Siete Azul Chicago: Logan Square Mariscos Opening Late October

A storefront on Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square has gone bright blue and yellow, and behind the fresh paint a seafood kitchen is getting ready for its first night. Siete Azul Chicago, a coastal Mexican restaurant and bar from 24-year-old owner Luis Zendejas, opens in late October 2026 at 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave., in the room that held the Logan Square location of the Chicago Diner for 13 years.

The menu is built around the sea: shrimp empanadas folded from purple masa, butter-lime scallops over poblano sauce, East Coast oysters dressed in michelada mix and a whole red snapper grilled slowly and finished with guajillo tomato sauce. Most plates land between $15 and $27, the 70-seat dining room opens BYOB, and a full bar of cocktails, beer and wine is planned for mid-November.

Why Siete Azul Chicago belongs on your late October dinner plans

Because a whole grilled snapper, a plate of ceviche and a table full of friends is one of the best ways to spend a fall night, and this block of Milwaukee Avenue already makes for a great evening out. Siete Azul draws on the Zendejas family’s roots in Michoacán and California, the dishes Luis grew up eating at his parents’ restaurant in the suburbs and trips to Mexico City. Then he adds his own touches: more sauces, more toppings and purple corn in the tortillas and empanadas.

The name tells the story. Siete comes from siete mares, the seven seas soup that is a favorite at the family’s Wheeling restaurant, Las Islas Marias, a brothy coastal stew crowded with seafood. Azul is the blue of the Mexican oceans and seas, the same blue now wrapped around the front of the building.

Purple masa empanadas, butter-lime scallops and a whole snapper for the table

Start with the dish that shows off the kitchen’s style best. The Empanadas de Camarón ($18) are made with heirloom purple masa from Masienda, stuffed with shrimp and melting Chihuahua cheese and finished with avocado. The same purple corn shows up in the Tacos al Pastor ($15), three to an order, piled with marinated pork, onions, cilantro and pineapple.

Scallops ($27) are sautéed in butter and lime and set over poblano sauce, a bright, green, gently smoky plate that tastes like the coast. Camarones a la Plancha ($26) come in a smoky butter-lime sauce with rice, and Camarones Empanizados ($26) are breaded shrimp on lemon rice with a house dressing. Enchiladas de Camarón ($24) roll shrimp into three tortillas with a pico de gallo sauce, then blanket them in green tomatillo salsa and Chihuahua cheese.

The plate to order for the whole table is the Huachinango Zarandeado, a whole red snapper grilled slowly and served with guajillo tomato sauce. Zarandeado is the Pacific coast way of cooking fish, split open and grilled until the skin chars and the flesh stays juicy, and it is made for passing around and picking apart with friends.

For anyone who wants turf with the surf, Carne Asada Frites ($37) pairs grilled skirt steak with house-made sweet potato fries, Fajitas Mixtas ($26) bring steak, chicken and shrimp with rice, beans and greens, and Pechuga Empanizada ($18) sets a breaded chicken breast with pico de gallo over guajillo tomato sauce.

Ceviche, langostinos and michelada oysters to start

The appetizers read like a beachside snack list. Ceviche de Camarón ($22) is shrimp cured in lime with tomato, onion, cucumber and cilantro. Langostinos ($24) are half-split prawns cooked with onions and salsa Nayarit, served with tostadas for scooping. Michelada Oysters ($18) put East Coast oysters under a spicy, tangy michelada mix, the best part of a michelada with a briny finish.

Two fresh plates round out the opening menu. The Zucchini Salad ($15) layers grilled zucchini with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, plum, avocado, basil, onion, Greek yogurt and queso Oaxaca, and the Guacamole ($15) keeps it classic with avocado, cherry tomatoes, cilantro and onion. Agua de jamaica, strawberry horchata and Mexican Coke are $4 each.

The family recipes behind Siete Azul

Zendejas grew up in the Chicago suburbs, the only child of parents from Michoacán, and he spent his childhood working alongside them at Las Islas Marias, the Mexican seafood restaurant they have run on Dundee Road in Wheeling for 16 years. He graduated from DePaul University in 2023 with a finance degree and became an equal partner in the family business, helping with hiring, marketing, menus and sales.

When his father was hurt in 2023 and Luis took on more of the day-to-day work, he found that he loved running the room. In 2024 he left finance to open a restaurant of his own in the city, and after a two-year search he signed the lease on Milwaukee Avenue in May 2026. He lives in the neighborhood. Siete Azul is his concept, and his parents invested in it, helped remodel the space and developed the recipes with him.

His father, Bernardo Zendejas, calls his son very responsible and confident, and says the family cannot wait for people to get to know them and the food. The kitchen team brings experience from popular Mexican restaurants around Chicago, and the family wants guests to leave knowing how much range Mexican cooking has, served with the warmth of a neighborhood spot.

A bright blue dining room in the old Chicago Diner

The building at 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave. dates to 1917. From 2012 until December 2025 it was the Logan Square home of the Chicago Diner, the vegan favorite that first opened on Halsted Street in Lakeview in 1983. Siete Azul has given it a new life with a blue and yellow facade and a 70-seat interior designed by 555 Design.

The ocean theme runs right through the space, down to a fish-shaped lamp in the bathroom. The restaurant sits a short walk from the California stop on the Blue Line, which makes it an easy trip from downtown or from anywhere along the line to O’Hare.

Bring a bottle while the bar comes together

Siete Azul opens BYOB, which makes the first few weeks a great time to gather a group and bring a few cold Mexican lagers or a crisp white wine for the seafood. A full bar program with specialty cocktails, beer and wine is planned for mid-November, led by a bar manager from Mexico City with decades of experience.

The house drinks already suit the menu. Tart, ruby-red agua de jamaica cuts through the richness of the empanadas and the fried shrimp, and the strawberry horchata makes a sweet, creamy finish after the snapper.

Make a night of it on Milwaukee Avenue

This stretch of Milwaukee is one of Logan Square’s liveliest blocks after dark. Daisies, Cafe Mustache, Cole’s Bar, Slippery Slope and Emporium Arcade Bar are all a few doors away, so dinner at Siete Azul can roll into live music at Cole’s or a round of pinball at Emporium. The neighborhood has had a big fall for food, from Christian Hunter’s Hooligan to the cafe-by-day, cocktails-by-night Logan Inn and the golden rotisserie chickens at Chez Poulet on Western Avenue.

Go on a Friday or Saturday for the later 11 p.m. close and a fuller room, or slip in on a Thursday or Sunday evening for a calmer first taste of the menu.

Plan your night at Siete Azul Chicago

Address: 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60647 (Logan Square, near the California Blue Line stop)
Opening: late October 2026
Hours: Thursday and Sunday 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 4 to 11 p.m.
Prices: appetizers $15 to $24; mains $18 to $37; house drinks $4
Drinks: BYOB at opening; full bar planned for mid-November 2026
Seats: 70

Siete Azul Chicago FAQ

When does Siete Azul open in Chicago?

Siete Azul Chicago opens in late October 2026 at 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Logan Square, in the former Chicago Diner space. The exact date has not been announced. Opening hours are 4 to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday and 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

What kind of food does Siete Azul Chicago serve?

Siete Azul Chicago serves coastal Mexican seafood rooted in Michoacán: purple masa shrimp empanadas, butter-lime scallops with poblano sauce, ceviche de camarón, michelada oysters, purple corn tacos al pastor and Huachinango Zarandeado, a whole grilled red snapper with guajillo tomato sauce. Carne asada, fajitas and breaded chicken round out the menu.

How much does dinner cost at Siete Azul Chicago?

On the October 2026 opening menu at Siete Azul Chicago, appetizers cost $15 to $24 and mains cost $18 to $37, with the seafood mains between $24 and $27. Agua de jamaica, strawberry horchata and Mexican Coke are $4 each, and you can bring your own beer or wine at opening.

Is Siete Azul Chicago BYOB?

Yes. Siete Azul Chicago opens BYOB in late October 2026, so bring your own beer or wine to dinner in Logan Square. A full bar with specialty cocktails, beer and wine is planned for mid-November 2026, led by a bar manager from Mexico City.

Who owns Siete Azul Chicago?

Luis Zendejas, 24, owns and runs Siete Azul Chicago. He also co-owns Las Islas Marias, the Mexican seafood restaurant his parents from Michoacán have run on Dundee Road in Wheeling for 16 years, and his parents helped build the Logan Square restaurant and develop its recipes.

Siete Azul Chicago: Coastal Mexican Mariscos, Purple Masa and Whole Snapper in Logan Square