended the right dishes and we couldn't have had a better expirience! Great craft beet selection as well. Girlfriends Mai Thai was delicious! I did the 2 lb ultimate crab feast and I'm pretty sure I got more because I was eating it for hours... Girlfriends Mahi Mahi was great as well. Will be back.
(5)Vivian C.
Since they opened up there new location they seem to be a tad bit un-organized great food but very rude and bad service..... Reservations, uh what is that ?..........
(3)N P.
My wife and I went here on whim. We ended buying a groupon type thing off yelp. I would possibly go again with the groupon, but not without it. We had a few drinks, oysters, and split an entree. The food is mediocre at best. If I didn't have the groupon it would have been 1 star.
(3)Brandon B.
I live nearby and was excited that a new restaurant had finally opened in the building. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed in my experience. Arriving at Cy's, I walked to the back patio to meet my friend without being greeted by any of the staff. We ordered: Crab Cakes: good flavor and texture but small on the portion; it was only a single crab cake Chilean Sea Bass (one of the specials): nicely cooked and seasoned; I enjoyed it and the mashed potato appetizer was really good as well Shrimp Alfredo: the shrimp was overcooked and the Alfredo sauce was bland, although the pasta was cooked to my preference...just a little past al dente Overall, the food was good but it wasn't exceptional and I thought it was overpriced. The wait staff was friendly and attentive although to be fair the place was practically empty. I'm most disappointed because I know the building has so much potential; the dining area is beautiful and there's a huge outdoor patio. I just don't think that Cy's is going to make the cut.
(2)V. G.
I love it here! Food is great, staff is extremely friendly. I definitely recommend it, completely satisfied!!
(5)Jenell H.
I had been to the old location and had a great experience which is why we came back. Unfortunately, our experience at the new location was less than desirable and we will not be returning. The service was slow and the waitress was non-existent. We sat on the patio and we were swarmed by flies the whole meal so we couldn't even enjoy it. The food was ok but not worth dealing with the other issues to go back.
(1)Doug F.
On our first visit we came away thinking that Cy's King Crab is overpriced with average food. We went for lunch on Sunday and there only two other people in this Huge space. We had the crab cake appetizer that was ok but nothing special, and was price at $13. Our entrees were soft shell crab $25 and shrimp scampi $20. The soft shell crabs were mushy instead of crisp, and heavily covered is sauce. The shrimp scampi came in a large bowl with a lot of sauce, but the shrimp were somewhat small. Our server very pleasant, but seemed inexperienced with the restaurant's menu. Since the restaurant is close to where we live we will probably return and try the oyster bar specials, instead of ordering off the menu.
(3)Julie S.
I'm only giving a one because I have to in order to write a review. This restaurant, and I use the term loosely, was abysmal. They were out of oysters. OUT! it's toted as an oyster bar. king crab, as per the restaurant name? out. even more deplorable was the chef trying to pass off snow crab as King crab at a PREMIUM price. they were also out of 312 and Goose Island. it was a Tuesday night, they were not busy, and the service was awful. don't risk it!
(1)Phillip L.
Waitress was perfect. Had the snow crab legs. The unsalted butter they are using had a off taste to it. I added salt and lemon to it and it still tasted off. Unless it was the crab legs. Is that even possible? It's a sea food place. Should have been better. I have had better snow crab legs at Hooters. For half the price and tasted better. That is sad.
(3)Teetee P.
Let's just say, I was not impressed at all! After being seated, we stared at our server standing at the bar watching TV for about 10 minutes and not once did she look over. We eventually flagged down another server to take our order. The oysters were good but after that ... it went downhill. The crabcakes were extremely salty. The fried shrimp was bland. The hot combo appetizer was pretty small for the price we paid. Their "famous" Mai Tai was pre-made and served out of a pitcher and there was nothing "famous" about it. This is just my opinion from my experience. I would never discourage anyone from coming, because you may have a different experience. For myself, I won't be going back! There are far too many restaurants that I have yet to try in this big city!
(2)Angela S.
King crab legs and fried shrimp tasted frozen. My dining partner didn't finish the shrimp, but before taking the plate away, the server asked if I wanted the rest. I said sure so the server, albeit politely, with his fingers, plucked them off of the plate and put them on my side plate. Beginning to lose my appetite, but really not wanting to waste expensive seafood, I asked for the rest of my legs to go. Opened the to-go at home only to find a healthy portion of rice and nothing else. I don't even think it was rice from my plate because I had eaten most of it with my dinner. Feeling lucky I didn't go for the lobster as there was one lifeless - perhaps dead - on display in the tank and I don't think it's because they were selling out of them. Service was good, but place wasn't the least bit busy for Sunday dinner. Location and parking are also a plus. Prices could be cheaper to reflect the quality of food, but even so, not interested in eating here again. It was nothing but an awkward experience all the way around.
(1)Carina D.
Love the new place! Amazing back patio that's perfect for relaxing with oysters and wine. They also do an all you can eat crab legs special on the weekends. Food was amazing and well priced for seafood in Chicago. I recommend the jumbo crab legs or the crab stuffed lobster- both to die for. Service was excellent and we will definitely be coming back!
(5)Nabeel S.
Has mussels, scallops and oysters. The mussels were really amazing. Overall, the place is great, good ambiance, friendly waiters and excellent food. Will go back next Sunday.
(5)Tom B.
Where do I start? I went in there last Sunday (Nov 9th) around 7:30pm. We live in the neighborhood and have driven by numerous times and commented to each other how similar the name was to "King Crab." We have been long time customers of "King Crab" on Halsted for many years and were very disappointed that they closed this spring. When we saw online that "Cy's King Crab" on Milwaukee was the same restaurant, we made a bee line to the new location. The sign above the door is a plastic banner that you would expect to see for a newly opened business. We recognized some of the nautical decorations as we entered, but once we entered, it was confusing what the main decoration theme was. The walls were dark and several large circular booths were on one wall, a full bar (in size, not in stock) on the other and a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There were maybe 6 other patrons in the restaurant at the time. Three flat screen TV's were mounted on the walls. Later research online revealed that "Como" an outshoot of formerly famous "The Como Inn" was the first tenant and then "The Red Canary" a sports bar was the last. It was clear that the heavy/dark decoration theme was from the "Como" and very little has been changed. The nautical pieces placed around the wall gave the impression that the new tenants were not planning on staying long. Kind of like when you move back to your parent's house while your new place is being built. You can put your things out, but don't touch the plastic sofa covers on grandma's furniture. Our waitress came to get our drink orders. When we asked what vodka's they carried, she screwed up her face and said that they don't have a liquor license yet and they are a week away from getting it. She said we had two options: go to the CVS down Milwaukee or go across the street to the wine store where the owner had an agreement that he would sell us a bottle for 50-60% off the retail price. And then we would be charged a $5 corkage fee. So I walked across to purchase a bottle of white for $19. The owner of the wine shop was very helpful, but no discount was offered even though he knew I was from Cy's. The waitress also said that the owner's had to close the Halsted restaurant due to a new building development and moved here in June. The owner stopped by our table and he related that there were 5 different places throughout Chicago and the north suburbs that were a part of the same restaurant. He said that there used to be 5 partners and now there were only 2 and just this one location. We ordered our "go to" favorite: the crab cakes. I had mine with garlic mashed potatoes and my girlfriend ordered mixed vegetables. When they arrived, it was clear that the patties were burned even in the dark lighting. Flipping them over showed even a darker char. Her vegetables were right out of a freezer bag including huge stems of broccoli and my potatoes were ice cold. The plates were served with a lack of garnish or any attempt to make them appealing. Two machine made patties and a scoop of mashed potatoes. We complained to our waitress who apologized and took both orders back. My girl friend's order was back in 4 minutes and it was clear that these new patties were not even fully cooked. The inside of the patties were ice cold. We signaled another server to get the owner to come over so we could settle our bill for the appetizers and leave. This was not our normal server and once we told her what was our complaint, she said that today was the cook's second day. When the owner came over to explain that he was baking us a new order and assuring us that this (our 3rd attempt) would be better as he was making them himself, we asked to settle our bill and leave. He said there would be no charge and we thanked him. We told he that we were told that the cook was new and this was his second day. He asked us who said that. He said his cook has been with him of 15 years. That may be, but not as a cook. Change is good and change is inevitable, but I think this is an end of an era. "King Crab" was a "hole in the wall" where you could spend a lazy afternoon, eating some of the best fresh seafood in Chicago at an affordable price. I understand businesses change and owners follow new pursuits. It just seems that the current owners are not into this at 100%. The new location is great, easy parking and in a very active neighborhood. But show some interest in being a fixture of River West as much as you were a part of Lincoln Park. Take "ownership" of your new space. Remove the heavy "Como Inn" feel and make it look and feel like the warm ocean breeze and salty smell are a part of the eating experience. Or take into another direction, go up scale. Throw out wine barrels and ship's wheel and flat screen TV's. But pick a direction. Pick a theme and go with it. Make us all believe you want to be there and you want us back. It seems like you lost your "fire." And I will not be returning.
(1)Elizabeth L.
We came across this place because we purchased a groupon. When we first pulled up we couldn't really tell if the place was even open. When walking in we were greeted by a tank full of lobsters and a server who sat us right away. The place was dim and quiet. The booth we were seated at was huge and comfortable. The first thing we noticed was the bar was not a open bar. It looks like it has not been used in forever. When we asked the server she said they did not have there liquor licenses but we could go across the street and get a bottle for 20% off. So we ordered our food and went and got a bottle of wine. When we came back our server had already set up a wine cooler at our table and the bus boy brought us two wine glasses. I thought that was very nice of both of them. Our food came out quick and it tasted soooo good. My only dislike of the place was it felt like a abandoned banquet hall. A huge space and the only light was on our table. I understand not being able to use the bar but maybe lighting it up or putting any kind of lights around the place would make it feel more comfortable. We did however find it to be a tad romantic because we were the only ones in there. We will be back again. Hopefully then you will have the bar open or at least lit up.
(3)Dedria P.
Customer service was great. The food on the other hand very bland. Ordered the snow crab $28 bucks of i wish i would have went somewhere else. So bland thank god for the butter sauce i had to dip it in.
(2)Rosario S.
the worst experience ever..food was raw and used a groupon. total bait and swithch!! dude staff and waiter ..i would not recommended this place at all!!
(1)turn p.
Unsatisfactory customer service. The linguini was just full of mussel shells and dumped with sauce from a jar. It took forever to get our check. They took my feedback poorly. Would not go back.
(2)D L.
The place is very nice (but it comes with that old building smell) and the patio looks amazing except it's 20 degree in Chicago. Service was good, that's about all the nice things there is. We started with the mussels and it's not fresh and mushy, laying in a bath of oil. If you can't get mussels right, I am not sure how you can call this place a seafood place. We had the shrimp alfredo to play it safe. They cut every single shrimp (they are not big) into halves. Who does that? The stuffed swai was ok... I see the owner standing in front of the store, seemingly eagerly waiting for patrons to visits. but if you really want your business to do good, you really should fix the food! :/
(2)Richard S.
Truly awful. If your idea of Shrimp Scampi is salty, oily brown gravy with a handful of tiny shrimp, then you'll love this place! Staff and atmosphere was mediocre too. This place is in my neighborhood so I was hoping it would be good. Nope.
(1)Luis C.
I had previously visited the lincoln park location. This is a much better location and bigger with a great outdoor patio. Food was good (oysters, kwai, mussels) and BYOB is a plus. Our server was great as well as everyone else. Staff worked together to make sure we were doing ok.. We will definitely visit again. Definitely not expensive, very fair priced.
(5)Frank P.
This was my favorite seafood place when it was at its previous location! Not a fan of the new place. Decor does not fit the place at all. Food lost its touch and was very fishy. Sorry but the only thing good was the bread with the meal. The service was terrible and waitress seemed stoned! Very disappointed!
(2)Brad F.
I'll start with the positives: the restaurant is beautiful and our waitress was great! That's all I got... The place was empty just like either of their other two restaurants on Halsted or Ashland used to be. The appetizers were just cheap frozen fried shrimp and calamari. The snow crab was tasty but the pieces were tiny. The king crab were nice size, but I didn't think they were that great. Two of the people that were with us, ordered the jumbo crab and they seemed to like it. If the place wasn't so slow, I'd give it another star. But even though it was empty, it took forever to get our food. And they don't use a POS system. So when it came time for our party of six to get the check, it took the waitress 10 minutes to add everything up. The restaurant is huge, and I cannot imagine how long it would take when busy. Just like I remember at cy's on Ashland, the owner is there watching everyone nervously. I feel bad for the guy. You could definitely see the stress on his face running an empty, giant restaurant. And it was super expensive, especially considering we brought our own wine. It was $150 per couple for mediocre food. If you want to try this place, I'd get there soon. Running a restaurant in Chicago is not easy, and I can't imagine this one will last too long.
(2)Larry R.
Probably one of the most bizarre restaurant experiences! We called to make sure they were open and they said nothing of the new address, we went to the old address. Found that they moved and went to the new location. Walked in to a very nice, large, new restaurant with outdoor seating. Only a couple of tables with people there. We were told the outdoor seating was not open, don't know why. We sat down in a room all by ourselves. Looked at the menu and was told that they had no liquor license yet, that they could get us wine across the street. We ordered a bottle, which later we were told we needed to pay for separately so that they could run it across the street. $5 uncork fee for the screw on cap. Waited quite awhile for the wine and even longer for wine glasses. The wine bottle holder was messed up and we needed to prop it up against a chair so it didn't fall over. We asked for more of the little bread bits, service was very slow. Again, this was an empty restaurant! We asked the waitress where the oysters were from, and she didn't know, would have to go to the kitchen and find out. Really? Can you know the menu any less? The crab meat stuffed shrimp was OK, the King crab was over cooked! Your are a king crab house, it should be perfect. It was there first night at the new location, stuff to work out. We thought we would help them and told a manager about the server who needed quite a bit more training, and apparently so did he. Didn't apologize, try and learn, etc. Just explained our bizarre experience away. We were there for a birthday and so they brought tiramisu, not so good. Was pricey for what we got, took two hours in an empty restaurant. We will not go back, ever!
(1)Leslie F.
The decor and atmosphere was a little cheesy and they didn't have a liquor license so they were sending guests to a bar across the street for drinks. Having the lobster tank right at the door also gave off a fishy smell on entry. Didn't set a great first impression but the good was great! We had crash legs, oysters, and stuffed lobster. Quality meal.
(3)E Rae K.
King Crab, we are vibing. Food was just as good as I remember, but huge upgrade on the location. Who doesn't love a good patio? Oysters and King Crab Legs were my meal of choice and both highly recommended. I'm also a fan of the temporary BYOB status. Maybe I drink too much, but my tab will be less friendly to me when that's gone. Oh, and of course, our service was fantastic.
(4)LINDA M.
Fantasic! Best seafood I had in years. Delicious, I had the Hawaiian stuffed swali, large portion perfectly cooked in a sauce the complimented the fish perfectly .The salmon was fresh and delicious and also large portion. The tiramisu topped it off. There is plenty of free parking next to the restaurant. Nice atmosphere, attentive staff and I loved the horse shoe booths gave sort of a vintage feel in the beautiful décor.
(5)Elizabeth S.
Great place to bring out of Towners. Nice service and the ambiance on their patio is so cute you feel like you are in Paris king crab plate is enough for two ! Gotta love that. Wish we had known about byob but next time we will be prepared. I had my first fried oyster here. I must say I'm hooked.
(5)Gsconi C.
Was out looking for a late nite bite and stumbled across Cy's. Food was horrible, server okay. Crab legs cold and bland. Thank God for butter. Mushroom app, great concept but not executed well. Ordered the Filet Mignon. It was not filet mignon more of a chuck cut, should be used for a braising steak. Nice atmosphere. Overpriced food. Would do better going to "Half Shell" for crab combo for half the price. WILL NOT BE BACK.
(1)Ellie Z.
Not sure what to make of this place. Our waitress said they've been around for over 30 years. Apparently they used to be up on North Halsted, in a much smaller venue. I see how that could work....but now, it's just very confusing. Is it a nice venue? Am I suppose to dress nicely? The menu is very "cheap" and "beachy" looking.....yet the restaurant "look" is quite nice. I'm familiar with the this location since before i was the Como Inn and Red Canary. The staff (including management) were very attentive and the food was delish! I'm just nervous that they're in the middle of an identity crisis. Having a HUGE beatiful bar yet being BYOB isn't going to help either. This isn't necessarily a BYOB neighborhood. I'll be back purely because of the food and prices.
(2)Rod T.
Went to Cys king Crab on Milwaukee Ave. for Valentines day. Although I've been here before and had a good experience......today's adventure was absolutely horrible. Let's start with the fact that they seriously overbooked the place. The hostess was tripling as a bartender and a waitress....let's say there was a serious backlog at at the door devoid of a hostess taking down names and directing traffic. They eventually started 3 separate seating wait list...........fast forward about 1hr. When the food comes the waitress takes all of the eating utensils and did not return with new ones for at least 10 min. Oh by the way my food had hot and cold spots like it came out of a bad microwave. ....I complain and they bring me a new plate with new food....but still cold........ I finally throw my hands up and refuse to eat anything.... then they screw up the Groupon for the bill. Tried to take off what we paid for the Groupon as opposed to the value of the Groupon......... oh I forgot. Another waitress spilled wine on a guy a couple of tables over............ Really a bad experience. .....
(1)J P.
tried this place out on a groupon. place looks very promising , nice wooden doors ,decor suggests your in for a great seafood experience. guess that's all I was semi impressed with. crab stuffed mushrooms were good. entree, not impressive whatsoever. ordered the grilled prawns, and I must say, they were a nice size, but lacked any kind of kick, flavor wise. also tried four way shrimp. one was way to garlicky , the others were quite forgettable as well. Mai tai was nothing special either. value was so, so. bill would have been exaggerated , if not for the groupon.
(2)Aaron W.
Great experience great crab great atmosphere I live around the corner and was super excited to have this place come here.
(5)J K.
I have been coming here for years, since it was located on Halsted. Absolutely delicious and generous portions of food. My favorites include the oysters, lobster, king crab, bisque -- you really can't go wrong! The outside patio is really beautiful in the summer, such a huge upgrade from the small outdoor place they had in Lincoln Park. I haven't eaten inside yet, but I already miss the dive-y aspects of the old place -- agree with the previous reviews that said this is definitely not a white tablecloth type of place, so I hope they change it up. Service, as ever at the old place, was great. Can't wait to go back.
(5)Jessica M.
This place is amazing, no complaints on any of the items ordered including the king crab, bluepoint oysters, Caesar salad, lobster bisque. The patio was spacious, with great ambience. Our service was terrific, definitely coming back very soon.
(5)Erin R.
Came here on my Birthday with a party of 6. Food was amazing, service was fantastic. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful. I think the only threat to this business is the unique location. I hope they plan on sticking around awhile because it's delicious!
(5)I L.
This place has no soul. The hostess had no soul, the waitress had even less soul. I didnt even want to eat the way they made me feel. I thought for a second I was in the suburbs for some strange reason. Ordered a po'boy with mixed vegetables was given a piece of bread and some breaded shrimp on top of it so basically eat dry with dry; oh and a side were mixed veggies with a chop suey sauce... Owners: ATTN: have you heard of Pappadeaux? if not please look into this and how to get your seafood in order. You have come to River North, time to play with the big boys not in the suburbs. Dont see you making it like this past the summer.
(1)Jelena B.
Amazing food, service, and patio! What else could a group of girls want??? We've has the lobster bisque, Caesar salad, king crab and oysters.... So good!
(5)Benjamin G.
After going to the show we decided to have dinner at Cy's King Crab. This was our first time dining at this location. We were greeted and seated immediately. The server, Mary, was very pleasant and took our order. Everything went down hill from there.. It took 45 minutes for our entrée to be served - and when they brought them one was not the correct order. When we complained to the manager about the extremely poor service - he was not apologetic - but instead stated they were busy. There were many open tables and no wait time. We also asked our server for bread for the table - although we reminded her 4 times - it took 25 minutes to get the bread. When the correct entrée finally arrived - one of the dishes (blacken catfish) was simply okay and the Hawaii stuff swai was extremely salty, we could not eat it. Not until we asked for the owner - did we receive any apology for the extremely poor/unsatisfactory service. The owner, Cy offered something else from the menu and have the dessert comp - we refused - we had no interest in staying any longer at the restaurant or taking any food with us. Since we were so unhappy with the entire experience, the owner offered to cover our meal and suggested that we try them again but to ask for him on our return visit. A very poor operation.
(2)