8 Discontinued Fast Food Fish Sandwiches That Fans Still Miss

Sure, there are a ton of great fast food burgers out there, but sometimes, you're just in the mood for something a little different. While McDonald's Filet-O-Fish — with its Alaskan pollock — is perhaps the most famous (and readily available), most fast food chains experiment with fish sandwiches at some point. That's most often during Lent, but that also means that, regardless of religious beliefs or observances, we can all look forward to a few months out of the year when our fast food choices expand in quite a big way.

Anyone who loves making their own pub-inspired, beer-battered fish sandwiches at home knows that there is a ton of room for experimentation here, and fast food restaurants have definitely experimented quite a bit. Unfortunately, not all of the offerings that make it to the menu stay there, and there are some that we're still salty about. And we're not the only ones. When we started looking at long-discontinued fish sandwiches that we miss, we found there's still a lot of love for these one-time, go-to favorites. 

Let's take a look at some of the fast food fish sandwiches that we once looked forward to, ordered regularly, and still wish we could get. While they might not be on offer anymore, who knows? In addition to a little bit of nostalgia, maybe it'll also help inspire your next fish sandwich dinner.

The McDonald's vs. Burger King debate is one that's as old as time ... or, at least, it dates back to the 1950s. The two competitors have always had similar sorts of offerings in terms of doing their own interpretations of things like burgers and shakes, and just like McDonald's added the Filet-O-Fish in the 1960s, Burger King added The Whaler. 

It lasted for a fairly long time, going nationwide in the '70s and even getting a Cajun-style makeover in the late '80s. Even long-lasting menu items aren't safe, though, and The Whaler was overhauled, renamed, and replaced back in the early 1990s. While some Reddit users are quick to point out the fact that "The Whaler" is kind of a questionable name that makes you think you're eating something you're not, others say that, even decades later, they're still craving one of these sandwiches. 

Some of the '80s-era commercials are still on YouTube, and comments are filled with those wishing to see this one make a comeback. Is it the crispy fish patty, the tartar sauce, the lettuce, or the sesame seed bun? Or the fact that it was marketed as being a bigger, better version of the Filet-O-Fish? Some lament the size of Burger King's current Big Fish sandwich offering, while others say that it was the bun that made The Whaler the perfect fish sandwich. Unfortunate name aside, this fast food fish sandwich had some major fans.

Items often come and go from fast food menus with little explanation, and that can be frustrating — especially when an item seems to be a favorite among diners. We can do a little sleuthing here to figure out what happened to the Fish Filet Deluxe, a sandwich that was part of a 1990s-era menu overhaul with items that included the arguably more popular Arch Deluxe. Both were advertised as a sort of classier, more upscale version of other favorite menu items, and their commercials were the kind of thing that played smooth jazz in the background and touted fresh ingredients. 

The Fish Filet Deluxe was around 50% bigger than the regular version, and there was lettuce on there, too, along with the tartar sauce and cheese. And that's the thing: The option for a larger sandwich was nice, especially in the face of later accusations that the regular Filet-O-Fish had been hit by shrinkflation. 

The Deluxe menu had run its course by the early 2000s, and it was slowly dropped in stages. The idea of burgers and sandwiches for adults just didn't go over as the Golden Arches expected, but let's fast-forward to 2024. Videos on social media were comparing the Filet-O-Fish with previous years, and there are a ton of people who are complaining that it's both smaller and more expensive. McDonald's has stated that nothing's changed, but perhaps it's time to bring back the Fish Filet Deluxe.

When we here at Tasting Table took a look at the most affordable fast food fish sandwiches, it was Arby's that took the top spot in 2025 with the crispy fish sandwich ... at least, as far as regular-sized sandwiches are concerned. (Looking at you, White Castle.) That fish sandwich is fine, but just a few years prior, Arby's had a spicy fish sandwich that was downright delicious. And we miss it. 

For starters, the flavor was something outside of the normal, standard breading. Also? In 2022, they were advertised as being one of the sandwiches that you could get in the 2 for $6 deal, and honestly, that kind of feels like 1980s-era nostalgia pricing at this point. More recent pricing is, of course, one of the big complaints about the disappearance of ye olde discontinued fast food items, but we — and others — really miss the spicy component to this fish sandwich. And it wasn't just the kind of casual spice that leaves heat-lovers disappointed: This had an honest-to-gosh, real-deal, extra-flavorful kind of heat, and fans miss this one.

Menu items from Chick-fil-A may not have been all created equal, but there's still a lot to love at this fan-favorite fast food chain. There's a lot of chicken — obviously — but given Chick-fil-A's corporate policy to close on Sundays, it's kind of surprising that this is the chain that doesn't have a fish sandwich ... even for Lent. As of this writing, the official corporate statement on it confirms that, while there are vegetarian options like salads, there's no fish on the menu. Weird? We thought so, especially considering there used to be a fish sandwich, and it was pretty tasty. 

In 2021, Reddit users started discussing the official statement saying that fish sandwiches were going to be discontinued. Many lamented the loss, while others said that their local Chick-fil-A hadn't carried the sandwich in 2020, either. 

Thanks to one Reddit user who cited the restaurant's internal communications, we know what happened here. It was claimed that the problem was simply a logistical one. Fish sandwiches required a fryer to be set aside only for them, and it simply wasn't feasible for most Chick-fil-A locations to limit the use of one of their fryers. Another Reddit user and CFA employee confirmed the use of dedicated fryers for certain food items, and that it would be incredibly difficult to keep up with customers ordering chicken and fries if they were down one for fish. So, while it makes sense, we can still be sad, right?

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are sort of sibling restaurants, so it makes sense that they both debut a lot of the same new menu items. Back in 2013, both announced there was a new fish sandwich getting added to the menu, and it was a massive — and, as far as we're concerned, much-appreciated — departure from the standard battered-and-fried everything that most places turn to. Instead, the charbroiled Atlantic cod fish sandwich was, as the name suggests, charbroiled, and it was a bit of uniqueness we could get on board with. 

And that was the point. The brands' spokespeople noted that there were plenty of fried fish sandwiches on the market, and they wanted to do something different. Unfortunately, it seems as though many preferred the fried version of fast food fish sandwiches, as this one was replaced by the Redhook beer-battered cod fish sandwich in 2015. 

That's the one that was still returning for Lent in 2025, and we get it. Beer-battered fish is incredible, but we'd also just like to give that charbroiled sandwich a shout-out for being willing to stand out from the pack in an all-too-commonly, deep-fried world. It's something we're hoping to see again.

Here's another fish sandwich that stands out from the rest for being incredibly unique, and it's the catfish po'boy from Popeyes. Unfortunately, Popeyes got rid of all the po'boy sandwiches in 2019, and honestly, we don't get it. There are a ton of essential ingredients for true Cajun cuisine, and although Popeyes has spread far and wide, it hails from the heart of Louisiana. Having a line of po'boys just seems like a given, and we're not the only ones who think so.

There's a ton of chatter on Reddit from users who just want the Popeyes po'boys back, and that includes not only the catfish, but the shrimp version, too. Some have even gone as far as to say that they just don't go to Popeyes anymore because it's missing this staple sandwich line, and others say that these are the kind of sandwiches that have dedicated fans reminiscing. 

The good news is that there are copycat recipes for this po'boy out there, and it involves breaded catfish filets, pickles, lettuce, and of course, the appropriate roll. Can we make a Cajun-inspired catfish sandwich at home? Sure. Do we wish that we could get a po'boy at Popeyes? Absolutely.

In 2021, Wendy's introduced the Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich, and that's the same one that returned in 2025. It's safe to say that Wendy's considers this one to be a hit, but it had big shoes to fill when it replaced the wild caught North Pacific cod sandwich that came before it. The dill pickles and dill tartar sauce were on point, and there was a perfectly crisp panko breading here, too. There was no cheese — which is absolutely fine — but the biggest change was a switch from cod to pollock.

The cod version had a ton of fans that eagerly awaited the seasonal return of this sandwich, with many saying that it was simply the best fast food fish sandwich available. And yes, the pickles and the tartar sauce are important, but the fish was really the star. Add in a short hold time that meant they were always crispy and fresh, and they were a huge hit.

The pollock version was met with some customers who appreciated it as an improvement, but it's safe to say that not everyone was sold. With others feel that the new version is just sort of alright, we're definitely not alone in saying that we'd like to see the cod version back, please and thank you.

If you've ever wondered whether or not petitions get the attention of fast food restaurants, we can say that sometimes, they absolutely do. Subway discontinued the Seafood Sensation in 2018, and there was a massive fan backlash. According to news reports in Australia, it was such a big deal and so many people complained that in 2020, they put the sub back on the menu. 

Other areas haven't been so lucky, and there are Facebook groups dedicated to not only campaigning for the return of this sandwich in other countries, but also for sharing knock-off recipes to try to recreate the magic at home. True Seafood Sensation fans, however, say that nothing else has ever truly come close. Reddit users have held spirited debates over what it was that made this particular sandwich so good and so irreplaceable, with some suggestions for the fact that it seemed to be about 50% mayo and that Subway's bread was key. Meanwhile, others say that there was just something extraordinary about the crab meat in particular. 

Some customers admit that since this fast food dish sandwich disappeared, they just have no more reason to go to Subway, and some of those were so bummed that it had them turning to making — and selling — their own versions. Take note, Subway!