By Anita Weier
Northside News
How do people decide which is their favorite Northside fish fry? Is it the price, quality of food, efficient service, friendliness or atmosphere? Residents commenting on Nextdoor.com cited a variety of reasons, but they all had favorite spots.
One of the most mentioned — raved about, in fact — was Chico’s Villa Tap on Packers Avenue. Alice Wilson-Parnell, interviewed at the Villa Tap, said she goes there almost every Friday. “It’s a hole-in-the-wall place, but the food is great, and the bartenders know what you like to drink,” she said.
Warning! There are long waits at the Villa. Wilson-Parnell plans accordingly. Dinner service starts at 4:30 pm, so she arrives by 3 pm to get a seat at the bar, where she enjoys a drink or two before ordering dinner. On a recent Friday night, a couple who arrived at 5 pm, when customers at the bar were three deep, were escorted to a table at 7:07 pm. The regulars are that patient; others may hesitate to return.
The menu includes Canadian lake perch dinner for $14.75, deep-fried Icelandic cod dinner for $12.50, jumbo shrimp dinner for $16.75, and Canadian walleye dinner for $14.75. Reservations are not accepted; sign up on the blackboard when you arrive.
Another popular Northside spot is Murphy’s (formerly known as JJ’s Top of the Swamp) on Highway 113.
“The fish is lightly battered and reasonably priced,” said Doug Niles, interviewed by email. “Usually I am there at lunch time on Fridays, when they have the fried cod available.” He likes the “roadhouse” atmosphere. “Murphy’s reminds me of some of the country bars around our former home in the farmland between Delavan and Whitewater. Also, it’s surrounded by marsh and water — the Yahara River before it reaches Lake Mendota,” he said. Niles prefers to sit at the bar and notes that the bartenders are friendly and fast. “The kitchen is fast, too,” he said.
Other options include baked cod, lake perch, walleye and jumbo shrimp. Prices range from $10.99 to $13.99. Murphy’s accepts reservations.
Other Northside restaurants cited by residents on Nextdoor.com were: Plata’s Restaurant at the Bridges Golf Course, Bear & Bottle, Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club, Tip Top Tavern, Slices Bar & Grill, Nau-Ti-Gal and the VFW on Hwy. CV.