Category: Fish Fry Friday

Fish Fryday #3 2026: Chelo’s Kitchen and St. Barnabas

I had already planned to go to Chelo’s Kitchen for lunch today to enjoy what I think is the best tuna melt in Cleveland. I was thrilled when a friend reached out yesterday to see if I would join him there, so it felt like fate. We met there at 1:00, and it was surprisingly empty. The breakfast and lunch rush had cleared out, and it was just us and the restaurant staff. I was greeted by everyone as I walked in, and our server came right over. I ordered the tuna melt, while my friend ordered the one piece fried fish special. He asked if they would be willing to make a pierogi appetizer from the dinner menu, and they happily agreed since I am a regular and it was empty. The pierogi app was three homemade potato & cheddar pierogi topped with grilled onions (he didn’t want the side of sour cream). He let me have one, and it was quite tasty. I also ordered a cup of Italian wedding soup (because I am not Catholic and can eat meat if I want). The Italian wedding soup was as delicious as always (no photo because it isn’t relevant here). The tuna melt was as exceptional as always. I love that Chelo heats it on the flat top before adding it to the bread – and that they add grilled onions and American and Swiss cheese, which I really feel elevates it from most tuna melts. My friend really enjoyed his fish lunch and the pierogi, and we shared a slice of their Oreo cake, which is always delicious. We paid our bills and were out of the restaurant by 2 PM, allowing them to prep for dinner, which starts at 3:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays.

After I left Chelo’s I stopped in at Harden Auto Body to get my car repaired, because I didn’t want to have my dragging wheel liner rip off on the highway when I drove to St. Barnabas in Northfield for the fish fry there. Because I was so preoccupied I failed to pre-order the lobster mac & cheese ahead of time, and it sold out online. I decided to venture down there anyway in the hopes that they had set some aside for walk-in dine-in orders, and they had! I was thrilled (but would have been fine with their Icelandic cod and delicious french fries).

They started serving at 4:30 (apparently there were already quite a few people waiting to get in). I got there at 4:45 and was greeted by the Girl Scouts selling cookies in the lobby. I unfortunately had to explain that I still had several boxes left from last year. I got in line to order at the register and handed the woman at one of the two registers my $21 in cash for the lobster mac & cheese and hand-squeezed lemonade. I was then directed to the food line to the right and the drink/lemonade area to the left. The hand-squeezed lemonade is always a treat for me, and this one was great (if you look closely at the photo below on the left the lemon press is to the right and there are rows of fresh lemons on the surface). Luckily the food line was fairly manageable. The Scouts serving the food did a good job keeping it moving. They had steam trays of fried fish, shrimp and french fries ready to go thaat were constantly being replenished. The salmon and lobster mac & cheese dinners were prepped in the kitchen behind them. The salmon looked great, with veggies and mashed potatoes.

My lobster mac & cheese was in a large gratinee plate and came with a nice salad of mixed spring greens and a slice of garlic bread. I grabbed my lemonade and got a seat. I enjoyed chatting with everyone around me. One woman came up from Akron to dog/cat/chicken sit for her daughter. She raved about the Heath Bar Cheesecake, saying it was the best thing there. I kind of regretted not ordering one, but didn’t need the calories. We were also greeted by the priest, who looked like he was twelve, but he was very personable and thanked us for coming. I grabbed two small to-go containers to bring half of my salad and lobster mac & cheese home. I drove home and admired the sunset on Cedar.

I hope you all enjoyed your fryday as well. I think I’m going to hit the Donauschwaben next week. Maybe I’ll see you there!

P.S. Unlike most church fish fries, since the St. Barnabas Fish Fry is run by the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and hosted by the church in the parish center it will also be offered on Good Friday.

Contact info:

Chelo’s Kitchen
4446 Mayfield Road
Cleveland, OH 44121
(216) 382-4490

St. Barnabas Catholic Church
9451 Brandywine Road (carry out is at
9200 Olde 8 Road) Northfield, OH 44067
(330) 800-6804

Fish Fryday #2 2026: Muldoon’s and St. Dominic

One of my friends was asking about panko-breaded fish the other day, and someone responded that Muldoon’s has great panko-breaded grouper. So I knew my first Fryday lunch had to be at Muldoon’s Saloon & Eatery today. I haven’t been to Muldoon’s in years, but the parking lot is always packed when I drive past it (especially on Fridays). Being an Irish eatery, I knew their Lent specials would be great. I was seriously tempted to order the seafood pizza (pizza brushed with garlic butter topped with crab, shrimp and mozzarella cheese or the tuna melt, but since I had driven there focused on the grouper I stuck to my plan. But I have a feeling I may be stopping there again this season for that pizza.

I was also faced with the choice of clam chowder or lobster bisque. This was actually a pretty hard decision, but I was in the mood for chowder. I ordered a cup since I was getting a sandwich. Soup and sandwich is always a nice lunch pairing. It came out very quickly (I hadn’t even taken a sip of my iced tea after adding my sweetener) and definitely hit the spot. It was creamy and had nice chunks of potato and clams.

Onto the sandwich… this is a huge sandwich. It filled the plate with just enough room for some fries. It was served with a lemon wedge and container of tartar sauce and topped with shredded lettuce and thin slices of tomato. I ended up cutting it in half. Honestly it was pretty bland even with the addition of the lemon and tartar sauce, but the fish itself was super light and not as filling as some denser fish are. Grouper is always a treat, since not many restaurants serve it. They do offer a fish and chips dinner that features beer battered white fish, but the grouper dinner can be panko breaded, beer battered or pan fried with Cajun or lemon seasoning. They also offer a panko breaded shrimp dinner.

I parked in the large parking lot, was greeted by servers telling me to choose where I want to sit, and served very quickly. I was there shortly before the lunch rush, so they were getting ready to be very busy. I was told to pay at the bar, where they use the honor system: tell the cashier what you had and she rings it up. I left wondering why I don’t eat there more often.

Now onto the evening event…

I met a friend at St. Dominic just off Van Aken Boulevard for dinner. I had been planning on heading to St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox, but a friend asked if I would join her and she loves St. Dom’s. She is allergic to potatoes, so most fish fries really aren’t good for her because they serve fries or baked potatoes or potato and cheese pierogi or some other variation on potatoes. St. Dom’s offers a sweet potato, so she can enjoy her meal without worrying about stomach pain later. This is definitely one of the cheaper fish fries out there. My dinner was $12 not including the sides, which were $5 each, while my friend’s dinner was $15 (dessert included). It is credit card only, probably for speed as well as security. I remember St. Adalbert getting their proceeds stolen from their safe a few years ago.

The fish fry is held in the school. I got there at 5:45 and managed to get a spot in the parking lot off Van Aken, but people were parked on the side street (Norwood) as well as in the RTA parking across the road. We met up at the entrance and walked into absolute chaos. Someone in a local fish fry group on Facebook said there were a lot of kids at St. Dom’s – boy he wasn’t kidding. The placed was packed – and not just with screaming children. We stood in a long line in the foyer to order (there were 3 of them! and it was credit card only); we then climbed down a flight of stairs (not sure if there is an elevator) and had to walk to the opposite corner to stand in a long line to get the food. It was not the fastest moving line. Once we got to the cafeteria window, there were three volunteers collecting our forms to pass to the folks putting together our plate of food.

They had a table with bins of condiments as well as a beverage station to the left of the cafeteria windows (one serving dine in and one serving carryout). Runners brought folks their carryout as they waited in the foyer. There was a dessert table stretched down the middle of the room. I managed to get a slice of tasty cream cake with fruit topping. They also had lemon squares, chocolate cake and brownies and towards the end brought out slices of cassata cake.

I ordered a small dinner (2 pieces of fish and sweet potato) because I ordered sides of clam chowder and mac & cheese. My friend ordered a large dinner with breaded shrimp and sweet potato. Two ladies at our table ordered the salmon, and it looked amazing (it came with mashed potatoes and green beans). The fish was nicely cooked and tasty (as you can see below on the right). The sweet potato was delicious. Great chowder. The mac & cheese is definitely for the kiddos. It was soupy and Stouffer’s-like. Alas, the rolls are standard dinner rolls, but they were tasty enough. I did miss Zoss’ bread rolls, but since he retired it wasn’t that surprising.

The volunteers did a good job clearing tables and setting up place settings with disposable dinnerware for new diners. The screaming children running around cleared out at some point after 6:30. Overall the food was good, but my nerves are shot. We were thanked by the schoolchildren for coming and supporting their fundraiser as we left, which was nice.

Contact info:

Muldoon’s Saloon & Eatery
1020 E 185th Street
Cleveland, OH 44119
(216) 531-3130

St. Dominic
3450 Norwood Road
Shaker Heights, OH 44122
(216) 991-1444

Bonus Fish Fry (Saturday) 2026: Mish Mosh Eclectic Eatery & Spirits

I was still craving fish and heard Mish Mosh in Solon was serving their fish fry on Saturday too, so since I had the best clambake I’ve ever had there a few years ago I headed there tonight. It’s a small place, so I got there before 5 (reservations recommended). It’s at the corner of Brainard and Miles tucked behind Capriccio’s (old Fisher’s American Tavern). I pulled into the parking lot off Brainard, which was filling up when I left about an hour later.

There was one table of three in one half of the space along with me and a few people sitting at the bar taking up the other half. I ordered an Orange Mule off the cocktail list and the fish fry special.

I follow them on Facebook, and they advertised “Freshly Beer Battered Dayboat New England Haddock | Old Bay Hand Cut Fries | House Made Slaw | Dill Tartar Sauce | Fresh Lemon.” I have to say, this fish fry is phenomenal! Moist and flaky fish (haddock) that fell apart. I thought I tasted cinnamon in the beer batter, but it turns out I was tasting honey. The beer batter also uses rice flour, so it’s super light. I was planning on bringing half home, but it was so delicious I ate it all – even the (creamy) cole slaw. The Old Bay fries weren’t overwhelming and were served with a bottle of malt vinegar in addition to ketchup. It was $28 and worth every penny. Unbelievably good. Be sure to put in on your list!

They will be serving the fish fry every Friday and Saturday through March, so you have plenty of time to check it out.

Contact info:

Mish Mosh Eclectic Eatery & Spirits
5020 Brainard Road
Solon, OH 44139
(440) 349-7300

Fish Fryday #1 2026: St. Mary Catholic Church in Hudson

It’s been a while since I have been thoroughly impressed by a fish fry. I had a continuing education event in Kent this morning/early afternoon, so I did some research to find a fish fry in the area. I was going back and forth between SS Cosmas and Damian Church in Twinsburg and St. Mary Catholic Church in Hudson. The lobster bisque and Pierogi Lady pierogi at St. Mary’s sold it to me. I also briefly toyed with the idea of stopping at the British-American Club on Ravenna Road, but, when I drove past, the sign indicated their hours started at 6:30. It was shortly before 5, and St. Mary’s serves from 5-7. They had their first fish fry last week.

St. Mary’s is just off Darrow Road just north of the square, and it has great signage and lots of helpful and informative volunteers. It is a well-run and efficient operation. I was greeted by several friendly volunteers and directed to the line to order. Pro tip: the way to go is apparently to order online. I got there a couple of minutes before 5, and they had already received 50 online orders. I originally had no intention of gettingdessert, but they had banana cream pie on offer. I dutifully ordered a dinner with 2 fried filets (which come with what they call sidewinder fries), a side of pierogi, the lobster bisque and a slice of banana cream pie. It ran me $30.50. I stepped from the order taker to the cashier, who printed out my order for me to hand to a runner, and I headed to the opposite corner to wait for my carryout.

If I had decided to dine in, there would have been plenty of seating (despite billing “limited seating”), but I imagine it gets crowded from 5:30 to 7. Because there was already quite a crush of people picking up carryout orders or dining in. They even had high chairs available for the little ones. If I had ordered a beverage, I would have collected it from the beverage table. As it was, I was directed to the dessert station for my pie. They had lots of boxed pies and large white and chocolate sheet cakes. When I asked if the desserts were from a bakery or made by a parishoner, I was told it was a bakery in North Canton (I think? He was quite soft-spoken).

I enjoyed sitting there and people watching as I waited. I had felt dumb because I wasn’t wearing a coat and it was cold out (it had been 50 when I left that morning and was now down in the mid-30s), but the guy in a t-shirt and flip flops!!! made me feel better. LOL! I also enjoyed talking with a woman from California who had moved here with her husband a few months ago. (Hi! Thanks for finding the blog!)

Once my food was ready, I was told to bag up a dinner roll (from the blue bucket with the metal tongs perched above it in the above photo) and choose from small sides of cocktail sauce, tartar sauce or lemon packets. When I asked whether there was sour cream, I was told “no, you’d think we would…” No worries. I had it at home. After not even getting butter at St. Sava because they are so strict during Lent, I was fine supplying my own at home. I drove 45 minutes home on I-271 north being tortured by the delicious smells emanating from the bag.

At that point I was so impressed that I told myself I didn’t even care whether it was good, but luckily it was. The lobster bisque was smooth and delicious. The Pierogi Lady potato and cheese pierogi never disappoint. Unfortunately, I was not as impressed with the fish because my filet was tough, but it looks like real fish instead of processed fish, so yay? It wasn’t tough because of the cooking process. I think that particular filet was tough. I hope the other piece isn’t as tough and reheats well. They have grilled lemon pepper filet, grilled crab cakes or breaded shrimp that I’d probably opt if I go again. Although maybe not the lemon pepper if these are the filets they use. I had to pull out the tough part again on filet #2 (see bottom of the one on the left).

I’ll enjoy the banana cream in the morning for breakfast and have half of everything to eat later. Post-script: not a single slice of banana in the pie. It was a nice cream pie, but no fresh bananas. Save your money or get a slice of fruit pie that actually contains fruit.

And I have to say that the guy who giddily exclaimed “I love this time of year” as he was leaving with his carryout and I was walking to the entrance absolutely charmed me. Same, dude, same. Welcome to fish fry season!

Contact info:

St. Mary Catholic Church
340 North Main Street
Hudson, OH 44236
(330) 653-8118

Yours Truly Restaurants

Yours Truly is a long-standing local chain that has been in operation since 1981. In fact, they are celebrating their 45th anniversary this year. Yours Truly is an ideal choice for a great breakfast, lunch or dinner. I have been going to Yours Truly restaurants for probably 25 years. My first experience was at the Yours Truly on Rockside Road in the Cuyahoga Valley. I have visited several Yours Truly locations over the years, but I have been frequenting the one on Chagrin Boulevard since I moved to Cleveland Heights. This restaurant with a smaller footprint offers the same burgers, sandwiches & omelets as other YT locations, but tables are at a premium here. The few tables and counter stools are usually full during peak hours; carryout is a reasonable alternative. There are locations in Beachwood, Chagrin Falls, Hudson, Medina, Mentor and Solon. Your Truly in the Halle Building in the PlayhouseSquare district is also a popular choice.

They serve breakfast all day. I met a Meetup brunch group there years ago, but it is simply not on my radar for breakfast. However, I do stop in during non-peak hours for either a late lunch or early dinner (off-hours ensure I can usually get a seat quickly). The Killet Skillet (two eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns with onion, green pepper, and mixed cheese) and the Notso Omelet (three eggs, hash browns, cheese, chopped bacon and sour cream) are all very popular, but the #1 selling item is their Eggs Benedict. The Notso Fries™ are also extremely popular. Yours Truly’s menu explains: “They’re notso common. Golden brown cottage fries with melted cheese, chopped bacon and a dollop of sour cream.” They come in three different sizes. The one shown here is the small.

If you have dietary issues they are pretty accommodating. You can order a gluten-free bun or no bun at all (they bill it as a carb-conscious choice), and their salads can be customized. The cottage fries aren’t gluten-free, but I hear the hash browns are. They are known for their Fish Fryday, serving filet of cod as a dinner or sandwich. Clam chowder is the soup of the day on Fridays, and it was extremely tasty and full of clams, potatoes, etc.

They are also known for their chicken and tuna salad, and you can get them by the scoop on a salad, as a ‘Temptation’ with a hard-boiled egg, as a sandwich, as a platter with fruit, or as a Melt. As regular readers know, I am a sucker for a good tuna melt, and they do a great tuna melt here. It features two scoops of tuna with a tomato slice and topped with melted cheddar on a toasted English muffin. A tuna melt on an English muffin is in fact my preferred form of tuna melt. The tuna salad was warmed up just enough and the cheese was nicely melted.

On my most recent visits I tried to focus on a little bit of everything. I absolutely fell in love with the chicken noodle soup. The noodles are hearty, the broth is extremely well-seasoned, and it is chock full of chicken, veggies and noodles. It has become my go-to chicken soup since The Red Chimney closed after a fire.

Their burgers are made with fresh certified Angus beef, and there are nine different burgers to choose from. If you order the Deluxe it comes with coleslaw and cottage fries. The Sweet Deluxe comes with coleslaw and sweet potato fries. I love a good mushroom and Swiss burger, and the Special Delivery burger here did not disappoint. It features an 8 oz burger patty topped with Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms, grilled onions and a dollop of sour cream on a seared brioche bun. I ordered the cup of soup picture above, so I didn’t get it with any sides.

There are seven different chicken sandwiches to choose from. The chicken is marinated and then fire-grilled. I ordered the Buckeye Bacon Broil, which features American cheese, bacon strips, lettuce and tomato on a seared brioche bun. I was particularly struck by how huge the chicken breast patty is. It hangs far over the sides of the bun.

The Monte Cristo is also a really nice choice. It is made with their lovely cinnamony French toast and is filled with Swiss, natural fresh turkey breast and ham. It is served with a side of our homemade tango sauce, which was kind of like a honey mustard. I will probably order it again, because I loved the cinnamon French toast paired with the savory sandwich fixings and the dipping sauce. I also really enjoyed the slice of cantaloupe, which was perfectly ripe.

They also have a well-stocked bar and a vast array of beverage choices. They serve coffee (regular and flavor of the day), several espresso drinks, fresh squeezed juices like tangy and diet limeade, orange juice and grapefuit juice as well as hot chocolate and bottomless lemonade, iced tea, Arnold Palmers or fountain drinks. I enjoyed a Dirty Snowman on a particularly cold, snowy day near Christmas – gotta love a boozy hot chocolate topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The photo is blurry, but I didn’t feel blurry when I left because I stuck to just one.

Yours Truly restaurants are open Mon-Thurs from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri-Sat, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sun from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. They have longer hours in the summer. The downtown Yours Truly in the Playhouse district is a nice choice after a show at PlayhouseSquare.

Contact info:

Yours Truly
Go to the website and use the location feature to find one closest to you

The Fairview Tavern

The Fairview Tavern in Fairview Park is a hole in the wall bar that serves great food. It is located in a strip mall on Lorain Road and is open every day of the year from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. (and opens at 7 a.m. on Sundays). There is a basic menu, but the Blue Plate Specials and Chef’s Specials change weekly and a happy hour that runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. They also serve breakfast on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you live nearby that might be a fun option, but since I live 40 minutes away it isn’t one for me.

There is plenty of seating in the bar area, but I have always sat at the dining area at the back of the venue. There are plenty of tables that can accommodate any number of diners.

The Friday special is their perch dinners. I met a chef friend here when we heard about their perch. They use real perch because it curled up perfectly. The perch filets are perfectly fried. They are $14 for 3 filets and $17 for 4. They come served with fries and slaw, but we were able to upgrade to pierogi, which were really well prepared. One of my friends ordered a perch sandwich on another visit. The sandwich only has 2 perch filets. It would have been perfect with 3. He ended up cutting the sub roll in half and only eating half a roll with both filets. So if you want a good perch sub ask to add another filet even if there is an additional charge.

The appetizers are also tasty. I have had the kielbasa coins, which were stellar, and another friend recently ordered the pepperoni rolls, which featured phyllo dough. He also raved about their fresh made pork rinds. So if an appetizer appeals to you by all means order it.

My friends who live on the west side and appreciate a good bargain turned me on to the place. The Blue Plate Specials are $10 and include a generous side salad. They also haven’t charged us for non-alcoholic beverages. We initially met there for the Tuesday burger and pint special (for $10 – $8 for the burger and 2 for a domestic beer). The burger patties are generous and you can get whatever burger fixings you want.

The burgers and sandwiches are served with housemade kettle chips, which are quite tasty, but the star of the show is the chip dip. I ordered a Patty Melt most recently and was quite pleased with it. I ended up taking half of it home to eat later.

The clam chowder is great – with lots of big chunks of potato, clams, celery, etc. If it’s on the menu definitely get it. I ordered a bowl along with my Patty Melt. The serving was huge. The chowder was creamy and not at all lumpy. I enjoyed every bite.

The pizzas are also quite large. I haven’t tried one yet, but my friends who did enjoyed it. One ordered the Mediterranean and the one below is mushroom and pepperoni. The mushrooms are fresh and not canned, which is always appreciated. Both had several slices but had to get boxes for later. I will probably order one the next time I go and none of the Blue Plate Specials appeal to me.

The schnitzel and spätzle were quite nice on another visit. They were supposed to come with a lemon basil sauce, but the waitress happily substituted brown gravy instead when my friends asked for the sauce on the side because it was extremely lemony on a previous visit. It was a lot of ofod for only $10 0 with two pork cutlets and lots of fresh made spätzle.

The servers have all been friendly and accommodating every time I have been there. We tip generously when we order the Blue Plate Specials because they run around a lot for a $10 tab, bring out salads and then the entrees, refilling our beverages (which they don’t charge for), etc.

It isn’t fine dining, but it is quite tasty for a hole in the wall bar. I’d go so far as to call it a diamond in the rough. And the food changes often enough that you won’t get bored. I’ve only been there for lunch, but the live music apparently can bring in the crowds. I can’t wait to try their clambake.

Contact info:

The Fairview Tavern
21867 Lorain Road
Cleveland, OH 44126
(440) 799-4200

Fish Fryday #7 2025: Eugene Kitchen at the Bottlehouse Brewery & Meadery

It’s Good Friday and officially the last Friday of Lent. This means the blog will be going back to posts every two weeks. To all of you who have recently found me by searching about fish fries in Cleveland: I hope you have enjoyed my posts and maybe will consider sticking around. I had been thinking about shutting the blog down because I wasn’t sure if people were reading it, but the traffic on Fridays have really be heartening for me. So thank you.

I enjoyed a final tuna melt at Chelo’s Kitchen for lunch, but I won’t bother posting a photo or writing about it since I have talked about it frequently in the past. If you want to see a photo just scroll down to last week’s post. I added a cup of New England Clam Chowder and a side salad today, since I knew my dinner would be fried fish and French fries.

I decided to go to a restaurant fish fry since most churches have Good Friday services today. Eugene at The Bottlehouse has been on my radar all season since I heard about it on Ash Wednesday at Voodoo Brewing, so I was looking forward to finally giving it a try. There are two locations (in Lakewood and in Cleveland Heights), and I chose the one five minutes from my house in Cleveland Heights. I got a parking spot on the street right in front and got there shortly after 4 when they open. The weather was in the 70s, and I was tempted to sit outside on their patio on the first official warm day of spring.

The Bottlehouse holds a special place in my heart. I used to come here when it hosted the Bread and Soup Experiment just before the pandemic, and I have met friends here for beverages on occasion. It has a nice floor plan and is a great place to get together with friends (they have games available and large tables that accommodate groups). They have a nice selection of beer, mead, cider and non-alcoholic beverages. Families and kids are welcome. Eugene Kitchen has been a welcome addition to provide food for its guests. Eugene is known for its Tinman Burger, which I enjoyed back when the food hall on W. 25th (Ohio City Gallery) opened. The Tinman Burger is a “drippy double smash burger with American cheese, special sauce, and sweet and spicy pickles on a brioche bun.”

Eugene is a little enclosed kitchen just inside The Bottlehouse. I walked to the order window and ordered the fish fry, which features Lake Erie walleye, fresh cut French fries, hush puppies and cole slaw for $22. I paid cash, so it was several dollars cheaper than the initial price the employee at the window quoted, which reflected the credit card price. She gave me a beeper (see above), and I then walked to the bar to order a beer. After I asked for a lager, the employee recommended I order the Community, which is a Czech / Bohemian Pilsner that tastes more like a lager than a hoppy pilsner. It paired nicely with the fish fry, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see myself going back to enjoy one again soon.

The fish fry was fantastic. The slab of walleye was nicely fried, and the fish itself was very moist and flaky. I tore off pieces and dipped it in the nice tartar sauce that came with the fish fry. The French fries were nicely salted and perfectly cooked, and the hush puppies were nice as well. The coleslaw was okay, and if you prefer a less creamy coleslaw you will enjoy it. The sweet, spicy pickles were a nice surprise. I’m not a huge fan of bread and butter pickles, preferring dill, but these were flavorful enough to not be too reminiscent of sweeter pickles. The lemon wedge was also a nice touch to squeeze over the fish. It was a great way to end the Lent season. Thank you for accompanying me on my journey this year.

Contact info:

The BottleHouse Brewery & Meadery
2050 Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 214-2120

Fish Fryday #6 2025: Chelo’s Kitchen and St. Joseph Parish

Since it is the last official Fryday of the Lent season and after the boondoggle of last week I wanted to focus on my favorite things. It is the official end of church fish fries, because most churches do not serve on Good Friday (but I plan to visit a restaurant next Friday).

I literally started my day by stumbling out the door to be at Chelo’s at 11:30 so that I could have my appetite back later in the day. I parked in the back lot and got a really good spot, ordered a cup of coffee and some flavored coffee creamer from their lovely helper, and was greeted by Chelo’s wife Sarah asking if I needed to look at a menu or if I wanted the tuna melt. Ah, she knows me so well. I eagerly ordered the tuna melt and a cup of their soup of the day, which was Loaded Potato. Chelo’s tuna melt is great, featuring American and Swiss cheese and grilled onions – and the tuna is browned before being added to the griddled bread. It truly is one of my favorite things, and today’s tuna melt did not disappoint. It was perfect.

I knew I had to stop at St. Joseph Parish in Avon Lake this season (Hi Lois and Don!) and met a couple of girlfriends for their fish fry to end the season with a bang. I picked up my one friend who lives nearby, and we met my other friend, who drove up from Fairlawn, at the church. My pre-order was for 4:30, and my friends ended up pre-ordering for 5:00 and 5:15, respectively. It wasn’t a problem to all pick up our pre-orders at around 5. They both were thoroughly impressed by the organization of the fish fry (it is definitely a well-run machine from the parking lot to the check-in tables, seating and food and beverage service) and the quality of the perch. As we were leaving, my friend (who had never been to the fish fry despite her neighbors attending the church) commented that it was a good thing we got there at 4:45 and pre-ordered (I believe her exact quote was “pre-ordering is the way to go”).

We bypassed the walk-in line and quickly got our pre-order tickets. Once our friend joined us, we stepped into the parish gymnasium and were quickly seated at an available table. We dropped off our stuff and glasses of complementary lemonade and iced tea and headed to the food line to pick up our meals. We grabbed a tray and were handed some coleslaw, our pre-ordered fish (in my case salmon and in their case perch) as well as our sides. I ordered a bunch of sides and brought a Tupperware container for my leftovers. I was able to bring the tomato bisque home because the container came with a lid.

The salmon was once again the highlight for me. One of my friends is a caterer and was impressed because she says it is difficult to prepare salmon for that many people. The chardonnay dill sauce was as lovely as ever. I love the pastor’s tomato bisque and very much enjoyed the yeasty dinner roll and creamy coleslaw this time around. The sweet potatoes were small, but perfectly roasted and very tasty. The mac and cheese is homemade and plentiful creamy goodness. The only “okay” item were the pierogi and onions. They are apparently also homemade, but weren’t Parma pierogi. They were okay. Just kind of small. The onions were nice though. We also enjoyed the musician playing at a good decibel level, which was soothing. My toes were tapping to his rendition of Harvest Moon. After leaving the fish fry we spent a couple hours at my friend’s house enjoying tea and good conversation. All in all, it was a perfect day that I very much needed.

Contact info:

Chelo’s Kitchen
4446 Mayfield Road
South Euclid, OH 44121
(216) 382-4490

St. Joseph Parish
32929 Lake Road
Avon Lake OH 44012
(440) 933-3152

Fish Fryday #5 2025: Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church and goodbye Old Brooklyn Cheese Company and hello Arthur Treacher’s

This is going to be a weird post, because it was a weird day. Well, a weird week really… I was sick all week with norovirus, and today was the first day in four or five days that I actually felt hunger. After not eating all week I should have known things would not go well.

I started off the day intending to enjoy one last tuna melt at Old Brooklyn Cheese Company before it closes on the 19th. I’ve been a fan of OBCC from the very beginning and fell in love with their tuna melt a year or two ago. Sadly, the tuna melt was not on offer today. I bought some cheese and mustard and then headed out to pick up my taxes, deciding not to have a big meal since I was meeting friends at Pokrova at 5. I may or may not try again before they close. Thanks for the memories, OBCC! I wish you luck on your mustard journey.

I was tempted to get a fish sandwich at Cleveland Heights’ new Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips, which is the site of an old-school Arthur Treacher’s from the 1970s-1990s. The new Arthur Treacher’s opened on 4/1 to much excitement (right after they opened Cedar Road back up after starting to demolish the burnt down apartment complex), but the place had some major traffic heading in and out today. I opted for an egg salad sandwich from Swenson’s instead. The small parking lot was packed each time I drove past, and they are serving a very limited menu for now (just fish, chips, hush puppies and coleslaw). The building itself is still behind construction barricades, but it is so nice to have an Arthur Treacher’s only 5 minutes from my house. I will no longer need to drive to Garfield Heights, and the residents here are excited. I was in Garfield Heights a few weeks ago and am looking forward to popping into the Cleveland Heights location in the future.

I had attended the Pokrova fish fry in 2021 shortly after the pandemic restrictions were lifted. It is located on Broadview Road past Snow/Rockville Road close to the North Royalton border (just past St. Columbkille). The church is set back quite far from the road. Look for the signs. Everyone there was really nice, but I won’t be going back. We got in line to order our meal from two ladies sitting behind a table with a cashbox between them. We were given a number on a stand, and someone eventually brought out our food to the table. In the meantime we bought beverages and desserts from the table in the back of the somewhat crowded room (they had a much larger space and much better distancing in 2021).

Pokrova is known for the pierogi (spelled “pyrony” (пироги) on the menu (my friend was not aware of that) – they sell it all year), and since I am trying to get some pierogi after several pierogi-less meals I was really excited for this one. Unfortunately it was pretty terrible. There was no fried fish – just pan-fried or baked. The pan-fried fish looked good, but it did not taste good. We tried to figure out what the taste was – and it was omelette. It was very eggy. The breading was like a thin omelette coating the fish. It didn’t stick to the fish very well. The fish itself was moist and well-cooked. The pierogi were boiled but lacking in buttery goodness and a good sear. I took them home to sear them off tomorrow. I enjoyed the pouch of applesauce, but I can buy those at Aldi. I had ordered applesauce instead of coleslaw to get some vitamins, and it is the only item I actually finished. I had a couple bites of fish and ate one pierogi and half of the roll and boxed the rest up to take home.

Pokrova is one of the few churches that serve borscht. For those who are not aware of what it is, borscht is usually a hearty beet soup with cabbage, potatoes, and garlic that’s popular in Eastern Europe. The borscht, which, again, I was looking forward to, was terrible. It was basically pink chicken broth. In the past there have been chunks of beet or cabbage in it, but after fishing the bottom for some heft we were sad. My friends made fun of me for taking mine home. I am on the fence whether I am going to fry up some cabbage to add to it or just dump it down the sink. The gastro stuff from the norovirus kicked in once I got home, so we’ll see how I feel tomorrow. I had been so excited to share Pokrova with my friends, but I was horrified. At least we could laugh about it.

The core meal was $15, which came with one side, choice of applesauce or coleslaw and bread and butter. Beverages and desserts were extra. The desserts were obviously made by the parishioners. I bought a weird little peach dessert, which was okay but gave more orange than peach flavor. Some of the cakes looked amazing. I also bought my dad a Ukrainian pashka ($10), which he enjoyed in 2021 and said transported him to his childhood. It’ll be a nice treat for him for Easter.

The fish fry runs from 4-7. They had run out of cabbage and noodles by the time we got there at 5, and they explained to my friend that they had made too much last week and cut back. If you run out of a side by 5 that’s a problem. I had the cabbage and noodles in 2021 and it was quite good, so it surprises me that they had a week in which it didn’t sell like crazy. The photo below is from 2021. Hopefully next week will be better and I will be feeling better and up to more substantial food. I hope you all enjoyed your fish fries.

Contact info:

Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips
13216 Cedar Road
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
TBD

Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church (Покров Пресвятоі Богородиці)
6812 Broadview Road
Parma, Ohio 44134
(216) 524-0918

Fish Fryday #4: Larder and The Berea Elks Lodge

Forgive me for posting this on Saturday, but a long chat with my best friend in Baltimore took precedence over writing about the absolutely perfect Fryday I enjoyed that day. As I noted last week, I had not enjoyed any pierogi with my fish fries yet this year, and I value a good pierogi just as much as a good fried fish. I set out to rectify this.

I had a delectable fried fish lunch at Larder Delicatessen & Bakery. Chef and owener Jeremy Umansky is a multi-year James Beard Award nominee, so I knew I was in for a good fish fry. Larder also has a vegan fish fry on offer, featuring fried tofu. The community table had some fun activities for kids (including a fun community cookbook from the kids who attend activities at Lake Erie Ink and some flash cards).

I’d like to start off by saying that I absolutely hate the parking situation in Hingetown. And this was at around 12:30 and closer to 1. I had to drive around the block before I found an available spot near Larder – and that was because I was lucky enough that someone pulled out of their spot just as I was nearby. I lived in Germany, so I am a parallel parking pro but I know a lot of people who aren’t. The street parking situation is hit or miss. However, Larder posted that there is a parking garage at @livechurchandstate that is just 20 steps from the building and is easy to access. I missed it. Consider that info filed for next time.

Larder is open from 11am-6pm Tuesday thru Saturday. They stop serving hot food at 5:45 p.m. The place was packed when I got there shortly before 1, but it was manageable. I was able to place an order for the fish fry, gave the cashier my cash (and stumped him when I gave him enough to give me a $10 bill and change), was given my number and took a seat at a larger table that seems like a community table. At least we turned it into one. The group that sat down with me after I ordered had planned a trip to the Rock Hall, but had to pivot when the power went out and it closed for the day. We talked a bit about Minneapolis and chatted about the Rock Hall and Cleveland.

Of course I ordered the Lake Erie Fish Fry, which changes every week and this week featured fresh Lake Erie fish, fresh cut French fries, a biscuit, coleslaw made from red cabbage and the most delectable sauces. Larder gets its fresh fish out of Lake Erie from Kate’s Fish Market in the West Side Market. It seems that lunch is different from the dinner fish fry. I read somewhere that one of the fish are smelts, and the size and shape of the fish tend to lead me to believe that my lunch was fried smelt. Whatever it was it was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the sauces, and the fries were tasty as well. It was the perfect size for lunch. I was tempted to try the bread pudding or one of the tasty-looking desserts, but decided against it to save room for the evening.

As I said above, I knew I needed pierogi with my dinner. My friend who is an Elk suggested the Berea Elks Lodge, because they serve pierogi as well as a wide variety of changing offers. I knew where the Lodge was, because I used to drive past it all the time growing up. The fish fry is served from 6-8 p.m. I ended up heading there later in the evening to avoid the post-work traffic from the Cleveland Clinic. I got there at about 6:15 p.m. The Lodge has a smaller parking lot, but there were several parking lots nearby to handle to overflow. I initially tried to enter through the front doors, but they were locked. Apparently we had to enter through the back door and head down a stairwell to the basement. I think I was one of the last diners to show up. They were able to make room for me at the bar. They can only serve alcohol to Elks members, but that didn’t bother me. I ordered a lemonade and then later a Shirley Temple, which I haven’t had since childhood. They had just run out of the lobster ravioli, but the nice gentleman sitting next to me gave me a couple of suggestions, specifically the scallops, the salmon (Salmon Citron Chou-Fleur) and the ahi tuna nachos.

I ended up ordering the Scallop Symphony, which featured pan-seared scallops on a bed of crispy fried creamy polenta with southwestern corn and a roasted red pepper sauce as well as a side of pierogi (available as 2, 4 or 6 pierogi) and the Walleye Bites. The scallops won’t be available next week, so I thought it sounded fun. The fish and chips are always available. The scallops were delicious. The red pepper sauce had a bit of heat to it, but I did not find it that spicy at all compared to the Indian or Thai food I usually enjoy.

The pierogi and the Walleye Bites were definitely the stars through. They were both phenomenal. The pierogi were perfect and stuffed with the requisite potato and cheese filling and served with sauteed onions and sour cream. The pierogi were absolutely bursting with filling and with flavor. The Walleye Bites were also amazing. I could have eaten both of them as a meal and been happy very happy. The scent of the onions tormented me the whole drive home. There is no better smell than sauteed onions (well, maybe sauteed onions and mushrooms…)

The gentleman next to me had ordered the scallops and his wife ordered the salmon and they shared the cabbage and noodles, which they proclaimed was also delicious. When I saw her salmon I ordered one to go to eat later this weekend. I of course tried a bite of the salmon and asparagus with the lemon pepper sauce, and it was fantastic.

I was almost afraid to share this fantastic fish fry find, but the Exalted Ruler and my server/bartender assured me it was ok (I outed myself so that I could get their permission after I had received my food). The fish fry is staffed by volunteers (the kitchen team as well as servers, bussers, dish washers, and runners), and it isn’t like a church fish fry. I didn’t want to overwhelm them, but I also don’t think I have so much clout that there will be long lines. If you are a group of eight like the one last night you might have to wait, but they definitely can handle it. So if you want a fantastic fish fry with different choices than the usual fried fish, be sure to check it out! They will be offering it every Friday until April 18th. I’d rank this up there with St. Joseph’s Parish in Avon Lake and St. Gabriel in Concord for the variety of choices. And the pierogi is right up there with St. Josaphat, Pokrova, St. Vladimir and St. Andrew. I felt very welcome there and had a wonderful time. And I can’t wait to tuck into my leftovers tonight! This was two wonderful fish fries in one day! Best one this season so far.

Contact info:

Larder Delicatessen and Bakery
1455 W 29th Street
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 912-8203

Berea Elks Lodge #1815
<626 N. Rocky River Drive
Berea, OH 44017
(440) 234-1604