Our 2024 fish fry guide has been updated for 2025.

For Catholics, the season of Lent is a 40-day season to challenge yourself before Easter. Many Catholics practice some form of fasting during this time, whether that’s sacrificing small pleasures like chocolate or eating smaller meals and abstaining from meat. The tradition of avoiding meat during Lent, especially on Fridays, generated the tradition of fish fries on Fridays in church basements across the Midwest.

The Catholic Spirit compiled a list in 2024 of fish fries at churches in Minnesota, which includes just one in Southwest Minneapolis: Church of the Annunciation, which holds its one-time fish fry on April 11 this year.

To supplement our area’s lack of traditional fish fries, there are several restaurants in Southwest Minneapolis that serve fish all year round:

Brother’s Cafe at 3450 Lyndale Ave. S

‍Nighthawks at 3753 Nicollet Ave.

‍Red Cow Uptown at 2626 Hennepin Ave.

‍Morrissey’s Irish Pub at 913 W Lake St.

‍The Prodigal Public House at 25 E 26th St.

‍The Lowry at 2112 Hennepin Ave.

‍George and the Dragon at 813 W 50th St.

and Bûcheron at 4257 Nicollet Ave. is also offering walleye on Fridays during Lent.

The Church of St. Albert The Great’s in Longfellow is the place to go for a big fish fry, according to Father Kevin McDonough of Incarnation Catholic Church in Kingfield. He should know, as the person who started the fish fry at his own church. The St. Albert’s fish fry remains a favorite of his and many of his parishioners, which are every Friday through April 11 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at 3204 E 29th St. Tickets cost $15 per adult, $7 for kids ages 6-12, and kids ages five and under eat free.

Church of the Annunciation’s annual Lenten Fish Fry is on April 11 from 5-7 p.m. Prices are $12 per adult and $40 per family.