Stopped at Doug's on Friday night after spotting the sign from Route 81. I've been to Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles, so I expected good food, but I wasn't sure what the this location would be like. The location is near SUNY Cortland in a quiet plaza, with plenty of seating inside. I ordered the fish fry with fries and coleslaw, plus a fountain soda. Bonus points for the Pepsi flavor add-ins -- I went with vanilla. The fish was huge, golden, flaky inside, and crisp without being greasy or overly crunchy. The fries were cooked perfectly, and the coleslaw was a real side portion -- fresh, finely chopped, and not some tiny afterthought. Everything was also impressively clean: floors, tables, condiment area, tray return -- all spotless. The staff was friendly, and even the other diners were chatty and welcoming. I skipped dessert because I was full and still had a drive home, but they serve Perry's ice cream and fresh-made sundaes, so I already know what I'm trying next time. Somehow I had never stopped here before, but that may have to change. Well worth the stop, and I'll definitely be back. read more

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As someone that no longer lives in Upstate NY, Doug's Fish Fry is one of those things I miss!! I can't help but compare any fried fish sandwiches I have to Doug's. Naturally I was very happy to get to have some food from here again on my latest visit to NY. Whilst a bit pricey, the plate of food is very generous! I got a sandwich plate which came with fries and cole slaw. Cole slaw is one of those things that's simple yet so easy to mess up -- I love it at Doug's! The fries are softer which compliments the sandwich well. Overall, Doug's Fish Fry hits the spot everytime I'm able to come. Definitely recommend and will continue to return! read more

Doug's Fish Fry - Fish Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Cortland, New York

Doug's is always a great experience and always delicious! It is a very casual dining experience if you dine in. They have additional outdoor dining during the warmer months, but there is ample seating inside. I usually put in a pick-up order though, and that is a very smooth process every time. You are able to go straight to the end of the counter to grab your bag. Even though I'm not a huge seafood fan, I love their chicken tenders and fries! They don't taste fishy, which is nice! However, my family does like seafood and they always love whatever they get. Be sure to grab some free tartar sauce or cocktail sauce on your way to sit or throw some in your pick up bag! A great local place to stop by if you are in the area! read more

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Good prices, good dinners, especially the coleslaw, and good service. I was rather disappointed at all the flies coming around while I was eating. They need to do something about that. Sorry, but no photos of my fried shrimp dinner with fries and a heaping amount of coleslaw. read more

A classic fish fry place in the heart of Skanteatles. Ordering is efficient with small to-go sundaes at the register. Plenty of seating with benches, chairs, and high tops. Make sure you check out the sauce counter and get malt vinegar and the curry mustard. When your food is ready they'll shout your name and if you have left overs they'll wrap them in paper for you at the counter. They have some of our favorite slaw ever! read more

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We visit Doug's every year on our way to Syracuse for the fair. Always get the lunch special which is very good. Couldn't believe how expensive it got compared to last year. At $19.21 for a fish sandwich and 2 sides don't see how you can call it a special. read more

Tried to order food from the to-go truck today (8/31). The garbage AI system doubled the order of fries and coleslaw. I even called the store to help me, but to no avail. Someone else picked the order up for me, otherwise I would have refused the extra food. Will NOT be ordering through this system again! read more

As for years, service is the best. Food good although pricey. Disappointed that there are no outside umbrellas at the picnic tables. Asked a few months ago & was told they're getting them soon. It is now almost August read more

Well, let's start with the fish fry sandwich. Compared to the fish Cove in North Syracuse, Doug's fish fry has absolutely no taste. First of all it is not seasoned well, but most importantly they take the skin off of the fish and that takes away a lot of flavor. Another irritating thing is they put such a small amount of fish on the sandwich that you wonder how they can justify charging the high prices they put on these items. Also, the sandwich comes plain without any tartar sauce or whatever your choice of topping would be ....you have to put it on yourself. Which brings me to the bun. Why in the world would I get a fish sandwich on a hamburger bun? The fish doesn't fit on it and it's just the wrong kind of bread for a fish sandwich. It should be a submarine roll and there should be two pieces of fish, delicious and delightful, but that's not what you get at Doug's fish fry. Another thing is we got the dinner with the onion rings. I am not a fan of onion rings that have cornmeal added to the outside. in addition, the vast majority of our onion rings were in shreds. I think I counted three onion rings that were still whole. I felt like I was eating spaghetti, not onion RINGS!! the coleslaw was beautiful and tasted pretty good and was nice and cold. That was about the best part of the meal. So bottom line is we paid an extreme amount of money for a fish dinner that wasn't even worth half of what we paid for it. I do not recommend this restaurant at all!! read more

Doug's is the best!! I don't live in Cortland, but every time I am here, we have Doug's for dinner!! The staff is so friendly, and the restaurant is always clean. They always have music playing, and everyone there is smiling. read more

What a wonderful local place with a kind staff and great prices. As I walked in it felt like I walked through a time warp Where everything was like it was in 1980s and wonderfully so . I really enjoyed this fish fry everything was fresh the locals love it and I enjoyed my time . If you are in the area enjoy This wonderful place . read more

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Fish was absolutely fantastic. I had a lobster roll that would have made any Maine fish and chip shop proud, stuffed with fresh lobster and delicious buttery sauce. Wife and daughter had fish and chips and salmon and chips and both were excellent. Chips were clean and well fried, obviously they clean and change their fryer oil daily or even more often. Only reason for leas than 5 stars is outside seating out the back is airless and kind of oppressive hot on a muggy day. Food and service though is spot on. read more

Very disappointed. The fish was not fresh. The fillet was 1/4" thick. Total rip off.

Doug's is right near our house so we have been going here for years. The inside is super fun, lots of nautical themed decor and little fishermen everywhere. I'm so sad to report that they changed the food and the quality has dropped. The fish sandwich was pretty good but the coleslaw was all liquid and didn't taste right. And they changed the fries! They used to offer hand cut French fries but these were obviously a frozen product, hard and stale. The scallops were very yummy. The staff are always kind and helpful. I'm just disappointed that we didn't get the meal we were expecting, I thought this would be an easy 5 star review! read more

Doug's Fish Fry - Scallops - Seafood Near Me - Cortland, New York

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All I can say is WOW.... Our first time. We ordered the fish sandwich's and the fish is very well portioned and cook to perfection. Crispy and lightly coated with exceptional taste !!! I don't know which sauce is better the red or white ... so I put the white on the sandwich and used the red to dip the over hang ... works ... lol We will be back read more

Doug's Fish Fry - Yes it that big of a sandwich. - Seafood Near Me - Cortland, New York

I have been going to Cortland Doug's my whole life. Just recently something changed with the fish and I am extremely sad about it. Ive gotten in 3 different times within the last few months and the fish has been really gross. What the heck is going on?!? read more

Love this place! They have the best lobster roll I've ever had. A little on the pricy side but totally worth it! It didn't come with a side so I'd recommend ordering something extra if you have a big appetite. read more

Doug's Fish Fry - Grilled Lobster Roll - Seafood Near Me - Cortland, New York

This is my favorite Doug's! Spacious restaurant! Very casual and very tasty! The portions are generous and the price is comparable to a dine in ....but it never disappoints! Love this Central New York staple! read more

Great little place. Very cool people and delicious food. You can't go wrong eating here.

I'd never been to a restaurant in Cortland before visiting here - and the reviews looked really good so I had to come give it a try. I came at around 3 PM and had already eaten lunch, so I only ordered the seafood gumbo. I had friends who were hungry and ordered actual food, however. The seafood gumbo was honestly quite disappointing - there was barely any fish in it and it tasted like I was having a runny tomato sauce. However, the fish sandwich was quite good - I'd actually recommend getting the extra bread option as they do not skimp on the fish. The restaurant is also surprisingly expensive, especially for its location. You can expect to pay upwards of $15 for a meal very easily. My gumbo set me back $4 and it isn't exactly large. read more

Doug's Fish Fry - Seafood gumbo - Seafood Near Me - Cortland, New York

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Best seafood restaurant in the area. Always stop by here on my way through, the scallops are always delicious. Staff is always friendly and attentive. Can't wait for my next visit in the area! read more

always provides big delicious portions, very fresh. the perfect amount of tartar sauce provided as well. read more

Food not up to Doug's usual high food quality standard last 2 visits. Also a huge disappointment was the obnoxious cleanup crew making excessive table noise all around us accompanied greatly increased music speaker volume at least 45 minutes before closing time. read more

We were passing thru town and had a pleasant experience. Friendly team, clean place and solid food overall. I appreciated stumbling across this nice surprise on the go. I find it more rare these days that places do these few things really well. Nice job guys! Hopefully my note finds you guys ready for a great year... read more

I had been to the Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles so when I was fairly close to Cortland I figured I would try the Doug's Fish Fry there for lunch. Located in a stand alone building in front of a strip mall, Doug's is more of an everyday restaurant. The decor is casual and a bit funky, with a good amount of light wood. The menu of course leans heavily on fish, seafood and fried foods, it includes lunch specials. I ordered the fish sandwich lunch special with onion rings and gumbo which also includes a drink. All of the food was prepared fresh for the order and came up in a reasonable time. In the dining room there is the self serve drinks area and the condiments. The fish is a generous filet of fresh white fish perfectly battered and fried. Somehow Doug's manages to make a perfect fried fish where the batter stays on the fish as you eat it. The onion rings are also lightly battered and fried, slightly sweet and just a bit oily; near perfect onion rings. The gumbo was very nice mild tomato based soup with fish, small shrimp and okra; a nice compliment to the fried food. Doug's Cortland is very good, well worth a visit if you are in the area and looking for some fish or seafood. read more

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I had heard about this place quite a bit and when I finally visited the Syracuse area (09/21), I was ready to try it. The best reviewed location is in Skaneateles, but this one was on the way and convenient. We went in just as it opened, which turned out to be a smart choice. So when you are in a spot that does something well, such as seafood, and you aren't as accustomed to having that good of seafood readily available, making a selection can be overwhelming. However I had already been persuaded to have the fish sandwich. Doug's doesn't play. Look up the food porn here or at their other locations and they do it up consistently. The fish was hot and battered nicely. It held up well and was well seasoned. My onion rings were also done up right. I tried the tartar sauce, which I am not usually a fan of, and it was really good. This local chain (if a couple of locations makes it one) is really popular in the area, and with good reason. Back in Texas, I reminisce about this place and all the other great food I had on my visit to the Syracuse area. If I were to go back to upstate NY, I absolutely would repeat a visit to Doug's. read more

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On 7-5-23 I ordered my fish fry dinner (to go), then realized that I was severely heat-stressed, from having driven 300 miles in the heat without AC in my car. I then went to the side counter and asked the lady there for water. I said "Can you please get me a glass of water? I'm severely heat stressed and feel dizzy and weak" A few minutes later she brought me an EMPTY cup. I said "It's empty" she said "You can go get it yourself" "I said "like I said before, I'm dizzy, weak and heat stressed" she said "Oh well, and walked away. I almost didn't make it to my car due to severe heat stress and I later ended up receiving medical care because of dehydration and heat stress. That's some toxic customer service there at Doug's fish fry. read more

Doug's Fish Fry - here's my receipt. - Seafood Near Me - Cortland, New York

Have been going there since they opened never had a bad meal always great food and service

the restaurant is clean and the service is really quick! the fried fish was really good with their tartar sauce which they serve on the side in little to-go containers. but even better was their cocktail sauce which also is in little to-go containers by the register. i also appreciated how they had lemon juice packets in the self-serve condiment section! the onion rings were legit and EXTRA CRISPY! and the cole slaw was yummy (though not the best ive had). i also had a side of the seafood chowder but it was watery and not that flavorful so i wouldn't recommend getting it! but the fried fish and the onion rings are a must! read more

Doug's Fish Fry - fry fish onion dinner - Seafood Near Me - Cortland, New York

Absolute Joke. They went to frozen fish to save some pennies and sell us that at the same price as fresh fish. How disgusting can you be as management. Might as well go to McDonald's for frozen fish at a cheaper price. Will be going to cortland sea food from here on out. ​ read more

Doug's is the best. The food is always so fresh and tasty! Don't miss the onion ring- best in the area. I love the Bam Bam shrimp- a recent addition- but I have never had a bad meal here. read more

As we were driving through Cortland around dinnertime, it was discouraging to see so many closed restaurants. But as we approached the strip mall, the bright lights of Doug's Fish Fry shined through the snow squall. I just had a warm feeling and knew we were going to eat well tonight. We came in from the cold, checked out the menu screens, gave our order at the front counter and grabbed a table to await our food. Downside is that not everything is available everyday, so you might want to plan what day you come to Doug's. I wanted oysters, but they're available only on the weekend and we came on a Monday. Clam strips are only on Tues, Calamari on Thurs and Lobster Bisque is on Fri, Sat & Sun. Fried Fish, Shrimp & Scallops are everyday items and you can get them as dinners or sandwiches with a choice of French Fries or Onion Rings (small upcharge). Seafood Chowder & Doug's Gumbo are available everyday as well. A small cup of chowder is $3. It's a little more watery than I prefer, but it's packed with seafood and it's pretty good with oyster crackers. My son got the Shrimp Po' Boy and was disappointed that there were only 5 shrimp. He should have gotten the dinner portion. I got the Fried Scallops with Onion Rings and it was excellent. I got about a dozen flavorful scallops, but the onion rings were fabtastic. Lightly battered and crispy, flaky are how onion rings are perfectly made. I tried my sons french fries and they were a little chewy, not how freshly fried potatoes are supposed to be. There was no snap. Even ketchup couldn't help them. All entrees are served with a cup of cole slaw and homemade tartar sauce. You know what would be good? I wish they would add a Fisherman's platter with a mix of shrimp, scallops & fish. I would order that all the time! Maybe a side order of oysters, too...hmmm. And wash it all down with a cup of Doug's Pale Ale and that would be perfection. read more

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Doug's has been a family favorite for many years, and out-of-town relatives always insist on going there when they visit. Sad to say that Doug's prices have recently spiked and the portions we've gotten have been smaller, so we now wait for Friday night specials at Pontillo's and the Hollywood for fish and chips. That said, the Doug's staff has been unfailingly kind and very competent since they opened, and their hot fudge sundaes are the best in Cortland County. read more

The service was fast but the food is lacking in flavor and fresh options. However, if you absolutely need something quick to pick up for the road this isn't a terrible spot. read more

It was just OK for us. We got chicken tenders, a fish sandwich, fries, and Mac and cheese. I thought the breading on the chicken tenders was a bit odd and the flavor wasn't really there, but it's a seafood place so I probably just shouldn't have picked chicken tenders. Fish sandwich was alright, both of us were disappointed with the Mac and cheese. It fed us, but it was $27 all together for the meal! It wasn't really worth it in my opinion. read more

Doug's Fish Fry - Fish Sandwich Lunch Just Some Chicken Mac & Cheese - Seafood Near Me - Cortland, New York

I went to the Cortland location when I was vacationing in Ithaca. Food was great. Shocked the fish was this good so far inland but it was! If you like fried seafood this is your place. read more

I am from Maryland and come to the area every couple months to see my Mother. Love Doug's Fish Fry and try to get some whenever here. Mom loves lobster rolls and was excited to try Doug's today. We did and were disappointed. It was tasty however way too small for $24. Not sure why as their portions are always hefty. Will be back again as I love me some Doug's. R. Bates read more

First, the fish fries are delicious. Hands down. The soups, well, they are far less desirable. The gumbo was weak in flavor and zest. When one orders gumbo, it needs flavor and zest. The seafood chowder was like it was made with skim milk. Very disappointing for $9. But the fish was delicious. read more

I really like to go and get the chicken dinner. The rest of the family gets haddock dinners. It is a nice family restaurant and plenty of room. It's always very clean even their restrooms. We only go every now and then just because their prices have gone up more than expected. We still love to go but have to budget well. read more

I sure wish there was a Doug's in Syracuse. Whenever I am in Cortland, I order two fish sandwiches and a side of onion rings for me and my wife. Back home things are pretty cool and soggy. So, I pop them in the oven for 5 minutes until things heat up and become crisper. A lot of food, we have enough for three people, so one of us will have the leftovers for lunch the next day. read more