What does Friday evening mean to you? To me, a Friday evening in the early spring season invokes a tradition that has been passed down through the generations: Friday Night Fish Fry.
Buffalo is no stranger to this long-standing custom, and the city boasts a large number of restaurants that participate in the fish-fry frenzy. Considering myself quite a fish-fry connoisseur, I wanted to head to a place that I've heard a lot of buzz about but have never had the opportunity to try.
Papa Jake's sits on Elmwood Ave near Amherst Street, a corner bar that is a bit off of the beaten restaurant path. Located in an area that used to be highly industrialized, you can just imagine this place being a hot after-work spot back in the day. Today, a simple sign announces its presence, but it is the word-of-mouth about Papa Jake's that really enticed me to try it out.
My friend and I walked in Friday evening to a crowded restaurant filled with casually-dressed patrons. Luckily, we came early (about 5:30 p.m.) and managed to snag a table for two immediately, however, if you are making a later entrance, be prepared to wait for a table. The large bar area was already crowded with people enjoying a large selection of beers on tap. Dark green walls accented with deep wooden floors and tight seating give this place a cozy neighborhood-bar feel.
We glanced through the large menu, and my eyes were distracted by the wide variety of fried bar-food items, but I stuck to my guns and went for the fish fry. When it arrived a few minutes later, I was happy that I went with my originial craving. For $12, you get an enormous platter of food placed in front of you - a hang-off-the-plate-huge chunk of fish, a serving of homemade coleslaw, a generous portion of fresh cut French fries, a slice of rye bread, and your choice of potato salad or crab-macaroni salad (I chose the crab-macaroni salad, and would choose it again). The fish is perfectly cooked - the inside is moist and flaky while the breading is crunchy - and the various side items are flavorful and nicely seasoned.
If you are looking for a good fish fry in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, try out Papa Jake's on Elmwood. I promise that you won't walk away hungry. Papa Jake's is open daily from 11 a.m. - 4 a.m.
Papa Jakes used to be OK, but has gone downhill in past years. The final straw was getting food poisoning from one of their 'delicious" fish fries.
It's just not worth it and there are plenty other places to try.
Thanks for the warning; I had the same poisoning experience at the Troop I Post on Franklin - noticed obviously ill employees, clearing tables, and thought: "I hope they aren't handling the coleslaw or potato salad". They had, and I became awfully sick for several days - AND passed it along to my family. Haven't eaten out in 3 years, because of that.
What's wrong with the food --- A huge ff for 10 bucks and homemade sides --- I've eaten/had a beverage there about 15 times over the past 2 years and have never had an issue --- I'm not sure how they can improve the homemade sides and good fish
And as for the author of this article, I'm pretty sure you just ordered the regular fish fry because the Captain's Platter puts some additional fried aquatic fare on your plate like shrimp or clams whereas the fish fry looks exactly as pictured above