Ferak: East Side Knights Of Columbus Walleye Is Winner

JOLIET, IL — When it's noon on Ash Wednesday and there's a guy in a neon vest ready to direct cars in the parking lot, you know the Knights of Columbus hall at 1813 Cass Street is expecting a big crowd. Wednesday marked the start of Lent and that means thousands of Joliet area residents will be flocking to their favorite local fish fries between now and Easter.

On Ash Wednesday, your Joliet Patch editor took his food column to the Knights of Columbus Holy Trinity Council 4400 to see if the locals are right.

For starters, the east side Knights of Columbus isn't afraid to brag about their fish. There are signs outside the facility declaring that this place was voted as the best fish in 2018.

The doors opened for business at noon.

Within 20 minutes, practically every table in the main hall was full. Several others were eating their fish at the bar. Still others were walking in and walking out — clutching large carryout orders to bring home or back to their offices.

Two uniformed Will County Sheriff's deputies were sitting at the table behind me. About 10 minutes into my meal, a burly older gentleman walked up to the two Will County deputies.

"Best fish in town," the man smiled at them.

Nobody at the Knights of Columbus hall on Joliet's east side would disagree.

I ordered the three-piece meal of Alaskan walleye. It came with fries, coleslaw and two pieces of bread. All for $10. (Several of the items on the menu are cheaper.)

I know several people prefer the Alaskan cod, but as far as the walleye goes, the east-side Knights of Columbus hits a home run. This walleye is fabulous. And the sides were nice and fresh, too.

This is a busy kitchen but my meal was served within 10 minutes of placing my order. To review the entire menu for the east-side Knights of Columbus go here.

If you haven't been to the Knights of Columbus hall, the building has a rustic feel. There are several Chicago Cubs banners and Kris Bryant posters by the bar. Around 12:15 p.m., a beer distributor was hard at work restocking the Old Style supply with several cases of new bottles.

In the coming weeks, I'm going to try to hit several of the Joliet-area fish fries. Do you have a favorite place I should consider?

Let me know by posting your comments on Facebook.