Caleb Westphal hasn’t missed a Friday fish fry since 2013. Follow his never-ending adventures—sponsored by Miller High Life—HERE. This week: fish fry #613, at El Beso in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
A group of employees clapped and sang inside El Beso (909 W. Layton Ave.; 414-455-3534), wishing a happy birthday to a customer at the table across from where my friend and I were eating chips and salsa while waiting for our meals. It turned out that my friend’s birthday was the next day, but I hadn’t remembered it, and he didn’t mention it to me or the employees, so no song would be sung at our table. But song or no song, cake or no cake, the party was on, for it was Friday and a fish fry was on the way.
The El Beso on Layton Avenue in Milwaukee has been in business since 2020, but it really dates to 2009, when it opened as El Fuego. It wasn’t much more than a rebranding when the name change came in 2020—it took on the same name as its sister restaurant in Greenfield, which had been open since 2011. El Beso’s fish fry, served daily, not just on Fridays, is made with Icelandic cod ($18) and can be upgraded to a combo with coconut shrimp ($19.50).
The first item that caught my attention on the metal tray was something not even listed on the menu, and what I presumed to be a quesadilla frita, a fried quesadilla. You don’t think fish frys are healthy? Wait until the rye bread is taken away and replaced with this. It was absolutely glorious! Loaded with cheese—solid, drippy cheese—and with a greasy shell, I devoured it first, content that even if everything else on the tray was like a traditional Wisconsin fish fry, this was a Mexican twist that wouldn’t soon be forgotten.
But it didn’t end there. Characterized as “Mexican-style slaw,” the coleslaw had a traditional base that was augmented with corn and small chunks of red tomatoes. But the defining mark of the slaw was its heat. Not only was there a jalapeno slice on top, but heat permeated the whole cup.
The french fries were seasoned, too, but only with a modicum of the spiciness found in the coleslaw. There was nothing particularly consequential or memorable about the fries, as could be said of the fried quesadilla and the coleslaw, yet I did not neglect them.
I’ve been to El Beso countless times, in part because El Beso’s steak tacos are one of my stepson’s favorite meals, but this was only my second time having their fish fry, after first trying it last December. Both the batter and the cod were perfectly fine, but they didn’t quite match the greatness that I found last time I went. The batter didn’t have the luster, and the cod seemed more moist and less flakey than before. Still, appearances are less important than taste, and the batter, made with Modelo Negra, had a rich and comforting flavor from whatever type of flour and seasonings were mixed with the beer.
Just as the defining mark of the coleslaw was its heat, the tartar followed, almost setting the fish ablaze. Lively and indefatigable, it was a thin, reddish, chipotle-based tartar that wouldn’t let up. It suited the fish perfectly, as a salty, sweet, and spicy complement to its more moderate piscine counterpart.
From The Packing House to Amelia’s to In Plane View to The Landing, there are no shortage of names that come to mind when one thinks of restaurants on Layton Avenue that serve a fish fry. El Beso might not be one of them, but it should be. Similarly, when one thinks of Mexican or Latin American restaurants in Milwaukee that serve a Friday fish fry, Café el Sol is often thought of first. It’s rightly lauded, but again, El Beso also has a story to tell, and fits in the same breath. Bottom line: El Beso offers a commendable (and spicy) Friday fish fry, a Mexican take on the Wisconsin tradition—and you can get it every day of the week.
Takeaways: Fried quesadilla instead of rye bread; a common slaw with added vegetables and spiciness; seasoned fries; standard cod with rich Modelo Negra batter; indefatigable tartar sauce.
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