The Friday fish fry is Wisconsin's social meal: beer-battered or breaded lake perch, cod or walleye with rye bread, coleslaw, French fries or potato pancakes.
Wisconsin's Friday fish fry began in 19th-century Catholic Lent observance, when the German and Polish immigrant population avoided meat on Fridays. Through Prohibition, taverns moved beer revenue into hot food, with the all-you-can-eat fish fry becoming Wisconsin's defining social meal by the 1930s. Today every Wisconsin supper club, brewery hall and corner tavern from Milwaukee to Madison runs a Friday fish fry; Lakefront Brewery's Riverwest hall with the polka band, established in 1986, is the city's defining version.
5 editor picks for Wisconsin Friday fish fry in Milwaukee, ranked by editorial score. All Milwaukee signature dishes · Wisconsin Friday fish fry across every city.
Lakefront Brewery ★ 4.7
riverwest · 1872 N Commerce St, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Lakefront Brewery on North Commerce Street, Russ Klisch's 1987 brewery, runs the city's defining Friday fish fry with a polka band and free brewery tours.
Five O'Clock Steakhouse ★ 4.4
downtown · 2416 W State St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Five O'Clock Steakhouse on West State Street has been a Wisconsin supper club since 1948, with bone-in steaks broiled at 1700 degrees and a relish tray.
Buckatabon Tavern and Supper Club ★ 4.4
east-side · 1801 N Farwell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Buckatabon on North Farwell Avenue is a Lowlands Group Wisconsin supper club, serving Old Fashioneds, fish fry and broasted chicken in a Northwoods room.
River Lane Inn ★ 4.3
downtown · 4313 W River Ln, Brown Deer, WI 53223
River Lane Inn on West River Lane in Brown Deer is a North Shore seafood room with Lake Michigan perch and cedar-plank salmon, running since 1981 here.
Blue Jacket ★ 4.3
bay-view · 135 E National Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Blue Jacket on East National Avenue in Walker's Point is a nautical-themed gastropub with a strong burger, Friday fish fry and a long cocktail program here.