Giving up meat for Lent? These Sacramento-area restaurants serve up seafood, vegan fare
Are you observing Lent in the Sacramento area?
The Christian observance, which kicked off with Ash Wednesday on March 5, involves “40 days of fasting and penance” ahead of Easter Sunday, according to History.com.
Many people abstain from eating meat from “warm-blooded” animals on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during the Lenten season, Baylor University associate professor Michael Foley told NPR in 2012.
That includes beef, pork, lamb and poultry.
“However, eggs, milk, fish, grains and fruits and vegetables are all allowed” during Lent, restaurant chain Forklift and Palate said.
Fortunately, Sacramento is home to several restaurants offering fish, seafood and vegetarian options.
Here’s where to eat in and around Sacramento:
Observing Lent in Sacramento area? Seafood, vegan restaurants
4800 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento
Billed as Sacramento’s “premier wedding venue,” this restaurant along the Sacramento River offers a seafood-rich lunch menu with options including Boston clam chowder, spicy crab bisque, ahi poke nachos, and fried calamari. For dinner, patrons can enjoy miso-glazed Atlantic salmon and a vegan vegetable stir fry that features tofu and sugar peas.
8944 Elk Grove Blvd., Elk Grove
The quick-service takeout restaurant serves up several variations on fish and chips, including clams, oysters and shrimp with fries. You can also order calamari, catfish and red snapper seafood baskets.
1251 Baseline Road, Suite 100, Roseville
Specializing in seafood boils, Grand Asian N Cajun offers a Asian-inspired menu featuring Cajun chowder, kung pao shrimp, fried calamari and rice and noodle dishes.
2784 East Bidwell St. Suite 400, Folsom
The seafood-forward restaurant offers customers a variety of bakes and bowls, with protein options including salmon, tuna, shrimp and tofu.
1118 16th St., Sacramento
Station 16 serves oysters Rockefeller, pan-seared scallops, and Cajun prawn linguine at its downtown Sacramento location and sister restaurant at 9625 East Stockton Boulevard in Elk Grove. Other options include lobster macaroni and cheese dish and blackened salmon.
Plant Flour Fast Food
1100 R St., Sacramento
Each burger, sandwich, and side dish served at Plant Flour Fast Food is plant-based and served in eco-friendly packaging, according to the restaurant’s website. Menu options include a meat-free cheeseburger and a vegan Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich with all the fixings.
1689 Arden Way, Sacramento
The restaurant and wine bar offers gluten-free and vegetarian menu options including Tuscan white bean soup, oven-roasted sea bass and black lentil bolognese. Entrees include wood-grilled Alaska halibut, Chilean sea bass and cedar plank-roasted salmon.
1420 16th St., Suite 300, Sacramento
Frog & Slim’s dinner menu includes dishes such as golden beet salad, king salmon and mussel and shrimp piccata pasta, with bread pudding for dessert. Yelp recently named the restaurant a top date night spot.
2319 K St., Sacramento
The all-vegetarian restaurant’s eccentric menu features an oyster mushroom po’ boy sandwich and a nut burger. Other options at Mother Restaurant include cauliflower coconut curry, mushroom lasagna, and butternut squash latkes.
Anna’s Vegan Cafe
3500 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento
The family-run eatery offers an all-vegan menu of Pan-Asian fare. Menu options, which range from soups to stir-fries, include green bean, tofu, eggplant and broccoli dishes.
Orphan
3440 C St., Sacramento
The breakfast and lunch-only restaurant serves up Latin and Asian-inspired dishes including a veggie fried rice bowl, shrimp tacos and wraps.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 7:00 AM.