Do you want to know some of the best fish fries in The Lou? Look no further than this list of favorites compiled by one of our STLMom contributors!
Whether you’re a St. Louis native, a recent transplant, or somewhere in between, it doesn’t take long to get caught up in some of St. Louis’ most cherished cultural nuances. Enjoying the beauty and free attractions in Forest Park, float trips in the summer, trivia nights with friends, overeating toasted ravioli and gooey butter cake, and seeing the 650-foot tall Arch off in the distance are some of the things that make St. Louis special.
Of course, Cardinals baseball holds a special place in most of our hearts, as does earning the title of the second biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the country. But in between these two events comes a time where we kick off a series of 40 days where every Friday, hundreds of local churches and organizations host weekly fish fries.
Why?
Simply put, it’s the Lenten season observed by Christians around the world, which begins on Ash Wednesday (or the day after Fat Tuesday) and ends on Easter Sunday. Some Christians will opt to fast in some way or another during this period of time. For Catholics, especially, the most common form of fasting is a rule I grew up with: “no meat on Friday.”
No meat = a fish frenzy for all to enjoy! And what better method of cooking fish than to fry it all!
While the majority of locations that host fish fries are Catholic churches, a lot of other Christian churches and non-denominational organizations get in on the fish fry fun to bring the community together. Your religious beliefs and affiliations don’t matter – your love of fish (fried, baked, cod, tilapia, tacos, and more!), food, friends, and family are all you need for the next several Fridays.
And because St. Louis does not like to be outdone, we take our fish frying to another level with literally hundreds of fish fry options.
To help you pick your Friday dinner destinations for the next few weeks, I recently polled our St. Louis Mom’s Contributor Team. They were happy to share their personal favorites, so as you pack up your crew after a busy week and head out for some fish fry fun for dinner on Fridays over the next several weeks, be sure to check out their top-ranked fish fries:
Holy Trinity Catholic Church
505 Fountains Parkway, Fairview Heights, IL
Friday, February 16 and every Friday through March 29 from 3:30 – 7 pm
Immaculate Conception – Columbia, IL
411 Palmer Road, Columbia, IL 62236
Friday, February 14 and March 1, 15, 29 from 3 – 7 pm
St. Ferdinand Catholic Church
1765 Charbonier Road, Florissant, MO 63031
Runs every Friday, both during Lent and outside of Lent. 3 – 7 pm
St. Henry Catholic Church
5315 West Main Street, Belleville, IL 62226
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4 – 7:30 pm
St. Teresa
1201 Lebanon Avenue, #4095, Belleville, IL 62221
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7:30 pm
Epiphany of Our Lord
6596 Smiley Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63139
Dine-in and carryout options available. Friday, 2/16 from 4:30 – 7 pm, repeating every Friday until 3/22.
Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church
1910 Serbian Drive, St Louis, MO 63104
Every Friday of Lent beginning February 16 from 5 – 7:30 pm
St. Alphonsus Liguori “Rock” Catholic Church
1118 N Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63106
February 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 11 am – 5 pm
St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church
5418 Louisiana Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63111
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4:30 – 8 pm
St. Joan of Arc
6303 Nottingham Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63109
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
St. Mary Magdalen
3310 South Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63118
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
St. Pius V
3310 South Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63118
St. Stephen Protomartyr
3949 Wilmington Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63116
February 14, 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
Christ the King Church
7316 Balson Avenue, University City, MO 63130
Ash Wednesday Fish Fry 2/14 from 4 – 7 pm in the church basement. Other dates include 2/23 and 3/22.
St. Gerard Majella Parish
1969 Dougherty Ferry Road, Kirkwood, MO 63122
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm
Dine-in, Drive Thru, Carry Out, and Delivery (for parishioners unable to make it on their own due to illness or physical limitations)
St. Peter Catholic Church (Kirkwood)
243 West Argonne Drive, Kirkwood, MO 63122
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm
St. Simon the Apostle
11011 Mueller Rd, St. Louis, MO, United States, Missouri
February 14 + March 8 from 4 – 7 pm
American Legion Post 111 Fish Fries, Spring thru Fall
7300 Lansdowne Avenue, Shrewsbury, MO 63119
Mar 29 • Apr 12 + 26 • May 10 + 31 • June 14 + 28 • July 26 • Aug 9 + 23 • Sep 6 + 20 • Oct 4 + 1
11 am – 7 pn
Assumption Parish (Maltese)
4725 Mattis Road, St. Louis, MO 63128
February. 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Our Lady of Providence
8866 Pardee Road, St. Louis, MO 63123
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
Our Lady of Sorrows
5020 Rhodes Avenue. St. Louis, MO 63109
Ash Wednesday, February 14, February 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
St. Catherine Laboure
9740 Sappington Rd., Sappington, MO 63128
February 16, 23, + March 22 from 4:30- 7 pm
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
1420 Sappington Road, St. Louis, MO 63126
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4 – 8 pm
St. Francis of Assisi
4556 Telegraph Road, Oakville, MO
February 14, 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4 – 7 pm
St Justin Martyr
11910 Eddie + Park Road, St. Louis, MO 63126
March 1, 8
Seven Holy Founders
6737 S Rock Hill Road, Affton, MO 63123
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
Blessed Teresa School of Sacred Heart Parish
150 N. Elizabeth Avenue, Ferguson, MO 63135
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4:30 – 7 pm
Dine-in, Carryout, and Drive Thru options available
Holy Name of Jesus Church
10235 Ashbrook Drive, Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO
March 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4 – 6 pm
Our Lady of Guadalupe
17 Hawkesbury Drive, St. Louis, MO 63121
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 8 pm
St. Ferdinand
1765 Charbonier Road, Florissant, MO 63031
February 9, 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 3 – 7 pm
Ballwin VFW Post 6274
115 Mimosa Lane, Ballwin, Missouri 63011
First fish fry will be January 26 from 4:30 – 7 pm. Happy hour in the bar. Cash only.
Christ Prince of Peace
415 Weidman Road, Manchester, MO
February 16, 23 + March 1,8,15,22 from 4:45 – 7:30 pm
Holy Infant Catholic Church
627 Dennison Drive, Ballwin, MO 63021
February 16. 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm
Incarnate Word
13416 Olive Boulevard, Chesterfield, MO 63017
February 9, 16. 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
Most Sacred Heart Parish
350 E. 4th Street, Eureka, MO 63025
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
Our Lady of Pillar
350 E. 4th Street, Eureka, MO 63025
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm
Sacred Heart Valley Park
17 Ann Avenue, Valley Park, MO 63088
February 14, 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4 – 7 pm
St. Joseph Manchester
567 St. Joseph’s Lane, Manchester, MO 63021
February 16, 23 + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4:30 – 7:15
All Saints – St. Peters
7 McMenamy Road, St. Peters, MO 63376
February 16, 23 + March 1,8,15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
Immaculate Conception of Dardenne
7701 Town Square Avenue, Dardenne Prairie, MO
February 16, 23 + March 1,8,15, 22
Immaculate Heart of Mary
8 West Highway D, New Melle, MO 63365
February 16, 23 + March 1,8,15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
St. Charles Borromeo – St. Charles
601 North 4th Street, St. Charles, MO
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
St. Cletus – St. Charles
2705 Zumbehl Road, St. Charles, MO
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
Sts. Joachim and Ann
4112 McClay Road, St. Charles, MO 63304
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
St. Joseph’s – Wentzville
1390 Josephville Road, Wentzville, MO 63385
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4:30 – 6:30 pm
St. Patrick’s – Wentzville
405 S. Church Street, Wentzville, MO 63385
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
St. Peter Church – St. Charles
221 1st Capitol Drive, St. Charles, MO 63301
February 16, 23, + March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 4 – 7 pm
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, so we want to know which St. Louis area fish fry is your favorite?
