Borlands - Belleville

Last minute decision to go find fish fry and that is never easy on a Friday much less a holiday Friday. Drove down to Belleville and was able to find seats at the bar. Friendly bartender Van took car of us with great service. He's a big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan so we connected over our mutual Cardinals fandom. Van knew all the regulars by name, so my goal is to someday achieve that status. Fish was perfectly cooked as was my shrimp. Breading is a bit thick, not the panko and club soda light batter, but tasty. Plate came with fries, buttered bread and coleslaw. In fact the Friday menu only says the kind of fish or chicken you want. The sides are as described. All of that food for $9.50/ person was a great deal. Bottled beer, mixed drinks and cans of soda. All in all a good Sconnie bar on a Friday night.

Friday night fish and Saturday night chicken at Borland's Tavern in Belleville, Wisconsin is not only a hidden secret in Dane County, it is a right of passage for those who are in the know. This is an amazing no nonsense place to eat on Friday and Saturday night. Cost is cheap and the food is divine. It is arguably the best Friday night fish fry in the area. Be sure to order a glass of Squirt with your meal and enjoy drinking it in one of their 5 oz. glasses. And end the meal with a hot (and I mean HOT) fudge Sundae. The staff in this place is always friendly and the decor, while dated and kitschy, is exactly what some restaurants in Chicago spend thousands of dollars to emulate. At Borlands, though, like the food and the friends, it is 100% genuine. And I think Jen M. from Oak Creek (see her review below) is a troll. And if she's not, she can go suck a lemon because I have never, ever experienced what she is describing and I can't count the number of times I've eaten at Borland's. It is quite literally in the hundreds.

This is a cash or check only Tavern!! Great fish fry and awesome cheese curds. Local, small town, WI farmer type culture. Welcoming, bright bar and banquet hall style dining area. Come for the food and small town charm.

The place where the locals go. Excellent Classic Wisconsin fish fry and amazing bar burgers. Good luck trying to get in for dinner on Friday night!

While staying at a friend 's farm in Belleville, Wisconsin, he mentioned Friday Night Fish Fry. My Californian friend and I raised our eyebrows and asked, Friday night what now? Needless to say, we had to experience this Friday Night Fish Fry. On the way there, the concept was explained to us. For those unfamiliar with Friday Night Fish Fry, here 's a quick 411: The Fish Fry is a classic Wisconsin tradition that originates from the state 's Catholic settlers strictly adhering to the whole no meat on Friday rule. Soon, restaurants and pubs would be using the Friday Fish Fry concept as a marketing ploy to get patrons into the door. This is what led to the statewide phenomenon where everyone hits their favorite tavern for some fried fish every Friday. As for Borland 's, aside from being a real, living, breathing piece of precious Americana, the food is good. It 's pretty standard fried fare, so I think Borland 's charm lies more in its nostalgia. Like one reviewer mentioned, it 's not really a place that sees a variety in customers. In fact, as we lined up for a table, we bumped into Grandma! Yes, the actual grandmother of the friend we were staying with. And I tasted Grandma 's cookies, so I know she knows how to do things right.