Beginning on Ash Wednesday and continuing from the following Friday every Friday through Easter, you can find excellent fresh fish and other seafood in chips in Catholic churches, fire rooms, and community buildings throughout the greater Pittsburgh area. Fried fish sandwiches are the mainstay of these popular Lenten fries, but you’ll generally also find other seafood and non-meat products like pierogies, shrimp, clam chowder, crab cakes, haluski, coleslaw, and mac n cheese. Try a different fried fish every Friday!
Where to find them
The best place to start your search for a new fish fry to try is the annual Parish Fish Fry Guide published in the Pittsburgh Catholic. This popular guide provides details on Lenten fries hosted by nearly 100 parishes in Allegheny and the surrounding counties of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Another great resource is this free Lenten Chips Map of Pittsburgh created by Hollen Barmer.
French fries in Pittsburgh are not limited to Catholic churches. Many other churches offer fish dinners at this time of year, as do some volunteer fire departments, area restaurants, and community organizations. In Collier Township, for example, the Presto Volunteer Fire Department hosts several Friday Fish Fries to eat or take out. CNH Javor Hall, located at the corner of East and Foreland streets on the north side of Pittsburgh, will sell fish and shrimp dinners every Friday during Lent.
If you don’t want to limit yourself to Fridays, then Pittsburgh restaurants with a good fish sandwich include Original Oyster House in Market Square, Benkovitz Seafood and Wholey’s in the Strip District, and McGinnis Sisters in Monroeville and South Hills.
