Chesapeake Seafood House

While in town being a tourist we couldn't decide where to eat and by chance saw an ad for Chesapeake Seafood House on the back of a brochure from one of the museums.  Looked it up and found it had Early Bird dinners and it was early and so decided to try it.  As we drove up the restaurant reminded me of a fish restaurant in the state of Maine, not Illinois.  We ordered the seafood platter and it was fantastic.  A lot of fish plus salad, baked potato and bread.   The price was unbelievable, very reasonable.  We were glad we got there for the early bird as when we left there were quite a few people waiting to be seated for dinner (and this was on a Tuesday night).  The service was also excellent.

A party of four of us went there on a Friday night before six o'clock.  It was very busy.  Fortunately, they take reservations so we didn't have to wait very long to be seated.  The place does look a little bit dated inside, but don't let that deter you from dining here.

First of all, our server advised us that because we were there before six o'clock we could order from the early bird menu -- this probably explains why there were so many senior citizens there at the time.  The entrees on the early bird menu average about five dollars less than the regular menu.  

Taking a recommendation from another reviewer, two of the four of us order the crab-stuffed tilapia, one of us ordered the stuffed orange roughy, and another ordered the fried catfish.

A loaf of bread and salad accompany the entrees.  We all loved the salads.  I can't say what, exactly, made them so great, maybe it was the dressing, but they were wonderful.

The entrees come with choice of potato.  The server recommended the au gratin potatoes, of which I was not disappointed.  Every one of us absolutely loved our entrees.  The crab-stuffed tilapia exceeded our expectations.  The stuffed orange roughy was topped with a very generous portion of cheese on top.  The fried catfish was good; however, taking into consideration it is a whole catfish, bones and all, the portion size becomes reduced.  The woman we dined with has a small appetite, so she specifically ordered just one single catfish.  I don't know if it is normally served that way or not, but  If you have a large appetite you may prefer to get two catfish instead of just one.  

The service was on target and appropriately timed.  Our server was very professional, polite, friendly, and everything we could have asked for.  Service, in my opinion, can make or break a dining experience.

Because we were there before six o'clock and ordered from the early bird menu, our total bill for four people, including drinks -- two Brandy Alexanders and one glass of house wine -- was about $65.  Who can argue with that?  

We all loved the food and the service and look forward to returning to Chesapeake the next time we're in Springfield.

Tried Chesapeake again for the lunch buffet. Same stodgy feeling, same clientele, same food.

I have to say, this buffet is one of the most underwhelming food experiences I have had in Springfield. It reminded me of hospital food or a grade-school cafeteria. Everything was drowning in some sort of sauce and looked overcooked and like it had been sitting in those metal pans for centuries.

It appeared that the peel-and-eat shrimp were supposed to be the real draw of the buffet, but they were sort of rubbery due to thawing and nothing terribly exciting. There were a few 'mystery meat' items like meatloaf (covered in tomato sauce), some sort of fish (covered in butter sauce), some sort of pulled pork? BBQ (covered in BBQ sauce). Green beans sitting a in tub of salted water. Corn sitting in a tub of buttery water.

I think Ive made my point. I have to say that the older clientele surrounding me seemed to love it. They couldnt get enough. So, I guess they have their market sort of cornered, but with the plethora of good ethnic lunch buffets in Springfield (El Maya, Holy Land, Gateway to India) this place would really have to step it up to seriously compete.