Why is the Friday fish fry so popular in Wisconsin? Mix a storied history with a bit of culture, religion, natural resources, and the answer is obvious. First, The Friday Fish Fry was born out the Catholic codes of canon law. The Roman Catholics set aside Friday to commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross by abstaining from eating meat.
There was also the twist and turns of history. During the 1920s, speakeasies and bars in Wisconsin took a major economic hit during the Prohibition and quickly needed an inexpensive way to lure patrons back, Enter the fish fry. Wisconsin with its' thousands of lakes and streams offered many options for sourcing fish cheaply and locally. The fish fry tradition took off from there. Fish Frys can be found all across Wisconsin and most days of the week.
Southern Wisconsin is a great, place to find the traditional fish fry and some with more, modern twists as well. Today, cod is the preferred fish for frying, although you still can find a number of restaurants in Wisconsin offering blue gill and walleye as more local options. Choose any town in the region and you will likely find a bar, pub, family restaurant, grill or supper club with a great fish fry. A note to the readers, all restaurants interviewed for this article have COVID-19 safety protocols in place.
Here are just a small, sampling of fish fries around
Southern Wisconsin:
At Banushis BBG Bar and Grill in Stoughton, choose from cod or walleye, with a side of coleslaw, baked potato, or grilled veggies. Banushis also serves up a fish fried sandwich with two pieces of fried cod. Order the walleye and be prepared to eat. "It's one of the biggest i've seen around, it does not fit in to go box." says Brandon, Kitchen Manager at Banushis BBG Bar and Grill. And as COVID-19 cases continue to rise Brandon says "we go above and beyond, with seating more than six feet apart always sanitized. We have sanitize stations all over and at the entrance. During the pandemic our original capacity we’re at less than ½ tables used to have. " Last year, Banushis was able to open the full dining room with ample spacing and less tables.. For pick up, "we actually have a drive thru that we had never used until COVID-19," Banushis manager added..
800 Nygaard St, Stoughton, WI 53589-5420
Overlooking Delavan Lake, located in the lovely, Lake Lawn Resort, The Lookout Bar & Eatery features battered cod (Wisconsin's own Spotted Cow), hush puppies, and the traditional Wisconsin sides like a roll & butter, home made apple sauce and chips. The Lookout''s fish fry is only available Friday after 5 pm.
2400 E. Geneva St. | Delavan WI 53115
In downtown Evansville at Night Owl Food and Spirits, cod and Alaskan pollock are the fish of choice. Both options can be prepared fried or baked with traditional sides of coleslaw, choice of potato and rolls In 2016, The Night Owl burned down, it took two years to rebuild. The newer location is much more spacious with a garage, dining room and bar it's easier to socially distance in. There is outdoor dining available on their patio. Or order online, call ahead, or just come in as the tables are spaced far apart from each other. "We do curbside, come into double doors to host stand to the right. If you choose curbside we tell you wear to park you just pay over phone," says Michelle, Night Owl's assistant manager.
Over at the Road Dawg Saloon and Eatery in Janesville the manager told the Lakes Edition that "we’re doing both baked and beer battered cod. Sides include coleslaw, dinner rolls from an area bakery and choice of potato."
2914 Morse Street, Janesville, WI 53545
And lastly and not the least, Jill, manager over in Footville at the Footville Friendly Cafe says they offer one, two or three pieces of cod with a choice of potato and salad. "It's quite popular, we do a lot of to go orders, and more people are dining in," says the Footville Friendly Cafe's manager. The cafe is at 50% capacity. "We took some chairs out of some of bigger tables, and seat people at every other table," Jill added. The staff at the cafe are required to wear masks and there is hand sanitizer and wipes for the customers.
How popular is the Friday Fish Fry in Wisconsin? On Friday Feb. 16, 2024 Governor Tony Evers issued a proclamation declaring the Friday Fish Fry an unofficial holiday.
Where ever you travel in the Badger state you're sure to find a great fish fry dinner just around at the corner bar, grill or supper club to meet your culinary tastes. But before going please respect our small businesses any remaining COVID-19 protocols in place to keep you and hour family safe. And be patient. Most restaurants, after the pandemic are still short staffed. Bon appétit!
