Every Friday in Green Bay, the same question gets asked: where are you going for fish? It sounds like a small thing until you realize the answer carries genuine weight here. People have loyalties. They’ll drive across town for the right batter, the right slaw, the right piece of rye bread. So if you’re new to the city, or just new to the ritual, Chives Restaurant on the east side is worth knowing about.
The building sits on Velp Avenue in a stretch of Green Bay that doesn’t get written up much. It’s a neighborhood supper club, the kind that’s been feeding families for years without much fanfare. The dining room feels lived-in — not in a neglected way, but in the way that tells you the regulars actually come here. Tables are set simply. There’s a bar up front. The whole place smells like something is frying, which, on a Friday, is exactly what you want.
You’ll want to order the Friday fish fry, obviously. The cod comes out in thick, golden pieces — light batter, not greasy, cooked through without going rubbery. The standard plate gets you soup or salad, a choice of potato (go with the potato pancake if it’s available), and that essential slice of rye. The clam chowder is creamy and thick enough to be worth the extra five minutes it takes to cool down. The whole meal is somewhere in the $15 to $20 range depending on what you add, which for the amount of food on the plate feels fair.
The perch is also on the menu and worth ordering if you want to feel like you’re doing it the Wisconsin way. It’s smaller pieces, lighter, and if you grew up here, it’s probably what your dad always ordered. Both hold up well — the kitchen isn’t cutting corners on the oil temperature or the batter ratio.
Service is straightforward and unpretentious. Your water gets refilled without ceremony. Nobody’s performing hospitality here; they’re just doing their job, which in a supper club context is actually a compliment. The pace is relaxed enough that you can sit and talk without feeling rushed out the door, but you won’t be waiting forever for anything either.
If you’re going on a Friday evening — and you should go on a Friday — show up before 6:30 if you want to avoid a wait. After that, the regulars fill the place up and you may be standing near the bar for a bit. That’s not a complaint; it’s just how it works at places people actually like.
Chives doesn’t advertise itself aggressively, and the online presence is minimal, which is part of why people who live nearby treat it like theirs. There’s no branded merch, no Instagram-friendly plating, no specialty cocktail list with clever names. What there is: consistent food, a comfortable room, and a Friday fish fry that earns its place in a city where everyone has an opinion on exactly that subject.
So yes — it lives up to it. Not in a loud way, but in the way that matters when you’re driving home full and already thinking about coming back next Friday.
