Top 3 fish and chips in St. Louis

Nobody wants to go overboard after a few pints. Before waving the white flag at the bar, order fish and chips to help with those sea legs. Don’t waste time with second-rate renditions of this quintessential pub meal. Only hand-battered fish and house-made chips were shipshape enough to be declared the best in town.

1. Schlafly Tap Room
2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314.241.2337, schlafly.com/tap-room

Hefeweizen batter embraces fresh pollock and is accompanied by the familiar saltiness of classic, thin-cut fries. The pollock works best with a touch of malt vinegar and a spritz of lemon juice, but the house tartar sauce deserves a medal. Smooth with bold dill pickle flavor, the fry-friendly sauce is sure to please the legions. Choose an effervescent, bright beer for the best pairing, like the Schlafly TIPA.

2. Dressel’s Public House
419 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.361.1060, dresselspublichouse.com

Fresh haddock is beer-battered and paired with house-made American chips the Brits would call crisps. The fillet has just the right amount of batter and is equally delicious on its own, with malt vinegar or the classic house tartar sauce, which is smooth and tangy. You’ll want to savor every last crunchy chip, too. A slice of lemon and house-made pickles complete this coalition of flavors that can stand up to the stoutest beer.

3. Square One Brewery
1727 Park Ave., St. Louis, 314.231.2537, squareonebrewery.com

Square One’s titanic chunk of grouper will fill you to the gunwales. It’s thick and meaty enough to cause pleasant fried chicken flashbacks and comes with bulky, crispy-yet-fluffy hand-cut fries. Be sure to sink both into the sweet, mustard seed-studded rémoulade. Pair this dish with the brewery’s Park Avenue pale ale or Bavarian weizen for a complete taste brigade.

Andrew Barrett is a contributor at Sauce Magazine.