St. Michael - 52 South Third Street, Radom, IL

Wayfinding / Greening
(3 out of 4 Fishes)

The church is easy to find, but the town may be a little harder. If you don't already know where it is, you better bring your Garmin to help you find it, otherwise you may be touring the farmlands of Southern Illinois. The beautiful church is easy to find, since it is by far the tallest building in the quaint town of 395 people. Ordering is easy, since you pay in advance and the line is short, quick moving, and you choose your sides. Although, styrofoam plates and cups, there were no individual condiment packages. Big dispensers of ketchup, just like the ball game.

Food


Excellent cod. It is like being at a friend's fish fry, crispy coating with just the right kick. Homemade hush puppies were probably the best I've had. They were crisp on the outside, but nice and fluffy on the inside. Baked beans, steak fries, and cole slaw rounded out the sides. Homemade desserts were also a highlight. Stacking of casserole dishes behind the dessert table testified to their origins and luckily the long arm of the health department hadn't reached out here to crack down on homemade products.

Value


Great value. One of the best. $8 for adult plates, $5 for kid plates and age 5 and under free. Drinks of lemonade, tea, coffee included, plus dessert. So for our family of five, only $21. Beer $1.50. Plus, its virtually all you can eat. Servers come by with extra fried cod and hush puppies to your table. It's like being at Lambert's. You won't leave hungry (unless you don't like fried cod).

Atmosphere


One of the best and friendliest drink table staff anywhere. Friendly staff made an enjoyable evening. Besides the servers of fried cod coming to your table, drink refills of tea and lemonade come right to you. Plus eager kids and volunteers wanting to take your trays and empty plates. Church basement was almost full, but never short on space. Good mix of young and old.

Overall
3.5 out of 4
As my wife said, "It's why we fell in love with fish fries." I admit some bias as we were visiting my bitter grade school rival in basketball , but it was a good, friendly fish fry. Great fish, and they make sure you don't leave hungry. Even while I was having dessert, I was offered more fish! Although the town of Radom is only 395, they still serve over 400 dinners a week. So if you are in the area or headed down to the Southern Illinois wineries for a weekend, make St. Michael a stop. Just pack your GPS.

Reviewed 3/5/10

4 comments:

  1. Wonderful to see you guys and especially the kids! So cute! Glad we got a good rating! Our cooks are the best! Hope you can come again! And a great value!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your kind words! That is what we strive to do. St. Michael the Archangel is here for you and your family!

    Please join us on our last two nights!

    -Devoted Parishioner

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you guys for coming out to our Fish Fry!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks to your wonderful review of St Michael's fish fry, we tried it out. And of all people to see there, were a very nice couple from Oakdale, IL, who claim to be related to the family of the inventor of this website. Anyway, your review was right on, very good food and atmosphere. We came from a long way to eat there, about 6 miles..... to the south, in a town smaller than Radom, DuBois!

    ReplyDelete

Year End Reviews

Sometimes it is hard to compare fish fries from year to year. Comparing that Cod from 2014 to 2008 can be a little tough. With that in mind, below is a yearly re-cap for each of the following years. We got a little busy in 2015, then 2017-2019 went by in a blur, so we are missing a few years, so sorry!

2020 Year End Recap
2016 Year End Recap
2014 Year End Recap

Fan Poll Winners - Best Fish Fry

Every year Friday Night Fish hosts a fan poll to crown a yearly fan favorite Fish Fry. It's a two step process with Round 1 selecting five finalists, and Round 2 voting from the final five to crown the yearly fan champion. So get ready every year for the annual poll and get your supporters voting for your favorite fish fry! We had some voting "irregularities" in 2014, so we discontinued the poll (for now).

For a recap of past winners see Past Fan Poll Winners.

Past "Fan Poll-Favorite Fish Fry" Winners:
2014: First place tie: Christ, Prince of Peace, Ballwin; Saint Mary Magdalen, Brentwood; St. Ferdinand, Florissant
2013: Saint Mary Magdalen, Brentwood
2012: St. Rose Philippine Duschesne, Florissant
2011: St. Pius, St. Louis
2010: St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood