Fish “Fry-Day” at Holy Spirit (Lebanon Valley Food Critics)

Editor’s Note: Last year, Michael and Nicole Borrell began reviewing Lebanon Valley’s restaurants and eating attractions as the Lebanon Valley Food Critics. Since then, the couple has aimed to offer unbiased reviews of the eating and drinking establishments the Lebanon Valley has to offer. LebTown is pleased to be partnering with LVFC to share these reviews with our readers. Bon appétit!

One of the things I always remember about my childhood is one of the Lenten traditions of my mom: meatless Fridays. I loved eating fish and mac-and-cheese every Friday. Sometimes we’d have other options, but this has become comfort food for me.

We used to go out to a restaurant in Central PA that had THE BEST beer battered fish, macaroni and cheese and stewed tomatoes all you could eat on Fridays. While I never have found a similar meal near us, I’m still on the search. So while I traveled my commute this past Friday, we decided to try Holy Spirit Catholic Church drive thru-fish fry.

Located on Pine Street in Palmyra, Holy Spirit Catholic Church hosts a fish fry every Friday during Lent. Prior to COVID they would host these in person. Now, they have converted to a drive-thru option with online ordering available. There were several options for meals and sides.

Tonight, we opted for the traditional fish fry meal, which included battered fried fish, french fries, cole slaw, and a roll. Holy Spirits gives options for tartar sauce, ketchup, or cocktail sauce to be included with a meal. The fish had a light batter coating which let the flavor of the mild fish come through. By the time I got our meals home, they were a tad soggy so we ended up toasting up everything in the oven again. Once we did that, the fish had a nice crisp and good flavor. I made myself a little bit more tartar sauce cause I like to dip both my fish and fries in it. There was more than enough fish included in the take out container too. It was a good value, and you get to help the church as it’s a fundraiser as well.

The other critic decided to get the shrimp dinner, which included six shrimp, french fries, cole slaw, and a roll. You had the option to choose applesauce if you didn’t want cole slaw, but the cole slaw was delicious and had a good tang to it. The shrimp were like any you might get in a restaurant. Again, after crisping and warming them in the oven, they were enjoyable. He also got a cup of clam chowder. It was tasty, but not quite as creamy as most clam chowders are.

Our Take: We wish that we could have tried the Fish Fry from Holy Spirit before COVID so we could sit there and enjoy the food, but we wanted to support our community and tried it to-go. If it didn’t take me so long to get to Palmyra from my office, and then the 20 minute drive home, I think it would have been a close second to those Friday night dinners with my family. I’m looking forward to trying it again when they can hold the dinners in person.

We give this “Fryday” special ????.

If you have a restaurant you would like us to visit or review, whether a place you like or are nervous to try, please message us on Facebook or email lvfoodcritics@outlook.com and let us know. We thank everyone for the recommendations and the kind words we have received.