McDonald's Filet O' Fish Vs Culver's North Atlantic Cod: Which Is The Better Fish Sandwich?

Fish sandwiches may not be the most popular fast food menu item, especially at fast food chains that are mostly known for their burgers. Two such chains are McDonald's and Culver's with respective Big Mac and ButterBurger as the biggest drawing points for these restaurants. Nevertheless, fish sandwiches pack a certain appeal, especially for those who follow pescatarian diets, are eating fish for religious reasons, or simply want to switch up from beef. 

Though there are many fish sandwiches available on various fast food menus, the sandwiches sold by McDonald's and Culver's are among the most popular options. McDonald's Filet-O-Fish and Culver's North Atlantic Cod are easily recognizable sandwiches, but when comparing the two, there's a big question at hand: Which fish sandwich is better?

Instead of playing a guessing game, I purchased both the Filet-O-Fish and North Atlantic Cod sandwiches from McDonald's and Culver's to see which one is better. In comparing these two sandwiches, I ultimately wanted to see which one tasted better, but a few other factors were at play as well. I also considered the price of each sandwich, the availability, and which one had better toppings and felt like a more quality fish sandwich all-around.

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is a pretty popular and easily recognizable menu item. In fact, it's been around for quite some time, dating back to 1965 when it was first introduced to McDonald's menu. However, if you've only ever gotten a burger from McDonald's, then there's a good chance you aren't really familiar with the Filet-O-Fish. As the name suggests, the Filet-O-Fish is different from McDonald's burgers and chicken sandwiches as it features Alaskan pollock as the protein of choice (though the type of fish has changed over the years). The Filet-O-Fish comes on a classic burger bun, while the fish patty has a distinctive square shape.

As for toppings, the Filet-O-Fish comes with a half-slice of American cheese and tartar sauce, so it's pretty simple compared to some other McDonald's sandwiches. As for nutrition, each sandwich has 380 calories, 16 grams of protein, 38 grams of carbs, 19 grams of fat, and 4 grams of sugar. 

Culver's is another fast food chain that, like McDonald's, is well-known for its burgers. Similarly, the chain also dabbles in other proteins, including fish. Culver's has two fish sandwiches on its menu. One is a limited edition walleye sandwich while the other is the North Atlantic Cod, which is a permanent item on the menu. While McDonald's fish sandwich features pollock, Culver's sandwich features cod, making it slightly different. However, both brands stay on the theme of neutral, flaky white fish. It's not known exactly how long the North Atlantic Cod sandwich has been on Culver's menu, but the chain has been running since 1984, so there's a good chance that this fish sandwich has been around for some time now.

Culver's cod sandwich comes on a hoagie roll, and it features toppings like tartar sauce, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheese. The sandwich comes out to 600 calories in total, along with 34 grams of fat, 55 grams of carbs, 6 grams of sugar, and 23 grams of protein. 

Though some fast food chains only offer fish sandwiches as specialties or as a seasonal item, both the North Atlantic Cod and Filet-O-Fish are sandwiches you can find year-round. Obviously, since each sandwich is unique to specific chains, you can only find the North Atlantic Cod at one of Culver's 1,000 nationwide locations and Filet-O-Fish at one of McDonald's 13,000 plus nationwide locations, and inventory can naturally vary depending on demand. That said, you should be able to find the sandwiches at their respective chains any day of the year.

As for the price of each sandwich, this may vary depending on where you live. The Filet-O-Fish cost me $4.59 before tax, and the North Atlantic Cod was notably more expensive, coming in at $8.49. It is worth noting (and it's pretty obvious just by looking at them) that the North Atlantic Cod is a significantly bigger sandwich than the Filet-O-Fish, but if there's one that's undeniably cheaper no matter what location you go to, it's the Filet-O-Fish.

Upon taking my first bite of a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, I was immediately overwhelmed by just how fishy it was. This intense fishiness wasn't necessarily something that bothered me, because it was a fish sandwich, after all. Otherwise, I enjoyed the lightly crispy crust on the outside of the fish patty, which juxtaposed nicely with the tender, flaky pollock tucked inside. Ultimately, however, the fish reminded me of fish sticks in patty form more than anything else, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it seems like a fish sandwich could maybe do something a little more impressive.

As for the toppings on the sandwich, I thought that the tartar sauce was a really nice accompaniment, though the cheese seemed a bit out of place. It has never really occurred to me to eat fried fish with cheese, but hey, it didn't taste bad. I do think the sandwich was missing a little freshness. A slice of tomato or lettuce leaf would go a long way in brightening things up. For what it's worth, you could probably add such toppings when ordering the sandwich, but for the sake of comparison, I just kept mine as-is.

Overall, I found McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich to be tasty but nothing special. The sandwich as a whole is super simple, which I think works for those who just want a quick, no-frills bite. 

Based on first impressions, there was no denying that Culver's North Atlantic Cod immediately looked like a quality sandwich. The hoagie bun looked soft and buttery, and the fish filet looked super crispy and not necessarily like something you'd get from a fast food chain. Upon taking a first bite, my visual impression was confirmed, as this was one incredibly tasty sandwich.

The most impressive thing about the North Atlantic Cod sandwich was the fried fish. Super crispy and crunchy on the outside yet flaky on the inside, this was a tasty piece of fish, and if I didn't know any better, I wouldn't necessarily guess that it came from a fast food restaurant. I really appreciated how incredibly flaky the fish was on the inside, and unlike McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, I didn't find the fish on this sandwich to have an overwhelmingly fishy flavor.

One thing I did find slightly odd about this sandwich was the toppings, specifically the shredded lettuce and shredded cheese. They worked fine enough, but made the eating experience a bit messy. A single slice of cheese and lettuce leaf would have worked much better, but the taste was fine. 

Overall, I was really impressed by how good this sandwich tasted. The fried cod was super delicious, and it worked really well served on the buttery hoagie bun. Even though I'm not much of a fish sandwich eater, I would order this again the next time I went to Culver's.

Based on taste alone, there's a clear winner in the battle of Culver's and McDonald's fish sandwiches, and that would be Culver's North Atlantic Cod. Though I enjoyed the Filet-O-Fish, there really was no contest next to a sandwich as good as the North Atlantic Cod. The Filet-O-Fish's pollock patty just seems wimpy and lackluster compared to the impeccably-fried cod used in the North Atlantic Cod, and the flavor and texture was just so much better all-around.

The Filet-O-Fish does deserve some credit, though, because it is nearly half the cost of the North Atlantic Cod, so it is a truly good budget option. Ultimately, I think it's worth splurging on a more expensive sandwich if the quality is going to be that much better, and with the North Atlantic Cod, the quality really is significantly better. I could see myself enjoying a Filet-O-Fish again at some point in my life, but I'm never really going to be inclined to seek it out. With the North Atlantic Cod, however, I would absolutely seek it out, and possibly even consider getting it over a ButterBurger the next time I visit Culver's — that's how good it is.