I took a trip to The Yard in Manlius, New York and discovered Cafe Jarosz. Fried haddock was on the menu!

Presentation: I received my order from the food truck and it was presented as a tower of fish – I think there were three pieces in the bun propped on a bed of crinkle cut fries. Coleslaw had been placed in a small container. The meal came with tartar sauce and ketchup. It was $15.

Taste: The fish batter had a Kentucky Fried Chicken flavor. Crispy and tender and so fun to eat. The coleslaw tasted traditional and the fries too. Everything felt very much, like, familiar.

I’m not a huge fan of food trucks – that whole temporary thing weirds me out or maybe it is because it’s a road vehicle that combines moving around the region with cooking that doesn’t seem sanitary. But, with that said, this meal is probably up there in the Karen Tash local fish fry Hall of Fame, which has not yet been established but sounds like high praise so I will allow it and thank my past self when the time comes to reveal it. Yes, it was really that good!

Restaurant Experience: I guess The Yard had that fun “let’s explore this place” factor, which lead from the bar to the cafe to the food truck and the outdoor seating area, and that adventure was lovely. It was a beautiful day and I wondered how the businesses faired in poorer climate conditions.

I imagined becoming a vendor to sell my art and jewelry but in that daydream, it would always need to be a gorgeous seventy-eight degree weather day and I would need more variety in the menu choices of Cafe Jarosz, because haddock is a Friday only special (and very if-fy on Saturdays)

Location: The Yard is located at 604 E Seneca St, Manlius, NY 13104. Cafe Jarosz is a small eat-in restaurant with a food truck parked in the rear that exists within The Yard compound, which includes a mall style shopping experience paired with artisan shops housed in old shipping containers and an outdoor space with a fully stocked bar/brewery.

Parking: There is a long row of parking spaces to the left of the property with handicapped parking in the middle. It wasn’t that busy at 3;30 PM on Saturday because they didn’t have any live music scheduled at that time, but I believe it gets more traffic in the evenings.