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 #604, at Maricque’s in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The lighting was dim and the air was chill as we settled into the dining room in Maricque’s in Green Bay last Friday (1517 University Ave.; 920-432-9871). The dimness was in no way meant to obfuscate. No, beneath the dimness, the interior of Maricque’s has held up well over the years, from the vintage tables and chairs, to the period light fixtures, to the wood on the walls. As for the chilled air, before even ordering a beer, Green Bay native and drummer extraordinaire Chuck Engel bought a Maricque’s sweatshirt—amusingly emblazoned with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” under “GREEN BAY, WI”—which suggests turning down the thermostat is an excellent tactic for moving merchandise.
I believe Ron Faiola first brought Maricque’s to my attention, during the filming of We’re Here For A Fish Fry! in 2017. He subsequently asked me if I’d like to take a trip there, but it was during a particularly busy month, and having already made two stops with him for the film—to The Polish Center of Wisconsin and Wendt’s On The Lake—I turned down the offer. (The film does have a segment about Maricque’s.)
Maricque’s has been on my fish fry treasure map since. This was in large part because I was aware they were known for serving bone-in perch and that it came with rye bread topped with raw onion. After eight years and almost getting there a few times, a clear opportunity finally presented itself. Devils Teeth was in town to play Green Bay UFO Invasion Fest, a two-day festival organized by Tom Smith, who has been booking Green Bay shows for close to four decades, notably including at the Concert Cafe and Rock & Roll High School in the mid-1990s through 2001. There was never any question where we’d go for the pre-show fish fry.
The Maricque family started fishing for perch in the Bay of Green Bay in the 1890s. In 1932, William Maricque opened Bill’s Bar inside the Reiss Hotel, at the southwest corner of Main and Roosevelt Streets, and served the perch that his brothers Elmer, Max, and Frank caught in the Bay. At first a fried perch order was free for those who bought drinks. While the perch is no longer free, it is still on the menu like it was when the tavern opened. Bill’s Bar later became Bill and Clara’s Bar, and after Bill died in 1958, his children Jim, Bob, and Maxine took it over and it became Maricque’s. It moved to its present location in 1964, where Jim and Bob ran it for decades, while also running the family’s commercial fishing business. (A delightful video shot by Phil Gries in 1977 gives more insight into both the fishing and tavern operations at that time.)
Maricque’s is still in the family today. Jamie Maricque, son of Jim, started working at the tavern in 1977 when he was 15, and took over the business in 1993. While perch is not plentiful in the Bay of Green Bay as it once was, and the perch served at Maricque’s now mainly comes from Lake Erie, Maricque’s remains a Green Bay perch fry institution.
Our server brought to our attention that the menu is just one side, and is pretty much just fish, which makes sense for a place that is only open on Wednesdays and Fridays. Perch is available fried with the bones or as deboned butterfly fillets, and can be ordered as a single (3 butterfly fillets or 3 fish for $14.75; or 4 butterfly fillets or 4 fish for $19.75), double (6 butterfly fillets or 6 fish for $29.50), or triple (9 butterfly fillets or 9 fish for $44.00). Bluegill, cod, walleye, whitefish, and catfish are also available as a single (8 ounces for $14.75) or double (16 ounces for $29.50). The menu also notes that combination plates can be made with “any or all fish.” All fish orders come with buttered rye bread topped with raw onion. Additional sides are available: cheese curds ($7.95), french fries ($3.95), onion rings ($7.95), and extra bread with onions ($.25). The only other items on the menu are a fish sandwich ($10.95), chicken strips ($10.95), and a shrimp basket ($21.95), which comes with 7 jumbo breaded shrimp, rye bread with onions, and french fries. I was tempted to go for the triple bone-in perch, but settled for the double, and added a side of french fries.
An elderly couple at the table next to us asked us where we were from and if it was our first time at Maricque’s. When I asked them how long they had been eating at Maricque’s, they didn’t come up with a specific number, but the expression on their faces suggested that they had been eating there their whole lives, as if the span of a life just couldn’t be counted. They appeared to be in their mid-eighties, meaning they may have been eating perch from the Maricque family since before the time the tavern was at its present location.
It wasn’t long before white paper plates cut through the dimness and floated across the dining room to our table. Chuck got the single cod and Jon and Jeff both the single perch with three fillets, so there was plenty to look at, but no plate looked as intriguing as the double bone-in perch. The tails on the six fish were largely still intact, and there were fin remnants as well. I thought the tartar had accidentally been left off the plate, but learned that tartar doesn’t come with the bone-in perch unless requested—another one of the unique traditions at Maricque’s.
Silverware is not part of the fish fry experience at Maricque’s, so I dove in hands first. The perch had a light, thin breading, and beneath it was a meaty mass of perch. Here’s the thing with ordering the perch bone-in: you get the whole fish, so any meat you miss is your own fault, not the restaurant’s, and as a bonus you can eat the tail and fins, too. The unassuming breading let the perch take the spotlight, with freshness and meatiness being at the center. Having requested tartar, I was brought two. It was the best of the basic kind, a classic tartar that’s likely stood for decades.
Jon gave me one of his butterfly fillets. The breading appeared a little lighter on the deboned perch, but I think it can be chalked up to how the fish was fried, not to any actual difference in the breading. Despite being deboned, the meatiness remained. Maricque’s perch, particularly the deboned kind, is reminiscent of the perch of two other gold standard perch frys in the state: Wendt’s and Sister Bay Bowl. Although they all differ in flavor, their similarity might come down to all three establishments serving fresh, meaty perch with a light breading.
Maricque’s may not serve coleslaw with their fish frys, and their french fries may have to be ordered à la carte (straight-cut and fried right), but a saucer-sized slice of Spanish sweet onion on a slice of buttered dark rye bread is certain. And because I ordered the double, I was given two of them. The rye and onion combo is also referred to as a Belgian sandwich. Our server suggested piling perch and tartar on top of it. When I gave it a try, I was not disappointed. (Our whole band stunk like onions the rest of the night, which probably is an asset for a rock & roll band.)
I came seeking Maricque’s fabled bone-in perch and raw onion-topped rye bread, and left satiated and convinced that what sets Maricque’s above so many other fish frys is a blend of uniqueness, first-rate fish, and all-around pleasant dining experience. The uniqueness comes in a variety of forms: the paper plates and lack of silverware, the bone-in perch (and that tartar must be requested with it), and the onion slice on the rye bread. The perch is meaty and fresh with a suitably light breading, and the all-around pleasant dining experience stems from the well-kept environment and friendly employees who provide service that is personalized but also seems to be down to a science.
I rode with Chuck back to Badger State Brewing, where day one of Green Bay UFO Invasion Fest was being held. On the way he drove through his old neighborhood and pointed out his childhood home and where many of his neighbors lived when he was growing up. The neighborhood wasn’t far from Lambeau Field, a place he used to ride his bike to as a kid. Streets like Holmgren Way, Reggie White Way, and Brett Favre Pass are nearby, the names on the street signs feeling accessible, even though they may be known around the world, just like the city of Green Bay also feels, the smallest city with an NFL team. That same feeling is at Maricque’s, a tavern serving some of the best perch in the world, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States of America.
Takeaways: Maricque’s is pronounced like “America,” as in the United States of America, the country Maricque’s is located in; open on Wednesdays and Fridays; perch available bone-in or as butterfly fillets; many other fish options; fish frys are served with saucer-sized slices of Spanish sweet onions on slices of buttered dark rye bread; tartar doesn’t come with bone-in fish unless you request it; the tavern is well-preserved, looking close to how I imagine it did 50 years ago; recognized as a historic site by the city of Green Bay; great service; gives out Packers schedule fridge magnets.
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