Caleb Westphal hasn’t missed a Friday fish fry since 2013. Follow his never-ending adventures HERE. This week: fish fry #636, at St. Gregory the Great Parish & School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Halfway through the week, Mike Seidel, the man behind Madison Fish Fry, shared Fish Frynder with me, an index of Lenten and church fish frys in the area that someone he knows put together. Once again not wanting to spend a lot of time trying to find a place to get fish, I narrowed down my choices to church fish frys and decided to use the Fish Frynder to pick my destination. I set the parameters on it to Milwaukee only, and looked for places that I hadn’t written about before that also had at least one additional fish fry date during Lent besides the Friday I was going. St. Augustine of Hippo Parish and St. Sebastian Parish were out because I had already written about them. But St. Gregory the Great (3160 S. 63rd St.; 414-543-8292) looked promising. It was a church in Milwaukee that also has fish frys coming up on March 20 and March 27. I read the Fish Frynder’s description and immediately decided that’s where I’d go.
The last time I went to a church fish fry with Dan Wolff, just over six years ago at St. Florian Parish, a pandemic shut down indoor dining at restaurants less than a month later. Despite the memories of uncertainty and sickness that followed my last church fish fry with Dan, I invited him along for this one. He drove us, and we pulled in the church and school parking lot right before 5 p.m.
The fish fry had already been going for a half hour, and we saw some folks heading back to their vehicle, already full up and on their way home. While I couldn’t smell the fish from the parking lot, the impressive display at the entrance to the building showed us where to go. There was even a plastic fish stuck in a net with the following jokes next to it: “The Atlantic is cold, that’s why I like my bait a little worm,” and “Good cod, get me out of here!” I thought the cod and God joke was a little daring for a church fish fry, but I’m not one to judge. God can do that.
Inside, a whiteboard alerted us that all-you-can-eat fish wasn’t available but that tickets for a second plate with two additional pieces of fish for $3 were. I hadn’t even made it to the first plate of fish yet and was now excited for the second plate. At this point we hadn’t even come across a sign that said how much the fish fry was either. Another sign showed a picture of a generously portioned fish fry, and also told us to head left for the stairs and right for the elevator. We took the stairs.
There was a small line to the ticket table. I still didn’t see anywhere what the cost of the fish fry was—not that I needed the info since I already had seen it on the Fish Frynder and the parish’s Facebook page—but a sign told us more about what the fish fry came with. We also learned some “quick facts” about Atlantic cod. Such as, did you know that Atlantic cod weigh up to 77 pounds, grow up to 51 inches, and live more than 20 years if they don’t end up fried and on your plate? I didn’t know if any of this was true, but since I was in a Catholic school basement, I had faith and accepted it unquestioningly.
I asked the man behind the table how long St. Gregory the Great has been doing Lenten fish frys and he said this was their 31st year. Adult ($16), senior ($15), and child ($8) fish frys are available. I ordered an adult one and was given a ticket that had a picture of a cod laminated on the back side of it. Dan was disappointed his didn’t have a picture of a fish laminated on it, but he got over it. We proceeded to the serving line, which was through a narrow hallway.
Boy Scout Troop 536 is in charge of the fish fry at St. Gregory the Great. They hand out the food and clean up the garbage, and I assume also create the signs and dig up the “quick facts” about cod. A few Scouts were dishing up food when we made it to the front of the serving line. I wasn’t sure exactly what I could all have. I got some french fries. I found out I could also have both parsley potatoes and macaroni and cheese, so I had both. I asked about the fish. I could have three pieces and could mix it up between fried and baked cod. I contemplated some baked cod, almost holding up the line, but asked for all fried fish. The server said something to the effect of “I thought you were going to mix it up on me!” He was ready to do some extra work, but I kept it simple. Did I also want lemon, coleslaw, and rye bread? Yes, yes, and yes.
Most church fish frys have a dessert table, and this one was no different. I grabbed an apple dessert and set my food down at one of the long cafeteria tables. Milk, water, and coffee are included with the fish fry, and “soda pop” is available for $1. While I had anticipated beer being available—the Fish Frynder had it listed—I didn’t see any anywhere. I got some water and went back to my seat. The dining hall, Tenpenny Hall, is named for Father Francis Tenpenny, who was at St. Gregory the Great from 1957 to 1969. While the Lenten fish frys at St. Gregory may be heading into their fourth decade, I found newspaper records of monthly fish frys being held at St. Gregory in the 1960s in the era of Tenpenny, being organized by the Christian Mothers.
In many ways, Lenten church fish frys are all the same, or at the very least, they are very similar. The food is generally not exceptional, but you kind of like it anyway. Case in point: there was nothing special about the french fries, parsley potatoes, or coleslaw at this fish fry, but they still were endearing in a Catholic school basement kind of way.
But there were high points to this fish fry. The bread was thick and soft, and better sourced than I had expected it to be. Smooth and flavorful, the macaroni and cheese made me pine for it to be served more regularly with fish frys. While the cod was rather standard, not being memorably chunky, flakey, or fresh, the batter on it was close to exceptional. Fried with precision, a soft padding enveloped the cod, but also had a light crispness that kept the batter sprightly. The batter sparkled with flavor, including that of beer. While I couldn’t find beer for sale with the other drinks, I was thankful someone was using it in the kitchen. A constant stream of new fish entered the metal pans as the old fish quickly moved to plates, so none of the fish sat long. The tangy tartar served the fish well, being the final high point.
Tenpenny Hall got rather full, but at no point was it busting at the seams. The same could be said for the line to get food. There was always a line, but it was never annoyingly long. That was good news, because I was about to get back in it. I gave the man behind the desk $3 and instead of receiving another laminated ticket, this time I was presented with a red roll ticket.
“I’m going one each this time,” I said, smirking at the man handing out the fish. He looked up, realizing I was the guy who came through 20 minutes earlier and had taken only the fried cod. He ended up giving me two pieces of the baked cod. Lemon buttered and covered in seasoning, it was fine, but the whole time I was eating it I was thinking about the fried cod. As hoped, the final piece of fried cod was especially good.
I got some milk to go with the apple dessert, but didn’t quite feel like leaving after the dessert was gone. While the thought of buying another red ticket for another round of fish came to mind, I asked Dan if he’d like to stay for a cup of coffee. It was the one complimentary drink I had yet to try, after all. So we each got coffees and sat down in Tenpenny Hall a while longer, the bustle of Friday night swirling around us.
Takeaways: Start off with three pieces of cod and get two extra pieces for $3; thick and soft rye bread; french fries, parsley potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and coleslaw can all fit on the plate; standard cod; close to exceptional batter; tangy tartar; comes with a dessert; get yourself some water and milk and coffee, but if you want a soda pop you’ll have to fork over a buck; they have two more upcoming fish frys, on March 20 and March 27, served from 4:30-7 p.m.
Want more Caleb? Hire him for all your 100%-vinyl DJ needs and follow him on Patreon.
RELATED ARTICLES
• Enjoy Every Fish Fry main page
• Enjoy Every Fish Fry: Wisconsin fish fry reviews
• Enjoy Every Fish Fry: The best Milwaukee-area fish frys of 2025