Tara K.
Yelp
I didn't come for the beer. IMHO, beer is blech. No hate to the beer lovers, though. If you like beer, they have more than a few options here. I can't give you more beer details, because I came for the vegan fish fry. Yes, you heard me right--VEGAN FISH FRY! :-D
Regarding the vegan fish fry ... WOW. ABSOLUTELY. YUM! It was crispy and greasy, with a fresh golden batter. The "fish" innards had a fantastic texture and flavor that tasted just like a meat fish fry to me. It was entirely delicious! The nice waitress told us it is made mostly out of Hearts of Palm. Whatever they do to prepare the innards, my hat's off to the chef, WELL DONE!
The vegan fish fry is served with vegan sides of french fries, coleslaw, macaroni salad, and tartar sauce. Maybe since the vegan fish was so good itself, I was underwhelmed by the sides. The portions were small. It was all served in a pile on a piece of paper in plastic wicker basket. The paper in my basket was cockeyed, and some of my food was oozing out of the plastic basket. I did not like the presentation, but everything tasted fine enough. The vegan tartar sauce was my favorite flavor in the sides, had a good tartness.
My husband had the meat fish fry. If you are looking for a traditional gluttonous WNY fish fry, The Beer Keep is NOT the place. A WNY fish fry should hang off the plate. This was a small rectangle fish patty. My husband said it tasted good enough, but no way worth the $15 price tag, compared to other fish fry platters out there in the 716.
One other cardinal-sin-omission from both fish fry platters--no bread. A WNY fish fry must have a piece of bread, even if it's just a slice of white bread tossed on top. That's just how we roll in the fish-fry-716. At $15 for the meat fish fry, and $16 for the vegan fish fry, both with pretty small portions, it really needed that bread.
Beyond the fish fry platters, the menu at The Beer Keep is small, a typical limited bar foods menu, but with a vegan twist. For most things, each dish is served either meaty or vegan. There were burgers, hot dogs, and chicken, all with the option of meat or vegan. There is also a meat or vegan Garbage Plate! About a half-dozen appetizers or so round out the short but satisfying menu. You sit at a table, fill out a menu card with the pencils provided, and bring your order to the bar. A bartender will bring your food when its ready.
We dined in on Friday evening. The space is split in two, with the bar and some booths on one side, and a dining room with some small and larger tables on the other side. The Beer Keep is definitely a fun hang out for anyone who likes a youthful crowd in a starkly lit and really loud atmosphere. I am old, and my eyes and ears fail me a bit more each day in my old'ing age, so definitely not my scene. It was so dark I could barely see my dinner or read the menu. But I get it, I used to appreciate dim bulbs and beer goggles, I know what the goal is here, haha. After 20+ years of togetherness with my husband, it's just not for me anymore. :-D
I'm still completely flabbergasted and WOWED by the hunk of vegan fish fry I had at The Beer Keep, and am hoping to make it in at least one more time before the end of lent to get it again. But this time I'll definitely go sometime during the light of day, so I can actually see my delicious fish. :-P