Which Fast Food Fish Sandwich Is The Most Affordable?

In the fast food world, fish sandwiches often play third fiddle to both burgers and chicken, but some spots provide surprisingly good fish at genuinely affordable prices. Despite never getting the love of a Big Mac or Whopper, items like McDonald's Filet-O-Fish have been staples of seafood cravers on the go for decades, and recent years have seen the introduction of some new players like Wendy's Crispy Panko Fish and Popeye's Flounder Fish Sandwich. In fact, while it may not get the press of the chicken sandwich wars of the late 2010s, fast food is undergoing a bit of a fish sandwich renaissance. And while your taste opinions on whether Wendy's or McDonald's has the better fish sandwich are going to vary by person, the price is the price, and people grabbing fast food are also usually looking for a deal. So which fish sandwich option is going to satisfy and save you some money?

We looked at 11 of the most popular fast food fish sandwiches nationwide, and while prices vary by region, it probably won't surprise you to learn that the cheapest was White Castle at $2.49. But that's kind of cheating, because those are sliders, and only about half the size of most other fast food fish sandwiches. So what was second? Arby's Crispy Fish Sandwich narrowly beat out McDonald's and Long John Silver's at $4.69, and at twice the weight of White Castle's offering, it's a better deal than two sliders as well.

As noted, McDonald's and Long John Silver's were tied for second, with both spots only 10 cents higher than Arby's. However, size is another factor here, and the Filet-O-Fish is actually pretty small, being closer in weight to White Castle's sliders than Arby's fish sandwich. Long John Silver's Fish Sandwich isn't as big as Arby's either, but is more of a full sandwich, and this would fall into second place on total value.

From there, the competition got a little less heated. The next two most affordable fish sandwiches were Hardee's (or Carl's Jr.) Redhook Beer-Battered Fish Sandwich at $4.99 and Burger King Big Fish at $5.29. Wendy's Crispy Panko Fish was next at $5.49. Offerings from Popeye's, Dairy Queen, Culver's, and Portillo's all came in at $5.99 or more.

If you're curious about the most expensive, Culver's North Atlantic Cod Sandwich was $7.49. That said, a lot of taste tests rank Culver's as one of the best-tasting fast food fish sandwiches, so you get what you pay for. But for what it's worth, Arby's is no slouch in a lot of the rankings either, so fish sandwiches look like one product where you don't need to trade quality for value.