Indy’s Best Fried-Fish Sandwiches

Lent’s meatless Friday tradition might have roots in symbolic religious suffering, but chomping into one of Indy’s most decadent fried-fish sandwiches doesn’t sacrifice a thing.

Love Handle

877 Massachusetts Ave., 317-384-1102
Mass Ave’s most adventurous sandwich shop hypes its Friday-evening fish fry year-round, but the daily chalkboard menu also lists a fried whitefish sandwich slathered in house mayo and served in a basket of schmaltz-tossed popcorn.

The Historic Steer In

5130 E. 10th St., 317-356-0996
A thick slab of beer-battered cod spills out of the bun at Irvington’s blast from the past, where the standard sides are a mound of crinkle-cuts and a saucer of creamy coleslaw made from the generations-old establishment’s original recipe. In classic diner form, the fish sandwich here comes topped with a slip of American cheese and a generous glob of tartar sauce.

Tried & True Alehouse

2800 S. State Rd. 135, Greenwood, 317-530-2706; 4825 E. 96th St., 317-218-3776
Two little fried cod sliders might be the cutest way to feast on Fridays between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Tried & True beer-batters North Atlantic whitefish, fries it up, and serves it on downsized buns with scratch-made tartar sauce.

Caplinger’s Fresh Catch

Several locations
Pick a fillet from the case at this working fish market—a wealth of sea life ranging from catfish to cod to calamari steak—and the person behind the counter will dunk it in seasoned breading and fry (or grill) it on the spot. The sandwich comes out piping hot, tucked inside a toasted bun, and served in a proper paper-lined basket.