Review
I had driven past Mojo’s earlier in the day and seen their ‘Fish Fry Today’ sign out front so I figured they needed to be tried at some point. We arrived at about 8pm and decided to sit outside because it was pretty nice out. Even though the place was not really busy it took a while for a/our waitress to come over. I say ‘a/our’ because it didn’t seem like any of the wait staff were responsible for any particular tables. They all just kind of milled around and picked up where they were needed. This is not a great system when you have hungry fish eaters in attendance. Once she did come (or should I say we hailed her down) the order was in quickly. The only fish option is fried or baked cod and our whole table opted for it.
Unlike the service the cook must have been fast because the fish was on the table in a matter of about five minutes. The cod was actually quite good and plentiful; three good sized pieces for $10 is not bad at all. The fish was pretty flaky and had a good, not great batter. My pieces were all hot, but not scalding. Gabe said two of his three were lukewarm which is never good. Overall the fish was very edible and I would recommend it. The fries were also delicious as was the tartar sauce which I almost ran out of but not quite, I toed the line there.
One thing that was odd was the fact that we got a thing of butter but no bread to put it on. We did get baked beans which I counted as a quasi-substitute for the bread but to be a great Fish Fry you really need some bread in there. The service as I mentioned was not great but the atmosphere of being outside was very nice.
Overall Mojo’s is a pretty cool little bar and the fish was definitely tasty. I could easily see myself going back, especially if I was in Waunakee for lunch on Friday some time. Nothing about the meal was off the hook (no pun intended) but everything outside of the service was good.
When first we visited Mojo's in 2008 we were pleased, but not enthralled. Back then the fish of fancy was cod, and little else was available. Today, the menu has exploded, and in addition to cod, bluegill, walleye, and lake perch are all available for the avid Fish Fry fan.
With the fish comes a trip to Mojo's surprisingly well-stocked salad bar. Unfortunately for yours truly, when we went through there were no plates available, so we did what needed to be done - filling a large soup bowl with a variety of salads. Mojo's clearly isn't rolling out the salad bar every day so it's no surprise the lettuce was fresh, the slaw creamy, and the cottage cheese curdy - they were likely purchased special for today. There were also some soups available, but we didn't try our hand at them since they looked kind of unappetizing hanging off the end of the portable bar and our hands were already pretty full anyway.
No sooner had the salad been polished off than the $10.50 bluegill plate reared its head. The plate was piled high with roughly 10 pieces of fish, although the quality of the fillets varied widely. Some of the fillets were huge and meaty, while others were miniscule, and could barely even be counted as a fillet. Regardless, they were mostly flaky, well-fried, and accompanied by a thin, salty breading. Overall, the flavor was fine and the portion was generous so we'll set aside the irregularities and give the bluegill the benefit of the doubt.
Accompanying the fish was a bountiful side of hash browns which were covered in real cheddar and littered with fried onions. Unfortunately, the large load was over-fried to the point of being blackened and burned tasting around the edges. While the fringes were less than desirable the fat part in the middle salvaged the spread, and still provided an adequate amount of edible spudage.
Large solo cups are the conveyance of choice for Mojo's thick and creamy tartar sauce, and even MFF couldn't come close to exhausting the supply. The sauce may have been homemade, or it may have been the classic Sysco zip, but either way it perked up the bluegill and drown out any abnormal flavors present in the diverse school.
Playing the "roll" of palate cleanser was a plain old white bun, served with a half warm/half cold pat of butter.
If you find yourself in Waunakee on a Friday night and don't want to deal with the rigmarole of a supper club like Rex's Innkeeper, there is relief to be found just down the road at Mojo's. The fish is good, the portions are generous, and the crowd is lively. Overall, we feel fine recommending this Fish Fry even if it was a bit of a mixed bag - it's our kind of mix.