Friday fish fry in Madison, WI: where to go and what to order

Why Wisconsin does fish on Fridays

Travel Wisconsin credits three things: the Catholic Church, Prohibition and plenty of freshwater fish. Many of the state's settlers were German and Polish Catholics who didn't eat meat on Fridays, and walleye, perch and bluegill were plentiful and cheap. During Prohibition, taverns that couldn't sell beer sold Friday fish plates to keep customers coming in, and the habit stuck long after the Church limited meatless Fridays to Lent in the 1960s.

The classic plate, as the Wisconsin Historical Society describes it: battered and fried fish (cod, perch, bluegill, walleye), tartar sauce, coleslaw, rye bread, and fries or potato pancakes. Many people add a brandy Old Fashioned, the sweet Wisconsin version of the cocktail.

Downtown and the isthmus

• The Old Fashioned (23 N. Pinckney St., on the Capitol Square): beer-battered cod or walleye or flour-dusted lake perch, with poppy seed coleslaw, matchstick fries, lemon caper tartar sauce and rye. It's on the regular menu, so it isn't just a Friday thing.
• Tipsy Cow (102 King St.): Friday cod, lake perch, walleye or jumbo shrimp, with fries, coleslaw and Stalzy's rye. There's a second location in Sun Prairie.
• Turn Key Supper Club (1344 E. Washington Ave.): fish fry every Tuesday and Friday.
• Dexter's Pub (301 North St., east side): a full fish fry on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and a smaller one on Wednesdays, with coleslaw, Madison Sourdough rye and a choice of fries or chips. No tables over eight on Fridays.

West and south Madison

• Gates & Brovi (3502 Monroe St.): Friday fried Alaskan cod or Great Lakes bluegill, with fries or boiled potatoes, coleslaw, tartar sauce and their spicy zip sauce.
• Off Broadway Drafthouse (5404 Raywood Rd., south side): a traditional Friday fish fry, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with slaw, a roll and a choice of potato.
• Quivey's Grove (6261 Nesbitt Rd., in Fitchburg near the Madison line): the Stone House serves beer-battered cod, baked cod with lemon dill butter, pretzel-crusted whitefish or a combo of all three, with potatoes, coleslaw and fresh-baked muffins. There's an early-bird discount from 4:30 to 5 p.m.

Middleton, Cross Plains and Mount Vernon

• Craftsman Table & Tap (6712 Frank Lloyd Wright Ave., Middleton): beer-battered or baked cod or walleye, with criss-cut fries, coleslaw, rye and house tartar sauce.
• Monk's Bar & Grill (8313 Murphy Dr., Middleton): two or three pieces of beer-battered or baked cod with a choice of potato and coleslaw.
• R Bar (7773 Martinsville Rd., Cross Plains): a Friday deep-fried cod basket with fries, coleslaw and a roll; hand-breaded walleye too.
• Mount Vernon Tap (8646 Davis St., Mount Vernon): Friday cod, walleye or shrimp, deep-fried or grilled, with coleslaw or cottage cheese and cowboy potatoes or fries.

North and east: Waunakee, DeForest and Sun Prairie

• The Lone Girl Brewing Company (114 E. Main St., Waunakee): Friday haddock brined in their own ale and hand-battered, or baked, plus a lake catch of the week, with coleslaw, rye and a choice of potato. Early-bird discount from 2 to 5 p.m.
• Timbers Tavern Bar & Grill (208 W. North St., DeForest): "Fish Friday" with beer-battered cod or walleye, fries, coleslaw, cornbread and homemade clam chowder.
• Varsity Bar & Grill (1205 W. Main St., Sun Prairie): every Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.: hand-battered Icelandic cod, skin-on walleye or baked cod, with two sides.

Verona and Stoughton

• Draft House (1010 Enterprise Dr., Verona): a Friday night fish fry.
• Springers (3097 Sunnyside St., on Lake Kegonsa near Stoughton): Friday cod, battered, breaded or baked, plus a dinner buffet from 5 to 8:30 p.m. with baked and fried cod and rotating extras like catfish, perch and shrimp.
• Viking Brew Pub (211 E. Main St., Stoughton): battered or baked cod, crusted walleye or shrimp, with coleslaw, a roll and a baked potato or fries.
• Water Street Tavern (324 S. Water St., Stoughton): Friday bluegill, perch and walleye.

Lent 2027

Lent runs from Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027 through Good Friday, March 26, 2027. That's when fish fries get busiest, a few restaurants add a Lent-only fish fry, and churches and community groups hold their own. Parishes usually post their Lenten fish fry dates in January or February.

Looking for more? Browse supper clubs and bars in the directory, or see our things to do in Madison guide.