According To Customers, You Should Head To The Midwest For High Quality Fast Food Fish Sandwiches

Fish sandwiches are abundant at restaurant chains during the Lenten season, but while McDonald's Filet-O-Fish has earned a spot on the permanent menu, other establishments like Wendy's don't offer fish sandwiches year round. Luckily, the very best fast food fish sandwich is something you can order any day of the year, as long as you live near a Culver's. According to one Redditor, Culver's North Atlantic cod sandwich "stacks up against traditional sit-down restaurants that charge considerably more." On a different Reddit thread, another praised it as "the best fried fish I've ever had at a restaurant."

The cod comes from the Barents Sea, which lies between Norway and Russia. Culver's proudly details how it's been working with the same family-owned supplier for years. The chain itself has its roots in Wisconsin, but it has a strong presence throughout the Midwest. In fact, it's expanded to serve about half the United States. 26 states, to be precise, as far west as Arizona and as far south as Florida. This is good news for fried fish fans, since you likely won't need to travel as far as you thought to try the best fish sandwich fast food has to offer.

One thing that makes Culver's unique among fast food restaurants is how proud it is of its Wisconsin heritage. Its website pays tribute to Wisconsin dairy farmers and instead of having a meal combo named after a celebrity musician, the menu features one selected by Wisconsin-born football player J.J. Watt. Culver's also points out how its fried fish connects to the longstanding Wisconsin tradition of fish fry Fridays, something that originated in 19th-century Milwaukee among its German and Polish immigrants.

Even today, Milwaukee offers numerous places to indulge in fried fish every Friday, not just during Lent. These range from brew pubs to supper clubs, but there are also a few restaurants offering a different spin on the tradition. At Café El Sol, for example, the fried fish is accompanied by Puerto Rican rice and salad. Cute Robot Japanese Kitchen, on the other hand, serves it with miso soup, seaweed salad, and chicken karaage.

Of course, the city and surrounding suburbs are also home to numerous Culver's locations, where the chain has its own version of a classic fish fry. In addition to fish sandwiches, the menu features a plate dinner of two cod fillets accompanied by the standard fish fry sides of french fries, coleslaw, and a bread roll. (You can switch out the sides if you're not into the tradition.) As one TikTok reviewer described it, "The cod dinner never fails me."