Friday Fish Fry in Milwaukee: A Dish Guide

Friday fish fry in Milwaukee is a weekly meal of fried fish with potatoes, coleslaw and rye bread, eaten in taverns, supper clubs, church halls and legion posts. Its roots go back to Catholic meatless Fridays, to Jones Island fishers and to Prohibition. Here is where it came from, what to expect and how to order.

Knowing the history, the plate and the right questions to ask makes your first fish fry an easy one.

What is a Friday fish fry in Milwaukee?

Wikipedia describes the Friday fish fry as a popular year-round tradition in Wisconsin, enjoyed by people of all religious backgrounds, with hundreds of places holding one. The fish is usually beer-battered cod, perch, bluegill, walleye or smelt, and the sides are tartar sauce, French fries or German-style potato pancakes, coleslaw and rye bread.

WUWM, Milwaukee's public radio station, says the standard meal of fish, potatoes, cabbage and rye bread caught on because the foods were cheap and plentiful, and Milwaukeeans valued frugality. A fish fry is also a social meal, and a culinary historian quoted by WUWM said you get to know the people across the table within minutes.

Did Prohibition and Jones Island start the fish fry?

Most historians point to Jones Island in the 1860s and 1870s, according to WUWM. Kashubes, fishing people from northwest Poland, were the city's first commercial fishers there, and the island's roughly 1,500 residents supported 11 taverns that also served fish. WUWM traces the habit of fish on Friday to church rules against meat, citing canon law from 1249, and Wikipedia says German and Polish Catholic settlers avoided meat on Fridays while the state's many lakes made fish a natural choice.

Prohibition then gave the habit a push. WUWM says tavern owners tied to local breweries needed ways to draw customers when beer could not be sold openly, so they sold cheap fish lunches, especially on Fridays. That helped make the fish fry a statewide habit.

What comes on a fish fry plate?

Expect fried fish, a starch, a salad and bread. Cod is the common default, perch is the lighter, sweeter choice and walleye is a regional favorite. The starch is fries, potato pancakes or a baked potato, and the salad is usually coleslaw. The bread arrives in a basket, and tartar sauce and a lemon wedge sit on the side.

Baked beans, Wikipedia notes, are not uncommon. Some places serve the fish baked or broiled instead of fried, so ask if you prefer it that way. Portions are often generous, and a half order is a good way to taste a place for the first time. The pancakes are the dish to look for if you like a crisp edge, and a spoon of applesauce beside them is a classic pairing in German kitchens.

How do you judge a good fish fry?

Look at the coating first. A good beer batter is thin, crisp and golden, and it does not slide off the fish or taste of old oil. The fish inside should be moist and flake in large pieces. If the batter is thick, soggy or dark, the oil may be tired.

Check the sides. Coleslaw should be fresh and crunchy, the pancakes should be crisp at the edge and the bread should be soft in the middle. Ask what kind of fish it is and where it comes from. A kitchen that can answer is proud of its plate.

Is a fish fry only for Lent?

No. Wikipedia calls it a year-round tradition, and WUWM describes a North Shore legion post serving 200 to 250 fish fries on a typical Friday outside Lent. Lent can make a Friday busier, so arrive early or call ahead to ask about a wait. Check with the place about hours and any special menu, since both change.

How do you ask about allergies and diet?

Fried fish carries a few risks. The batter often contains wheat and sometimes dairy, the fryer may be shared with other foods and tartar sauce contains egg. If you have an allergy or a diet, say so before you order and ask what the fish is cooked in. Treat the answer as information, never as a guarantee. Our vegan guide lists questions for plant-based eating.

How do you keep fish fry notes with Mosey?

Open the Mosey app after the meal and rate the dish, not only the room. A rating needs a place and stars. Name the fish, write a line such as thin crisp batter, flaky perch, soggy slaw, and add a tag and a photo. Tag the friends who came so each can add a view of the same plate.

Make a list called Friday nights and share it with a friend by invite link. Following friends shows what they rated and saved. Tags show what the rater chose, so confirm details with the place. The ratings page explains how rating works.

Mosey is built for local places and keeps listing free, with no hidden fees and affordable tools.

Where else can you read about Milwaukee?

Read the Walker's Point guide for an old brewing district, the finding good food guide for the whole city and our frozen custard guide for dessert. See the Milwaukee page, the Wisconsin page and the US food guides.

This Friday, open the Mosey app, rate your plate by name and add it to a list.