Oh My, 1/2 lb. of catfish, a side of fries, a side of potato salad, a side of clam strips, a side of hush puppies, and two pops - $11! Amazing. This quaint little place is a great spot if your in the mood for fried foods - and who isn't? It's located right by the Irving Park brown line so you don't have to complain of it being too far to walk to or something like that. There's limited seating, but it's mostly a take-out place so don't start worrying if you plan to stay to eat. Everything was great. The serving of catfish was more than plenty - I basically paid $5.50 for dinner since my friend and I decided to share. I only wish this place was open really late - I wouldn't mind getting some chicken strips as a drunk food. read more

You'll walk by this place countless times without giving it much thought. Then one day you'll decide to go in, and you'll have the best hush puppies and fried shrimp of your life. Dipping fried food in honey butter? Sometimes you just have to. read more

I tried the fried gulf shrimp, fried chicken wings, fried clam strips, fried oysters, and french fries. Only the fried chicken wings and fried oysters were very tasty, well fried and not over cooked. The gulf shrimp is over breaded and over cooked to the point where the meat was rubbery. I like my fried shrimp to be less breaded (like Louisiana style corn meal breaded), juicy, and plump. The fried clam strips didn't taste like there were any clams at all because the breading was so thick. French fries were just your normal frozen crinkle fries. Prices were not terrible, but I would only get the wings and oysters next time and perhaps give the fried catfish a try. read more

I live around the corner from this place but sadly have only been a couple of times. I say sadly because the shrimp here is Bomb! I can't say I love the wraps (they are okay) but the shrimp with the mild sauce? Game over. Huge pieces of shrimp perfectly battered and fried and the dipping sauce is to die for. Will be frequenting a lot more when I am out of food for lunch or need a quick dinner! read more

Wish I had discovered this place years ago, vs. only a year ago. Since I felt after finally hitting here several times, that I felt I REALLY have been missing out after years of seeing this place and wondering how it was. I may have a minor preference for the hush puppies at Fish Keg, but everything I've tried here so far has been decent, and they really do try to go the extra mile with their food. Also, their sauces you can get with your fish are great as well, that I was glad I saved some leftover sauce to use for later. There aren't enough businesses out there that really do put a lot of love and care into their food, and go the extra mile like Snappy's does. I hope they stay around for years and years to come. read more

The king of fried food!!! So not sure why a place here in Chicago has the best fried shrimp, fish and scallops I have ever had, but they do. We also enjoyed the mushrooms and hushpuppies...... all deep fried. The place is immaculately clean, small with nearly no seating other than one table and a bar by the window. Did take-out which they weighed and cooked to order. I would recommend take-out. An unusually good find in an unusual location, but a real gem. read more

Very tasty food -- I usually don't go after seafood in the midwest, since it's usually not very fresh unless it's flown in, in which case you pay a premium. I usually call ahead or drop in only if I have time -- it takes a while for them to weigh the food, drop it into the fryer, etc. This is NOT fast food. I went in once and there was one customer ahead of me and it took 20 minutes or so to get out of there. If you have the time, definitely worth the wait! read more

Inside this restaurant are two bored white guys, waiting for you to come in. If you decide to order, they'll fry your delicious animal bits right on the spot and put them in an innocuous paper bag, like so much food porn. Take it home and enjoy the deliciousness behind closed doors. The Fries - crispy, salty, greasy...*drool* The Fish Chips - omg, tasty! flavorful! fishy bits! The Fried Shrimp - these taste..sort of...fishy...is this what shrimp is supposed to taste like? Now that I think about it, I never noticed that shrimp tasted like anything other than their dipping sauce. So kudos to you, Snappy's Shrimp House, for schooling me on what shrimp really taste like! read more

This is easily the best place for 'mostly fried' fish that I've tried so far. Better by miles than Lawrence's and FAR better than Goose Island Shrimp House (which is more breading than smelly fish). I had the Jerk Chicken wrap, fried shrimp, clam strips and those damn delicious hush puppies. I gotta tell you, for under 30 bucks, two of us ate like kings and could have had left overs, all from a place that's clean, safe, smells NOTHING like fish and provides very cordial and efficient service. This place is simple, so shall my review of it be. If you like fried fish or delicious wraps (the Jerk chicken is no joke, it's hot like hell) this is your joint. Eat here. You won't regret it.....or get stabbed...probably. read more

The staff are friendly that is why I gave them 2 stars and not 1. The food is not fresh. It is frozen. They do not even hide the fact it is frozen you clearly see them grab it out of a giant bag in the freezer and throw in fryer Maybe my standards are too high but the chicken wings were frozen and than flash fried tasted awful. When I go to a place that specializes in fish and chicken I expect it to be fresh and delicious. It was so bad I literally gave the leftovers to my dog lol read more

Not sure why the reviews are so positive, the food here is 'meh' at best. I went there for the first time today and got the shrimp and catfish strips. First, the prices are notably higher than what's quoted on their own website and the breading on the catfish strips was so thick that I could have been eating bubble gum and not known it because the breading was all that I could taste. The shrimp were large enough but again, SO much breading, yet the seasoning was bland, making for a nearly flavorless final product. Not intending to return & can't recommend this place. Frank's Chicago Shrimp is on Irving Park, too, and has much better food & you don't have to pay to park. After this visit to Snappy's, I am definitely going to continue to go to Frank's from now on. read more

Snappy's is da bomb! Very fresh shrimp, fish, and crab galore. It's not a big place nor is there very much room to eat your meal there BUT the food is so scrumptious, you'll want to go back for more, I guarantee it! I would recommend their shrimp wrap, fish chips, crab cake sandwhich, or fish sandwich. These are all fantastic choices. Also, they have the best fries ever! Always fresh and crispy, never ever disappointingly soggy. Plus, supporting local businesses is cool, their prices are reasonable, and they make your food right there while you wait. Doesn't get any better than that, so if you're in the area and get hungry, remember to eat at Snappy's! read more

Wow, what a great surprise. I normally hate fried shrimp, as the fried stuff usually masks miniscule shrimp. In this case, the shrimp are almost bursting out of the breading! They're fantastic! I've never had such honest fried shrimp! I ate them earlier tonight, and now I can think of nothing else. Delicious. I'm going to find excuses to get out to that neighborhood again very soon. Maybe tomorrow! Mmmmm, Snappy's! read more

The food here is good, but I don't understand how it's so expensive. I got the 1/2 pound of shrimp for $8.75 and a hot sauce for $.50 and my meal came out to $12.16! Sales tax in Chicago is a steep 10.25%, but I was over charged. Weird. And to make matters worse, I am still hungry! read more

Fried everything. But in a good way. I went here with a friend to get some food for the NFL playoffs and we were both glad we did. We got fried clam strips, fried jumbo shrimps, fried cat fish, french fries (which are of course fried), and jalapeno poppers (also fried). It hit the spot. Their batter is great and has a nice crispy flakey texture. Everything is fried for the best amount of time so that it's crispy on the outside but nice and moist on the inside. The catfish was my favorite but everything tasted good. I thought the clam strips would have been better as whole clams since they are already somewhat small but when cut into strips they become tiny and the batter to clam ratio is somewhat overwhelming. Their sauces were amazing and perfectly accompanied the food. I dipped everything from the catfish to the french fries to the jalapeno poppers in their hot sauce. You, you go here. You go here now. And you enjoy all the fried deliciousness that it has to offer. read more

Wow, I walked into this place expecting greasy walls & a revolving bullet proof glass cashier cage a la JJs Fish. That's not at all a bad thing at all. JJs Fish is good eats... This place serves up some tasty critters. The shrimp are meaty, deep fried to the point of the perfect (aka not chewy) texture & have tasty sauces to compliment them. Honestly, the sauces aren't needed. The hush puppies! Oh my Lord the hush puppies! AWE-SOME. The only negative is that the maple butter was served to me in a plastic container FROZEN SOLID. The wait for the stuff to thaw was excruciating. Maybe keep a tub of it handy during the rush hours & schmear it on the side? Just a suggestion. Who am I kidding?! Those 10 hush puppies were in my stomach before the next guys order was picked up! GOOD STUFF. read more

This establishment has been here for 13 years and I would have never known!!! I happened to have spotted it on a walk towards the lake this past week. The food is awesome !!!! The counter man (owner) is very nice and does more than bark orders to his one employee. He actually takes the order , money and preps the food. There is about 10-15 seats which includes a bar stool type window seat (7) and a couple table tops . The menu is pretty big considering the size of the shop. Anything fried there is awesome , too many to name, and the BBQ chicken sandwich is extremely juicy and tasty! This is a place that I would go out of my way to dine or take out again and again !!! read more

Aw snappy! First let me start by saying fate is usually a bitch, but today it was a goddess. I was all ready to walk into that Thai place down the street, but they had some kind of sewage vac hose running through the front door out to some truck on the street. Yumm-o! I guess it was sucking grease out or something, but I digress. Digrease? So I wandered down the street further and happened upon some odd looking corner store called Snappy's Shrimp. And I thought to myself, shrimp shack? In Chicago? Is this really going to be any good? We're not exactly close to any major ocean body of water. Sure shrimp are raised on farms now, but still, it's the principle of the matter. Maybe if I were on the South Side then I'd be closer to the Gulf of Mexico... Anyway, I threw up my hands (gaily) and went inside. It was surprisingly clean in the shrimp shack. The patrons were what you would expect for a corner eatery. An old man perched atop a stool by the window bar, two overweight working class blokes waiting for a to-go order, and an aging cop at the one table dipping his fries into what looked like the Most Amazing Tartar Sauce on Earth. I got the fried shrimp wrap, because I figured that had to be good, if they are all about their shrimp and all. It came with some kind of barbecue-like sauce on the side (I got the spicy), which added a nice kick, but it didn't melt my tongue off. The shrimp were perfect and crunchy, piping hot. It wasn't the perfect wrap, but it definitely hit the spot. Also, it's been half an hour since I ate, and I'm not food poisoned. That's always a good sign! read more

Upon entrance to the corner shrimp shack -- you are surprised that your expectations of a dive restaurant and instantaneously squelched, instead you're greeted with a long L-shaped bar, taking up most of the tiny restaurant. With a certain clean charm, you walk down the bar, and look up to see a gigantic board of menu items. With only one table in the joint, we can envision it being a mad-house at lunch. The choices range from chicken wraps, to sandwiches, to seafood by the quarter-pound (sea scallops, fried Gulf Shrimp, shrimp cocktail, and yes, even chicken wings). We weren't super hungry, so we decided to split a wrap. After looking over their selection of four wraps (including a Shrimp, Grilled Chicken, Jerk Chicken, and BBQ Chicken Wrap) we settled upon the Jerk Chicken with a side of hush puppies that is served with honey butter. The jerk chicken had just a slight heat to it which was contrasted by the lightly sweet taste of the pineapple. The lettuce and to tomato served to squelch the heat instantaneously while the rice was not overwhelming, and did not seem to serve as a filler as much as it was there to add to the taste and textures of the wrap. As for the hush puppies, they were freshly fried right in front of us, and served to us piping hot. The crunchy outer crust segued nicely into the cooked inner portion that had been thoroughly warmed. The heat of the freshly cooked hush puppies served to melt the honey butter ever so slightly. If we ever find ourselves in that part of town again, we will be sure to stop by. (And since we have found this place, we might be making excuses to head out there as a result...) read more

Yummy, fried deliciousness!!! Cheap too. We had some fried shrimp, scallops, fish and hush puppies. My favorites were the fish and shrimp. The scallops were ENORMOUS and tasty, but not quite as good as Lawerence Fisheries. The hush puppies are very flavorful. This place is a little gem! read more

Snappy's is everything you want in a fried food joint - inexpensive, fast food hole-in-the-wall with delicious fried seafoods and sides made to order. It's not a place to go every day if you value your arteries. We go as a special treat every so often. The shrimp is top-notch, and we always get hush puppies w/honey butter. Tried the scallops once, they were meh. The crabcake sandwich is good. That's all I've tried so far. If you crave a big bag of fried food - GO. The shrimp is an absolute must. read more

Snappy Shrimp is the kind of place that I wanted to love--to like even--but it was just not good. The fried scallops and fish cakes were overdone. The shrimp wrap--is this a joke? Three shrimp in a tortilla with plain, white rice and iceberg lettuce. Even a broke college student can put together a more interesting dish than this. I guess this is what I should have expected from a place that charges for cups of sauce that aren't even house-made. read more

I always pass this place up and thought it kind of looked like a hole in the wall. Then I stepped inside and discovered its glory... First of all, this place is actually nice inside-- clean, not sketchy. The guys behind the counter are friendly. I went with the fried shrimp and hushpuppies and waited with bated breath. This place was seriously snappy and 3 minutes later, I had my food. I had a 10 minute walk home and I couldn't wait so I popped a hushpuppies.Oh it was fantastic and I proceeded to eat 2 more before I got home. However, I should have waited solely for the fact that they are 90% better with honey butter. The shrimp were glorious-- plump and flavorful. I got a 1/4 of a pound an that was the perfect amount for me. Can't wait to go back and try more! read more

Best fried shrimp in the city...not even close. They are huge, the cocktail sauce is awesome and they are not a greasy mess. Plus the hush puppies with honey butter are also ridiculous. I order take out from here about once a month and I don't even bother getting anything else, but I'm sure it's good. Some people might complain about the price, but for the amount of food, size and quality of the shrimp it is worth 5 times what you pay. read more

Snappy's has taken the title as the best fried shrimp in town. Sorry Goose. First, the shrimp are always fresh, plump moist and never over cooked. They proudly advertise that they use wild caught shrimp from the US Gulf. Secondly, the batter is light with a nice crunch and not over seasoned so the delicious taste of the shrimp comes through, making it all about the shrimp. I've been buying shrimp from Snappy's for several years and their product is consistent and is fried with no tail. I haven't tried their other products because their shrimp is soooo good. I did not give five stars because I have not tried other things on their menu and I am not a fan of their sauces. I try to always have a jar of Farmer's Horseradish in the fridge so that I can convert their sauce to my liking. But judging solely on the shrimp I give Snappy's 5 STARS. read more

It is apparent that I missed out on the saving grace of this establishment - the shrimp. Instead, I unknowingly ordered catfish and calamari, both heavily breaded. Also, the batter left a funny aftertaste (MSG?) and I couldn't finish them (even though I only bought 1/4 # shrimp and a side of calamari). I wanted fish, but I passed on the "Fish Chips" when I learned that they were, indeed, fish "chips" (battered fish nuggets), and not fish and chips. So, I bought the catfish instead, only to learn that they were actually strips of fish. On the other hand, contrary to some of the earlier posts, I was treated courteously and the staff was very helpful with explanations and recommendations ( even though they didn't volunteer that the catfish came in strips). Also, the place was clean and inviting. read more

Solid fried fish and shrimp, no nonsense Chicago spot! For instance, they serve fried fish with BBQ sauce and it's Fire. I know it sounds weird but it tastes amazingly good read more

I wanted to give this place a 4 start based on the good and cheap fried oysters..hard to find int he first place in Lincoln Park/Lakeview and pleasantly surprised to find them as tasty as the ones from newly opened "Fish'. Wondering why they don't make a Po Boy out of them. 3 stars because the shrimp is waaay to heavily battered, as well as the catfish and my biggest beef of all... .....Mean lady at the counter! When she asked what kind of sauce we wanted I said I wanted "that butter sauce" b/c I momentarily forget what my yelpers called it (honey butter). She looked at me like I was crazy and only offered hot or mild sauce. Sat down and looked up at the menu to see the honey butter as well a bunch of other ones she didn't suggest! BOO! Guess I'll head to Mac and Mins next. read more

I am looking forward to eating here more as it is just around the corner from me. However i know now not to get the fish sandwich (kinda like a Mrs. Paul's frozen fish fillet between bread) but, to instead get the shrimp. The Hush-puppies were awesome! I totally recommend this place. read more

Came here after looking for a good seafood place for a Lent Friday. Read all the reviews and decided to give it a try...fellow yelpers you are right! This place is good. My husband and I got the shrimp, fish chip, mushrooms, and the onion rings. And they were all soooo good. The batter is very thick and yummy. You can tell they use fresh seafood. Definitely will be coming back here for the next couple of weeks for my seafood Lent Friday meals :) read more

When it comes to fried fish, I tend to favor catfish, and what I've had at Snappy's is acceptable, but not great. They seem to go a bit heavy on the breading, which can overwhelm the taste of the catfish itself. Also, their "hot" sauce was surprisingly uninspiring, tasted more like mildly spiced ketchup. On a positive note, the prices for all their offerings seem to be pretty reasonable. Perhaps I should try the shrimp on my next visit. read more

You want to try the BOMB ASS shrimp? Hushpuppies? Cream cheese jalapeño poppers? Their rice? Their hotass sauce? Yes??? DRIVE HERE..... I learned of this place when I worked in Uptown as a h.s. nurse. One of the teachers took us there. I was hooked. You will pay for these fried shrimp but you wont be disappointed. The crunch n the big juicy shrimps are to die for. I always buy the meal, I get a pound of shrimp with rice. I order hushpuppies with that bomb ass butter.....it tastes like honey. Omg i need me some SNAPPPYYSSSS!!! Stop reading my review and get to their place. Just becareful, that sauce is HOTTT.....if you cant handle crazy hot get the milder one. Dont ruin the dunkin shrimp by gettn the sweet, totally defeats the purpose. Park on the small street n CASH ONLY....no worries theres an ATM right across street. Small dining area, just has a long bar by window with barstools to grub on, this is more of a take out spot. I SNAPPYs!!! read more

Went back and got the shrimp again (because it was so awesome the first time) but went with the hush puppies instead of the breaded mushrooms. The shrimp were perfect again, and the hush puppies were delicious. The juxtaposition of the onion in the hush puppies with the sweetness of the honey butter was a great mix. I keep saying I'll try something other than the shrimp, but they're so good I'm not sure if I ever will. read more

Stopped in here a couple nights ago while out walking. Had a nice talk with the Manager/Owner while I was figuring out what to get. I'm not into fried stuff much so I wasn't sure if I was gonna be out of luck, but I did find some grilled choices and ended up with the Shrimp wrap and it was actually very good. What I like most about the place is they bring in their seafood fresh, are very friendly and engaging, and have been part of the neighborhood for a number of years. It's exactly this kind of 'local flavor' that helps make Chicago such an engaging and varietal place to enjoy. Small side note which I found kinda funny is that all the prices include tax. So, if you order a $5 sandwich...just toss that 5 on the counter and you're done. read more

I work about a block away, and snappy's always seems to make it on my plate about once a week. I'm allergic to shellfish, so I can't comment on the shrimp, but the jerk chicken wrap is TO DIE FOR. If I ate one once a week for life, I'd die a happy man. The marinated chicken sandwich there is also the bomb. My girlfriend is half Jamaican, and a total snob when it comes to jerk food..This is seriously the only place in Chcago that has jerk chicken that she considers to be authentic and worth eating (and we've been to all of the Jamaican joints in Roger's Park) Botom line, its just a fast food take out joint, but they do it to absolute perfection....if you are hungry and in the neihborhood, stop in and grab a bite...I promise you will love it read more

We finally had a chance to check out Snappy's. The food was good and not-so good. Here's what we got. One fish sandwich. I didn't try it. My husband said it was "good", but wasn't super excited about it. One marinated chicken wrap. My son really liked it. He wasn't too crazy about the sauce, but liked it none-the-less. One shrimp wrap. My other son really, really liked this. I got a crab cake sandwich. (Funny, I accidentally typed out crap cake!) I did not like it. It had a weird taste. Hard to explain. Perhaps too sweet. I don't know. I couldn't finish it and will never get it again. I also ordered an half lb. order of fried catfish for all of us to share. That was some of the best catfish I have ever had! No matter what we think of anything else, we will definitely return for the catfish only! So good! Side orders. Rice, okay. Potato salad, okay. Poppers, okay. Hush puppies, okay. Overall just okay. No big deal. Next time we plan on trying out the fried shrimp and scallops. We'll see how those are. I would suggest trying it out for yourself to see what you like, but don't pass up the catfish! read more

I've been coming here for 10 years, the service has always been great and the seafood has always been fresh.since it is a little on the pricey side, I don't come as often as I'd like but it's always a great treat whenever I do stop by. read more

I had finished school and was driving home, and flash - the sign caught my eye (just like Pasadita's). I am tired, so this will be brief. I ordered 1/4 lb fish fry, 1/4 scallops and poppers. (I love that I can order a small amount - perfect for me!) Way better than I expected! It was about 9:30 on a Monday, it was empty, and they looked to be cleaning up, but were happy to cook for me. And it was ready in less than 5 minutes. And great!! The scallops were wonderful! Big, tender scallops, crunchy, 'almost' too thick coating - but I said 'almost'. Man it was good. And so was the fish fry! And the poppers were good - nice creamy cheese and the green peppers were good. I am just used to them pretty spicy, but they were really good. Since this place is open late and it's quick and on my way home, I will be back. read more

I love this restaurant. It's quick and has the best fried fish around. Ive ordered at least 30 times. For 1 person I recommend 1/2 lb of fish and chips, 1/4 of shrimp to mix it up and order it as a meal, which includes a pop, fries and a small coleslaw. read more

Top notch fried shrimp at its best! One of the largest gulf shrimps you can find fried in Chicago! Happen to stumble upon this hidden gem after enjoying some live music across the street with a group of friends. It is a small joint and everything is made to order. I've recommended this place to almost everyone that enjoys fried seafood and none of them have been disappointed. Make sure you try the fried catfish strips as well as the non-seafood option fried chicken wings. A side of their hot sauce just tops anything you order. Open late enough (Monday - Saturday till 10pm) that it will give you that second wind to continue the night of drinking fun. It does get hot in there because of how small the place is and they are New York Yankee fans. After having a bite to eat at this place, you will forget I even mentioned that. Food - 5 Décor - 5 Service - 5 read more