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Fish Type: Cod     Price: $13.00

Overall, I would highly recommend this Fish Fry.

Fish Score: Excellent
Potato Score: Good
Tartar Score: Excellent
Bread Score: Poor
Miscellaneous Score: Good

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Comment: Some places take years to perfect their Fish Fry while other places hit the ground running. The Tip Top Tavern, it turns out, is a world-class sprinter. Away we go!

It started with the walleye (which was already arguably the best in the city) but a newly added beer battered cod has shifted things into a whole nother gear. The walleye isn’t cheap (17 beans) but is well worth every single one of those legumes. It’s superbly moist, incredibly flaky, and a delight to eat. On each of our three encounters it has been perfectly fried and decked out with a light, flaky, appropriately-seasoned breading which complements the supple fish just right. It’s really amazing and literally some of the best we can remember eating anywhere.

The walleye sounds like fifth gear but there is still more to come in the form of the newly added cod. While it might be more of a lateral shift, for arguments sake we’ll just say this is a six-speed. The cuts of cod vary vastly in size, but the 3-piece adds up to 6-8 ounces or so in our estimation. The fish is home to a rich, dark beer batter that bordered on Owl’s Nest-like excellence (I kid you not). The fish itself is pure and flaky and not the least bit greasy. It is all-around impressive.

While there is a choice between fries and mixed-greens it is basically irrelevant in our book. I’m sure the greens are fine, and assuredly much healthier, but the standard Julienne-cut rendition fries are always going to win. They are more than plentiful, thoughtfully-seasoned, and flat-out well-executed.

Reinforcing both walleye and cod alike is the Tip Top’s thick and decadent tartar which is truly tip-top. It’s tangy and rich with a little something savory on the backend that’s hard to put your finger on. The house-made slaw is a vinegar-based, purple cabbage variety with some subtle carrot shreds to keep things interesting. While palatable, it’s not necessarily alluring, but it offers nice change of pace if nothing else.

While every element of this Fish Fry hits the mark there is one obvious detractor – no bread. Bummer.

I almost hate to give this place such a glowing review because it is tiny, I repeat TINY, and they are already pretty busy on Friday nights meaning this might be the last trip for our small family (babies and hour long waits in a cramped bar simply don’t mix). While it might mean we won’t be able to go anymore we have be true to ourselves and their fish. Overall, we highly recommend this Fish Fry and think it is the best of all the newcomers to the Madison Fish Fry scene. And hey, dinner might be out of the question from here on out, but there’s is always lunch…



www.thetiptoptavern.com/
601 North Street
Madison, WI 53704

(608) 241-5515