One of the city’s most unassuming bars, with its dropped ceiling, stained-glass-shaded lamps, vinyl-covered bar chairs and a kitchen staff that fires up the stove two days a week – to serve Serbian dishes like burek and a tremendous fish fry only on Fridays. Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.ġ30 W. Looking to try something different with your fry? Order the apple-pecan baked beans – thick, sweet, nutty and a welcome substitute for the common side offerings. The slaw is just your standard cabbage-carrot-mayo rendition.

The thick, not-too-pickly tartar is a must with the fish, as are the crisp, thick, oniony potato pancakes. The fillets are golden-crisp, the flesh almost creamy and the coating remarkably non-greasy. Hours: Friday 4-9 p.m.Ĭraft beer devotees keep the taps active at this busy suburban bar that also gives its deep-fryer a serious workout. Live music? Part of the charm! The Brewhaus Polka Kings perform every Friday, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Note: The seating is family-style, at long farm tables. There’s even kraut and German potato salad. The fry comes with one side: for instance, tangy red cabbage (which reminds me texturally of pickled beets) and crispy (though greasy) potato pancakes with chunky, nicely spiced applesauce. The smelt is simply the perch’s superior – tender, with a subtle fish (not fishy) flavor. This is not my favorite venue for perch, although the panko-crusted fish are a local product – raised aquaponically at Milwaukee’s Growing Power. A close second is the breaded (fried whole) smelt, served, traditionally, with cocktail sauce. The plump, tender cod – encased in a batter made with Lakefront’s Eastside Dark beer – is just terrific. Three years ago, Lakefront took over the kitchen from an outside vendor, and while the fry was popular before, the quality of the fare didn’t hit its stride until the switch-over. Milwaukee Fish Fry Guide Lakefront Brewery Beer Hall Some eateries buy the cheaper “Euro” perch imported from countries like Poland, and while they can legally call it “lake perch,” they’re barred from using the modifier “yellow.” “Yellow lake perch” refers to fish caught in the Great Lakes. A pernicious little foreign invader called the spiny water flea decimated the yellow lake perch population in Lake Michigan. Over 90 percent of it is from Lake Erie, says Becker, of Two Rivers, Wis.-based Riverside Foods. According to wholesale fish buyer Paul Becker, there’s “next to no yellow perch” coming from our Great Lake. You think the fried lake perch you’re eating came from Lake Michigan? Not likely.

Fresh-baked rye bread, tender and enhanced with the anise-like flavor of caraway seeds.

When the applesauce is homemade (not out of a jar), the fruit and cinnamon flavors stand out.Coleslaw is crunchy and not drowned in mayo vinaigrette! Bonus points awarded for fresh dill and/or celery seed.An indispensable tartar sauce has the right level of pickly and tart flavors.Lightly breaded lake perch fillets are tender and crispy, and have a mild – but not bland – flavor.Cod – a flaky, dense fish – is encased in golden-light, not-too-greasy batter, often enhanced with beer.

Haddock fish fry near me