As the old saying goes, judge a book by its cover, as long as you’re the kind of judge who assumes a dive bar is going to serve delicious and fresh seafood. It’s as simple as that really, because you would never expect Half Shell to serve quality King Crab legs based on looks alone. Half Shell is the kind of place you might expect to find on the East Coast. It’s that basic, no frills, dive bar approach to delivering fresh and fried fish that you typically see in a clam shack, and even without an ocean in sight, this is a seafood joint we think even New Englanders would be proud to call their own. Located on Diversey just west of Clark, we won’t fault you if you’ve never noticed Half Shell, but that should change. It’s a small place, with seating limited to a few scattered plastic tables around and a happening bar, complete with colorful Christmas lights strung throughout, and a whole boatload of other crap that probably has no relevance to the overall decor. There’s also a small patio for the summer, which is great, but don’t let that limit your visits to only the warmer months. We love posting up at the bar in the winter with the intention of eating a whole lot of crab and drinking one to sixty beers. Once you do make it in for a meal, don’t feel compelled to order everything all at once. There’s nothing wrong with starting slow on oysters or shrimp and just working your way through the menu until having to call it quits. It won’t be cheap, but how cheap can good shellfish really be? Just remember to bring cash because it’s all they’re accepting.