Serb Hall now serving nostalgia alongside famous fish fry

MILWAUKEE - A Friday fish fry staple at a Milwaukee institution continued on Friday night, Jan. 29 at Serb Hall.

St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church said it will continue the Friday drive-thru from now through Lent. The church listed the banquet facility for sale, but after that, the famous fish fry is likely 86'd.

Orders of fried fish and fixings came up quick for those in the Serb Hall drive-thru on Friday, including a bit of nostalgia on the side.

"We would come here, as a kid, when we were little. Me, my sister, and my mom, and we would come here on Friday nights," said Megan Drews.

"We haven’t been here in a while and we heard that the building was up for sale, so we decided to come in case it’s sold and they discontinue the fish fries," Betty Thurston said.

St. Sava listed the hall for sale earlier this week. Paul Markovina, a St. Sava board member, said business has dwindled over the years and a sale has been discussed before. With smaller weddings and events, the pandemic pushed Serb Hall over the edge.

"It really was COVID that was the last thing that pushed it over the edge," said Markovina. "It’s been a great institution on the southside since 1950. And it had its heyday for many decades."

In 1962, 24-year-old Karen Michalak married 27-year-old Larry Benkert -- much of it centered around Serb Hall. The twist was the rage at the time, but so was Serb Hall.

Karen's sister, Joanne Benkert, had her reception was also at Serb Hall five years earlier.

"It was a fun place to be and everybody just enjoyed it. Their fish fries are absolutely unbelievable," Benkert said.

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And now, it's hard to believe that a place that started so many memories, won't anymore. Having served the church and community well, the church is now looking for it to serve in a new way forward -- fish fry or not.