McDonald's Filet-O-Fish Review

Today, we are reviewing McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich. As we enter the Roman Catholic Lenten season, many Catholics refrain from eating meat on Fridays. In response, numerous restaurants offer limited-edition meatless options, particularly various fish sandwiches. Over the coming weeks, we will explore some of these offerings; however, today we will focus on a regular menu item from McDonald’s: the Filet-O-Fish.

Many people consider the Filet-O-Fish to be the original fast-food fish offering. Its story is quite interesting. In 1962, Lou Groen, a McDonald’s franchise owner in a Catholic neighborhood in Cincinnati, noticed a decline in hamburger sales due to the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays. Groen made a deal with Ray Kroc, the corporate owner of McDonald’s, to offer two meatless sandwich options. The one that sold better would be added to the permanent menu. One of these options was the Filet-O-Fish, while the other was Kroc’s Hula Burger, which consisted of grilled pineapple with cheese on a cold bun. The Filet-O-Fish won the sales competition and was officially added to the permanent menu in 1963.

Filet-O-Fish holds an important place in fast food history. It was the first regular non-burger menu item at McDonald’s and served as a model for many subsequent fish sandwiches.

The Construction

It’s worth noting that this is the U.S. version of McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich as of 2025. There are various international versions of the Filet-O-Fish that differ in the type of fish and batter or breading used.

Fried Breaded Alaskan Pollock
Steamed Bun
Melted American Cheese
Tartar Sauce
Length: 3 1/4 inches (Diameter)
Weight: 6 ounces
Sandwiches Eaten: 2
Location: Stallings, NC
Price: $4.39

The Experience

For this assessment, the scoring was very similar to what we did with the Turkey Sub Quest. However, the cheese was considered a condiment due to the small amount of condiments used on this sandwich.

Fish: 4 points
Bun: 2 points
Condiments: 2 point
Intangibles: 2 points

Fish

This dish features fried Alaskan pollock with a breading made from wheat and corn. Overall, I would describe the fish as average. While the batter adds some saltiness, I would have preferred a bit more saltiness from the fish itself. The fish had a nice flaky texture, and although the coating wasn’t overly crisp, I found the texture to be acceptable.

Score: 2.0 out of 4.0 points

Bun

Normally a soft, steamed bun would not be my choice for any sandwich. However, when it comes to a fish sandwich, I think it works well. This was a nice bun, and I liked the pillowy texture of the inside bread. The crust had a slight buttery texture (but not a butter flavor to it). Overall, the bread tasted quite good too.

Score: 1.25 out of 4.0 points

Condiments

The only scenario in which I would consider pairing American cheese with fish would be when it comes to a battered or breaded fried fish filet, such as in the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. American cheese tends to be thicker and slightly melted; I personally prefer it a bit more melted. Overall, I found the American cheese to be slightly above average, as it offered a nice creaminess.

I’m ambivalent about tartar sauce. I am not a fan of eggs or mayonnaise. I have been tolerant of some tartar sauces, but I did not like McDonald’s tartar sauce. It was more on the creamy mayonnaise side and did not have enough of a pickle component to offset the mayonnaise component.

Score: 0.75 of 2.00 points

Intangibles

While the fish, bun, and cheese were good, the sandwich was a different story when all together. Normally, I look for the sandwich experience to exceed the sum of the parts. This was not the case with the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. The fish, bun, and cheese didn’t work any magic when combined. Add the fact that the tartar sauce was too mayonnaise-heavy, and it took down the experience.

As for portions, this is a light sandwich overall. One sandwich will not fill you up. This is better ordered as a McDonald’s Meal (Combo) and/or supplemented by an additional sandwich.

Score: 0.75 of 2.00 points

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

This might have been one of the strangest scores I derived since launching the food reviews in July 2024. The main components of the Filet-O-Fish, specifically the fish patty and the bun, performed well. However, the condiments and other intangible aspects fell short. Ultimately, I expected my fish sandwich to be more than just pieces of fish and cheese with tartar sauce placed in a bun, which is what McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish delivered. There simply wasn’t enough to elevate it to the next level. While it’s not a bad option and is suitable during Lent, there are certainly better choices available.