The Lenten season is upon us, and in Cleveland that means the start of Fish Fry Season. Ash Wednesday fell on Valentine’s Day this year. I knew there was no way I was going to even try to dine in at a restaurant on one of the busiest days in the restaurant industry, and most of the churches don’t offer fish fries on Ash Wednesday since they have church services. So I decided to do carryout, and Mom’s Pierogies posted their carryout fish fry on my Facebook group so it was fate. I placed my order online and headed out to pick it up before most people even got off work. My order was ready when I arrived, and I was greeted by the friendly staff and given my order. I handed the employee who retrieved my order a couple bucks for a tip and went happily on my way. It smelled divine despite all of the containers (and the can of Pepsi) being wrapped in plastic wrap. And the fish was wrapped in foil inside the styrofoam (you can see it peeking out of the side below). No chance of leakage here!
After following Waze’s convoluted driving directions and driving on streets I’ve never driven on before, I located Mom’s Pierogies on Memphis Avenue. Getting home was also fairly convoluted and took me through a speed trap in Linndale and had me going south on I-71 before exiting and reentering to go north again, but all in all the drive was about 20-25 minutes there and back. It is located next to Aldo’s and very close to the Memphis Kiddie Park, which I had been to once with my nieces when they were younger. So I *kind of* recognized the area, but most of the streets were fairly new to me despite being a lifelong Clevelander and living on the west side for 23 years.
There is no seating available. It is strictly carryout. Mom’s Pierogies started in the early 2000s when the owner Janet Vedda was inspired to use her mother’s recipes to make and sell pierogies to family and friends during the holidays. She then branched out to selling pierogi at farmer’s markets and supplying many restaurants. Mom’s Pierogies opened as a brick-and-mortar shop in August 2018. They sell frozen pierogi in bulk – a dozen or 1/2 dozen at a time. The menu boasts around 20 flavors, and they always keep about a dozen of the traditional, most popular flavors on hand. I think I need their breakfast pierogi (featuring sausage, egg and cheddar cheese) in my life and freezer. They make the pierogi by hand every day.
I am so glad I chose Mom’s Pierogies, which I had never heard of before their post (social media works, folks!). In my opinion, an excellent fish fry always includes pierogi (plural: pierogi or pierogies or pierogis, but I prefer without an s – it’s the language geek in me). For the uninitiated, pierogi are small, semi-circular ‘dumplings’ made of dough and filled with a range of ingredients, which can be sweet, savory or spicy. They are a staple in Cleveland, and some would argue that these little pockets of deliciousness are also the national dish of Northeast Ohio. Mom’s Pierogies specializes in gourmet Polish pierogies, and you should not sleep on these pierogies. Although they were smaller and not as filled as I prefer the dough was so delightfully soft and almost melted in my mouth. These were stellar pierogies! Anyway, I digress… We are here for the fish fry.
Every single component of this meal was outstanding – there was not a miss in the styrofoam container. Even the little details like the tartar sauce, carmelized onions and butter, and garlic sour cream (!!!!) were outstanding. The fish is a 9 oz. pollock. It was lightly breaded and perfectly fried. The fish itself was moist and flaky and simply delectable. The housemade tartar sauce was an excellent addition, but it was even tasty without it. I ordered an extra pierogi for $2 and should have ordered more. These pierogi were so good! Most pierogi dough is a little thick and chewy. These were thinner and soft and pillowy – and had a tasty potato filling. The pierogi have been handed down from the owner’s Polish mother’s recipe. I can see why. These are the softest pierogi I have ever enjoyed. The garlic sour cream was ethereally good. You can choose between regular or garlic. Get the garlic! It isn’t overpowering and just gilds the lily. I wished I had ordered more extra pierogi, because I only had one left for lunch the next day and you can eat them in a couple bites even if you are savoring them. I would drive all the way back for a pierogi dinner, but they also serve stuffed cabbage that looks right up my alley, so…
I also added a side of cucumber salad, because it never hurts to have a veggies to balance the fried food. LOL The cucumbers are small and sliced razor thin. They are drenched in a sour cream and onion dressing that I really enjoyed. This was a quality cucumber salad. It is also available in 1 and 2 lb portions. Even cole slaw was a revelation. I definitely detected a heavier pepper presence, which I enjoyed, but there is an herb mix that I can’t quite place (dill? thyme?). The mayo-based cole slaw was delicious, and I enjoyed every forkful of it as well.
All in all, this was an excellent start to Fish Fry Season 2024. I’ve already planned which churches and restaurants I want to try this season (St Mary’s Church in Collinwood, Gesu Catholic (catered by EDWINS), St. Agnes / Our Lady of Fatima and Voodoo Brewery are new to the list and I plan to revisit St. Joseph’s Parish and St. Vladimir as well as Benedictine High School to give them another chance after a less than stellar review pre-COVID). I have lunch plans at Ice or Rice Cafe tomorrow, so we’ll see if I am hungry at fish fry time. There may or may not be two reviews tomorrow. So see you tomorrow (or Saturday whenever I get the post written)!
They also sell t-shirts if anyone wants to get me one 🙂 The photo above is just one of the choices on their website (follow the link). Mom’s Pierogies has apparently been in business since 2003. They are closed on Sunday and Monday and open from 11-7 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 11-5 on Thursday and 11-4 on Saturday. Be sure to check them out – and don’t forget the garlic sour cream!!!
Contact info:
Mom’s Pierogies
8467 Memphis Avenue
Brooklyn, OH 44144
(216) 309-1570
Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats 