Paddy Coughlin's Pub — Restaurant in Fort Atkinson

Paddy Coughlin’s Pub in Fort Atkinson was one of the best Friday Fish Fry plates I’ve discovered in a long time. We chose to go here after catching an exceptionally well done matinee of “Holiday Inn” at the Fireside Theatre. Our on-line research showed consistently good reviews of the food, service, and all around ambiance of Paddy’s - so our party of nine called ahead and reserved a table for 5pm.

We arrived a few minutes early to a very lively, bustling bar/dining-room. The bar is nicely decorated corner to corner with an eclectic blend of Wisconsin Bar accents to amuse and provoke friendly banter: Irish blessings and wisdom, historic photos of possible ancestors and local sports heroes, chalk board menus, and a variety of holiday ornamentation ( a plastic deer head wearing Christmas beads; a sign “Santa…it’s a long story…”)

We were comfortably seated right away and ordered a round of drinks ranging from the Friday Specials - “Irish Old Fashioneds,” Margaritas, craft beers - and of course a Guinness. All were fine. The waitress was friendly, in good humor, engaged, helpful in describing the entrees, and thankfully patient with a group still enjoying and reviewing the play and the performers.

The Friday Fish Fry was one of the best I’ve had in years of celebrating this Friday Night Wisconsin sacrament. The Beer Batter Fried Cod was perfectly done (yes, it must be an Irish beer in the mix) - with a moderately light and not greasy golden batter. Two generous sized filets are standard with the meal. It’s just $11 and you could order additional filets at $3 each. But you might want to hold on the extras because there’s a generous portion of (truly delicious) Broasted Potato Wedges included, along with a lightly dressed serving of Cole Slaw, Marbled Rye Bread with butter, good Tarter Sauce, and lemon. We also enjoyed an appetizer of “Irish Cheese Curds” (Q: what’s Irish about them? A: They’re served in an Irish Pub!)

I gave Paddy’s five stars because it truly is what it sets out to be - a warm, friendly, unpretentious Irish pub and restaurant serving very good food at very reasonable prices. It’s a comfortable place to hang out to share stories and catch-up with friends. This is my opinion, but pretty firmly shared by eight good wine loving friends with moderately good taste, all with years of experience seeking tasty Wisconsin Fish Frys and personal Pub Research.

We will be back, likely more than...

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and would often visit the various Irish pubs in the city. I can say that Paddy's stacks up with the best of them. Let me break it down into Five categories: 1: Food -- Paddy's makes an effort to use quality, locally sourced ingredients. Local cheeses, meats and breads make for some delicious dishes. You can find standard pub fare, plus some really good Irish pub standards like Bangers & Mash, Shepherd's Pie and more. All dishes are well-seasoned (no bland chain-restaurant fare here!). Food is served hot and in a decent quantity. My wife and I often split a dinner and both waddle away quite satisfied. DO NOT miss the dessert selection. The bread pudding is fantastic, as is the cheesecake. There is lighter fare available as well, if you're not in the mood for something heavy.

2: Service -- The service at Paddy's has always been incredible. They are friendly as can be, fast and never rushing you. The bartender is world-class! I cannot say enough good things about the service here.

3: Atmosphere -- They pull off a decent Irish pub atmosphere without being synthetic or fake. No, Paddy's is first class all the way. Beautiful copper ceiling tiles, assorted tables and decorations that aren't overwhelming or chintzy. There's nothing I hate worse than an "Irish" pub where everyone is wearing metallic green garb, giant shamrock pins and there are little leprechaun statues everywhere. You know what I'm talking about. Paddy's gives off a warm, comfortable vibe. It's like hanging out with a good friend.

4: Price -- You get plenty for your money, whether it's food or drink (or both). You aren't going to break the bank going to Paddy's, but when you are done, you will say "Wow, we got a lot for our money."

5: Community -- Sometimes we forget that local businesses are also part of the community. Paddy's supports the local community in many, many ways. You can find them at local events and festivals, supporting local causes and they do fantastic work in re-homing shelter animals.

In conclusion, my family has always enjoyed Paddy's. We bring our kids here, our friends, our parents, etc. It's a solid choice when looking for good food and/or a drink, and they are an awesome part of...

We got there at 7:05 on a Friday night. Being from out of town we noticed how few restaurants there are to choose from in this area. We had ridden around for awhile. We stumbled upon this one. When we walked in almost every table was taken. We got the last one by the restroom. Only one table of people in the whole place had food on their table. This should have been an indicator of how slow food was being served. We waited an hour and 20 minutes for our food. After telling the waitress we were about to leave our food finally arrived. No bread on the table or anything. The haddock was good as was my garlic butter shrimp. The broccoli was barely cooked with no seasoning. The potato portion size was decent. A request for tartar sauce was made and one little cup of it was tossed on the table. Friendly people but the kitchen needs to work a little faster and add a little seasoning to the vegetables...