Milwaukee: Brady Street Lunch Food Tour
Taste your way through Brady Street on a guided food tour in Milwaukee. Try Italian specialties, Mexican street food, local beer, and more across 5 to 6 stops.
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.
Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide
Wisconsin Friday fish fry makes more sense with someone from Milwaukee explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Book food experiences in Milwaukee
Milwaukee: Pedal Tavern Tour
See Milwaukee from the best seat in town: a private or shared pedal tavern. Expect great vibes, drink specials at each bar, and the freedom to bring your own drinks an...
Milwaukee: Dairyland Delights Food Walking Tour
Taste classic Wisconsin specialties on a guided walk through Milwaukee. Try cheese curds, bratwurst, a butter burger, beer, and dessert along Old World 3rd Street.