Marko's Fish — Restaurant in Madison

A place that has been in business for 95 years, in the same building, deserved a visit. When I heard this, I had to take that short drive to Madison, Illinois, to see what this "fish sandwich" craze was all about. I walked in and felt as if I had falling into a time capsule. I mean that in a good way. You had locals at the bar, talking just shooting the breeze. There was a constant flow of foot traffic. The server was patient and very friendly as she balanced cooking, taking orders, and interacting with customers. Not missing a single beat. I was very impressed! So she handed me the brown paper bag. I couldn't wait to get to the car! This sandwich was huge! A beautiful golden crust! Light, not overpowered with seasoning. The homemade tarter sauce. Banana peppers and onions. In between two slices of soft Italian cream bread. Simply delicious is all I can say. This place was worth every mile...

I have traveled all over the US for work and can confidently say this place has the best fish sandwich you'll ever eat. The next best I had was a place in Alaska that served a fried halibut fish sandwich. This place is that good, it beats wild caught fresh Alaskan halibut. After not eating at Marko's for a few years, I recently stopped in here with my mother and a longtime friend who's practically a brother to me. It's one of the few things that is BETTER than you remember. Super high fish quality with just enough crisp, just enough onion, just enough pickle, just enough banana pepper...and the bread is the softest texture...not too much in any direction. Everything about it is perfect. Go out of your way to eat here! There's a reason it's been around for three...

The very best and tastiest fish sandwich that I've had in the Midwest. The delicious bread is locally sourced in St Louis and the tender cod filets are sourced from Iceland, while being freshly breaded and fried in-house. The sandwich includes pickles, onions, and banana peppers that flavorfully complement each other to make this a truly delectable treat. I also ordered the potato salad and coleslaw (both delicious); and put some of that coleslaw plus a slice of cheese (for a small upcharge) on the sandwich (all were yummy). Don't let the external appearance of this place stop you...