Fish Fry Faceoff: Last-minute rallies and Cinderella stories lead to Elite 8 matchups

Tracy Schuhmacher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·2 min read
The Elite 8 for the 2023 ROC Fish Fry Faceoff
The Elite 8 for the 2023 ROC Fish Fry Faceoff

Two Cinderella stories and a friendly but fierce family rivalry were among the highlights of week two of the ROC Fish Fry Faceoff.

∎ The Fried Fish Shack (16), located on Joseph Avenue, pulled off a come-from-behind victory over Lucca's Northside Kitchen (9) in East Rochester after beating the venerable Captain Jim's Fish Market (1) in round one.

∎ And Fairport's Underpass Bar and Grill (15) rallied late in the week to unseat Katie's Kitchen at The Avenue Pub (10). In round one, it shockingly topped its rival from two minutes down the road, Fairfield's Bar and Grill, one of the top five finishers in our 2019 poll.

More:Unassuming fish market a hot spot for fish fry in North Winton Village

∎ In the all-in-the-family battle of Davies Seafood (3) vs Kithnos Seafood Market (6), Dad started out strong and never lost his lead. Dimitrios Banitskas — known to his customers as Jimmy — owns Davies Seafood but started Kithnos in 1984. His son, Tim Banitskas, and nephew, Nathan Campanis. took over Kithnos in 2017; it is just north of Route 104.

More:Dueling fish fries: Family members face off in fish fry bracket

Here are the rounds for Elite 8, which will be open for voting through Sunday, March 12.

Fried Fish Shack (16) vs Chick'n Out (5)

The city-vs-city matchup of Fried Fish Shack vs Chick’n Out is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it represents the battle of Southern-style fish fries, with cornmeal in the equation at both places. It also is a head-to-head matchup of social media juggernauts. Both are active on Tik Tok and Instagram, with Fried Fish Shack offering slice-of-life windows into its Joseph Avenue neighborhood and Chick'n Out showing off its mouth-watering food.

Mama Lor's Café (6) vs Underpass Bar & Grill (15)

Ordinarily, I might think that Mama Lor's Café having two locations in Webster might work in its favor, but at this point I wouldn't count out Underpass Bar & Grill. The only remaining Fairport contestant still in the mix, Underpass opened in the former home to Shooters Sports Bar & Grill in 2021.

Stone's Countryside Tavern (9) vs Charlie Riedel's (4)

One of the two remaining top-5 finishers in our 2019 poll, Stone's Countryside Tavern in Churchville will take on Charlie's, which has locations in Webster, Ontario and Canandaigua.

Davies Seafood (3) vs Parkway Family Restaurant (2)

The final matchup is between two longstanding establishments in Greece. Davies Seafood, which has been around since 1936, will take on the Parkway Family Restaurant, which dates back to 1977 and was a top-5 finisher in our 2019 poll.

What to know

  • Voting for the Elite 8 round matchups begins March 8 and ends March 12.

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

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Best fish fry in Rochesster NY: Elite 8 vying for top spot