the fish house and cafe beignet

southern hospitality and down home food. first, i've got to give kudos to the owner, dave, for making 2 nashville natives and 2 kentuckians feel welcome from the moment we came inside until we left after dinner. the experience was great, the food tasty, and the service outstanding. my brother-in-law has been eating there for lunch off & on for several years, and treated us to dinner when we came to town.

all four of us had the scrod with assorted types of bread and sides. scrod is usually either cod, haddock, or other meaty, northern ocean, white fish. so, take your pick. i don't know which it was, but i would have been satisfied with any of them since the taste was wonderful. the fish seemed to be coated with a corn meal breading, and it added some good flavor to the dish. i had 3 really large pieces of scrod in my dinner plate, and all were properly prepared. all were in agreement that the fish was very tasty. in addition, i had french fries, their mayonnaise based slaw (mad mary's), seafood chowder, some hush puppies, and iced tea. my spouse had the silver dollar sized potato cakes for a side rather than fries.

the seafood chowder was in reality clam chowder. if there were other types of seafood in it, i could not determine or recognize it. this version was a little thin for me, but the taste was very good. i prefer a much thicker version, but this was still a good choice. the slaw was a typical mayonnaise version, but frankly a much better version that others than i've had. a vinegar based slaw was also available. the french fries were properly fried, not real greasy with just the right amount of salt. i tasted my spouse's potato cakes, and they were as good or better than the fries. i would probably order the potato cakes next time in lieu of the fries.

finally, all of us ordered the beignet for dessert. this new orleans treat was delicious, loaded with powdered sugar, and a real treat. just wish i had ordered some coffee to go with it. when you go there, do your self an indulgent favor, and order at least one of the beignets.

i can't comment specifically on the price, since the tab was picked up by my brother in law. however, after having reviewed the menu, it would appear that the tab excluding any tax & tip was between 55 and 60 dollars for the 4 of us.

next time you are in the highlands in louisville, stop at this local "hole-in-the wall" restaurant. you will be pleased. thanks again to david for the wonderful dinner.

5/21/2011 i took my family to the fish house because of the rave reviews on this site. there were no cars in the parking lot , bad sign. four people were eating in the back. we ordered the fish sandwich plater, beignet, potato pan cakes, fries , mac and cheese. after about 10 mins, the food came out. the fish was over cooked to a dark brown. a nice grease taste came with it. the potato pan cakes were about the size of a silver dollar. looked like smashed tater tot, and came with the grease taste. i've been to the cafe dumont in new orleans , and had beignet , wonderful . these were like fried biscuits with so much powdered sugar they liked like small icebergs, tasted like pure old grease. nasty. $33.00 for a very nasty meal . save your money....... what a sad experence.

the fish house is awesome. in ky for an archery competition and found the fish house. wonderful hospitality and incredible food.

was not impressed. my husband and i went there last saturday night after i was having a craving for fried shrimp. the parking there leaves something to be desired or is non existent. there was a slight wait to order, but we waited awhile for our food. i had fried shrimp and scrod. the scrod was ok, but had some hard pieces on both pieces that were hard to eat and the batter on the shrimp fell off after the first bite. then we decided to order a beignet each since that is what they are known for. we waited forever and then one of the staff cleaning the dining room asked if everything was ok and we told her we were waiting in our food, she went to check. they had them ready, but didn't know we were sitting there and our food was cold. unorganized and the food was just ok

condiment charge???. i have been boycotting this place for years. some friends and i picked up a carryout order of $50+ and asked for "a bunch" of ketchup. i was informed by a gentleman that appeared to be the owner that he could give me a couple packs (off brand ketchup btw) but we would have to pay $.05 per pack for more??? this was $50+ of fried food! ketchup pretty much goes on everything!

being from new england i know great fish and onion rings. i know a little bit about beignets too from eating them in new orleans and making them myself. david and his crew are spot on with everything i mentioned and i look forward to trying more of the fare at the fish house and cafe beignet. the food is served piping hot, fresh and prepared exactly as it should be. fish is flakey and has the right taste. onion rings are superb and beignets could compete with those found in the french quarter, which is how i compare my own. i am just sorry i waited so long to try this great spot for seafood and beignets.

great atmosphere for an order at the counter fish place. good prices for large portions and really great tasting fish. wish the beignets were better, they were very chewy but maybe that's just their style of beignet.

not from louisville, but considering a move after eating at the fish house. absolutely delicious and we will definitely return! we loved our lunch at the fish house. tasty, fresh fried fish... even the sides are good. grab a beer and make sure to try the jalapeño tarter sauce!

the green river style (cornmeal batter) fried fish (i like mine on rye) is absolutely delicious.  don't expect anything fancy but its a great choice for maybe the best fish sandwich in the city.

i have been here many times… with exceptional food and outstanding service! i would recommend eating here to anyone. although the size of the restaurant is limited, the food is definitely worth it even if you have to take it home.

jalapeño tarter sauce...need i say more? if so, then i should also mention the beignets they make on the weekends. they usually create a specialty one and you should probably order it.

this place is wonderful. best fish sandwich in town. the service is always friendly and i've never had a bad meal. simple food done right. the breading isn't heavy (think long john silvers) it's a light coating of flavorful batter. i hate eating fried fish that's all breading. only complaint is parking. park on the street the parking lot is a death trap.

the best beignets you will find anywhere.  they are even better that at the cafe du monde in new orleans.  you can't beat that and right in our own backyard.

everyone is so friendly and the place is cozy.  you won't be disappointed.

joe and joy zimmer

the parking lot is kind of small, but as long as you reserve a table you'll definitely get in, and trust me you're going to want to. the environment was very "mom and pops" style. the owner of the restaurant was the one who took our order, and was extremely polite; he definitely created a rapport with us. being a military veteran himself we were able to exchange stories and talk about our history and the background of fort knox. we ordered our meals, sat in the indoor area and the food arrived about 10 minutes later. my catfish sandwich, although it came out on to regularize slices of rye bread, was phenomenal. the fried fillet was just crispy on the outside but still moist on the inside, not typical of most fried food. it didn't lose any of the flavor; and my friends haddock was just as good. the french fries are also amazing, just crispy on the outside, as most french fries should be but, extremely fluffy on the inside and not overdone. they hardly had any seasoning which helped increase the overall flavor of the french fry; it didn't overwhelm it. tartar sauce is made in house, both original and jalapeno, and the jalapeno that we tried was delicious. you could tell that he used just enough dill to create the flavor without overwhelming it, and the only use the shell of the jalapeno with no seeds so it wasn't extremely spicy. to finish up the meal we ordered a three-count of beignets, which arrived after about 5 minutes. although they were a little crunchier than i had remembered, the inside was impeccable and the amount of powdered sugar was perfect proportion. definitely deserving of the 4.5 out of 5 stars and we will definitely be visiting again even though it was about a 30 minute drive to get here.

the food is fabulous, everyone is super-friendly, the atmosphere is cozy. the rating says single $ but it was a little closer to $$ by the time i left a tip that i thought was appropriate to the service. can't wait to go back!!!