Murf’s Fish Fry

I have been a fan of Murf’s in Waukesha for the better part of two decades. During college, I had a friend that worked there who we would occasionally visit. One memorable night, I  was rollerblading around Waukesha with a friend and  we found ourselves to be starving. We stopped at Murf’s to see what our money could get us. We had enough to get a bucket of fish, complete with fries, rye bread, coleslaw, and of course tartar. Though that night happened about 17 years ago, that fish fry stuck with me. We ate it on the tables outside of Murf’s on a beautiful summer evening and then rollerbladed back home during sunset.

Since then, I have told many people about Murf’s and stopped there from time to time myself, though never again on rollerblades.

Recently, I introduced my husband to Murf’s and he in turn has told many people about it. He even had a guy’s night and instead of just ordering pizza or getting wings, all the guys got Murf’s and we made many the place have even more fans.

Though they are mainly known for their burgers and custard, the fish fry is still as amazing as I remember. My husband and I love fish frys – be it at home or out in the area, and with Lent starting next week, I see many fish frys in our future (and a lot of Wisconsinites’ futures!)

My husband had not had the fish fry from Murf’s so it was time to dazzle his taste buds with this great fish. We ordered the 8-piece meal instead of two four-piece dinners to save ourselves a little bit of money. Murf’s was hopping as always, but it didn’t take too long for our meal to come out.

I was happy to see the exact fish that I remembered from that summer night so long ago. We each fixed ourselves a plate and went to town making our bellies happy.

The fish is generously sized cod fillets that are breaded solidly, but not thickly. You could actually pick up the pieces and eat it like chicken tenders with your fingers if you wanted, but we opted to cut it with our forks.

The butter was really cold, so I actually put it under the fish on the tray to help warm it up before spreading it on my rye bread–worked like a charm.

At first my husband and I were worried about the amount of tartar we received. We enjoy dipping our frys in tartar as well, so we thought we were going to run out. But actually it ended up being a perfect amount and the tartar was quite good. Rye bread was also nice, fresh, and delicious with the warmed butter.

I wasn’t a fan of the coleslaw, but I am a bit more picky on this overall. There are very few that I like and I prefer a more vinegar-based style. This was very creamy with lots of mayo and just wasn’t my thing. But if they have been offering it for all this time, I know others must enjoy it.

This fish fry is very near the top of my husbands and my list for go-to fish fry. It’s close to home and it was really good. We hope to venture out a lot more during Lent and try even more fish frys to add to our arsenal. Here are some of the others that we have tried in the past few years that we have really enjoyed and suggest you check out. I would love to hear your favorite spots for fish frys in the Waukesha area.

Cue Club of Wisconsin – probably the top of our list
People’s Park
Delafield Brew Haus
Thunder Bay Grille – splure for the seafood fondue as an appetizer – it’s soooo worth it!
Tally’s Tap & Eatery
Tofte’s Table
Spring City Restaurant