Ferak Visits 'The Best Fish In Town'

JOLIET, IL - Late Thursday morning, the temperature in Joliet had warmed up to minus 5 degrees below zero so I ventured outside. I walked inside JJ Fish & Chicken at 1220 Richards St. Beforehand, I was considering a restaurant write-up on another area business, but JJ's caught my eye. I had never been here before.

Right off the bat, I realized JJ's is my kind of Joliet restaurant.

Most important, their lunch menu is priced extremely reasonable. JJ's has a large sign on the wall advertising $4.99 specials.

Frankly, there were too many to choose from.

After moving back to Joliet in 2017, one of the things I missed about living in northern Wisconsin was the great fish selection we had, particularly in Appleton and in Door County.

Perch is one of northern Wisconsin's finest fish. So when I noticed JJ's had a $4.99 special with two pieces of perch, two chicken wings, fries, coleslaw and two pieces of bread, I could not pass this puppy up.

Remember how I mentioned it was minus 5 degrees outside?

Well, the frigid weather didn't keep others away, either. I counted seven people who braved the cold to order their lunch at JJ's on Thursday, all between 11:30 a.m. and noon. (JJ's specializes in carryout orders.)

I ate my lunch inside my car in the parking lot, with the heat on, of course.

Anyway, my perch was delicious. The wings were nice and crunchy, which is how I like them.

The JJ's menu proclaims: "The Best Fish In Town." I always admire any restaurant that has the guts to proclaim they're the best at something, because they open themselves up to harsh criticism. But JJ's told me they've been around Joliet at the Richards Street shopping plaza for 16 years now. They must be doing something right.

JJ's also told me their catfish fillet is probably their most popular selection with the customers.

But I didn't order the catfish fillet. So that means I'm going to be making a return trip to Joliet's east side in the near future.

Joliet's east side has some great hidden gems for restaurants, notably carryout.

Last year, I wrote about the new Bernie's Jerk Kitchen that opened on Manhattan Road, U.S. 52, just a stone's throw away from JJ's.

In closing, if you are looking for another tasty and affordable lunch menu, you should strongly consider JJ's. There are seven lunch specials all priced at $4.99, all come with fries, coleslaw and bread. JJ's opens from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. And from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Carryout orders can be called in ahead of time at 815-726-9129.

Images via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor