Cleveland, OHFish Fry

The one pick here that does not wait for Lent. Cleveland Magazine's Fish Fry We Love entry describes a Grand River building more than 150 years old that was once a hotel for gun slingers and weary travelers, with nautical art from community members on the walls. Order the Lake Erie perch or the walleye, available year round, which come with the restaurant's creamy house made coleslaw and fresh hand cut fries. Plates run sixteen to thirty dollars, and there is a five dollar walleye sandwich for a lighter stop.

Cleveland Magazine calls this a truly local fish fry, hosted every Friday during Lent by chef Jeremy Umansky and built on smelt, a greener tasting whitefish about the size of a finger, alongside walleye and perch, all three fresh from Lake Erie every week. The magazine notes the four time James Beard nominated deli also took the title of Best Deli at the Silver Spoon Awards. Order the three fish platter, which comes with fries, slaw, toast, pickles and tartar sauce.

An Irish, American and Italian room in Kamm's Corners where the walls carry photographs of the neighborhood's civil service history, from its horse and buggy past to the present. Cleveland Magazine describes Lake Erie perch in a thick, buttery breading with a satisfying crunch, and homemade pierogies that leave the kitchen as fast as you can order them. Order the perch dinner and add the pierogies. The fish fry runs on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays during Lent, eleven to ten.

A Tremont barroom established in the 1930s, with Art Deco detail, dark chestnut walls and vintage beer memorabilia. Cleveland Magazine's fish fry entry ties the Lenten Fish Fry-days to the room's Eastern European roots, and to the stuffed cabbage rolls in a paprika, sour cream and sauerkraut sauce that The New York Times listed among its 23 Best American Dishes of 2023. Order the fish fry with a side of the Hungarian stuffed cabbage. The kitchen runs late, to midnight Monday through Saturday.

The restaurant inside StoneWater Golf Club in Highland Heights, open to members, residents and the general public, and drawing a notable crowd on Fridays in Lent. Cleveland Magazine describes a breaded cod plate that starts with a house made spiced beer batter and then takes a panko coat, served with house tartar and a kale slaw dressed with pepitas, cranberries and poppyseed. The magazine calls the crispy Lake Erie perch sliders the standout instead. Order the perch sliders, then the cod plate if you are two.