Tucked away in the furthest corner of the contiguous 48 states is the town of Imperial Beach, California. And there, you can find one of the few remaining Rally’s drive-in restaurants in San Diego County. Rally’s (or Checkers, as it’s known elsewhere in the U.S.) is a tiny little fast food joint, where you can order from the walk-up window or one of two drive-thru squawk boxes but there’s no inside seating. I remember at least 2-3 other locations (Sports Arena, Kearny Mesa) that have since closed. And since they offer a fish sandwich, they got my business (and a review).
Since Rally’s offers both a single- and double-portion fish sandwich, I figured I should give them both a try.
The Deep Sea Double ($2.49) comes with two deep-fried, geometric square portions of fish, resembling the ubiquitous Filet o Fish from McDonald’s. Nestled between the fish slabs is a slice of American cheese and beneath is the tartar sauce. A handful of shredded lettuce completes the sandwich. The fish and tartar sauce are OK in flavor and quantity, but there’s really no memorable flavor to the sandwich as a whole. It’s pretty non-descript — nothing stands out.
You might think the Crispy Fish Sandwich ($1.50) is simply the Deep Sea Double minus one fish patty, but you’d be wrong. You also lose the slice of cheese and the fish portion seems thinner. Like its bigger brother, I just couldn’t get excited about the flavor. It was mundane… even boring. I don’t know what would help it, but the fish just kind of gets lost with the bun and lettuce. I don’t know if additional tartar sauce would have made it any better. Maybe malt vinegar?
Rally’s has a much better reputation for their burgers and their battered and seasoned fries. I would say avoid their fish sandwiches altogether.
The Crispy Fish Sandwich weighs in at 430 calories and 19g fat, and the Deep Sea Double contains 640 calories and 31g fat.
Read other Friday Fast Food Fishtucular posts here.
My Burning Kitchen 
I remember a Rally’s used to be a block away from my work place in Calexico, CA. Always preferred their burgers over other fast food chains, but haven’t tried them in years. Might do it next time I’m in IB!
Yeah, stick to their burgers…
What? No banana milkshake with your fish sandwich? I’m disappointed.
There is a Checkers about 100 yards from our current house — across a main road. I went to Rally’s once or twice when it was in San Diego proper, but I can’t bring myself to go to Checkers. (I think InNOut spoiled me.) Maybe I’ll try it before we transfer from this duty station. We’ve gone to Sonic a lot though…
I disagree just that simple
Its not bad, like their dounle fish sandwich, if your for perfection , sorry, its fast food, its better than Mcdonalds, a small fish patty swiming in sauce. don’t and fast food that tastes good, unless it has 12 or 13 mg of salt.