Fish Fry Review Crew – Paddy Coughlin’s Irish Pub

Paddy Coughlin’s Irish Pub
14 Sherman Avenue East
Fort Atkinson, WI
(920) 397-7776

When you think of Irish food, fish is usually not at the top of the list. But on Fridays, Paddy Coughlin’s makes it the center spot on the menu.

Located in downtown Fort Atkinson just east of Highway 89 on Highway 106, the pub is THE gathering place, jammed with people celebrating the weekend with the taps flowing and great food.

Your Fish Dish Review Crew arrived at 6:30pm. We had a reservation, but given the liveliness of the crowd, I must admit I was skeptical we’d be seated in a timely manner. My fears were ungrounded, as co-owner Erin Housley informed us that our table for 6 was ready and waiting. (Husband Brandon is the other half of the dynamic duo.)

With so many beers to choose from, we tasted several with the old standbys Smithwicks & Guinness sharing the limelight with the perfectly deep fried cheese curds as an appetizer.

The Guinness Beer-Breaded Fish & Chips were crunchy on the outside with snow white cod on the inside. The portion was large and the smiles even bigger for the huge shrimp and pan-fried walleye entrees. Everyone had the outstanding super crunchy fries. There is usually much dinner conversation, but I noticed that when we got started on the food, it got strangely quiet for awhile…a good sign!

Paddy’s décor is right out of Dublin, with family pictures on the walls and many unique nooks and crannies to explore. We met so many friends walking to and from the super clean restrooms. Paddy’s, in the truest Irish tradition, is friendly.

We’ll be back to Paddy’s very soon for a beer and to sample the rest of their great menu.