One of my favorite meals from childhood was fried fish. My grandfather would go out fishing and clean the catch himself. After which, my grandmother would pan fry the Perch filets, breaded with Italian Seasonings. There may have been other varieties of fish mixed in there but I remember my sister and I begging my grandfather to catch more Perch for grandma to cook.
I recently posted about Seafood, but I intentionally did not discuss Fish Fries because I knew that this needed to be a post of its own. There are literally dozens of places in Western New York that one can find a good Friday fish fry, especially during the Lenten season, I’m just going to talk about a few of my favorites. If you are all about fish fries like I am, I recommend following buffalofishfrybabes on Instagram.
This past summer, we happened upon an Italian restaurant with pan fried, breaded perch as on option on their specials board. To say that I was excited was an understatement. This was of course, what I ordered. The restaurant was Calarco's Italian Restaurant, at 15 Market Street in Westfield, NY. The meal was a rush of nostalgia! It had been some time since I had fish prepared like this, Pan-fried rather than deep fried, breaded rather than battered, and with the addition of Italian Seasonings, I was brought right back to dinners with my grandparents.
Who has the best Fish Fry in Western New York is a regularly occurring debate on social media. One of the most commonly mentioned is Wiechec's Lounge, at 1748 Clinton Street in [South] Buffalo, NY who in 2022, made a national list of the Absolute Best Fish Fries in the US. Oddly enough, it took me until last year to finally try this famous fish fry. I must admit, it is one really fantastic fish fry and definitely would be contender to a top spot, if I were to try and list my favorites in order. So, without further ado and in alphabetical order as not to infer any ranking, below are my favorite places for a Fish Fry in the 716.
Note: any details included are as of the writing of this post. I encourage you to check the restaurant’s online menu for up to date info.
Bailey Seafood: 3316 Bailey Avenue in Buffalo - vast menu of prepared seafood to go including a fish fry dinner and fried fish pieces in a dozen varieties available every day they are open, five days a week!
The Village Casino: 1 Lakeside Drive in Bemus Point, NY - SEASONAL - fish fries and other fish dishes on the everyday menu - Opening back up in May.
Curry’s Pub: 864 Kenmore Avenue in Buffalo, NY - EVERYDAY fish fry with choice of potato including the option of a baked potato.
Davidson’s Family Restaurant: 398 E Fairmount Avenue in Lakewood, NY - fish fry available in two sizes every day they are open (closed on Sundays), with choice of potato including the option of a baked potato.
Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs: 707 Kenmore Ave, Buffalo, NY- Fish Fries available pre-order on Fridays during the Lenten season and occasional pop-ups. GLUTEN FREE!
Kenmore Fish Market: 3279 Delaware Avenue in Kenmore, NY - Fish fries available to go every day they are open (closed on Sundays and Mondays).
McPartlan’s Corner: 669 Wehrle Drive in Buffalo, NY - EVERYDAY fish fry with choice of potato including the option of a baked potato.
North End Bar & Grill: 2692 Elmwood Avenue in Kenmore, NY - Thursday/Friday fish fry with tuna macaroni salad as one of the sides.
Swannie House: 170 Ohio Street in Buffalo, NY - Fridays only [CLOSED 11/2004]
Who is serving up your favorite fish fry? Tell me about it in the comments!
Hmm. Wonder who took You to Wiechec's? 🤪 I must mention Your Writing remains crisp and both smart and accessible. Talk of Perch brings warmth to My Heart as well, My Dad too was a very good Perch and Walleye Angler. Anytime it's on a local menu I order it. One of the local secrets of South Buffalo is how brilliant the Fish Fry is at the Buffalo Irish Center, but be ready to wait, even for Take Out. They're pretty much a Lent Only Deal (I might be wrong about that) but it's spectacular and often accompanied by great Traditional Irish Music. And of course the great beer selection... Great Work.
Yum. Love a good fish fry. Happy to hear some of your favorites are mine too!!