Caleb Westphal hasn’t missed a Friday fish fry since 2013. Follow his never-ending adventures HERE. This week: fish fry #633, at OG Pub & Grille in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Elvis spent most of the sixties starring in mediocre films and singing on their soundtracks, the hip-gyrating phenom of the fifties largely being supplanted in youth culture by Beatlemania and the Summer of Love. But it wasn’t the end yet for Presley, whose watershed return-to-glory (and the stage) moment came with the ’68 Comeback Special. A documentary about the comeback, Return Of The King: The Fall And Rise Of Elvis Presley, was playing silently on the television above the entrance door while I ate a fish fry last Friday at the OG Pub & Grille (2498 N. Bartlett Ave.; 414-331-9061), a place due its own comeback.
Owned by Craig Rzepka, with backing from Jay Stamates of Sabbatic, The Standard, and Stellas: A Cocktail Dive fame, the corner tavern and restaurant has been open since last November. But that’s not where Rzepka’s association with the building starts. He and his brother Eric ran its previous operation, The Original, from its opening in 2017 until it closed in June 2025. (Before that, from 2005 to 2016, the building was home to Red Dot, where I got numerous Friday fish frys after moving to Milwaukee in 2012.) While The Original offered more refined dining, the OG Pub & Grille serves more accessible pub fare, with deep fried pickles, poutine, a weekly burger special, Wednesday wings, and a Friday and Saturday fish fry being some noticeable highlights.
“Did you just open?” I reflexively asked the bartender in the empty tavern. It was shortly after 5, and after learning that they had been open since 3, with the kitchen being open since 4, I decided my question was a bit insensitive. I took a seat in a booth and started looking at the menu. The fish fry ($20) was a one-size-fits-all fry with battered cod, potato pancakes, slaw, and rye bread, along with applesauce, tartar sauce, and a lemon wedge. I ordered it along with a hop water.
Sometime shortly after ordering I noticed that the ’68 Comeback Special documentary was on. Priscilla Presley, Springsteen, Robbie Robertson, and others were talking about the King. A few people walked beneath them into the tavern. I enjoyed some hop water. Ah yes, this was the life. Elvis was on the television in a corner tavern in Milwaukee on a Friday, and a fish fry was on the way.
It arrived soon and it was time for a little less conversation, a little more action. The slightly crusty swirled rye was faintly warm and lathered heavy with butter that had all but melted. The coleslaw looked intimidating, with big chunky cuts of red cabbage and carrot slivers that weren’t dainty either. But the full boat of veggies and its coating were more mellow than harsh, with the slaw being both soothing and providing more sustenance than most.
The batter on the three pieces of cod was moderately thick and had an Italian-like seasoning that brought a slightly more than subtle flavor, not overwhelming it. The pieces weren’t skimpy, having some bulk, but were otherwise commonplace. Larger pickle pieces gave the tartar a crunch and some flavor, and dill pushed the flavor forward even further.
But it was the potato pancakes that stole most of my attention. Moderately browned yet pleasantly soft, they were put together quite well, being dense, not stringy. But the main reason I kept returning to them was because of their distinct flavor. It was as if a pie and some rolls had been baking next to each other on Thanksgiving and someone had just opened the oven door. Sure, there were some onions in the pancakes, but the cakes weren’t oniony—at least that wasn’t the foremost taste. It instead was that open oven door on Thanksgiving. It was a rich, hinting-ly sweet, and carb-heavy experience. Because they were so good, the better-than-average applesauce—which was somewhat chunky with hints of cinnamon—wasn’t necessary, nor was the ketchup that I often eat with them.
As time went on, a few small groups of people came in and took seats in the booths around me. The owner, who I assume had been working in the kitchen, started checking in with folks, lit some candles for ambience, and took some food orders. He was very attentive, and it was apparent he was intricately involved in the operation and devoted to his work. Some patrons, who I got the impression had been in a few times before, asked him how business had been going. He said it had been doing okay but acknowledged it had been somewhat slow, particularly during the weekdays, said they were still getting the word out—remember they’ve only been open about three months—and seemed hopeful for the year to come.
So this is me helping get the word out. They need people in these seats, man. The OG Pub & Grille seems like a good place to hang and have a few beers. It’s a clean bar, but it’s not a sterile one. They might not have a huge food menu, but it’s endearing enough that a corner tavern within in the Milwaukee city limits not only has food, but a Friday (and Saturday!) fish fry. They might not have the best fish fry I’ve ever had, but they are steady-handed with the cod and bring uniqueness to their slaw and potato pancakes, with the latter being a real standout. If Elvis got a second look in ’68, now that The Original is the OG Pub & Grille, it’s deserving of another look in ’26.
Takeaways: Corner tavern fish fry within Milwaukee city limits; friendly service; big, chunky coleslaw; standout potato pancakes; slightly more than subtle seasoning on steady-handed but standard cod; pickle and dill tartar.
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