A Brand New Bag

By Naperville Magazine
Appears in the September 2022 issue.

From the moment Debbie Lee opened her first Brown Bag Seafood outpost in 2014 in Chicago, local fish-lovers were smitten—hook, line, and sinker. Guests simply sashayed up to the front counter, pointed at their favorite seafood selection, and it was theirs. Salmon? Shrimp? Whitefish? Tuna? Cod? Each could be added to a salad, folded into taco shells, or bundled up in sandwich form with a side of tater tots. 

While Lee’s original concept was an urban seafood shack, the tides have turned. The first suburban Illinois location has docked in Naperville (1023 S. Washington St.), with luxe lobster rolls, fish-and-chips platters, and a new “sauce me” option, allowing guests to dress seafood with a sesame-soy Sriracha, golden-ginger lime, or garlic-herb sauce.
“We wanted to find a suburban community of savvy diners with good taste who prioritized sustainability,” Lee says. “I think we found it.” —P.G.

Photos courtesy of Brown Bag Seafood Co.