With Easter arriving in a couple of weeks, Catholics are looking for alternatives to meat to eat during Lent, where believers abstain from meat on Fridays. In February, The Crusader explored San Francisco’s Ocean Avenue in search of a fish sandwich fit for the tastebuds and beliefs of Catholics.

On 1201 Ocean Avenue sits McDonald’s, a classic American fast-food chain known for its burgers, fries, and shakes. McDonald’s sells a substitute for a meat sandwich, the Filet-O-Fish, which is an Alaskan Pollock sandwich topped with processed American cheese and tartar sauce, sitting in between a steamed bun.    

    According to USA Today, the Filet-O-Fish was created by a Cincinnatian McDonald’s franchise owner, Lou Groen, in 1962 to help bring up his restaurant’s sales.

On the plus side, the Filet-O-Fish has a fishy reputation that stands out from McDonald’s other burgers. The bun is light and airy, which offers a pleasant first bite. This is then accompanied by the warm, melted American cheese. However, the Alaskan Pollock has a taste that seems only fit for fast food chains, meaning that it has a sort of pre-frozen history.

Out of five stars, the Filet-O-Fish gets two and a half stars. The sandwich is priced at $3.79.

Backtracking a little over to 1051 Ocean Avenue, is Beep’s Burgers. Since 1962, Beep’s has been serving burgers, fries, and assorted milkshakes to San Francisco locals.

In 2017, Beep’s Burgers was admitted to San Francisco’s Legacy Business Registry, which has a list of establishments that embody most of the San Franciscan spirit.

On their menu, Beep’s Fish Sandwich is one to choose. When you take that first bite, you are welcomed to a crunchy, acidic taste from the locally sourced vegetables of lettuce and tomato. On top of the breaded and well-seasoned cod, a creamy tartar sauce accompanies the silky, steamy texture of the fish. What is most notable in this sandwich is that tartar, which angles in all of the ingredients together in a complete fashion.

Out of five stars, Beep’s Burgers Fish Sandwich receives four stars. This is priced at $8.00.

At the cross section of Ocean Avenue and Junipero Serra Boulevard at 2522 Ocean Avenue, lies Dinosaurs Sandwiches. Dinosaurs is a sandwich shop that specializes in serving Vietnamese sandwiches with a more modern, American take. At the Ocean location, is a small hole-in-the-wall shop where customers can eat their sandwiches outside at the nearby tables with easy access to soft drinks.

Near the bottom of the sandwich choices is Dinosaurs’ seafood option, the Spicy Tuna sandwich. Like all of the shop’s sandwiches, they use a warmly toasted French baguette.

This Spicy Tuna is chunky tuna that has a sweet, spicy mayo folded into the tuna. Though spiciness is a large factor for people in what they eat, the intensity is not as giant as some may think. The spiciness of the sandwich mingles into the sweetness of the vegetables and the tuna.

Out of five stars, Dinosaurs earns four stars. The Spicy Tuna costs $8.25.

During this Lenten season, Catholics have many options available, and some of the best are only a few blocks away.

TOP: McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish; BOTTOM: Dinosaurs’ Spicy Tuna sandwich