Why Wisconsin? Mix a little history with a bit of culture, religion, and 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.
Additionally, Speakeasies and bars in Wisconsin took a major economic hit during the Prohibition and needed a way to bring 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:
Banushis BBG (Bar and Grill)
At
Banushis BBG
in Stoughton, you can 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. And if you order the walleye 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 for keeping their patrons during the pandemic 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. Our original capacity we’re at less than ½ tables used to have. " Just recently they were 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..
Banushis BBG
is located at
Night Owl Food and Spirits
Down in downtown Evansville at Night Owl Food and Spirits, cod and Alaskan pollock are the fish of choice. Both option can be served 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 you can 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.
Road Dawg Saloon and Eatery
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." Road Dawg is a chain but the food and atmosphere are great.
Road Dawg Saloon and Eatery
is located at 2419 Morse St, Janesville
Phone +1 608 756 2131
Footville Friendly Cafe
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. Most days the cafe is open from 8 am to 2 pm, except Friday. Friday the Footville Friendly Cafe stays open until 8 pm.
The Footville Friendly Cafe
is located at 235 Depot St, Footville
Phone +1 608 876 6309
Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club
"Due to the unimaginable, The Esquire Supper Club is closed. We thank you for your dedicated support," a sign posted on the venerable supper club. After just 9 months, Craig Spaulding, the newest owner who had taken the helm from John Kavanaugh, had driven the restaurant into the ground and regulars away in droves. Kavanaugh couldn't bear to see the 60+ year old restaurant with his family's name go belly up so he bought the place back. The Esquire Supper Club is back and their Friday Fish Fry features: Family Style Ocean Perch, Icelandic Cod, and Lake Perch. Each dinner comes with Bread, coleslaw, French fries or baked potato. Prices are typical for Madison ranging from $15.50 to $18.50.
Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club
is located at 1025 N Sherman Ave, Madison
Phone:
(608) 249-0193
Hawk's Bar and Grill
It may not appear on the heavily used, laminated red and black menus, but Hawk's does have great fish fry and exclusively on Friday. The owner has made a point of keeping his place affordable, partly due to the proximity of the University of Wisconsin's flagship campus being just up the street, and partly because he is just a nice guy. Call early if you want to get in an order as Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday game days (Packers) and when the weather is great, its very busy especially the bar side of the business. Thankfully, the kitchen is separate and you can actually order at a counter next to where the cooks are preparing the next meal. Find, fried cod, coleslaw, and French fries for the reasonable price of $12.99.
Hawks Bar and Grill
is located at 425 State St, Madison
Phone +1 608 256 4295
Two Brothers Bar
Located in one of Edgerton's beautifully restored, cream city brick buildings, Two Brothers Bar serves the largest variety fish to fry in Southern Wisconsin, until Lakes Edition is informed otherwise. $16-18 price range for Cod, Perch, Grouper (served grilled or fried), Walleye, Halibut on Wednesdays and Fridays. All dinners come with coleslaw, a potato of your choice, and a corn muffin. Lots of great reviews by patrons at Yelp!
Two Brothers Bar
is located at 116 W Fulton St Edgerton
Petits Lakeview Bar and Grill
Located on Lake Koshkonong, Petits Lakeview Bar and Grill is a popular boating destination in the Summer, check out Lakes Edition's Dock N Dine guide for 2025. Petits features a 3 piece fried cod for $13.75, a 4 piece cod dinner for $16.50, or Canadian walleye (11 oz.) for $23.00 or the gluten free option of whitefish for $16. All dinners include salad bar, a Wisconsin classic, marble rye bread, choice of chips or baked potato.
Petits Lakeview Bar and Grill
is located at 1901 Wisconsin Highway 59, Milton
The Real MacCoys
A local favorite, customers love the 2 piece fried cod, there is also a great fried blue gill. Find sides like coleslaw, choice of sour cream and chive french fries, sweet potato fries or baked potato. The place is very popular on Fridays especially after 5 pm but the service is efficient and friendly.
The Real MacCoys
is located at N1431 County Rd N Whitewater
Bennett's Junction House
A fun Northwoods, rustic setting outside downtown Monroe, a popular local place for burgers and steaks. Bennett's offers the local fare of fried cod with sides of coleslaw, a baked potato and rye bread.
Bennett's Junction House Bar
is located at N3693 Cnty Hwy J Monroe
Where ever you travel in the Badger state you're sure to find a great fish fry dinner just around the corner to meet your culinary tastes. But before you go please respect our small businesses and their COVID-19 protocols in place to keep you and hour family safe. Bon appétit!
