St. Paul Fish Company | Mequon — Restaurant in Mequon

Have had 4 unpleasant purchases/experiences at the fish market in Mequon since they opened in 2019.

Multiple times the fish purchased from the fish market has been poor quality; one time it was spongy and smelled of ammonia.

Over 3 years.

I've returned my purchases on two separate occasions, encountering managers who both times argued that the fish was, indeed, fresh.

One of the managers I encountered--the General Manager of SPF-Mequon--is described unflatteringly in multiple reviews on this website.

After an unpleasant experience with this GM a year ago, I boycotted SPF for a year. But I foolishly backpedaled on that 4 weeks ago...

I purchased cod in the afternoon to prepare for dinner at 5:30 pm that same evening. It stunk up my car on the 1 mile trip home; it stunk up my refrigerator between purchase time and 5:30 pm.

"Here we go again..." I thought.

But I wasn't interested in returning the cod this time around because of past toxic experiences with the hothead General Manager in Mequon. This time, if the fish was spoiled, it was going to go in the trash and that was going to be the end of my relationship with SPF.

I opened the package when I arrived home. The texture seemed safe enough--not slimy, not spongy--but the fish REEKED. I soaked it in milk, which helped.

No one became ill from consuming that cod, but my refrigerator reeked for days afterward, just from storing that cod for the few hours prior to cooking it. I had to scrub the interior of the fridge with baking soda and bleach, and it was still several days before the odor was totally gone.

Over the years, I've been reluctant to post a public review about my experiences at SPF, feeling it more productive to report directly to the owner.

But upon seeing a review on this site by a young woman who purchased a cod dinner in the restaurant 4 weeks ago (surely the same day I had purchased my cod from the fish market) and who described an extremely similar unpleasant experience with the General Manager in Mequon that many of us have now had, I felt it was time to post a public review.

Whatever the issues since 2019 with the inconsistent freshness of the fish in the fish market, the critical issue at SPF-Mequon is the scowling, arrogant, dismissive, argumentative, hothead General Manager who has been known to aggressively throw a product on the counter (or on the table) in the customer's direction.

I've been on the receiving end of such hostility, and I see in these reviews that others have, too.

Because of this GM in Mequon, I will never...

My boyfriend and I hadn't treated ourselves to going out to eat for nearly a year since covid (it used to be something we both enjoyed doing weekly prior, but both being older, overweight, smokers we've been trying to stay SUPER safe).

After watching travel /food shows featuring seafood last weekend, not going out for my birthday, Valentine's or our "anniversary" we couldn't stand it anymore. We were both craving the lobster dinner at St. Paul's.

The parking lot looked a little more crowded than expected for a mid afternoon Sunday, but we put our masks on and decided that if it was too crowded inside or looked unsafe, we'd order it to go and wait in the car.

Happily, this place is exactly what every restaurant should be practicing. All of the servers, kitchen staff, bartender were FULLY WEARING masks (over their mouth and noses). All of the customers did as well when entering. Instead of shared menus, the hostess asks customers to pick up one of the paper copies.

They are taking all safely measures, immediately sanitizing areas as soon as customers left, delivering utensils in paper sleeves,so we were so happy, felt at ease.

Having been there before for the lobster dinner (a full 1 lb lobster dinner only $18!!) we both knew that's what we wanted immediately. The calamari appetizer wasn't quite as good as it was 2 years ago, much thicker slices and more breading, but not horrible or rubbery. The lobsters were fantastic!! And with great joy, I discovered they'd replaced the crummy shoe string fries and vinegar coleslaw (which my boyfriend liked the coleslaw, neither of us liked the fries), with sweet corn and red potatoes!! It's not seasoned very much, no Old Bay or anything I could taste, but it was truly awesome!!

They have a very extensive fish/seafood menu, which all sounds good, plus even a burger, but this place definitely knows how to properly cook seafood!!

Also, they DO have an actual fish market of you simply want to buy the freshest fish and seafood to cook at home!!

Great prices, excellent food, great...

Had a reservation for right when they opened, it was perfect. The dining area was so cool, lots of neat items to look and the wall and hanging art were a treat. They had plenty of seating and even room for large groups and outdoor seating. Such a gem of the place. The bathrooms were clean, the restaurant was clean and same goes for the kitchen. Right when you walk in there is the host stand and the seafood market, to my surprise, there was not a bad smell. Everything looked so fresh and good, it was well maintained and kept. Thank you Val R and your trainee for such a wonderful lunch and first dine in experience here. We have got seafood to take home ourselves before, but never dined in. So glad we did. Val and her trainee were absolutely fabulous! They both made this lunch so special. Val had great recommends, explained everything well, even share the most popular items with us all while training a new waitress. We ordered 2 different style appetizers, the Cajun BBQ shrimp and hot peel & eat shrimp. WOW! The flavor was spot on, so good. The Cajun BBQ shrimp sauce is delightful and so tasty, heat but not over doing it. Shrimp were large and tender, cooked to perfection. The hot & eat shrimp, were flavored well, shells/legs peeled right off, they were tender and juicy. We each tried a boil. Lobster boil and the Snow Crab legs boil. Again, these were cooked to perfection and the seasoning was just perfect. All the seafood was cooked just beautifully, the crab meat came right out and the lobster meat was falling out. Not rubbery, not chewy, just amazing. The potatoes and corn were so good as well. We truly enjoyed these boils. Even added some king crab legs since they were available at market price. Just such a great time!! Even enjoyed a birthday dessert to top it all over. Overall, truly a fantastic experience. Nothing was a disappointment and the food was outstanding. Can't wait to come back again. Thanks again to Val R and her trainee, we...