Here’s where to find the best fish sandwich in SC for 2026, new ranking says

Michelle Washmuth of the food website Mashed set out to find the best fish sandwich in every state.

She’s a native Floridian and grew up fishing with her father, “eating fresh fish within hours of it being caught.”

Oh, those deep-fried fish sandwiches with cheese, she said.

Well, South Carolina’s got a good one.

CudaCo. Seafood House on James Island in Charleston County has the Sandy fish sandwich — fried flounder, American cheese, a buttered potato bun, pickles, and a dash of Crystal hot sauce.

Renowned, she said.

The restaurant on Folly Road is owned by Chris John and Shaun Brian Sells, who met when John was selling soft shell crabs and Shaun was buying some for his restaurant downtown.

They talked surfing and the ocean and then came up with a seafood market — CudaCo, named after the barracuda, which is widely considered to be a trash fish. “Our goal, in line with our mission, is to help make lesser sought after species become the norm,” they said. “This takes pressure off the fish that are much more popular so it can recover. This style of fishing, coupled with mindful sourcing, makes fish a regenerative resource.”

Sells had a pet barracuda that lived under his father’s sailboat and followed them out to sea, but that’s beside the point. He started cooking on that sailboat for family before attending the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales. He has worked as the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, OCEAN|362 in St. John, and the Historical Harbor View Hotel in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

John is a James Island native and attended the University of California at Santa Cruz, majoring in marine biology. He returned to the Lowcountry after time in Indonesia and Hawaii.

He owned Stone Village, a granite and stone import company, but then started Oyster Point Seafood selling oysters and soft shell crabs.

In 2020, Sells and John opened CudaCo, which has a market, restaurant with limited seating, and catering.

Mashed called it laid-back with a neighborhood vibe focused on freshness. Washmuth said you can get a rare tuna steak instead of flounder on that sandwich.

tuna is more of your speed, you can substitute a rare tuna steak.

They also feature oyster po’ boys, fish fry selected from the market, and a raw bar. Don’t forget of course the Old Bay Local Shrimp. Or a seaweed salad. The chowder is smoked seafood.

(843) 789-3105

765 Folly Road, Charleston