Coleman Fish Market - Wheeling WV classic

I have been keeping close to home since I twisted my ankle last week, but since it was feeling better and the weather was beautiful, I decided to take a ride down to Wheeling, WV and check out Coleman's Fish Market.  I had heard about it from the Cleveland BMW Motorcycles Owners club and it sounded like a great ride and an interesting place to check out.  To get there I cruised down past Canton and picked up Ohio Route 250 which proceeds to meander down to Wheeling; the road has some nice twists and turns, especially after you pass Cadiz.  The ride was about 2 1/2 hours, and I located the Center Market without much trouble (map is here).  The market is a couple of buildings with Coleman's in the middle, with some local artist exhibits at one end and a couple of food places, but overall nothing too big.  The surrounding area seems to specialize in antiques.

Once you find Coleman's you see that it is an actual fish market along one side with fresh fish and seafood and then a counter at the end to order prepared food.  You can see the menu at this link, although prices have gone up a bit, the menu is still simple and very affordable.   One thing that was a bit hard to figure out was there were two different lines, going around to the right would allow you to order the regular items which come up quickly, on the left is the special items.  I ended up ordering the Canadian white fish sandwich, the fried clams and onion rings.  The portion sizes on each were extremely generous, especially considering the prices.  The fish was 4 or 5 medium sized fillets served between two slices of white bread, the fish was nicely breaded and fried and very fresh, add the tarter sauce (which you have to order and pay for) and you have a very good classic fish sandwich.  The clams were also nice and came with a mild cocktail sauce for dipping.  The generous portion of onion rings had a classic batter and were tasty with a nice balance of sweet onion to batter.  There are plenty of tables nearby to eat at.

Coleman's provides very fresh fish prepared in a classic American style with very little fuss and muss.  You are not going to find anything radical or even terribly modern, but the value is outstanding and the food is fresh and tasty.  If you are down near Wheeling WV it is definitely worth checking out for some good affordable grub.