WOW What a gem on the bayou Hush puppies like churros Fries gator was fantastic Anita Andy Gator beer wonderful We shared The big cypress Catfish over rice with crawfish Étouffée DAMN GINA!!! So good Service was great Ambiance was stunning On the water Best meal/experience we've had here all weekend We ate outside and they had heaters over the tables Wow They were great Menu was awesome Burgers we saw where beautiful I highly recommend this joint ! You gotta eat dat!!! read more

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Food is wonderful, fresh, and cooked to perfection. Wait staff were very friendly and nice. It seemed to take a long time. But they were super busy, and they never lost their smiles and kept the extras coming until the meal arrived hot and delicious. It is in a beautiful setting off the beaten path and well worth the visit.worth the drive. read more

Enjoyed the hot fish and all the fixings. Definitely worth the drive. Staff was friendly and attentive. Good value for what you receive. read more

Excellent food, service and ambiance. Great place to relax and view the river. The place was packed and the service great! Lacy was excellent and quickly delivered some jalapeño cornbread which was very sweet and tasty. Then we had some excellent sweet tea and ordered their Big B seafood platter and split the catfish, shrimp and chicken tenders. We had a side of hush puppies. Everything was great, fresh and hot. Very tasty w some of their tartar sauce and their own cocktail sauce. Really an enjoyable meal for lunch and alot of food! Thnx Lacy! read more

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So very expensive! Fish had a very strong "fishy" taste as thought it was a mudcat. Cole slaw was strangely too spicy. Server was great! Cool to be next to the creek. Very expensive!!!!!! read more

There wait was little long. But it's Friday night. They gave drinks and hushpuppies, which was good. Everyone enjoyed thier meal. And prices are good. read more

Big Pines Lodge - American Near Me - Karnack, Texas

Food and service was great. Ambiance was great with its look and feel. There are some complainers ut that is their call. I'll be back.

Let's start by saying be patient if it's busy. We waited approximately one hour granted it was father's day. Service was good and we weee immediately met by our server. She was a pleasant person and on top of things. Let's talk food! I had the fried catfish filets. It was a light crispy fry and the tartar sauce was good. Other family had the platter and had no complaints. Wife loved the fried okra. Only complaint....the fries were soggy and had no flavor. I'm not from the area but would recommend this place if you're in the area. Prices are very reasonable for all meals. Thanks for having us. read more

We had quite the experience here last weekend when we were camping nearby at Caddo Lake. Apparently this is *the* place to go to in the area, so of course we went. There were several dozen people in the waiting area because, as the sign told us, they were understaffed, so better just sit down and get comfortable because it's going to take a hot minute. We ended up waiting over half an hour, which wasn't too bad, and honestly it ended up being worth it because we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves afterwards. We chose an outdoor table, and sitting near the water in the shade with a couple Shiners in hand was perfect after a day of hiking and canoeing. You get complimentary hush puppies and cole slaw, but somehow we were not granted the relish tray. No matter because the other two items were delicious--the cole slaw was so fresh and light and cold and we loved the spiciness of the hush puppies, which were crispy and not too oily. So good! Fried pickles as an app were A+. For our mains, we shared their famed chicken fried steak and the blackened catfish, both equally wonderful. The steak is massive and between the two of us we could barely eat half of it, and the fish was also a good amount. Their fries are addictive. Our kiddo got a kids mac-n-cheese (Krafts), but partook in a little bit of everything and was happy. We had the most chipper and sweet waitress and ended up just hanging out long after we were full. Even though the wait and the understaffing wasn't the best entry into the place, we're so glad that we ended up staying because we had a great time and loved our meal. Four happy stars! read more

Hush puppies are too greasy, shrimp and catfish has no flavor whatsoever on it. Waitress never really checked on us but was quick to add her tip to our bill. Never going back. Wish river bend was still open read more

The setting here is hard to beat. Wonderful lakeside view. They have a long pier and the pictures here near sunset are picturesque. The food is a mixed bag. The seafood is quite good. Whole catfish, fillet catfish and the shrimps are very good. Crispy coating, flaky inside. Well seasoned and tasty. The hush puppies are unique and very tasty when warm. Love the accompanying butter. The chicken fried steak, however, is an abomination. It's a giant pizza size pile of dough. It's quite the novelty and was talked about during the duration of the meal but it was 3 parts dough and 1 part meat. Way too much batter to be edible. Service was friendly and prompt. read more

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We went tonight for Mother's Day. Everything was great! The place was packed, but our server took good care of us and made sure we knew the progress of our food order. We had 3 fillets and 3 shrimp. Delicious! Would definitely recommend. read more

Our family has been going to Big Pines Lodge for generations, and we have never been disappointed! If there is a long wait, we enjoy spending time visiting in such a unique atmosphere! The food is ALWAYS delicious and I've always had a friendly and attentive server! Go enjoy some catfish this weekend!! I am!! read more

Came into this place for lunch on a Sunday afternoon, ordered gator bites, frog legs, chicken platter, and fish filet platter for me and my family. Gator bites were chewy and overcooked. Frog legs were raw and undercooked, chicken platter was bland, fries were burnt, fish was overcooked and okra was overcooked. After taking 5-6 bites of my fish plate I determined that the food was disgusting and I couldn't eat it, also the rest of my family was having a difficult time eating their food, the people who ate the frog legs started to feel sick as well. We complained to the waitress and the owner came over and informed us they weren't gonna give us anything for free which we didn't ask for. They came back with a 20% discount and when we asked to remove the fish plate I took 5 bites of, they came and threatened us saying we should take their discount or pay the full ticket. Frustrated with the disrespect and lack of compromise they showed, I payed the ticket while the owners both continued to berate and degrade me in front of my family for telling them they had unsatisfactory food. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, it has a nice location, the food is bad, but worst of all are greedy owners with no shred of shame for the terrible food they are selling. read more

Happened upon this place after leaving caddo state park. They had a sign at the front stating they are under staffed and I thought that was great they gave people notice. We were not in a rush and didn't mind waiting. Our waitress was amazing. So friendly and had the best personality. The food portion sizes are huge! And it's a great location. I can't wait to go back when the weather is warmer. Every thing was delicious. And I mean everything!! We will definitely be back. read more

Food was good, different than we are used to in south Texas, but good. Shared catfish and froed okra with hubs. Catfoish was good, but okra was amazing! So fresh!. Mom amd step dad shared the little chickem fried steak. More than enough to share! The little is half rhe size of rhe plate. The large apparently FILLS the plate. Thwy saod it was great. Last member of the grpup got the cheeseburger basket. Ot LOOKED amazing and he said it was great! Food was good, but took forever tp get pur waitress put. Not sure what the deal was, but she was pretty absent. Hubs had to go remind them we needed help and finalky went in to gwy the ticket when we were done. Worth a visit though. Also, they are pet friendly on the patio. read more

Service was fast, food was great. Beautiful view of Caddo bayou. Go early on Saturday night. Live music starts at 5:30

The food is so delicious. Great improvements from new owners. Our waitress could not have been more attentive. thank you for providing a great atmosphere and music to spend time with friends. read more

Fish fillet with fries, excThe jalapeño hush puppies were much improved from last year's visit . Great sitting on the porch with the overhead fans and breeze even today when it's 98' . We had an excellent waitress Sylvia . The set up that comes with the fish is great the cold slaw was very good not all that mayonnaise dripping, definitely made in house. My husband loves the pickled green tomatoes. Can you see the giant glass for ice tea!!! Silvia keep our glasses full . Thank y'all for keeping up your standards for a great destination and supper food & staff. read more

Big Pines Lodge - Catfish fillet & french fries . - American Near Me - Karnack, Texas

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Came up to your Caddo Lake with Captain Ron and found this awesome watering hole!!! The catfish and okra absolutely delicious... crunchy on outside and soft on inside.. delicious!! But the best part was the corn hush puppies!!! Soooo yum!!! And Danielle the waitress was perfect!! I highly recommend going here!!! read more

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New owners; much better. The hush puppies are so good. Fish was perfect. Glad they're back on their game!

Fish tastes fresh! Fried frog leg tastes good too. Nice lake view and very close to Caddo Lake (around 10 minutes drive)

My family of six enjoyed the food, service, and atmosphere. I was told it was only coincidence, but one our hush puppies was shaped like an alligator. That set the tone of a wonderful experience. We ate fish and burgers with sides and had gator bites as an appetizer. All were happy with their entrees and the gator bites were a hit as well. The staff consistently checked in to make sure our drinks were topped off and we had everything we needed. I'm sure we will make the trip to dine here again. read more

Not a great experience. Food took almost an hour after we ordered to come out of the kitchen. Was mediocre. One chicken fried steak was good. The other one was too tough to eat. Give you plastic forks to eat with that broke. Not a lot of other options around. read more

Y'all had me at Hushpuppies. I mean, dayuum. Fried cornmeal taken to a whole new level! Think light and fluffy resembling churros. Can be requested with or without jalapenos and served with butter just like my Gran Gran ate them. Huge props to Big Pines Lodge for handling our car club visit; think we caused a stir in the parking lot with nearly all spaces occupied. We dined on the patio with the bayou directly to the right. Even opened up early not to affect their regular clientele. Once seated, service was hectic but gathered steam through out visit. Pro tip, ask for the relish tray, coleslaw, and the above mentioned hushpuppies. One of my fave dishes is blackened catfish and BPL's version was nice bites. Quality tartar sauce too. Grilled shrimp skewers on my place were nicely cooked. Baked tater complete with sour cream packet rounded out my meal. GF had chicken strips, table neighbors were equally pleased with their dishes. Keep in mind we brought 50 peeps, so props to all the staff who made this experience stellar. read more

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Outstanding meal. Tshay was our server for 31 of us. Every order was perfect. Cole slaw and hush puppies are to die for. Catfish was served hot and fried crispy. Well worth a trip. read more

What a rip off!!! We were so disappointed. A nice place like this should have some dang good food! I had the 4 catfish filets, each filet was about half the size of an actual fillet...so i actually had 2 filets. My wife had the Grilled Caddo Combo. Again, one very small filet of fish and a small shrimp. Took 2 minutes to eat it all. My son had a 10 oz ribeye that was cooked right but was really salty. Taste was nothing special. Bland seasoning on everything. You can get much better filets at chicken express. Only thing that was good was the cole slaw. For what these meals cost, should have been some dang good food. First and last time here. read more

We visited the restaurant on Saturday afternoon, food was amazing and the new owners have really updated the place. It was great seeing customer service & food back on top!! read more

Great food, great service, GREAT people! You won't be disappointed here- not a bad thing on the menu. Recently came under new management, bad reviews no longer apply. This place ROCKS! Best chicken fried steak on this side of the Mississippi. And you can't beat the beautiful view of Caddo Lake. 5 BIG stars. read more

Had a great meal under their new management. Food was delicious and the staff were all so friendly. Can't wait to see what changes are in store from these new owners! We will be back very soon read more

It's been two years since my last visit to Big Pines Lodge (see below). After that dismal experience, BPL had no place to go but up. I suppose it could have gone out of business, but thank goodness it didn't. With new management at the helm, the old favorite is improving. They still offer complimentary hush puppies, though I'd like to see more jalapenos in the spicy version of them. Onion rings are new to the menu, I believe, and they were a great appetizer. But how was the fried shrimp dinner this time? I happy to say the shrimp were freshly-prepared in-house; not from a frozen bag like last time. However, they were fried in the same batter as the onion rings, and unlike the onion rings, the batter didn't stick to the shrimp. So, the meal ended up messy. Finally, the french fries simply had no flavor at all. I know this sounds bad but, believe me, BPL is better than it was at the time of my last review. You can tell the friendly staff is at least trying to improve the place. There's a new chicken fried steak on the menu I'd like to try next time. I hope it's not prepared with the same batter as everything else, though. read more

Service was great and the food was great. They had live music the night I was there. Cornhole too. I'm coming more often.

tried two plates, burger basket and the caddo combo. the food was alright but prices were a bit high for the okay food. read more

Big Pines Lodge - burger basket! hamburger was good but fries mushy - American Near Me - Karnack, Texas

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Arrived at 5pm and seated immediately. Received basket of hush puppies at 6pm. Received our meal at 630pm. Server didn't even serve our meal. No check backs, no refresh of beverages. Waited until after 7pm for our check Catfish was good and huge portions. read more

Well we got our spots at 4pm for the swamp tour and decided to try this place next to Captain Ron's Swamp Tour. Order: -------- Caddoo Platter( Shrimp Skewers, Fillet, Rice pilaf)-- Good Coke Coffee -- Ok Baked Potato- Average Pros: -------- Spacious Decent Food Quick Service Patio Wifi Free parking Complimentary Fried Corn bread, Pickles, Coleslaw Cons: ------- None to me read more

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The Seafood Platter is delicious! The Cheeseburger Baskets are yummy. Every time I stop at Big Pines we enjoy the food, service, atmosphere and the being next to Caddo Lake. read more

We drive over here from Jefferson, Texas because my friend wanted 'gator. It's about a 20 minute drive. The drive is beautiful. They bring out free hush puppies v which are more like planks with jalapeños which are just a wee bit spicy. They also bring out Cole slaw and a relish plate, both of which are awesome We all got alligator. They do it right, with it being fried to perfection. It come with a 'gator sauce, but I asked for a side of gravy. I also got a singular frog leg. The breaking all fell off. The 'gator was great, the frog leg was average. One friend got okra (decent) and another fries (ditto). We got Moscato which was cheap priced ($5.49)and same for taste. The service was low but not so bad to complain read more

Big Pines Lodge - Alligator and okra - American Near Me - Karnack, Texas

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Dining at Big Pines Lodge Restaurant on Caddo Lake is like stepping into a timeless tradition that spans over six decades. While a fire sadly took away their original building in 2009, the spirit and essence of this beloved establishment have been brilliantly resurrected in a way that maintains the nostalgia we all cherish. One of the remarkable additions to the lodge is the upper outside deck and ground-level lower patio, both offering breathtaking views of the water. It's a place where you can truly soak in the natural beauty of Caddo Lake while enjoying a delicious meal. What makes Big Pines Lodge truly special is its accessibility. With a boat dock and a generously sized parking lot, you can arrive however you please, be it by land or water. This flexibility adds to the overall charm of the experience. Now, let's talk about the food - it's nothing short of spectacular. The claim of serving the best home-cooked catfish and hushpuppies on the planet might sound bold, but it's entirely justified. Every bite is a testament to the culinary mastery that has been honed over the years. You will ask for more Jalapeño hush puppy's please ! While ownership may have changed since the days of sitting in the gun shop and conversing with George and his wife, the original owners, the food's quality remains unwavering. It's a testament to their legacy that the tradition of outstanding cuisine continues to thrive. Big Pines Lodge Restaurant is not just a place to dine; it's a place to create lasting memories and relish in the comforting familiarity of a cherished tradition. With its rich history and renewed spirit, it's a destination that beckons both old friends and new visitors to experience the magic of Caddo Lake and savor some of the finest home-cooked catfish and hushpuppies you'll find anywhere. George's legacy will always be remembered as you walk in look to the right you can see where the gun shop use to be as now a mural now is painted as a tribute to him. read more

I don't get back down to NE Texas very often, but when I do I want catfish. THIS is the place to go. Excellent food. The place was full on the Saturday night we went to large enough that there was no wait. They had signs up saying they are understaffed but our waiter was excellent. I highly recommend. read more

Big Pines Lodge - Big Pines Lodge - American Near Me - Karnack, Texas

This place was awesome. The food was delish. My only concern was that they seemed to have passed Talopia off as Catfish. I know the difference in the two. I hate it when restaurants do this. It is deception. read more