Connie's Seafood

Connie’s Seafood Restaurant in the East End resembles a discotheque at closing time—tons of neon, bright overhead lights, a backlit glass block bar top—kind of the mariscos restaurant version of Funplex. The scrappy ‘80s vibe makes sense, though, because the multiple Connie’s locations have been shelling out this combination of Mexican-Asian plates and seafood by-the-pound since the late 1970s. So not only can you get a ceviche and shrimp cocktail here, but also plates of fried rice, frosty micheladas, fried catfish, and, if you really want to mix it up, egg rolls. We enjoy snagging a seat at one of the plastic-molded booths, sipping a beer-rita, and snacking on the fried fish and shrimp combo, mostly because it comes with fried rice and a dinner roll. 

photo credit: Liz Silva