Fritz’s Pub

#1 Milwaukee Fish Fry, hands down! I grew up nearby and in my nearly 40-​years on this earth I’ve still not found a better fish fry. The place gets packed on Fridays, so come early or expect to wait. If you order for carry out, plan for a 45 – 60 minute wait. Just know that in the end you’ll definitely be satisfied!

Hanging out at Fritz’s and saw «Serbian Cocktail» on the list. Had to try it, sweet tasting, aged and smells kinda like vanilla, using Kruskovac pear liquor straight from Yugoslavia! (You know, a place that doesn’t exist anymore) It’s Friday night, and the sweet aroma of fried fish permeates the entire corner of 20^th and Oklahoma. Love the slaw and tartar! Keep it up folks!

I came here with my cousin for the Friday fish fry. What an interesting place this is. From the Christmas light garland that has probably been hanging on the ceiling longer than I’ve been alive, to the silent juke box in the corner. The staff is fine but not overly friendly. They know they have a damn good fish fry. And I must admit, it didn’t disappoint. The fish was done perfectly and their cole slaw is terrific. Coming from someone who doesn’t eat cole slaw. Prices reasonable not only for the fish fry but also on the drinks too. I recommend getting in there before 6:00 because I noticed it does tend to get pretty busy. Enjoy!

First, the hipster extermination protocol that Fritz’s used must have been very successful. The crowd was typical south side with only two hipsters spotted. Maybe there was a Firkin Fest or a sale on fixed gear bikes that conflicted with their Friday night dinner plans.
We went to Fritz’s for a fish fry AFTER Lent on purpose. During Lent they don’t answer their phone for pickups and the place is crazy crowded. Our plan was perfect because there was ample seating available in the dining room and at the bar.
Don’t expect service with a smile here. They know they have a good following with limited hours (Friday 1pm — 9pm and Saturday noon — 4pm). We sat at the bar and had to flag down the bartender for drinks and service.
The fish fry isn’t listed on the menu it is on the board in back. The two piece cod is enough food for most people. The pieces are generous in size and it comes with a huge serving of potato wedges. The fish is lightly battered and comes out a little greasy and is good but not overly flavorful. The potato wedges are AMAZING and are so good they bump the rating to four stars for me. Coleslaw is adequate and the rye bread is very good.
There are many other unique items on the menu. My husband had the pork shish-​ka-​bob and it was nicely flavored and tender. It came with a side of french bread??? We will be back to try the other sandwiches on the menu and also get a burek to-​go. Sandwiches come with krinkle cut fries so see if you can substitute the nummy potato wedges.

Hey. Buddy. Where’s your gut?
Okay. Hold on. That pretty girlfriend and your fancy glasses and that gym membership just bought you a 15 minute wait. We got regulars coming in here.
Yes. There are people carrying armloads of plastic bags filled with fried goods. They’re taking them to rooms filled with smiling giants and frolicking, rosy-​cheeked, children.
Yes. The phone HAS been ringing constantly for the last few hours.
Yes. We are walking past it as if we don’t notice.
Yes. We answer when we are ready to answer.
No. We don’t care. We’re doing the exact amount of business we want to be doing.
Yes. That TV is from 1993. Yes. It is playing Entertainment Tonight.
No. We don’t recognize that this sort of place is now cool to young people, dinks, and aging hipsters. But we will consider charging extra if you walk in here with more than one fashionable accessory on your head. And we better not see an ironic, comedic tattoo.
Look in the back. The kitchen. The people cooking your food. They were retired before you were born. They do this for the love of the game. And for copay money.
They brush their teeth with tarter sauce and beer batter their babies’ bottoms.
You want a fish fry? YOU want a fish fry?
You can’t handle a fish fry.
Drink this beer for a while and watch us work. Then you order.
You got things to learn, kid.

First stop of Lent 2015 Fish Fry is Fritz’s Pub.
Cozy little neighborhood bar. Very small parking lot. No ATM. Large bar area with a full bar. 6 – 4 tops and 3 – 2 tops. Has a full bar food menu. You can order off it during Friday’s too.
Not much choice in type of fish for the fry. They only have sizes, small (2 pieces) — $ 9.50, medium (3 pieces) — $ 10.50, and large (4 pieces) — $ 11.50. All sizes come with homemade buttered bread, cole slaw, potato wedges or crinkle cut fries, and tartar sauce. Overall it is a decent fish fry. The cod was tasty but some pieces were cooked just right and others over cooked. The beer batter was just right. The cole slaw was creamy and tasty.
I recommend going early — before 6 pm. The service was good but was really slow once it got busy around 6:30 pm.

How many places do you know that are just open on the weekends?
How many places do you know with a full collection of Hamm’s nature mirrors?
How many places do you know that are run by retired people?
Fritz’s is rad. The fish fry is great, and owners are old and friendly. It’s a bit off the beaten path for most, but not a crazy trip. Enjoy this spot while it exists. I’m sure you’ll dig it.

Fritz’s: still a damn good (if not a touch greasy, but isn’t that kind of the point?) fish fry. Homemade rye bread, incredibly underrated coleslaw (I didn’t experience the dill factor that Carrie G did, she may have had a one-​off batch) and a serious fry. I loves it, you guys.
DID YOU KNOW: Fritz’s has been family-​owned/​operated for just about forever? Well, they have. That same family, they’re the ones physically making the rye bread, frying yr fishez, whipping up that awesome ‘slaw, week after week. (… hence why they’re only open a few days per week.)
Last time we stopped by, L and I got into a conversation w/​the bartender about this history and operating practices of this little south side spot, and we were both crazy impressed. We learned some things, as well.
See, Fritz’s is a Serbian pub/​dive bar w/​food, so despite being super busy + well known for their Friday fish fry, they also rock some awesome Serbian-​style eats, including (wait for it) *bureks to go.
—
Börek: (also burek and other variants) is a family of baked filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo (or yufka). It can be filled with cheese, often feta, sirene or kaşar; minced meat, or vegetables. It may have been invented in what is now modern Turkey, in the Anatolian Provinces of the Ottoman Empire in its early era, to become a popular element of Ottoman cuisine[1][2][3], or it may date back to the Ancient Roman cuisine of the region.[4][5][6] A börek may be prepared in a large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries. The top of the börek is often sprinkled with sesame seeds.
—
Intrigued, we bought one and made it last night. (Options include cheese + spinach, meat + spinach, and meat + cheese.) We opted for a meat + spinach so was I surprised after an hour of cooking to open up the dang thing to find cheese + spinach! Oh well. It was still delicious. (… and heavy, but delicious.)
So now you know. Serbian meat and cheese and spinach phyllo pies to go, lovingly handcrafted by that one woman in the Fritz’s family herself. A steal at only $ 11.95! Keep it in yr fridge and pop it in the oven at 410 degrees for 50 minutes, drain the lard/​butter and boom! Hardcore dinner is served.

I’ll eat here to appease my husband, who likes the Fritz burger, but it’s not my first choice, nor does it come to mind as a place to take out of town guests. The food is edible, but being a picky eater, there isn’t much on the menu that I can eat without removing something (MY problem, I know).
I’ve heard that the desserts are good, but I’ve never had one because I get too full from eating the chicken parmesan sandwich and fries.
We tried the fish fry based on other Unilocal reviews, and, while a gazillion times better than a Serb Hall fish fry, it was nothing to write home about. If I go here again, I think I’ll just try a dessert and be done with it.
6÷2014÷9

I’m guessing, like most infestations, that it started slowly.
At some point, two flannel shirted, bearded guys wandered out of Bay View and into the «real» South Side. Maybe they were visiting someone’s mom. Maybe they were checking out a thrift store. Maybe they were lost. They were hungry and thirsty but there wasn’t a Colectivo or HiFi Café in sight… but they did spot the PBR sign at Fritz’s and headed in for a fish fry.
Hipster 1: «This fish fry is amazing, amply served and quite inexpensive. The beer is cold and also cheap. We should tell the rest of our kind about this place.»
Hipster 2: (shifts in his uncomfortable skinny jeans, twists handlebar mustache) «My Vampire Weekend t-​shirt is now too tight because I’ve eaten a large fish fry and had 12 PBR’s. I’d better tweet about this amazing bar, but in an ironic way.»
And so it began. The owners may have consulted an extermination service but were likely told that a hipster infestation is harmless as long as there’s an ample supply of craft beer. (the only remedy, of course, is to bring in a bunch of bros but a chatch bar is WAY worse than a hipster infestation)
It’s true — the hipsters have discov