O-Jan’s Fish Stand

Nice day trip up the river road! Hot fish out on the patio! Nothing fancy, but plenty fun & flavorful cheap eats!

These folks definitely seem like they’re unhappy with their lives. Food was bland. Fish overcooked. Tartar sauce more like lame sauce. Took a really long time just to get deep fry.
There are better choices in Graffton. A nice little town.

My wife and I were in Grafton to meet someone. They picked O-Jan’s Fish stand as the meeting place. I was fine with that since I love fried fish, I love new places and was looking forward to trying their fare. Well, it seemed the staff had other opinions and we ended up leaving disappointed with the way we were treated.
We walked up to the building, we had never been there before, and ended up walking into the wrong door. We had walked into the market side. When I asked how we ordered food a large woman snapped at me and said, «You don’t order inside you go to the window.» Now I know that doesn’t sound bad, but it was in the way she said it. She spoke with an obvious attitude and we got the impression we had just greatly inconvenienced her by making her walk ten feet. We apologized and left the building. We walked around to the order window and started looking at the menu. As I stood there I pondered the way we were just treated. I decided I didn’t need to patronize a business that can’t treat me like a decent person. I looked at my wife and said, «I don’t feel like giving them our money today.» We walked to the Grafton Harbor and decided the Big Kahuna could make better use of our money, which turned out to be a good choice.
Grafton already has very little to offer, and this didn’t help their argument at all.

It is what it is and what it is, is a piece of Americana at its’ best. O-Jan’s is a small shack of a building with a deck wrapped around the side for seating. You are served on paper plates and a cardboard box is your serving tray. You want a beverage? There’s a soda machine on the deck to satisfy your thirst.
We were in Grafton and figured what a perfect place to experience a fried catfish sandwich. O’Jan also offered shrimp, clams and other fish, but we went with «local» catfish. The fish is fried to order and when it’s ready, they yell your name out the window. The fish is covered in a thin cornmeal breading, giving you the true taste of river catfish. They give you a choice, but my fish always has to be on rye bread.
Our side order of fries were the typical crinkle cut, out of a freezer bag fries. This was okay, when dining at O-Jan’s it’s all about the fish. We also had an order of frog legs. My friend Norma enjoyed them, I just sampled a small piece. Yes, frog legs do taste like chicken, but I just cannot bring myself to eat Kermit. Just like I cannot eat Bambi. However, I will always be able to eat Miss Piggy.
Prices are reasonable, their service is Flo from Mel’s Diner, the ambiance is country picnic tables and the view of the river is breathtaking.

When i’m out birding solo, i like to stop here for the fried turtle, then go to the upper deck to scan the small river islands out back for birds. Nice, laid-​back kind of place.

All the fish is from frozen. I ate the Whitefish sandwich which was terrible. It was over cook, dry and the breading had no flavor or spices. SKIP THIS PLACE.

Been coming here since I was a little boy. The building has grown a little through the years. Simple, tasty, fried fish. Price is fair. They do have some indoor seats but mostly outdoor benches. Plenty of parking in the back. They do have restrooms. We always stop here on our way to Eckert’s for apple picking.
When the weather is nice, try sitting on the upper deck and watch the river run by!

We went here for dinner on the way back to St. Louis. The lady who took our order was I think ready to go home. The food is ok, we went upstairs to eat because there was no light downstairs on the main floor. In fact, I had to get a flashlight in our van to just see what we were eating. Can they provide lighting while they are still open and people are still eating?

Gear fish, battered and fried right when you order it!

O’Jan’s is a classic in Grafton, IL. Fish is Damn good, so is the pork tenderloin sandwich. For about 8 bucks, you can get several different fish choices, plus 2 sides. Great view of the river while dining.

We decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and make our way into Grafton. Upon reaching there, it was readily apparent that others were on the same brainwave! Rather than head to the Loading Dock, we thought it best to try a new place, and found ourselves here at O’Jan’s. This place is half store and half restaurant. They mostly have fish, frog legs, burgers and the like — the kind of stuff you’d find at a riverfront establishment. They’ve got mostly outdoor seating on picnic tables on their two-​story deck. The property sits right on the water and has a sign facing Main Street where the water level was during the flood of ’93.
We ordered catfish fillets, fries, coleslaw, and hush puppies, then proceeded to the store to pick up beers. The fish was made fresh to order. In fact, no sooner had we made our order than one of the women behind the counter started dredging fish in flour. The fish was crispy, hot, and not too heavy. Overall, it was damn good with cold beer! The fries were just «mehh.» They kinda tasted like the fish — maybe because they used the same cooking oil? The slaw was vinegar-​based and was alright. The hush puppies on the other hand, sealed the deal. These babies were… awesome! We probably should have asked for 2 more orders because they were that good. They were well-​seasoned, had a great texture, and went well with the catfish. We’ll definitely come back again for cold beer, fish and hush puppies, and for a shot at the frog legs!
FYI, there’s parking right in front of the place, otherwise you’ll have to find it on Main Street.