Eastside Fish Fry and Grill Spotlight: Lansing, Michigan

Friday night fish fry is a Michigan tradition, and Lansing has its own institution built around it. Eastside Fish Fry and Grill on Turner Street has been the answer to that weekly question for generations of Mid-Michigan residents who know exactly where to go when the weekend starts and the craving for fried perch kicks in.

Located at 1223 Turner St in Lansing, Eastside Fish Fry is the kind of neighborhood restaurant that earns its place by doing its specific thing exceptionally well for a long time. The fish is fresh, the batter is right, and the Friday rush that packs the dining room and the drive-through tells you everything you need to know about how the community has voted.

Perch, walleye, catfish, and shrimp cover the main event, with the proper accompaniments: coleslaw, fries, bread, and tartar sauce made in house. The portions are generous and the prices reflect a restaurant that serves families rather than Instagram feeds. Takeout is a significant part of the operation, with Friday evenings bringing a steady line of people picking up dinner to take home.

Lansing has a food scene that continues to grow and diversify, but places like Eastside Fish Fry anchor the neighborhood character of the city in a way that newer establishments rarely can. Showing up here on a Friday is a Lansing experience, and the people who have been doing it for decades are right to keep doing it.

Michigan Small Business Spotlight is proud to feature Eastside Fish Fry and Grill as one of Mid-Michigan’s most reliably excellent and community-cherished small businesses.