In + Around St. Louis

It’s Time to (Fish) Fry in St. Louis: Some Favorite Local Fish Fries

February 2, 2024

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?

Mardi Gras crown

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:

Dine-in, Drive Thru, Carry Out, and Delivery (for parishioners unable to make it on their own due to illness or physical limitations)

11 am – 7 pn

Dine-in, Carryout, and Drive Thru options available

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!

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, so we want to know which St. Louis area fish fry is your favorite?

In + Around STL