Few things are as representative of Southern cuisine than a seafood feast. One ofrecent years’ biggest surprise hitsoffers a variety of fresh catch—from crab legs and shrimp to crawfish and lobsters—for diners to get their hands on. Include a generous BYOB policy and it’s understandable why it can be one of the longest waits in town. There's also alocation in Wicker Park.

Having a varied spread of dishes is always a good thing so head toPearl’sfor Cajun small plates and other Southern-inspired comfort foods. Sample a bit of everything by feasting on smoked pork poutine, crispy boudin balls, Mississippi catfish bites, savory crawfish cheesecake and more. The menu also offers a variety of barbecue options and big plates like blackened catfish and a double-cut pork chop.

One of Chicago’stop destinations for Southern cookingfeatures a comforting menu of beignets, boudin rouge and other charcuterie, Cajun-style gumbo, shrimp and grits, and more educational and historic Southern recipes. And it also serves famous fried chicken, an Edna Lewis recipe that fries the bird in leaf lard, ham drippings and clarified butter. The Andersonville restaurant underwentan extensive redesignin early 2018.

This fusion restaurant in Lincoln Park offers an alternative for indecisive diners with a range of shellfish selections (spiced crawfish, snow crab, snails, mussels, and more) with sauces including Cajun, lemon pepper, and garlic butter — or a blend of all three. Po’boys are also on the menu, along with Cajun crawfish fried rice (crawfish tails, pork sausage, trinity). There’s a second location in South Loop.

Chef Brian Jupiter’s Wicker Park restaurant is bursting with New Orleans charm, from a menu of recipes passed down from his Louisiana-born grandmother to over-the-top Mardi Gras decor. Kitchen specialties include a Po’man’s Seafood Tower (fried shrimp, oysters, crawfish, catfish, hushpuppies, serves 2-3), deep, rich gumbo, and fried jumbo chicken wings. Jupiter also runs Frontier, a restaurant featuring whole-animal service in Noble Square.

West Town’s stylish BYOB destination for creole-influenced soul food recently reopened for indoor dining with a menu of shrimp and grits, crab legs, fried catfish, lamb chops, and more. Chef and owner Bridgette Harris has also earned a following among celebrities including NBA legend Scottie Pippen, rapper Lil Baby, and TV personality Star Jones.

Longtime Cajun and brunch havenWishbonemoved to a new location on Jefferson Street in 2018 and continues to draw locals and visitors for favorites like catfish and eggs, jambalaya omelettes, crunch French toast, and shrimp and grits. Well-made cocktails are also part of the experience at this West Loop favorite.

Longtime Chicago chef Jimmy Bannos'popular downtown Cajun restauranthas been around for three decades and is always a solid lunch and dinner spot for classics such as jambalaya, red beans and rice with andouille, and a variety of po’ boys. Decked out with Mardi Gras beads and bottles of hot sauce, Heaven on Seven may be the most well-known Cajun spot in the Chicago area.

Kyle Kelly, the owner of popular local brand Cajun Connoisseur, has returned to food truck-style business after closing a physical restaurant in Kenwood. He continues to draw fans for his seafood gumbo, selection of po’ boys, and Cajun spins on mac and cheese and baked potatoes. Diners can track the truck’s locationsvia Instagram.

Virtue is one of Chicago’s premier restaurants, a dream realized for James Beard-nominated chef Erick Williams. The restaurant’s menu is genre defying, but centers on southern cooking as a whole. Part of that diaspora includes dishes like gumbo made with chicken and andouille sausage, one of the best bowls in the city. The fried green tomatoes are also an indulgence.

It’s best known for its barbecue but diners can also find plenty of Cajun dishes on the menu atChuck’s Café. Next time try a po’ boy or one of the many other specialties like crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, and the Southern fried catfish dinner. Chucks’s also has a Darien location, but the Burbank spot is much closer to the city.

While it’s not located in Chicago and is beyond its outlying suburbs,Cajun Connectionis too good to ignore. If Chicagoans are ever out near Utica, stop in for the “swamp to table” cuisine, as alligator po’ boys aren’t found very often in the area. The rest of the menu is equally engaging: Boudin sausage, Gulf shrimp, frog legs, fried oysters, Jamba-2-Fay (etouffee over jambalaya) and catfish Acadian are just some of the dishes that have lines spilling out the door. Hurricanes are also served; all that’s missing are the lax open container laws.