Serb Hall Fish Fry

What: Serb Hall Fish Fry

When:  Friday, January 3, 2014

Cost: $12

Upon my research of Milwaukee, I would frequently see recommendations of certain Fish Fries to attend.  One was Lakefront, where I went with Adam in November.  I love every aspect of Lakefront.  First their beer, then their beautiful cream city brick building.  I first did the tour on my first trip to Milwaukee in 2009.  It happened to be on my birthday and one of the owners (one of the brothers) gave the tour and, because it was my birthday, I got the bung hole.  I still have it.  A couple of years later, here on a Christmas visit, John G., Jess, Adam and I bought the very first bottle of their IBA.  We had gone on the tour of the brewery and were told of this magical India BLACK Ale.  The tour guide said they had just finished bottling the first batch, but wasn’t sure when it would be available for sale.  As we sat in the tasting room afterwards, enjoying their other pleasant beers, the first batch available for sale went into the coolers.  John G. moved fast like a gazelle to the counter and bought the first bottle.  Two years later, I would cry with happiness when Adam found a bottle of Lakefront IBA at a beer retailer in North Charleston.   Of course I had to experience their fish fry, so the first Friday night in our new home, Adam and I went to Lakefront and had some fish and beer.  As if that wasn’t amazing enough, there was a Polka band.  Enough said. 

The other Milwaukee establishment known for their fish fry is Serb Hall (Sir Paul?).  The American Serb Memorial Hall was opened in 1950 and nearly every US President elected since then has visited this hall.  The facilities include a bowling alley and they were hosting a Big Gun Show the weekend we visited.  What the hall is perhaps best known for is their fish fry on Friday nights.  Our friends John W, John G, and Jess joined us for family style plates of fried fish, cole slaw, and French fries.  It was decent, but the experience was truly complete by being surrounded by swell Wisconsinites with swell Wisconsin accents.  The hall slightly reminded me of the Saturday night fish fry we would go to growing up at the Masonic Temple on Steele Creek road:  The large banquet room with fold out, long tables, and the smell of fried fish.  As a kid, I always looked forward to those occasional Saturday nights.  I really want to experience as many fish fries as I can, to come to my own conclusion and have my own opinion on the “best” fish fry in Milwaukee.  I’ve asked a handful of people what their favorite fish fry is, and every single person is different.  Ask me in a year, and I’ll tell you my favorite fish fry :)

St. Sava Serbian Orthodox church, shining brightly and beautifully in the parking lot of Serb Hall!