It’s here: Check out the 2023 Pittsburgh Lenten Fish Fry Map

It’s that time of year again for Pittsburgh kids and their families: One fish, two fish, red fish … fried fish.

When the Catholic tradition of Lent comes around each year, the Pittsburgh area is brimming — swimming, even — with community fish fries administered on Fridays leading up to Easter by everyone from Catholic churches to nondenominational organizations like fire departments and social clubs.

There are dozens of them around the region, and this week marks the first Friday (Feb. 24) that local families can stop in for these tasty and affordable dinners. But how to find them? The 2023 Pittsburgh Lenten Fish Fry Map has you covered.

For more than a decade, from humble beginnings as one fish-fry lover’s Google Maps project, the Fish Fry map has grown into a full-on catalog of more than 200 Friday night seafood availabilities across western Pennsylvania.

The map, the brainchild of long-ago Pittsburgh transplant Hollen Barmer, has become a full-on community project administered by Code for Pittsburgh, which uses computer programming as the centerpiece of community and civic engagement efforts.

Through the map you’ll find fish fries of all stripes.

An assortment of Catholic churches and parishes are here, from St. Irenaeus in Oakmont to Our Lady of Victory Maronite in Carnegie to St. Teresa of Avila in Perrysville.

You’ll also find more secular Friday fries, from the Hampton Township Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 in the North Hills all the way to the Monongahela Elks Lodge in Washington County — not to mention myriad iterations of Eat N’ Park across the area that make sure they have fish at the ready on Friday afternoons and evenings.

Whether you’re Catholic or not, it’s the perfect Pittsburgh blend of tradition and innovation — and, of course, the always kid-friendly fish sandwich, suitable for quick and wholesome Friday night family meals without any home cooking.

Seafood, interactivity and a collaborative community spirit — what’s not to like?