Fish Fry Gal

#transitmusiclounge #lancaster #fishfry #germanpotato #haddock #highfives

Overall a very solid fish fry. (8.5) Just the choices alone bump it up a notch. Great atmosphere and from what I hear, new owners. South Buffalo peeps. Staff was friendly and very efficient. I will be back for sure!

Good Friday! We arrived to find a spacious parking lot with lots of available spaces. We entered and were warmly welcomed by the hostess. Nothing like a smile and friendly hospitality to start things off right! We perused the beer selection board. Something for everybody! Hold up though… there’s an Irish bar in south Buffalo playing country music?! Didn’t see that coming! We were seated in their side room. How come there is no wait on one of the biggest fish fry nights of the year at 5:30pm?!? Our server Molly was a sweetheart and promptly got our beers and took our orders. There was a whole page of fish options, all cod. The beer battered was a good size piece. Nice light, golden, crispy crust. I must admit, when I took my first bite I was in love. Ready to give it a ten. But as I worked my way from the end of the fish to the middle the batter got a little doughy. I think it just needed just a bit longer in the fryer. (8.5) Tartar had a lot of pickle kick and flavor. Dinner came with a half piece of rye bread on top. This place has 6 side choices and you get to pick 3! The Fries were skin on steak fries(9). Mac salad was elbow macaroni and celery featuring a mix of poppy seed and salad dressing. Different but a bit bland. (8) German potato salad had big chunky potatoes with quite the vinegar bite. A wee bit dry for my taste.(7) Lazy pierogis was the best of all the choices. Rotini noodles with mushrooms in cream sauce.(8) I was so disappointed they were out of coleslaw! Just that fact that all their sides are homemade makes me happy. The side portions were HUGE! Overall, I give them an 8.5. I would definitely recommend giving them a try. The owner noticed me taking pictures and came over to make sure everything was ok. He has two lovely young ladies, Abby and Dawn cooking in the kitchen that came out to say “hi” as well. Beautiful and can cook? That’s pretty fantastic! My only recommendation is add American potato salad to the menu. Fish frys in buffalo have to feature the traditional “holy trinity” of slaw, mac, and potato salad to score high. I do love that they have the other options as well. A real bonus, that sets them apart! Please note: this is a cash only establishment! I will be back to try their slaw and bring the crew! Stop in. They will take great care of you!

The review crew ventured out at 5pm. There was no wait for our table of 6. Plenty of parking and a very spacious dining area. Bar had a decent crowd and a great selection of beers on tap. But then again it should, it’s an ale house! Our server Jess greeted us with a great smile. She was spunky and sassy and was a highlight to our evening. Let’s just label this one the “hungry man’s fish fry.” It is enormous and so is the pile of fries it was laid upon! Fish fry was a skin on beer battered haddock. They have a broiled option as well. Fish was tasty but the batter lacked the hard crunchy crisp that I enjoy. After only a few minutes, I found there was no crisp left to it. Batter was heavy and dark and you could bend the fish without the batter breaking.(8) They did have the holy trinity of sides and they were all homemade! I detected the use of miracle whip instead of mayo? Potato salad was standard white cubed potatoes with red peppers. Kinda plain.(7) Mac salad echoed more of the same. Lots of chopped peppers and not anything to write home about. I do give them props for pasta creativity. They went with large shells for a nice change up.(7.5) My favorite side was the coleslaw. Very crisp, large pieces of cabbage which when you mixed in a fry or two, really was something special. (8) Fries appeared to be fresh hand cut with the skin on. We all know fresh cut fries are not easy to get right! Nicely salted and very tasty! (9) Tartar was more miracle whip and not a lot of pickle. The ratio was a bit too one sided for me.(7) The twist of the night was the King’s Hawaiian roll. Not the usual rye bread that is the WNY go to. This shocked me a bit as there were ruebens flying out of the kitchen left and right. So they had the rye, they just chose to go sweet bread instead. Now, I love Hawaiian sweet rolls but there were some in our party that felt it was a faux pas. Overall I give them a score of 7.5. A great choice if you have a hearty appetite and a love for craft beer. They offer live music many nights and have a great outdoor area when the weather warms up.

Look what I found. A tiny fish fry gem in south Buffalo! We arrived around 5pm. Tiny parking lot that is tricky to navigate or street parking. There we only 9 tables in their back room but we were sat immediately. On a Friday in lent???? Unheard of! A steady stream of regulars filled in the tables but for the most part this place seems to be a secret. Perhaps because it doesn’t look like much from the outside or it’s warn down old interior. It’s a quintessential south Buffalo dive bar and of course, they only take cash. We were stared at a bit when we walked through the bar. It was obvious we were newcomers! We were seated by our waitress, Becky. She was kind, down to earth, and did an excellent job serving us. Now let’s talk about the star of the show! A fish fry dinner with no weakness. (9) Fresh rye bread with butter. Crispy straight cut fries(8), and a fantastic holy trinity. All home made! Nothing unique in the potato (10) or mac salad(9). But delicious! Just like your grandma used to make. Cole slaw had a slight kick finish which was great(10). Really well done, if you are looking for standard sides that are delicious. Lots of fish options, all are skin on haddock. Lots of broiled flavors and breaded as well. Of course I went with the beer battered. Crust was light and crispy. Just the right amount of batter. The fish was flavorful and super moist. A real treat! The tartar was in a squeeze bottle at the table, but did not disappoint!(9) Overall, I give it a 9.5. They could improve on the size of the fish but no complaints from me, since the price was SUPER CHEAP! $13.95 for a full fish fry is unheard of in this day and age! Normal selection of beer but if you are in this land of shamrocks, and Irish heritage of course Guinness is on tap. They were doing a pretty decent take out business and I was pleased to see they were going out in cardboard boxes. If it’s March, and you find your self in south Buffalo, give the Blarney Castle a try!

A snowy Friday didn’t keep me away from venturing out to Clarence. This little gem is so different than most WNY fish fry venues. First, they take reservations and highly recommend that you do so. So that means little or no wait for a table… unheard of! There is a small parking lot in the rear or street parking out front. They had many options for large parties on the first floor and a very private second floor area with just two tables for two overlooking the restaurant. A perfect spot for an intimate date night if you are able to do stairs. Normally I like to order a beer with my fish, but their cocktail menu really sparked my interest. Unique blends that their creator should be proud of. I went with “the boss” and it was fantastic! While we waited for our drinks I really started to dissect the atmosphere. So much to comment on here. It’s warm even though it’s a gutted old church. Lots of cozy brick. The bar area is beautiful and they even had a live piano player! There is quirky decor everywhere with a large quotient of flamingos. Yes. Flamingos everywhere. You could literally visit here a hundred times and see something new each time. I loved it! Our server, Chelsea, made us feel completely at home. I almost felt like we were visiting an old friend for dinner. Really made our experience enjoyable. The fish fry was a skinless haddock in a thin very crispy crust. Super crispy with a darker hue. The flavor of the fish was outstanding and every bite had a good crunch from the shell.(9) All of the sides were homemade. The potato salad was pretty standard. Featuring skin on potato cubes with shredded carrots. (9) The pasta salad featured bow tie pasta and also shredded carrots. There was more going on there than just mayo but I couldn’t put my finger on it. (8) The show stealer was the red cabbage and pickled onion cole slaw. Never had anything like it! (9) Rye bread with butter was fresh. Standard creamy tartar. The only thing that disappointed was that there were no fries! What in the actual heck?!? This was a really solid dinner. Homemade holy trinity. Great fish. However, a fish fry without fries is like peanut butter without jelly. It really kills their rating. Overall, I give it an 8.5. I will be back to try some of their other menu items. I loved the atmosphere that much. Side note: bring cash. They do accept cards but charge you 3.99% fee to do so.

We called ahead to let them know a party of 12 would be arriving at 4:30. They handled it like champs. Parking was plentiful, since it is in a strip mall. Loved the vibe inside. Great bar area with so many jerseys on the wall that I had to take a moment to take it all in. My heart swelled with Buffalo pride. Jumbo tron tv setup and disco ball were definitely decorating decisions made by a genius. Great selection of beers on tap. Although this gal came just for the fish, the menu was extensive. If you can’t find something you like on it, you’ve lost your mind! Side note: If you are in the mood for takeout they have a cool separate pick up area right off the main entrance. Our server Cheryl was fantastic. She handled our large party with ease. Beverages were always full and she answered all my questions without blinking an eye. Service was a 10 for sure! Fish was a skinless beer battered haddock. Good flavor with a very crisp outer crust. Passed the fork smack with no problem. However, there was just too much batter. A REALLY thick batter coating. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty, there was just too much of it. (8) Tartar was homemade and fabulous. Real good pickle finish on it. (10) Fries were battered and very crispy.(10) They did it right and gave you “the holy trinity” of sides. Coleslaw, Mac, and potato salads. I’m sad to say, they all came from a bucket. So disappointing… Overall it was a solid fish fry, but you all know I have to have banging sides. So unfortunately, they’ll get a 7 overall. I will definitely be back to try other menu items or take in a game with a brew.

What a fantastic little gem! As soon as I walked in I loved the warm inviting atmosphere right on the water. Our server, Alyssa, was warm and had a cute factor of 10! Imagine my joy when we found out Resurgence was having a free tasting. Plus we got a free pint glass when we ordered a draft. What an unexpected bonus! Parking on the street or in the small lot across the way. The fish was skin on haddock in beer batter, broiled, or Cajun broiled. Batter was a light golden brown and you could really taste the beer in the batter. I’m generally not a fan of fish with the skin on, but it was quite tasty. It was served piping hot and retained it’s heat much longer than other fish I’ve reviewed. (9) Potato salad was standard but with skin on potatoes and had a really nice taste and texture. (10) Coleslaw was a vinegar base that was quite bitter. Seemed to have no sugar involved at all and really bit back. (5) Fresh cut, skin on fries were good. (9) Here’s where they fell short, no bread and no mac salad. A must to get a great score. The real show stopper here was the tartar. A rose colored blend that featured wonderful dill flavor. Definitely a must try. (10) Overall, I really enjoyed it and give it an 8. If they added on mac salad and change the slaw and they could be pushing perfection. They also serve fish frys everyday. That’s fantastic!!!I will definitely be back in the summer whether by boat or car because the ambiance is not too be missed!

Plenty of street parking available. Be careful opening the driver's side door! Seated before 4:15 pm, past the bar and deep in the dining room among a collection of antiques, cases of bottled beer and buffet equipment. We were warned we'd be waiting for nothing shy of 2.5 hours for our dinners. We've waited before and at least we were made comfortable with Polish music playing softly in the background. Beverage service a little faster with a short walk to the bar. Food hit the table around 6:15 pm. Waitress, Felicia, was pleasant and honest about what little sleep she had. Family owned business, post pandemic, you get the feeling that every relative in a 30 mile radius was helping to push out the product. All hands on deck in a kitchen the size of your pantry and many take out orders contributed to the wait. Selections included skin on haddock and yellow pike, broiled and breaded, shrimp and scallops. Full and half fish offered. No beer battered option available effectively negating the "thwak" test for crispness. As such, this seasoned reviewer ordered the breaded skin on haddock, a little soggy but not greasy. It was a 7 compared to the last beer battered fish, it was an 8 for a breaded fish. Side dishes were the stars of this show. All homemade. Mac salad featured crispy onion and the perfect amount of peppery mayo (9). Potato salad again featured the fresh onion, potatoes were a little overdone producing a perfectly seasoned mush, still a solid (8). French fries a standard 3/8 inch straight, deep fried golden brown and nicely salted (8). Coleslaw was vinegar based and sweet, the portion was disappointedly small as it was delicious (9). There was a beet! That’s a new twist…Overall rating an 8. Another small neighborhood bar serving up an excellent dinner experience. The dinner tab gets an honorable mention here. All dinner items and drinks were very reasonably priced.

Classy little bar and grill nestled in the heart of Hamburg. Tucked in among other eye catching restaurants, gift shops and the adorable Main Street Ice Cream Parlor (we went there for dessert, and recommend that as well…) We made reservations for a table of 6. We were seated on time, after an enjoyable time at the bar where we imbibed local craft beers and a nice wine selection. While at the bar, we were greeted warmly by staff concerned with our seating arrangements. Graciously welcomed by the establishment’s owner as well, ensuring us we would be seated soon. The rest of our party arrived and we were ushered into the separate dining room. It was a busy place, but not overcrowded or uncomfortable. Angela, our waitress, greeted us kindly and made sure our drinks were full. She also delivered a basket of warm, herbed dinner rolls. We ogled the menu, deciding on a few appetizers: the must have bacon wrapped chicken wings and bacon/horseradish shrimp. Both were delicious and paired nicely with Reuben soup. The fish fry choices were plentiful, although only available in full size portions: all skinless haddock: broiled options include Cajun, lemon pepper and Italian. There is a bonus broiled option of honey mustard panko. There is also a breaded option. The traditional fish fry features Hamburg Small Town Ale. Mason’s fish selections were the stars of the show. When combined with the salty, sweet and mild side dishes, it created a dance for the palate. Overall rating (9). Not to be missed. Only available on Fridays. Reservations strongly suggested. Mention that it’s your birthday, and you may find a whipped cream covered hot chocolate lava cake delivered to your table! The evening ended as it began, with a lovely handshake from the owner. We will be back, often!

We pulled up around 5pm and saw the peeling paint on the siding outside and started to question our choice for the evening. Parking was on the street or in the tiny lot out back where we found people getting very creative with their “spot” choices. Entrances through the back or the front. Loved the neighborhood hometown bar feel. Another quintessential Buffalo gem from years gone by. We waited about 45 minutes for our table of 7. Nice selection of beers on tap. The usuals plus some nice choices for the craft beer lovers. We were seated in their small dining room and greeted by our server Amy. She was fantastic and made us feel right at home. She even let us open the window near our table since it was quite warm inside. They offer many fish options. All skinless haddock. Broiled lemon pepper, garlic butter, Italian or Cajun. Fish frys can be ordered breaded or beer battered in full or mini portions. I got my usual beer battered. Upon whacking it with my fork there was no crispy crack that I look for. Yet the batter wasn’t soggy either. It resembled more of the covering you would get on a hush puppy. It was cooked well and was tasty. (8) Tartar was on the table in a squeeze bottle. Usual restaurant supply issue. They had some great choices to please everyone with their sides. Homemade for sure. You get to pick how your standard shredded cabbage and carrot mix coleslaw is dressed! Either tangy mayo or vinegar. Of course I tried both. I preferred the mayo option.(10) Mac salad was a mayo base with elbow noodles heavy on pickle taste with a sweet finish. (8) Choice of potato salad or French fries or “a little bit of both.” What a great idea! Potato salad was perfect just like me grandma used to make. White coloring with nice mix of veggies.(10) French fries were the standard battered variety. Nice and crisp.(9) All served with a seeded piece of Italian bread that came out already buttered. Nice and fresh. Overall I give it a 8.5. Another neighborhood tavern serving up a quality experience. Here’s the best part. They serve fish Wednesday thru Saturday. Not just on Fridays!

Arrived a little after 5pm and there was no wait for a table. I was immediately impressed with what they have done with the place. Really nice bar area that I wasn’t expecting. I almost wished that we weren’t seated right away so we could have had a cold one there while waiting for our table! After taking in my surroundings, I made note of the penalty box in the corner and the pinball and skee ball machines in the back room. Super cool! Now wait just a second! Hold up! This Buffalo Gal has stumbled into a Kansas City Chiefs backers bar?! My first instinct was to run but then I realized, I’ve gone to Bills backer bars in other NFL cities. It’s ok for Chiefs fans to have a place to gather in enemy territory too. Here is where this place sets itself apart. The personality. The bartender who was also our waiter was tending to a bar full of patrons and taking table orders. Managing it all quite well and making us laugh. Quite the ball buster! I asked for his name and he said just say hey “a$$h*le.” Beer selection was ok. Nothing spectacular but something to please everyone. On to why we came! They have two offerings of fish here. Beer battered and breaded cod. They both had a lot of flavor. That almost metallic finish that I really enjoy, but some people do not. They came out hot and very crisp. Beer batter was a lighter colored golden crust that on first bite was fantastic. It did become a bit heavy after getting about half way through though. I did notice slight inconsistency between each fish piece in our party. One was a little doughy on the inside, one had exposed fish missing batter, but the majority were picture perfect. You kind of have to expect this when there is one guy cooking it AND bringing it out to your table! All while being super friendly! So do the math here. Two guys doing everything and crushing it. Pretty impressive. Breaded was nicely done, and had a good crunch. Just a wee bit greasy. Overall the fish was good. (8) The sides caused much discussion amongst the review crew. The table was split on whether the sides were home made. If they were from a restaurant supply bucket, they weren’t the standard ones I’ve had hundreds of times. Coleslaw was finely chopped cabbage with green onion and a few bits of carrot (6). Potato salad was a rose color. A hint of bbq perhaps? Funny after taste though. (5) Mac salad was the best of the three although a bit watery. Elbow noodles with celery, red onion, and green onion. (7). None were bad. Just decent. Fries were seasoned curly much like what you would get at Arby’s. (9) Plenty of them too! At first glance of the tartar I thought they gave us just plain mayo. Upon further inspection there were shards of pickle in it, but not many. Tasted ok but their pickle to mayo ratio was definitely off.(7) No bread with our dinners. That’s a bummer. Overall I give them an 8. I really did love the place and would definitely go back. Plenty of parking in their lot next door which is great for a city establishment. When we left just before seven, all the tables were full but there wasn’t anyone waiting for a table. It appears this little gem has yet to be discovered by the Friday fish fry goers. Sounds like a great place to go if you don’t want to wait an hour for a table… until the secret gets out anyway.

Sometimes there’s a great story behind a place that serves up fish frys. This is one of those places. Plenty of history on the walls, they are one of the oldest buildings in Cheektowaga. The owners bought it “as is” in 2001 with the roof caved in and brought it back to life. Two distinctly different areas to enjoy your meal. The quiet dining room is like stepping back in time. Charming vintage pictures on the wall take you right back to the old days. I found myself wondering if it might be haunted… It is small, so be ready for a wait that can hit 90 minutes some Fridays. Seating is also available in the bar area if you are looking for a more vibrant atmosphere. There is a pretty cool collection of beer memorabilia to check out around you while you wait for your food! Beer selection is run of the mill but you should be able to find something that will please you. I tried 3 of their fish fry options and you really can’t go wrong with any of them. All feature skinless haddock. Beer battered was done very well with a nice crunchy coating. Panko breaded was also perfectly crisp. I enjoyed the Cajun broiled too! All 3 were about as perfect as it gets (10) They also offer lemon pepper, Italian, in the grass, mexican and regular breaded. Half portions are also available. What really got me was the holy trinity here. The owner is serving his mother’s recipes. Potato salad with a pickle relish finish (10), Rotini mac salad with green, red, and yellow peppers plus celery (10), coleslaw with green and purple cabbage and shredded carrots (9). Not an American potato salad fan? Don’t worry they have German too. A little mushy for my taste but still very tasty. (8) You can even sub applesauce or sweet and sour cabbage for any of the sides if you wish! Tartar is also mom’s recipe. Classic taste. Fries were standard cut. No skin. But they added their own secret spice to make them quite nice.(8) Reminds me of that addictive orange seasoning you find on the chips at Salsaritas. Totally addicting. They normally serve fresh rye bread with it. Tonight it was Italian because bread has to be fresh, and the rye was not. Kudos. I hate bread that isn’t fresh! Overall rating is a solid (9). I would not hesitate to recommend! Brian and Darrin take pride in their place and if you are lucky you’ll find Brian’s dad Bill helping out. If you’re REALLY lucky he’ll show you around. Check out the pictures of the building’s rehab on the wall! They do a pretty good take out business too. If you place an order though, get it in before 1pm. They only take so many orders and then take out is cut off for the day. Plenty of parking but it’s a dirt lot. It can get messy depending on the weather. Come. Enjoy the history and the fish. Maybe while you are there you can sign up for their dart, corn hole or horseshoe leagues! Thanks for having me Bellevue!

Arrived at 5:10pm. Parking lot out back was bigger than it appeared from the street. Packed but we found a spot. Our party of 6 was seated promptly! Wait what?! On the first Friday of lent? How can this be? Loved the vibe of the place. Cool lighting. Great long bar when you walk in. Nice list of draft beer choices too. Just wish it wasn’t as hot in there as it was. I felt like I was sitting on the surface of the sun… Our young waitress Bianca was eager to please. Lots of choices of fish. Broiled comes in plain, lemon pepper or Cajun. They had some specialty fish options as well. Sicilian, Italian, and Crab stuffed. I went with my traditional beer battered. Good size portion of cod cooked perfectly. (9) Batter had a sweet finish and they did a nice job bringing it out smoking hot! Came with thin fries that were crisp and run of the mill. (7) They came up short in the side department. Potato and coleslaw where the “sides from a bucket” that every restaurant that doesn’t make them homemade uses. They are ok. But we’ve all had them 100 times. The lack of macaroni salad on the plate is an egregious error in my opinion. All good WNY fish frys have the “holy trinity” along with the fries. Rye bread was ok. Usual. Tartar was just relish and mayo with the yellow hue of being bought at restaurant supply. Overall, the fish portion of the meal was really great. With the lack luster sides though it gets an overall rating of 8. If sides aren’t important to you, then give it a go. I would definitely go back to have dinner again and save room for dessert!

Damn. I really wanted to love their fish. All of the staff were so nice. We were welcomed with open arms. We learned they opened in 2021. What a success story during COVID times. There definitely was pride in ownership. Our waitress Nicole was so personable. We felt like regulars. Even joked about the “doorbells that have no purpose” all over the dining room. Beer selection was good. Something for everyone’s taste. A nice curved bar with an area to wait for a table if need be. No reservations on Fridays during lent and the parking is on the street. So onto the fish fry. It wasn’t bad… but it wasn’t good either. Skinless haddock which was a wee bit dry. Beer Batter was ok. Not very crispy but at least it wasn’t soggy. (6) I believe the tartar and coleslaw were the standard mass produced variety and bought in a bucket. The mac salad and potato salad were homemade but they both were a mustard base. One side heavy on the mustard is enough for anyone. It was like they used the same dressing and veggies for both just puttting rotini pasta in for the mac salad and red potatoes in the potato salad. I detected red onion, green pepper, and carrots in each. The mac was a little dry so I’d give the edge to the potato salad. (5) Fries were frozen crinkle cut. Boring. Hey at least they were crisp! (6) Overall rating is a 6.5. It was a huge portion of fish and they do offer a half size. Rye bread was ok. I’ve had better and worse that’s for sure. Other offerings included broiled (Cajun, lemon pepper, Italian and florentine) or panko breaded. The panko was the best of the lot. There seemed to be quite a buzz about their polish food selections. So stop by, skip the fish and get the Krakow chowder! It’s delicious!

This is the second time I have reviewed their fish fry! Stunning that they are never included in the “go to” fish fry places in Lancaster/Depew. COVID has hit the owners hard and they have closed their other restaurant, Pages, and transitioned all their efforts into the Cove. I arrived at 5:45pm and there was no wait for a table! No wait? How is this possible?! The bar had a good crowd, but there were tables available in the restaurant. Loved the vibe, and the fish tank. I wouldn’t have minded waiting at the bar if our table was not ready. Plenty of space to spread out AND a really great selection of specialty cocktails and beer. I ordered the beer battered fish which was skinless cod. Served incredibly hot with a perfect golden brown crisp crust. A perfect 10 in my book. Rye bread was super fresh and the fries were standard but very crisp and nicely seasoned. (9) Now let’s get to what sets them apart from the others. Their holy trinity was innovative and unique. No bland bucket salads here! No sir! Home made sides that give a new take on the traditional. First up, a red potato salad with red peppers which was delicious but a little heavy on the paprika. (8) Second, a tuna mac salad made with dilatini pasta. (8) Last, my personal favorite, the coleslaw had a sweet vinaigrette kind of dressing with cabbage and a hint of kale. Refreshing and light. Truly unique. (9) The tartar, also homemade, was extra thick and creamy with a great level of pickle. A real plus! (10) Our server, Maureen, was super sweet and made our night pleasant. Kitchen was running slow but nothing long enough to make me frustrated. Parking out front is good. They are more known for their live music on the weekends but after today I’m hoping they will also get hype from their fish fry. If you’ve been there to see the Nerds Gone Wild or Hit and Run, stop back on a Friday to get the beer battered perfection they are serving. You won’t regret it! Overall review 9.0!