Captain Alex Seafood

We dropped in here and tried ½ lb of fried smelt and ½ lb of fried oysters. Products are pre-​breaded and fried upon purchase out of the freezer. The Albanian guy behind the counter was a friendly and fun guy to do business with. Our order made for an ok and hot afternoon snack. There is a lot of breading on their products so you get a lot of the same breading flavor and a somewhat muted flavor of the underlying seafood. They have a convenient location for pick up right on Milwaukee Ave and a few convenient parking spots right out front. They’ll take credit card if the order is over $ 10.

This place looks like it was once a decent place that hasn’t been able to keep up with the rest. The pre-​made fish and shrimp looks like its been there since last year. Pro-​Tip: Fresh whole fish has clear eyes, fresh fish meat when gently pressed should rebound back.
My family has enjoyed their seafood for several years and have bought yearly from them for the holidays. The last two years I went with my mother as she is getting older. When you go shopping for seafood, it’s comforting to know details about the seafood you eat.
The attitude and demeanor of the older gentleman with the glasses are very, very poor and quite consist from last year. I’m about supporting local businesses, but his carelessness and rudeness is not acceptable anymore.
This year we asked for three pounds of tuna. He responds, «MAYBE»… He goes back and brings out a two foot whole filet from the back, doesn’t show us what he brought, proceeds to randomly cut the fish into three DIFFERENT sizes totaling three pounds, I was watching this guy like it was his first time working there, cringing.
He recognizes us and mentions that my mother and I have been there last year and that she comes in yearly.
The last thing he said was, «See you next year».
Yeah, «Maybe»
We did not ask for three randomly sized tunas equivalent to three pounds. I would have asked, «Three steak tuna in an assorted sizes totaling three pounds, please». We would have been more than happy if it was +/​-​whatever ounces as long as it was one piece of tuna, this isn’t deli meat.
He had no patience to accommodate us, like last year, and this year it was even worse. We felt like he just wanted to sabotage it. He didn’t tell us how much the price per pound it was, what kind of tuna, where, when it was caught, etc. It would be different if it was just myself that felt that way but it wasn’t. My mother that has been going to this place for almost a decade was offended and said she will never go there again. No one deserves that kind of experience.
He kept saying the word «fresh» over and over again, and now I’m questioning that If it was fresh wouldn’t he be able to recall how fresh the tuna was?

So why do I give 2 stars? The attitude. I’ve gone in twice now just to see if the attitude was there. Low and behold it was, each time by a different person.
The food is fine, but if somebody wants to get a ¼ pound of this and a little bit of that, do you really need to say, «a quarter pound? really? you gotta be kidding me.» And start tossing in the pieces into the box like you can’t believe this guy just order only ¼ pound of jumbo shrimp. I don’t freakin need A POUND of JUMBO SHRIMP or a POUND of SMELT.
So buyer beware, order less than a pound of something and get ready for some attitude.

I’ve just started frequenting this place for fresh fish purchases. The other reviewers are correct about the place being kind of empty… BUT, whatever I have purchased has been impeccably fresh. I believe most of their business is commercial, so there is not a lot of reason to fill the cases. The last time I went in I purchased Gulf shrimp and asked for frozen ones since I wanted them for the freezer. I was told they come in fresh. I bought a pound and also a couple of Lake Eerie Walleye fillets that I was also told came in fresh, not frozen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen these items anywhere that weren’t previous frozen. Needless to say, both items were FABULOUS and very fresh. Don’t let what you see (or don’t see) in the case scare you away. Ask what else is available, or call ahead. Back in May I called ahead for soft shell crab… AWESOME!
On the minus side… their hours are short, they close by 4pm, so its hard for me to get there other than the weekend. But again, there isn’t much reason for them to be there late if the bulk of their business is commercial.
Prices are competitive and may be a bargain for the quality I experienced.

So I’ve driven by this place many times right, but often I wouldn’t see many people standing inside or even a single sole. (Get it, like the fish, but soul. Ok, whatever) For some reason I always thought this was a fish place for aquarium hobbyists until I took a closer look at the shop. Before you call me silly, most might remember a hobby aquarium shop being in this vicinity of Milwaukee some years ago.
So far I’ve checked it out a couple times and here’s what I can tell you. It’s a spot to pick up fresh fish and seafood for frying, baking, whatever. If you like fried foods maybe you want to sample a few of the fried seafood items they prepare. Per Alex, they get a lot of business during the holidays and for summer barbecues. I don’t think I’ve ever thought to prepare fish on the barbecue, that was something my parent’s were into. Stand in their shop any amount of time and look into their cases and see these massive pieces of fresh fish, you start thinking about the possibilities. However, its bleak in here. A white room which is dated with a few knick knacks indicating that it’s a fish shop. This place has witnessed time pass it by. As if like a time capsule. The fish cases only contain a few pieces of three or four types of fish on ice and for the person which is accustomed to eating fish daily, the selection would probably send most packing. Of course there is a wall menu with many names of fish available and maybe you need only ask to see what they have.
Per a certification posted on their wall given by a group which practices sustainability, this seafood shop supplies Shaw’s Crab house with seafood products. Probably one of many suppliers which do so but it’s a cool to know fact about them.
Per Steve L. «it’s a great place for fried smelt» Depending on who is manning the fryers, make sure they are fried how you like them. I got some the other day and I think it could have been in the fryer longer. Peep the photos, taken right after receiving the order. A darker color on the coating would have made them look more appetizing and tasty. It didn’t have that golden or golden brown color. On a previous visit where the Captain fried up some Xtra large Gulf shrimps for me, the order came out perfectly fried and with that appetizing golden brown color. When ordering fried food on the spot, it’s good to know whether the oil is fresh and or if the fryers were on previously. Make sure you tell them to do a good job on the frying and that you don’t mind waiting for good product. I didn’t think I would have to explain that since the first time was a LOT better. Oh well. My old man loves smelt but wasn’t as thrilled with what they had here. Too bad they don’t offer a prepared fish sandwich, that’s one item I would drive somewhere for. The fried items I’ve had were Okay. Unless I need a large amount of fish for a gathering or barbecue, this is a one and done stop for me.

A place to get your fill of fried seafood to go. good shrimp, very good scallops, good selection of fresh fish, few places out in the area but still does not compare to fish keg in chicago.