Fish sandwiches are popular spring offerings at many fast-food chains, but which chain has the best one?
Every year, fast-food chains release fish sandwiches to coincide with Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday. During that time, Catholics abstain from eating meat but can eat fish on Fridays. This year, Lent began on February 18, and Easter Sunday falls on April 5.
McDonald’s has been selling fish sandwiches since the 1960s. The chain’s Filet-O-Fish was born after a franchisee in a highly Catholic area of Ohio noticed his restaurant’s sales suffered on Fridays.
Since the Filet-O-Fish was introduced, nearly every fast-food chain has added a seasonal fish sandwich to its menu during Lent.
Popeyes introduced its first flounder fish sandwich in 2021 and added a spicy fish sandwich to its menu the following year, perhaps aiming to capitalize on the success of its spicy chicken sandwich in 2019.
But which sandwich is the tastiest and offers the best value?
For a definitive ranking, I tried fish sandwiches from McDonald’s, Burger King, Popeyes, and Wendy’s.
Here’s every fast-food fish sandwich ranked from worst to best.
My least favorite sandwich was the Big Fish sandwich from Burger King.
It cost $7.39 from my local Burger King in Brooklyn, New York, excluding tax and fees.
The Alaskan pollock patty came topped with tartar sauce, lettuce, and crunchy pickles on a toasted potato bun.
I understand there can be slight differences in the final preparation of items between locations and employees, but I thought this sandwich could have used a touch more tartar sauce, and the lettuce could have been spread out more to ensure an evenly distributed bite of all the ingredients.
The pickles were very crispy, and I loved the texture of the potato bun.
However, I thought the fish patty could have been a little flakier on the inside. The texture was chewier than that of some of the other sandwiches I tried.
My fourth-favorite was the classic flounder fish sandwich from Popeyes.
It cost $7.19 from my local Popeyes in Brooklyn, New York, excluding tax and fees.
The top of the sandwich had a smattering of tartar sauce, and underneath the flounder patty were layers of pickles and more tartar sauce.
It came on a brioche bun, just like Popeyes’ other sandwiches.
I really liked how crispy the fried fish patty was, and it had a lot of savory flavor.
The tartar sauce was tart without being too overpowering. The pickles were thickly cut, which impressed me. Overall, I really enjoyed this sandwich and would definitely order it again.
My third-favorite was the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish.
It cost $6.59 at my local McDonald’s in Brooklyn, New York, excluding tax and fees.
The sandwich came with a very generous serving of tartar sauce and a half-slice of American cheese.
The cheese slice was slightly hanging off the burger, so I moved it more to the center before diving in.
In 2023, a TikTok user claimed the Filet-O-Fish patty appeared to have shrunk over the years, citing “shrinkflation,” a tactic reportedly used by chains to reduce the size of their menu items in response to rising costs.
However, McDonald’s responded that the “size and build of the Filet-O-Fish, including a half slice of American cheese, has not changed in decades.” I didn’t notice anything surprising about the size — I thought it seemed average for a burger.
This sandwich had the flakiest fish patty, in my opinion.
The layers of fish flaked off with each bite, unlike any other sandwich.
I also loved the amount of tartar sauce included on this sandwich — it added a lot of flavor and moisture, without being overpowering. I didn’t really taste the cheese, and I think the sandwich would have been just as good, if not better, without it.
Wendy’s had my second-favorite fish sandwich.
It cost $8.74, excluding tax, at my local Wendy’s in Brooklyn, New York.
The sandwich came with more toppings than some of the others.
The Wendy’s crispy panko fish sandwich features a patty made with wild-caught Alaskan pollock, panko breading, American cheese, lettuce, dill tartar sauce, and pickles on a toasted bun.
The fish fillet was crispy and perfectly flaky.
The fish fillet was thick and flaked with each bite, while the dill-flavored tartar sauce added a sour, creamy element.
I thought the lettuce added a nice freshness, as did the pickles. My only complaint was with the bun — it was a little too thick and tasted strongly of butter, which I thought slightly threw off the flavor profile.
My favorite fish sandwich was the spicy flounder fish sandwich from Popeyes.
It cost $7.19 from my local Popeyes in Brooklyn, New York, excluding tax and fees.
Instead of tartar sauce, the sandwich came topped with spicy spread and pickles.
I was interested to see if I would miss the tartar sauce, since I liked it on the classic Popeyes fish sandwich.
I loved the spicy mayo with the fish and crunchy pickles.
I thought this sandwich was the most flavorful, and also a great value at just over $7. I loved how the spicy mayo not only added delicious flavor but also moisture to the fish patty.
The crinkle-cut pickles tasted fresh, and I didn’t feel weighed down by the ingredients. I would definitely order this sandwich again.
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