Fish Fry Faceoff: Last chance to vote for Rochester's favorite fish fry

UPDATE: Voting is over! The winner will be announced Wednesday, March 29.

After four rounds and nearly 123,000 votes, it's all come down to this: the finals for the Rochester Fish Fry Faceoff, and what a matchup it is.

On one side, a venerable family establishment, now in its third generation. On the other, a young whippersnapper who has followed an untraditional path to prominence. They were seeded 4 and 5, respectively, in this tournament.

Let's take a look at the stories behind our final two.

Charlie Riedel's (4)

Charlie Riedel opened his eponymous restaurant on Empire Boulevard near the Penfield/Webster town line in 1969. He subsequently launched two restaurants that are still in business today: One at 552 Route 104 in Ontario, Wayne County, and the other at 3140 County Road 10 in Canandaigua, Ontario County.

Riedel died in 2021 at age 92, but his legacy continues. Craig and Erin Riedel and Katie Perkins, his grandchildren, run the Empire Boulevard location along with their father, Jeff, who is semi-retired. Tracy Riedel, Charlie's daughter, runs the location in Ontario. And Scott Hogle, a longtime Charlie's employee, runs the restaurant in Canandaigua as an independent franchise.

Breaded fish fries, which have been on the menu since the beginning, are served daily. Online ordering for Penfield and Ontario is available at charlieswebster.com. Order from the Canandaigua location at charliescanandaigua.com.

Fun facts:

∎ The name Riedel is pronounced REED-uhl.

∎ The original location is at 1843 Empire Blvd. in Penfield, but the address is in the Webster school district and has a Webster mailing address. The family considers it to be its Webster location.

Chick'n Out

Adam Bierton started Chick'n Out as a pop-up at the Blossom Road Pub in the summer of 2019. Word spread, and within weeks customers were waiting up to two hours for fried chicken and sides. He had ambitious plans to launch a restaurant, but they were put on hold during the COVID-19 shutdowns. In the meantime, he launched a series of pop-ups from various restaurant kitchens.

He is now at work on a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 37 Charlotte St. in the East End, and is eyeing a midsummer opening. For now, Chick'n Out is offering takeout from the building's entrance on Mathews Street, a one-way street that runs off East Avenue next to Spot Coffee.

A Southern-style fish fry is offered on Fridays. Haddock is coated in a combination of cornmeal and flour and dusted with the same seasonings as its chicken, which comes in three levels of spice. Ordering goes live at 9 a.m. Fridays at chicknoutroc.com and it's a good idea to order early. Pickup takes place between 5 and 10 p.m.

Fun fact: Bierton is a professional pumpkin carver who has competed on The Food Network three times, winning once.

Vote now

∎ Voting for the final round begins March 22 and ends March 26.

∎ Play fair: Vote once per matchup, per round.

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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who has the best fish fry in Rochester NY? Here's your chance vote