Fish Type: Catfish Price: $22.00
Overall, I would recommend this Fish Fry.
| Fish Score: Excellent Potato Score: Good Tartar Score: Poor Bread Score: Good Miscellaneous Score: Fair |  |
Comment: I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Willy St. Eats, but I knew the food would, at the least, be made from scratch. That’s more than enough for me…
For starters, the dining space is small and not fully put together. There are only a handful of tables surrounded by random kitchen implements, unplugged arcade games, and various cleaning supplies amongst other things. Clearly there is still some organization in progress and a few bugs to work out service-wise, but we rolled with it and were rewarded with some tasty grub.
All said grub is served takeout style and our styrofoam containers were piled high with catfish, perch, fries, and Mac-n-cheese. WSE features southern-influenced fare and, as you might expect from such a spot, the catfish was top notch. The meat was soft and flaky, not mushy or slimy, and coated with a delightfully crunchy and heavily-seasoned breading. The perch housed a similar breading and while I don’t believe it was true yellow perch, it was tasty. The kid liked it a lot and he’s a much harsher critic than I.
He also swooned over the Julienne-cut fries, which I agreed were well-fried, and of course, plentiful. Many of the other sides listed on the menu board were out (including the slaw) so I went for the Mac which was smoky, creamy, and delicious. The only things that weren’t homemade were the white bread and the food service tartar which is something I’d hope they’d start making themselves once they fully hit their stride.
While the restaurant itself is clearly still a work in progress the food is remarkably polished. The fish was on point, the fries were solid, and the other sides we saw (and those we sampled) were great. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry and will certainly come again after they’ve had a little more time to settle in.1146 Williamson St
Madison, WI 53702
(608) 772-5468
