Fish Fry House

The fish was OK! We thought it was a little pricey for the amount of food. The kids meal had a lot to be desired. The restaurant appeared clean and a nice ambiance.

I was leery of this establishment when invited by a friend for lunch one day. This location has housed innumerable failed restaurants. But I trust my friend’s judgment. His standards are high, so I tossed my negative thoughts to the wayside and agreed to go.
I must disclose that I am a vegetarian (who’s not a pescatarian), so there was little on the menu that I could order. I tried the fried green tomatoes and fried pickles as appetizers. Both were passable, but neither was worth raving over. I tried to find something that was not fried for my main course. I don’t know why I thought that was be easy at a restaurant with «fry» in its name. I opted for the garden salad, which appeared and tasted as if it’d been dumped from a bag of the pre-​made variety. I also ordered a side of basmati dill rice. Again, it was passable at best.
I can’t imagine ever choosing to go here again.

I really really wanted to like this more…
The outside of the establishment looks like a fish fry house you might find sitting on a lake. Quaint and rustic-​y. The inside has a bit of an identity crisis… it looks like a partially re-​designed Asian restaurant.
You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. The staff was courteous and jovial while I was there.
Their menu states that they have a full bar, and my friend and I were looking forward to a beer with our fish/​after a long day. But it seems that they have lost their liquor license for the time being and are not serving any alcohol whatsoever.
The guy who took our order offered up a suggestion, saying we could take our food next door to the Left Field Lounge. They don’t mind people bringing in food and we can have our beer. The guy even offered to bring our food there instead of having us wait for it in the Fish Fry House. *That* is service, man.
The food was decent. I got the baked scrod. It was a little bland, but I’m the one who decided on baked and not fried (diet and what not…). It came with 2 sides. I got the hushpuppies (best part of the meal) and green beans (really, surprisingly spicy with a aftertaste of just butter… defeating the idea of healthier…). All in all, I’ve had better and I’ve had worse.

One of the best places for seafood in Louisville. Always fresh and I haven’t had a bad meal yet. The calamari is great, the 10 piece shrimp is yummy and not over battered, the fish has a great flavor and the staff is very friendly. I love going here.

The atmosphere was pleasant enough. You order at the «bar» and seat yourself. This is pretty common a fish places up
north on the Atlantic Ocean. Service good overall. I had a Groupon, and that made a difference.
I have the fried scrod and two sides
(onion rings and salad which was decent), and my dining partner had the baked scrod with a salad and green beans for her sides. My fried fish sandwich was good, but the portion is nothing compared to, say Check’s Café in Germantown. That goes equally for the onion rings. The baked scrod looked like am appetizer. We are healthy and in decent shape, so we don’t eat a lot but is a rip off for $ 9.50, which was the price point for the Fried Scrod which was more ample due to the breading. The fish was flaky and cooked properly.
Happy hour is a good deal at $ 2.50 a pint for local craft brews.
Overall, we are luke warm on this place. There are way too many options in Louisville. Portions needs to be increased by 20% at a minimum.

What a nice place! Such kind staff, a delishious hush puppies. A little pricey, but nothing over the top. Spent twenty bucks for two, and we got the box meal. However, my husband wanted to try something exotic like the shark or gator, but neither were in season. So if you go for that, make sure you check ahead of time. Will go again for sure!

We tried the Fish Fry House tonight for the first time. I had a Groupon and being Ash Wednesday we figured it would the perfect time to give it a try. We did carry out because with two kids sometimes that’s just easier! Our order was all ready to go when I arrived to pick it up which is a huge plus. We ordered the carry out box for two, plus some additional sides, green beans, onion rings, and cole slaw. We all enjoyed our dinner a lot. The fish was meaty and well cooked and I really liked the cornmeal breading. The fries were not good but I at least partially blame that on the fact that we did carry out. They were very soggy and somewhat cold. I know just being in the to go box can cause that but they also were incredibly bland. It didn’t taste as though they had even been salted. I greatly enjoyed the onion rings though. They also have a cornmeal breading and they were the right amount of crisp! I always like onion rings that do not release the entire onion when you take that first bite and these definitely fit the bill. The green beans were well seasoned, I think I maybe detected a hint of chili powder? Either way we enjoyed them too. The slaw was nice and creamy which I like with a nice fish sandwich. The hush puppies on the other hand were tiny, bland and a bit burned. I probably would avoid them in the future. With the Groupon I felt like we got a good deal but looking at the prices before the groupon was applied in comparison to the portion sizes I think they are a bit high. A tiny half cup serving of green beans is 2.50. That’s a lot! Overall I enjoyed the food and would eat it again but I do think they should reevaluate their pricing!

** update**
Went back for another groupon, probably won’t be returning unless I really want a good fish sandwich. We had baked and fried scrod, rice, greenbeans, wedges, and hushpuppies. Fish was bland this time, hushpuppies were good and our favorite of the meal. Rice was nothing special, greenbeans were probably from a can. Wedges were very spicy, but not crispy. I decided it was the breading I didn’t like, but for a fish sandwich it is ok. Place is set up weird, menu is kind of confusing specials vs platters, just not a good dining experience, more of a take out place.
If you want a good reliable fish sandwich, this is your place. I was really surprised how good the fish was, but the other food was just ok. I had high hopes for fired pickles, but they were just ok, kind of greasy. Bean soup was made in house and it was very good. I was not all that impressed with the onion rings and crab bites. I liked the fish enough to go back and try a few more things.

I really enjoyed the baked scrod dinner. I had the fried green tomatoes as my app and they were excellent. (Keep in mind, it’s a seasonal item) Overall, I liked the layout of the place, the clean seating area, fast service. Just one TV in the place, but a full bar and beer selections. I will go back.

3 ½ stars.
Used a Groupon. Actually thought that I bought it for another fish restaurant but it was for this place instead, so it worked in that it got me in the door to try it out.
Wanted to try the rolled oyster based on the other reviews but it was out of oysters and was not expecting the owner to bring them by until around 2 p.m. So disappointed that I didn’t get to try them on this visit. Happy that it didn’t try to pawn something inferior off on me but it should have been stocked by opening for the day (i.e., lunch). Went with the mini crab cakes, which were definitely mini but also good. Also went with a chicken kabob salad, which was good but a little short on chicken (just 4 small strips on top of the lettuce). The nuts and strawberries were a nice addition to the salad and it came with a packet of olive oil/​vinagerette — which is exactly what it should have for that type of salad. So I give it good marks for the food but probably share the concerns that quantity is a little short considering the price point. Definitely a good deal with the Groupon.
Thought that the décor and interior were nice; much better than I expected from reading other reviews.
Counter girl was very pleasant but wholly unfamiliar with the menu. Must have been relatively new (there was a «servers wanted» sign in the window) and it would have behooved the place to better train or educate her prior to putting her in charge of the customers. Expect that small issue to work itself out with time.
I’ll go back sometime but it isn’t necessarily something that I’ll put on my must do list. Agree that the beer happy hour looks pretty good and that might give me a reason to stop back in and try one of those rolled oysters.
In short, give it a go.
*****
(May 2013)
Went back again. Was aware that it couldn’t serve alcohol anymore from other posts. So can’t really review the happy hour part of it.
Same story as last time. The owner had not arrived with the oysters yet. This time it was about 4 p.m. Not sure what’s going on here but this appears to be a fall back excuse (i.e., a lie) to appease customers instead of being up front with them. Don’t know this for a fact (so no «star» deductions) but it seems fishy. Pun intended.
Food that I ordered was good once again. Two different fish sandwiches and the fried calamari.
Would like to see this place survive b/​c the food is good. But the lack of bar service and the continued absence of specialty items like the rolled oyster might be its downfall. Small things like this can add up to doom repeat business.

Good fried fish, hush puppies, fries. Happy hour coincides with dinner so you can enjoy a beer from a collection of drafts for a little over $ 2. I chose Sierra Nevada Pale Ale which went nicely with the fish. It really is one of the better fish sandwiches in town and the restaurant décor is very nice.

Excellent fish n chips. Green beans well-​seasoned. Cole slaw a must. The friendly service was appreciated. Full bar a nice option.

I must say, I was disappointed by this restaurant. The sign outside advertised Crawfish tails, potatoes and a drink for $ 5.95, so I decided to give it a shot for lunch.
The décor is a bit fancy — I believe this is a vestige of a previous, high end seafood restaurant in this space. The space was clean and well-​lit.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the special and instead was nickel and dimed. You order at a bar and then the food is brought to you at a table. I ordered a fish sandwich, dressed, a single side of onion rings and an ice tea and the total was $ 13.52. I asked for my receipt because I was a bit shocked. The result was that I sat through my entire meal listening to the cashier speak to a manager or owner about how the prices on the register didn’t match the menu — my exact complaint! This made it difficult for me to enjoy my meal.
When my meal came in the traditional plastic basket, the onion rings and fish were hot. The tomatoes and lettuce brightened up my plate (worth the charge for each). The rye bread was not fresh. The fish was basic, crispy but with no spice at all. I expected more from the signature item. The five onion rings were quite good with something sweet in the seasoning.
The beer list looked promising, and had a varied selection with some local brews. Maybe if I had one, I would have left happier.
My iced tea was all ice and although your meal is brought to you, no one refreshes drinks, so I left thirsty.
I will not pick this again, but it might be a better choice for dinner.

Bottom Line — There is a good meal to be had here, but you have to know what to order — and really be jonesin’ for what they serve. As good as the fried items can be, (and as reasonable as the good beer choices you can get there at happy hour) I think the rent and design details get in the way of the portions and atmosphere you expect from a «fish fry house». As a rule I’m not a fan of the fancy place that serves as simple a cuisine as this, but the owner is a charming and lovely man (perhaps the father of the owner?) who seems to take great pride in what he does. I loved the oysters we ordered — they were crisp and fresh and the cornmeal based breading was light and delicious, but there weren’t nearly as many of them as you’d get anywhere else that specializes in baskets of fried seafood. The fish plate was almost the exact opposite — you get three big filets but were a little over-​breaded given the thickness of the fish. The shrimp were just plain disappointing — I think that they’re probably not frozen, but since they’re farm raised and too small a count size-​wise, there’re are too few of them to be satisfying in that big basket. They also aren’t butterflied open to bloom when they’re fried, so they have a pre-​pack look whether they’re «fresh» or not. The «Lobster Bites» were over-​breaded langostines and I wouldn’t order them again if we went back, and the thai dipping sauce was just the chili flake and sugar sauce you can buy cheap-​by-​the-​quart in the supermarket. The salad was just a small salad, but the detail kicker were the fries — you should never get soggy fries at a fry house — ever. Given the top-​shelf cocktail opportunity and the classy setting, I think they should re-​tool the concept at The fish Fry House; raise the prices a buck two or three, and offer larger and more-​heartily spiced portions of fresh gulf seafood. I also think they should have bussers that bring you your set-​ups and condiments and who look after the tables better than how we were served when we were there. But until they have concept competition in the market, they’re gonna have customers; folks who just want a nicely fried piece of fish from time to time. That’s what we were looking for when we dropped in — and we kinda got it ;o)

This is that happy medium between a cheap fried fish joint and a nice seafood restaurant. The prices are right, location convenient, and options o’ plenty. I was a big fan of the mini crab cakes app that were 7ish bucks, really tasty, great dipping sauce and plenty to share amongst 3 folks. My fried fish sammich was pretty tasty, but my bf’s fried oysters were definitely were it is at. Very juicy, perfectly cooked, not too heavily battered. And get the dipping sauce from the mini crab cakes for them — you won’t regret it!
This is pretty casual with the pay at the front and then sit where you want and they’ll bring it to you. But the seating is nice, bar is classy, so it is a bit of a combo of both sides of the spectrum.
Did I mention the awesome Happy Hour? Yup. ½ priced draft M-​F (or maybe Sat…) 4 – 7. And the draft list is solid and already well priced. BBC, Cumberland, etc. at 4.50 regularly, so 2.25 Happy Hour — this is my kind of deal.
And now that the weather is nice, there are also a few tables outside for Bardstown Rd people watching.