Knights Of Columbus West Side: 'It Will Be Crazy After 4 P.M.'

JOLIET, IL — As Don McLean's "American Pie" played over the sound system, a steady crowd trickled into the Joliet Knights of Columbus banquet hall on Infantry Drive around 2 p.m. Friday. That's right. Families and couples were visiting mid-afternoon before the big dinner rush.

The west side Knights of Columbus features fried cod, baked cod, Alaskan walleye, baked salmon, shrimp dinners, Mississippi fried catfish and more.

There's also an assortment of desserts available for purchase.

At the west side hall, Friday's Lenten fish fries go from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

You can order takeout or stay to dine in the large banquet hall. The Knights of Columbus volunteers have spaced out the chairs and tables to allow for 50 percent dine-in capacity.

About half of Joliet's Friday fish fries are offering indoor dining while the rest are only doing takeout because of the pandemic.

The Knights of Columbus have menus on the tables, but many of the customers don't need one. They've been coming here for decades. On Friday, one of the Will County Sheriff's Office deputies told the staff he did not need to see a menu because he's been coming here since he was 6 years old.

Paula and Jeff Greenberg have run the kitchen at the Knights of Columbus on Infantry Drive for several years. Their Knights of Columbus fish fries are known for their quality of fish, they said.

Even during a busy rush, they strive to get the fish out of the kitchen as fast as practical.

"Twelve minutes or less," Jeff Greenberg remarked.

The west-side Knights of Columbus also offers baked selections for people who don't want to eat fried fish.

There's a baked cod and a baked salmon.

The Knights of Columbus hall on Infantry Drive is geared for families. "It's a family environment," Paula Greenberg told Joliet Patch on Friday.

The Greenbergs also want to remind people that their bar is open to the public. It's a full-service bar with several beers, wines and drink selections. There's Miller Lite, Budweiser Light and Labatt Blue on tap.

So how many meals were the Greenbergs hoping to sell?

"Our goal is 800 during a Friday during Lent," Paula Greenberg replied.

Around 2 p.m., the kitchen staff was busy frying and baking the cod, plus the walleye and catfish.

Cod is overwhelmingly the most popular choice at the west side Knights of Columbus.

"It will be crazy after 4 p.m., that's when the after work crowd comes in," Paula Greenberg said.

In case you missed it, Joliet Patch produced a long round up Joliet's weekly Friday fish fries during the season of Lent.

To read that story, go here.