Top 5 Fish and Chips in St. Louis

If you can somehow resist ordering a lamb burger at Dressel's Pub (419 North Euclid Avenue), the fish and chips is a terrific alternative, with Norwegian haddock that critic Alexa Beattie describes as bearing "blisteringly clean, snowy flesh." It comes with pickles and what the Brits would call "crisps" — more akin to potato chips than fries.

My personal go-to during Lent, the fish and chips platter at the Scottish Arms (8 South Sarah Street) features Atlantic haddock deep-fried in a batter featuring local Civil Life ale. It comes with peas, fries, a housemade tartar sauce and, critically, malt vinegar, which brings the whole melange together.

A local N'awlins-inflected seafood juggernaut, Gulf Shores Restaurant & Grill (three locations including 12528 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur) offers no fewer than six different fish options in its fish and chips, from catfish to classic cod to grouper. Opt for the "taste of three" to compare and contrast, but whatever you do, don't sleep on the red snapper. All too rare on local menus, its sweet and slightly nutty flesh is a true treat.

The menu varies at the different Schlafly brewpubs around the region, but the "fish & fries" is a constant, for good reason. Three generous filets of cod, battered in the brewery's own Hefeweizen, are served with a pile of fries, both pleasantly mushy, and a caper-forward tartar sauce. For the best classic pub vibes, hit the Schlafly Tap Room (2100 Locust Street).

A dark-paneled Lafayette Square mainstay since 2006, Square One Brewery & Distillery (1727 Park Avenue) serves up a fish and chips with an impressively crisp coating sheltering the tender cod inside. Along with fries, the dish comes with a remoulade sauce for a hint of New Orleans.