Green Lantern - McFarland, WI

The Deal: McFarland's Green Lantern Restaurant, perched on the shores of lovely Lake Waubesa, evokes old time Wisconsin while being just minutes away from downtown Madison. On Fridays, they have a variety of fish specials, including cod starting at $9.95, perch for $11.95 and walleye (battered or steamed) for $14.95. Dinners include soup or salad (thank God), rolls and a full choice of potato options: french fries, ranch fries, hash browns, baked potato or rice or broccoli. I really do appreciate restaurants who understand the fish fry experience and strive to make it more than just a variation of fish & chips.



The Food: Unfortunately, most of the food at the Green Lantern was disappointing. The salads were fresh and fine, but nothing special. The rolls were served cold with cold butter. That's a big pet peeve of mine - if you're not going to heat the rolls at least have soft butter, you know?

Worst of all, was the fish. My table opted for walleye and cod, but in both cases, the fish could have been just a little bit more done. The texture was okay, but neither the walleye nor the cod had any flavor. Combined with the completely tasteless batter, it meant that the eating the fish was just slightly better than eating cardboard.

The only highlight of the meal were the hash browns, which were simply amazing. They achieved the minor miracle of being both crispy & creamy. Their excellence makes me think that while I'd skip the Green Lantern for a fish fry, I'd be smart to come back for breakfast sometime.

The Flavor: The Green Lantern has a split level dining room. The upper level has full windows looking out on Lake Waubesa. The lower level, without the view, feels more like a typical Wisconsin dive bar. That in and of itself isn't a bad thing, but you do kind of feel like you're in steerage or something when compared to the room with a view.

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The Longhouse at North Star Mohican Casino - Bowler, WI

More thanks to Jamie for yet another review. Someone has to pick up my slack!

Wow, this is the best fish fry I’ve had in some time. To my delight the server told us that The Longhouse’s fish fry included four pieces of fish: one walleye, two cod and one tilapia. I love that you don’t have to choose one variety – you get them all! While my family and I hungrily awaited the arrival of our entrées we received baskets of frybread (yum!) and a lovely cornbread that was made with pieces wild rice as well. It was hard to save room for fish!

My Aunt ordered the dandelion green salad with acorn squash, pomegranate and acorn seeds. Yep, dandelion. It was delish but then again when I’m not eating fish fries, I’m a pretty healthy eater so I realize this won’t be to everyone’s taste. I love the cultural touches in the menu, definitely a huge step up from North Star’s previous fast-food style offerings. The restaurant itself is gorgeous. Excellent graphic design too, as seen on the signage and menus which were made of some sort of natural fiber exterior.

Now, back to the main course: the walleye was by far my favorite, with a flavor of its own while the cod and tilapia were more of a neutral base to the flavor of the batter. All the fish had great texture, not at all chewy. The batter was perfectly crisp with flecks of cornmeal throughout it, another traditional touch! The fries were crisp and delicious as well. And again with the rye bread, two pieces this time! I have heard that rye was traditionally included I can’t recall ever receiving it in my recent history. Not that I needed it, what with the fry bread and all, but I still ate it! All this for $9.99!

Babes - Madison, WI

The deal: Babes has a variety of fish fry options, including beer battered cod, lake perch and walleye. Prices are around $12 and include bread, the choice of soup or salad and a "potato" choice (baked potato, regular fries, curly fries, fruit, cottage cheese or veggies). It was so nice to be at a restaurant that realizes that a good fish fry needs to include soup or salad.

The food: Babes' delicious lemon chicken soup wasn't on the menu, so everyone in my group opted for cod & salad. Despite the season, the salad was big and fresh and served with a deliciously, crusty piece of hot bread. Mmmm. Hot bread.



The fish was less successful. The batter wasn't crispy enough and the fish itself was solid rather than flaky. The french fries were way too salty. Nothing had any real flavor, unless you count "deep fryer" as a flavor.



Babes redeemed itself, however, with dessert. A chocolate brownie sundae looked exactly as decadent as it sounds and the chocolate & peanut butter cake was light & creamy and the perfect way to end the meal on a high note.

The Flavor: We went to Babes on a frigid New Year's Day night, so it was pretty empty. That meant that we had fantastic service. I'm sure our waitress is always friendly, but she just had extra time to spend on our party and we appreciated it. Our timing also meant that we didn't really explore Babes' beer list at all as most of us were still hungover and recovering. Someone did sample a Bloody Mary though. Bloody Marys aren't my thing, but even I have to admit that this looked and smelled delicious. Apparently it was, so be sure to add Babes to your "best Bloody" list.



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Bridges on the Green - Madison, WI

The deal: The Bridges restaurant (attached to the golf course of the same name) offers a variety of fish fry choices including beer-battered cod and lake perch, jumbo shrimp, pan fried walleye and more. Prices ranged between $9 and $12 for most entrees, which come with choice of side (baked potato, chips, fries, hash browns or veggies), coleslaw and hot, crusty bread. You can add a trip to the salad bar or a soup for an additional $2.25.

The food: I ordered the lake perch with hash browns and added a salad to my meal. The base of the salad bar was a bunch what looked like store bought greens. While that wasn't very exciting, it tasted fresh. Toppings were plentiful and included peppers, cucumbers, cheeses, eggs, broccoli, tomatoes and the like. A simple pasta salad was quite delicious and the random addition of canned peaches made it feel like I was back in a typical central Wisconsin supper club.

The Bridges' bread was actually one of the highlights of the meal, and I don't mean that as an insult. Our quarter loaf was perfect, with or without the dollop of sweet butter it was served with. Mmmm...

Both me and my dining companion ordered the lake perch, which meant that we were quickly confronted with five huge pieces of fish. The batter was a little greasy and flavorless, but the fish itself was tasty without being too, uh, fishy.

Due to my tragic addiction to carbs, I was a little disappointed in the ratio of fish to sides. I would have preferred one less piece of fish and a little more hash browns. My dining companion ordered a baked potato, which was also kind of small and not quite soft enough. The folks at the table next to us ordered chips, which looked like huge, homemade pieces of bliss. You gotta love homemade chips.

The flavor: Like many fish fry places, if you're in your 30s and want to feel young, go to the Bridges. You'll have at least 20 years on most of the patrons. That said, it's not a musty, old supper club. Situated right on the golf course, it's actually quite light and lively. The waitstaff was young and efficient. I tried to eat there earlier this summer and it was a bit too crowded and disorganized, but going later in the evening made for a much mellower and enjoyable experience.

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Orpheum Lobby Restaurant - Madison, WI

The deal: $14 at the Orpheum gets you all-you-can-eat breaded & fried bluegill, fries and coleslaw. I know it's all-you-can-eat, but for $14 I'd also expect my choice of soup or salad.

The food: Both me and my dining companion opted (with the helpful suggestion of our waitress) to substitute a green salad for our fries. So, we both received heaping plates of fish and salad. The salad was a delicious combination of greens, carrots, onions and warm chevre with a perfectly light lemon balsamic vinaigrette.

The dressing was an ideal complement to the lemon juice I squeezed over the fish. The fish itself was, for the most part, excellent. The breading was exceptionally crispy and the fish was tasty without being overly fishy. My only complaint was that the breading was bland. The Orpheum would do well to a little beer and possibly even some lemon juice to the batter.



The flavor: The Orpheum's fish fry is worlds away from the typical Wisconsin supper club experience. While you may miss the traditions, it does have advantages, like a great wine and drink menu. My grapefruit-infused mojito, for example, hit the spot on a hot summer night.

The restaurant itself is a little bizarre. It's referred to as the "Lobby Restaurant" for a reason. It's literally in the lobby of the theatre. This means that it's noisy and busy, but does provide ample opportunities for people watching. For even more people watching, you could get a table outside and see all of the State Street crazies up close and personal.

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Mariner's Inn - Waunakee, WI

The deal: As a seafood restaurant on the north shore of Lake Mendota, the Mariner's Inn has a good selection of Friday night fish specials. The traditional fish fry is simply cod with french fries, but you can also opt for lake perch or broiled walleye. These options are a little pricier, but include soup or salad, dinner rolls and a choice of potato. If you opt for the regular fish fry, you can upgrade to to better sides and add a salad for a small charge.

The food: Our server gave the walleye a rave review, and as a Central Wisconsin girl, I had to try it (let's hear it for Nekoosa's Walleye Days!). It was simply the best fish I've had since starting this site. The fish was flaky and yet a little crispy around the edges with a slightly spicy lemon pepper flavor. I had a part of my companion's beer battered cod and it too was absolutely delicious. It was crispy without being greasy. I have no idea how the kitchen accomplished this miracle, but I'd like to thank them for it!

If you go to the Mariner's Inn, I must insist that you get their hash browns with your meal. They're served family style and are so good that a formerly loving family will fight like hell for the last spoonful. They're creamy and crispy and every other good adjective that starts with "cr".

The salads were okay, nothing bad, but nothing special while the rolls were sweet and dark and (gasp!) served warm. The fish here was so good that to be honest, I didn't even care about the salad, slaw and rolls. The Mariner's Inn wasn't exactly grasping for bonus points, you know?

The flavor: Although the restaurant is huge, we had to wait for a table for a long time. Unlike many fish fry joints, the Mariner's Inn's bar is a little more classy and quiet than it is fun. Oh don't get me wrong, the staff is nice, but the bar is just a little dull.

The crowd leans a little on the old side, as do some of the waitstaff. I felt like maybe we could all trade stories about the Ice Bowl. Well, maybe we could have if I was enjoying one of the Early Bird Specials ;-)

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Esquire Club - Madison, WI

The deal: Fish fry at the Esquire on Madison's east side is an integral part of a classic Wisconsin supper club experience. Depending on how your party orders, your fish is either served family style (and is all you can eat) or comes as a standalone entree.

The food: The Esquire Club specializes in fish with a thin, crispy batter. The ocean perch is tasty, not fishy and not greasy. The sides are nothing special - fries or potato and coleslaw. The meal doesn't come with salad, but you can add a surprisingly fresh garden salad for just $3.95. It's actually worth it.

The Esquire gets extra bonus points for bringing a nice sized bowl full of lemon slices to the table before you ask for it. Many fish fry aficionados won't touch their cod, perch or walleye before they squeeze the lemon.

Like any good supper club, you can make your meal even better (and unfortunately worse for you) with the addition of a Grasshopper. Mmmm. Grasshoppers make me feel like a little kid. They're like wonderful, boozy Shamrock Shakes!

The flavor: You can tell from the packed gravel parking lot that the Esquire has an excellent reputation. You'll almost always have to wait for a table for 10-15 minutes, but the wait is made easier with a large bar, good beer on tap (Guinness, Spotted Cow, etc.) and friendly bartenders.

With several different dining areas, it never feels that crowded once you're seated. While seated, please note the red candleholders. They've gotta be vintage 1962 models.

The crowd swings more toward 50 and 60-somethings out for a night of good fish and getting their drink on than it does to families. Feel free to loudly bitch about the Packers, Brewers or Badgers. You won't be alone ;-)

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River Jacks - LaCrosse, WI

The deal: At River Jacks, you order your fish and starch from a waitress and head to the buffet for the rest of your salad and sides.

The food: Although walleye was on the menu (always a bonus in my book), the fish was merely average and not especially crispy. The potato pancakes were the worst I've had in a long time - too thin and ultimately tasteless. The buffet was big, but by far the most distinguishing thing on it was applesauce. You gotta have applesauce for the potato pancakes!

The drink menu had a few fun cocktails and a good beer selection, as should be expected in LaCrosse.

The flavor: Rivers Jacks' location on the Black River is beautiful. Inside, I got the impression that the restaurant is something of a tourist trap and it makes me eager to find out where locals go for truly good fish.