Masschusetts-based seafood restaurant Legal Sea Foods is looking to open its first location in Chicago at 315 N Dearborn St.
The company’s 25th location, and first in Illinois, is looking to move into the former home of Dick’s Last Resort in the Marina City Towers, according to a recent liquor license application. The new restaurant will also feature an outdoor patio, according to a separate license. Legal Sea Food currently has 20 locations in Massachusetts and a couple in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and, most recently, Virginia. The restaurant recently revealed a new menu, including the brand’s signature dishes and a new Sushi & Sake program.
Legal Sea Foods started in 1950 with the Berkowitz family opening a fish market in the Inman Square neighborhood of Cambridge, according to the company’s website. The business upgraded to a restaurant in 1968 and quickly expanded throughout the East Coast. Boston-based PPX Hospitality Group acquired the company in late 2020 after founder George Berkowitz passed away at 97. The company’s name originates from a grocery store known as Legal Cash Market, where customers were given “Legal Stamps,” which became synonymous with quality and freshness.
“Today, the company maintains its commitment to quality standards, freshness, and the integrity behind the entire pier-to-plate process,” according to the company’s website. “We continue to reach for higher standards to set the brand apart from the competition by focusing on people (our employees and guests) and excellence in all that we do. So, when we say, “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t Legal!” we renew a commitment that has sustained the brand for over a half-century.”
