Brennan’s Fish House

Found this place when staying in Mentor OH for A-​10 conference swimming & diving championships. FANTASTIC food. Nice interior decorated with nautical stuff. Had the perch sandwich with the fries. Sandwich was GREAT! 3 – 4 pieces of crispy, sweet perch on a soft bun. Very tasty. The fries were done in house — crisp and hot, thin cut (like Steak and Shake only 100 times better!!!) Had their homemade key lime pie — also excellent. Will definitely return here in the future!

Broken crab leg special. Yes, it is such a thing. I love that they utilize them in this manner, instead of doing the standard of making crab cakes with them.
Steak and crab legs were good. Steak arrived at the actual requested temp of blue to rare. What would have made the steak much better would have been to serve it with a butter sauce. Instead it was completely unseasoned. Not their fault as I didn’t think to ask for any seasoning with it. Crab legs were perfect.
Yes the place is very outdated and could use an overall cleaning, but for me, that is part of the charm I suppose. I mean, I have been coming here for 30 years or so…

So we wandered in here on a Monday around 7. We realize the kitchen closes at 8/8:30, so we had our orders pretty ready to go before we got there. Based on the Unilocal reviews and online menus I knew what not to get. We sat ordered waters and my boyfriend got a can of coke. For some reason our server, short haired red head, came back 5 minutes later without our drinks, asking for our orders. We started to order and my boyfriend asked what kind of raw oysters they had. Our server, no name given, started to argue with him quickly that she didn’t understand what he meant, and made him feel like he was an idiot because they had raw oysters, or fried oysters, both from Virginia. *eye rolls and sighs* ended up throwing up her hands and quickly walking away, to consult the kitchen. (still no order in, or drinks on the table) She comes back, with drinks, and promptly apologizes, realizing how rude she was. Still same story about the raw or fried oysters from Virginia, talking to him like he doesn’t understand. After he rattles off 4 or so types of oysters she says, «oh yeah those, the ones with the w!» Okay great. We order clam chowder, which was amazing! Crab cake, raw oysters, fried oysters, Asian salad, stuffed orange roughy (me), and surf and turf (his). Crab cake was good, canned or imitation crab meat, it seemed like, but good. The raw oysters were enormous and served with cocktail sauce. Very disappointing! The fried oysters were better, probably because they were disguised in batter and fried, also served with cocktail sauce. The Asian salad, which I specifically ordered because it said it had «mixed greens». It was bagged iceberg lettuce with the little carrot and purple cabbage baggy scattered throughout. Another disappointment. Between the time she cleared our almost full appetizer and salad plates, without asking if anything was wrong with the food we hadn’t eaten, she dropped off the butter candle for my boyfriends crab legs. By the time our dinners had arrived it was burned. She also never asked him about his sides for his $ 35 dinner so we got the wrong ones and dinners without bread and butter, which is also supposed to be on our table. She ran away from the table so fast we had to ask her for something every time she came back, which is annoying to do to a server, but at the initial food check we knew everything we needed. So she wasted her own energy. The fries, coleslaw, mashed potatoes and crab legs were good. My boyfriends steak was supposed to be medium rare. He cut into it and it was completely raw and purple in the center. So he caught our nameless server on one of her dashes away from our table and asked her to have them throw it back on, she brought it back about 7 minutes later. Set it down and walked away. I asked about a wine on the list on another stop with his second can of coke. She said that wine list was out of date and gave me a half ass list of house wines, I had to ask about Merlot before she remembered they had that too. I would have ordered a more expensive glass, but at this point we were clearly wasting her time, so I got what she could give me. My boyfriend cuts into his steak and it’s exactly the same inside and we could tell the cook they have just threw it on the flattop and not a grill… He just set it to the side with no intention of trying again. She came back about ten minutes later he showed her the steak, and before apologizing, she gave us a sorry look, telling us there was nothing she could do, the kitchen was closed. He said he didn’t want to try again, he just didn’t want it. She took it and walked away, still no apology or remedy to our situation. My orAnge roughy was two pieces of fish sandwiched between a huge heap of crab cake salad stuffing. It was good, but quantity over quality for sure. She came back to see if we were ready for boxes, we just said yes. We saw they had banana cream pie and wanted to take some home, but opted to stop at the grocery store on the way home. She came back with the bill and said her manager took the steak off the bill, and that she would ask her to come talk to us if we wanted. The manager should have known to come over without having her incompetent server give us a half ass offer. We paid our $ 95 bill and left. She got a 12% tip which she didn’t deserve, but we work in the industry and never leave even that small of a percentage.
Overall: terrible service, terrible. Our server was un-​attentive, rude, incompetent and entitled. The food was of poor quality and so was the cook. The manager didn’t seem to care about keeping an eye on the way the restaurant was being run. This place should strictly serve fish frys, because they can’t provide a decent seafood, or steak presentation aside from that. We won’t be back.

I was in search of a good seafood dinner, and this place fit the bill ! I was returning home from a road trip to Erie. I, of course, consulted Unilocal for reference. Brennan’s did NOT disappoint. I arrived at approx 4:30 on Friday, afternoon and the place was just starting to fill up. I was seated toward the back, near the windows overlooking the river… which was nice. The diners seated across from me, were happily enjoying their meals and after viewing their choices, portions etc., I knew that I had picked the right place! I ordered a cup of the clam chowder for my starter and the shrimp platter for my entrée. The soup arrived right away, accompanied by a pack of oyster crackers. The soup was warm, rich and delicious. The soup was full of fresh clams and potatoes. Shortly thereafter, my entrée arrived along with a soft roll, and slice of rye bread with butter on the side. The portion was huge. 6 perfectly fried, butterfly shrimp, along side a huge heap of handcut fries with a big scoop of creamy coleslaw. I couldn’t finish everything, probably because I started with the hearty clam chowder, but I finished what I could and can’t wait to return!

I love seafood. My family and I went to early dinner here at 4pm. I got the crab cakes and they were the best crab cakes I have ever had in my short 25 years. The fried walleye was delicious as well. The service was a little slow, but not too much to ruin the experience. Would definitely return in the future.

I really enjoy this place! The food is always fresh. Their prices are good and the specials are great!

Excellent food and service, highly recommend the Walleye! The atmosphere is great with their nautical theme. I also recommend the fried mushrooms. You won’t be disappointed!

Worst service ever. Showed up got sat. waited five minutes then finally she asks if we want water not drinks or app. Then we order drinks too beer and wine. She is behind bar talking to customer at bar. 10 minutes later comes drinks. I ask about specials. She says no and don’t look at board behind you it does not mean nothing. OK. was that a joke or serious. She then asks table behind us if she can lean over them to wipe the board off. If I was that table I would be pissed. We had seen enough did not even eat or finish our drinks. Monday 7÷6÷2015

Love this place. Outstanding restaurant been getting the perch n walleye here for decades best in the area!

My husband says best clam chowder and clam strips. I’m not a sea food lover, but I love the white fish, chili and chicken.

Overall this place is a quaint bar type establishment… I wouldn’t go above that. Now the food was fresh, hot and yummy — the fries delicious as other review cited — I didn’t notice the «greasy» that people say tho.
I had popcorn shrimp (so tasty!), my husbands crab cake was ok he said — the fried perch & walleye we shared — delicious! Server was nice but a lil inattentive.
Next time we will eat at the bar :-)

The service is remarkable. The food is fabulous. They are known for local Perch and walleye. I like the perch the best and the cole slaw was excellent. You can order soft drinks by the can or fountain. We are so glad we selected this over Pickle Bills because of the Unilocal reviews.

«YESI Our French Fries are Greasy! They are made from fresh Idaho Potatoes and deep fried when they are ordered. This has been done this way since 1927. Ninety percent of our customers like them. If you do not care for them or your diet does not allow them, we do have other selections you may order in their place.»
That is a quote straight out of Brennan’s menu and, YES, their fries are greasy! VERY greasy (greasiest I have ever had!). Greasy to the point that they drip more than the 4.3 liter on my 1979 Cutlass! It could be that potatoes are fried at too low of a temperature to avoid otherwise. The problem with that is that it seems the crab cakes have been cooked in the same oil and they are also VERY greasy! The crab cakes are flavorful but really don’t have much in the way of discernible crab. The crab they do contain appears to have been mechanically separated and really had no texture. The overall feel of the crab cake was just a soggy puck of flavored dough. Not a pleasant experience.
The fried shrimp was the quality of a fast food restaurant and looked as if it was fresh from the frozen section at Walmart. However, having likely been breaded and frozen by a reputable food manufacturer, the shrimp had flavor in the batter. Something I cannot in good conscience write about the batter which covered the white fish or the yellow perch.
The white fish was tender and flakey and the yellow perch was cooked well, but both suffered from a dreadful lack of flavor. The fried scallops were my favorite of the bunch as they were tender and not overcooked.
The clam chowder was pleasant. The potatoes still held some firmness and the clams were generous. Good flavor overall.
I was a bit disappointed with the overall quality of the food. Although the fish is hand breaded, it lacked flavor, and there are what appear to be some frozen items on the menu. Add to that some possible poor cooking basics that are being disregarded (or are simply not known) and the whole experience was not what I had anticipated. Too bad. I really did like the service and the ambiance is definitely like that of some of the dockside dives I have visited around the US seaboards.
The only upside? I won’t need an oil change for another 3,000 miles!
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I have had many great meals at Brennan’s. My whole family loves the food at this restaurant and whenever we have out of town guest we take them to Brennan’s. The perch and walleye are my favorites, but I like the crab cakes also. I can say I have never had a bad meal here. The french fries are delicious, just like old fashioned fair fries. The nautical atmosphere is truly unique. Definitely not a chain type place, just a good old fashioned well run restaurant.

Their Fisherman’s Chowder is like no other!!!

I went here this past Monday (³⁄₃₀) for my birthday dinner. It was AMAZING!!! the crab cakes were very well seasoned. The whitefish was perfectly cooked. The catfish was well seasoned as was all the food. The coleslaw was even good which is something that rarely happens in a restaurant. Usually we go across the street to Pickle Bills but they are closed on Mondays. I might not go back there! I can’t believe I waited so long to go to Brennan’s but we will be making a trip back soon. The staff was also very pleasant and attentive.

Fantastic! Went for business lunch had great service, food was fresh and delicious. The perch was on point and the hamburger was well prepared. Stop in, leave full, and enjoy the friendly faces.

We decided we wanted seafood for dinner tonight and our usual fair at Red Lobster was out of the question since the service and the food quality have gone down hill. We looked on Unilocal at reviews and found Brennan’s and thought why not.
What a fantastic choice we made. We got there and it was hopping busy and they told us it would be 40 minutes but we lucked out and it was only about 15 minutes. Our waiter came and got our drink order immediately and was very friendly and you could tell he loved his job. He took our order and he was just very quick with everything, however he did not rush us.
The food was awesome. It was seasoned perfectly for me, my husband needed just a smidge of salt in his chowder. I can not wait to come back again and try other menu items so that I can find what will become my favorites. We managed to split a dessert called a chocolate spoon cake… OMG this is a chocolate nightmare. Ladies if you need a chocolate fix this is definitely your way to get it. It will not disappoint.

If you have no taste buds left, then this the place for you. I find the food in this place to be plain and tasteless. The primary crowd that this restaurant attracts are your senior citizens. This why the senior likes this place, because the taste buds on their tongues are pretty much gone.
I ordered strip steak medium rare with crab legs. The steak was tasteless and was cooked well done. The crab legs were OK. Side dishes were just plain and simple.
We didn’t say anything about our meals to the manager, because we’re not the right customers for this restaurant. We’re not in 70+ crowd, plus like we ever come back to it. Maybe 30 years from now when our taste buds are no longer intact. Where we put salt on everything before tasting our food.

Fellow Unilocalers, I can always count on you to lead me to the best local spots, and you really came through on this one!
I don’t get up north very often, so when I found myself in Mentor, Ohio on business the first thought that came to mind at dinner time was «walleye». It didn’t take me long to discover Brennan’s on Unilocal,and only about 2 miles from my hotel!
I visited on Monday night, and almost every table was occupied. The ambience felt as if I was in a New England fish house — lots of marine décor, lots of wood — arrgghhh! I noticed that many Unilocalers recommended the lake perch. I came in search of walleye. Brennans saved the day with their Lake Combo — both perch and walleye with a delicious cole slaw and a huge pile of fries. It was more than I could eat but I ate more than I should — absolutely delicious. The crisp and perfectly chilled glass of Pinot Grigio was a nice accompaniment to my dinner.
The patrons visiting Monday night all appeared to be locals — a good sign. I can tell why they love it so much. I hope to have a chance to return someday.