Depending on your perspective, the location of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant at Navy Pier is either clever or misguided. Sure, Navy Pier is the closest thing we have to a fisherman's wharf, but does anyone really want to pretend his fish filet was caught off the Chicago shoreline? As if playing off this notion, the menu features an item called Boat Trash, which is actually a delicious basket of deep fried shrimp, slipper lobster, and mahi mahi dusted with Cajun spices and served with golden fries.

Location aside, Bubba Gump serves up decent Southern-inspired seafood in a corporate kitsch setting. Shrimp po boys and bourbon mahi mahi as well as turf options such as Dixie-style baby back ribs (for those still dwelling on the whole caught-in-Lake-Michigan premise) make a zesty meal when paired with hurricane drinks like the Louisiana Lemonade (made with Bacardi Limon).

The prices aren't too inflated, but this joint is a total tourist trap, complete with its own gift shop. The faux fish shack interior is crammed with license plates, spice racks and other manufactured rubbish, creating a veritable Cajun Disneyland. Now that we think of it, opening Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. at Navy Pier, Chicago's token tourist attraction, was just plain good marketing.

Average cost: $10-$20

Centerstage Reviewer: Amanda Nyren