A quaint, popular, and local spot. I heard this was one of the best spots in Arkansas to order fried catfish and wanted to try it out for myself. It was so good! I ordered the 3 piece catfish meal that came with hush puppies and fries. Everything was crispy, flavorful, and served hot. Service was fast and I waited under 15 minutes for my food. The catfish was seasoned well and paired with the cocktail sauce, it was delicious. read more

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Easily the best catfish I have ever had. I grew up on the Mississippi and thought I had for sure tried it all. WRONG. Holy crap, was it good! read more

We tried this place out given the good reviews and proximity to our hotel. The small place has some great employees (they were really nice). Ended up ordering the fish and shrimp combo with fried okra. The catfish was delicious. Good cornmeal light breading with fresh catfish that didn't have any fishiness to it. The shrimp was fried well as well and fresh tasting as well (great amount of breading). Both also weren't oily at all which told us the oil wasn't old. The hush puppies were good as well (also fried well). The side of fried okra was really good in my opinion, none of the sliminess that sometimes comes from okra that isn't cooked well. All in all I would totally recommend this place in the area if you're wanting to try some southern food. read more

Bubba's Catfish - Fish and Shrimp Combo - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

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Bubba's Catfish was the first place I decided to have a meal in my first ever stay in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. The catfish and fries were a bit too heavy in oil. The hush puppies were decent, but were on the small side. They outsource the hand pies from Letha's Fried Pies. They were out of lemonade, but had it advertised in almost every direction my daughters and I looked. For three plates, my cost came out to $57.52 on 7.19.2025. I wanted to love it, but the grease seemed off and not drained enough. RATING BREAKDOWN Food: 3 | Service: 4 | Ambiance: 3 | Price: 2 read more

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It's a roadside shack really! Like a permanent "all fried" food truck with bench seating. Catfish, coleslaw, fries and hush-puppy's kinda place. Prices are reasonable especially for a touristy locale. Fish-by-the-piece $3, chicken fingers $2 Shrimp ~ $3. Plates start about $15-$22 and the stuff is cooked to order so piping hot and not greasy. They also have meat pies and fried fruit pies brought in along with some crawfish options but I'm sure that stuff is not local. All in all -- very divey establishment - mostly eat out side or to-go. Not cheap but not at all expensive either. Try it sometime and see for yourself. read more

Gumbo ! Service is fun. Eat outside and enjoy the boats parking for dinner! We love this place! read more

Excellent restaurant. Stopped in on our way to DFW. Had the catfish special. Staff was friendly and courteous. Highly recommend it. We got there when they opened, and the place was almost full within 15 mins. Great meal at a great price. read more

I have not gone backing several years because The size of the fillets are way too small! I was not impressed! Shrimp is never cooked properly over done! The big and tall feller was the cook ( he is no chef). I don't like theirvs their slaw either. Hush puppies are small and dry. Sorry read more

Best catfish in town with great service. Highly recommend! Normally not a food truck person but I really like the food!

Went twice in 2 weeks. Spent over $70 for several plates. Everyone can make a mistake. Two of our plates were just incorrect. Shrimp missing. I immediately called as we got back to our rental. Owner took my name. In 2 weeks time, I was back in town. I called Bubbas, mentioned my isssue. All seemed fine. Until my wife sat at the window 31 minutes. !! The man had come up and got our name, said it would be a few minutes. They all continued to walk past the window. Never saying a word. Finally the owner came to window, gave my food with a huge obvious eye roll!! WTH- your pissy to my wife, because she waited 31 minutes and you had screwed up the last time?? Well we are done! Too many places to eat without a rude owner and food to go. Never returning or recommending read more

Nice patio. Fish tacos were the only dish, out of 10 orders, that was good. Everything else was over fried. French fries were greasy and not even the kids finished. The 'fish & chips' required an upgrade to get fries! The cod was pretty good, but the batter was so over cooked. The fried shrimp was labeled as 'butterfly' but was not and was cooked beyond being etable. Maybe it's a bad day. But would not recommend. read more

No, I wouldn't recommend Bubbas on Central. This lady is the rudest lady. She doesn't even act like she wants to be working. She shortchanged me. I will never come back to this Bubbas. read more

We found this to be pretty good. Service was great and food was pretty good. Nice place to try.

Delicious real catfish! Terrific chicken tenders. Excellent service, quickly received order! read more

Bubba's Catfish - Catfish dinner - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

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OHHHH YESSSSSSSS... Great catfish done by people who know how it should be prepared... Very friendly people who seem genuinely glad to see you come in. Someof the best catfish I have ever eaten, and the prices are fair too...What's not to like? read more

Drove 20 minutes to get my food from Lake Hamilton. Never got any tarter after telling him specifically I needed it! ruined my whole meal. All they could say was I'm sorry. Never offered to make it right. 30$ down the drain. I'm not eating fish without tarter! read more

The seafood sampler is totally worth it. I pretty much get the same thing every time. I would recommend this place to everyone who wants great seafood!! read more

I ordered the chicken tenders basket. The tenders were tasty, fries were good, hush puppies were good and the cole slow was just ok. My wife had the catfish. She stated they were good but not enough catfish meat. The servers were both great. Will come back again. Give it a try for yourself. read more

Bubba's Catfish - fried fish and fries in a styrofoam container - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

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Excellent food and reasonably priced. Outside seating only. Everything was excellent. Great fried pies and catfish! Wish I lived closer 10 Piece Catfish read more

I really wanted like Bubba's, it seems everybody else likes the place, but ultimately the food spoke for itself. The catfish is frozen and over fried. The batter tasted nice but the consistency of the fish was mushy, it had no substance. The coleslaw looked weird and after discovering not only were the lemons really old but the cocktail sauce had actually congealed in the little cups because it had been there so long I decided not to risk it. As well as the catfish plate I ordered a side of Okra which was also over fried and sadly mushy. The service was super friendly, no complaints there and maybe we caught them on an off day, but I won't be back, the food was awful. read more

The four stars is for great service, catfish was on point and he gave me enough condiments without me asking for more since I'm staying at a nearby hotel. It's a little bit of a wait because it seems they fried as they go because everything came out fresh and warm. A 10 min back to my hotel and the fries was not even soggy. I got the Seafood Sampler Combo: 3 pieces catfish, 6 fried shrimp, crawfish tails, fries and hush puppies. The combos also came with cole slaws but I upcharge it to fried okra. I got 2 tartar, 2 cocktail and 2 Cajun remoulade sauce and plenty of ketchup and hot sauce. Everything was fried perfectly. I would recommend sharing a seafood sampler. It was alot of food. read more

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I was looking forward to the catfish and shrimp combo, based on the comments. The service was nice. As everyone stated, they have outside seating. It smelled delicious! However, the fish was fried to hard and shrimp was okay. Didn't eat the coleslaw or finished the rest of it. Removing from my favorites. read more

I had lunch at Bubba's today and it was amazing, as was my server - Austin. I was thinking of having a sandwich and he recommended the Grouper with onion rings. I was thrilled! The Grouper was moist and flaky - perfectly prepared. The onion rings were huge. The batter was crunchy with a hint of sweetness, and the onions inside were tender and sweet. It was refreshing to have a server that knew the menu really well, and gave me solid recommendations based on my tastes. Austin was a gem. read more

we wern't impressed. Close to closing time so maybe that was the problem. Trailer so take out only. We used their pick nik tables

If anyone tells you a restaurant is better than Bubba's Catfish, call the psychologist as they are dillusional. Best catfish I have ever had and I am 3 days older than dirt not to mention a professional and 100% friendly staff! Also the French fries are phenomenal! read more

Exactly what I was looking for. I ordered over the phone and my meal was ready in 10 min. Picked it up and it was very tasty. Fried pickles, Cole Slaw, Ckn Fingers & Fries. read more

First time at Bubba's and I thought the food was pretty good. Had their seafood sampler that comes with jumbo fried shrimps, crawfish tails, hush puppies, cold slaw and of course their famous fried catfish. It took about 10 mins for the food to be ready and I have to say I was very happy with the order. With the jumbo shrimp and a side of fried okra it came out to be 25$, very fair I thought. The best item was of course the catfish that was crispy and nicely flavored. The other items were good and perfectly fried but felt slightly frozen especially the jumbo shrimp. Overall pretty satisfied with the food. The staff were nice and courteous. I would have given them a 5/5 if they had fried oysters. read more

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Great customer service! Amazing food! The only thing lacking is a bigger building to provide a more traditional restaurant style atmosphere. I had the 3 piece catfish dinner, a couple pieces were small so they actually served 5 pieces instead. The fries were hot and fresh. I love that you never have to remember to ask for condiments; they always throw them in without a word. Amazing business. Amazing people working there. read more

Great fried catfish. Hush puppies are just right. Coleslaw is above average but not superb. And the fried okra is good. Definitely recommend if you are needing some fried catfish. Oh and the staff there is great. Always friendly and great service. read more

Got the fried crawfish and catfish. Husband ate half of the crawfish by the time I got my phone out to take a picture. 10/10 would recommend. read more

Bubba's Catfish - 10/10 - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

Catfish & frog legs were delicious -- fresh & cooked with a light fish batter. Highly recommend these two items. I give this place 3 stars because I want the whole dinner to be good, especially on a busy Saturday night. The rest of our meal was awful! The shrimp, fries & hush puppies were definitely brought in frozen & then fried in the same oil as the fish. It was your typical fried food mess! You also get a side of coleslaw. Ours was gray & smelled sour. Honestly, we were afraid to eat it. No doubt the staff was friendly. It's easy to access. Prices are average. read more

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Always oh so fresh! I've had everything on the menu. This is a perfect place to feed large groups with. The portions are large! Don't forget the Tarter Sauce! read more

Bubbas;on carpenter dam rd evidently has changed owners in the last six months or so. We used to look forward to a fried catfish dinner at Bubbas. The staff was very friendly and generous with their meals. The fish plates had nice size fillets ,and slaw ,and hushpuppies ,and fries. Today we made an order to go;when the man said it will be ready in ten minutes! I thought something wasn't right. Evidently they had some plates that were already prepared; it was barely warm;and the pieces were mostly fish meal and grease. I could barely see or taste any meat; there was barely any meat left after it was fried to a crisp. What a disappointment,compared to the meals they served for years. Now I know why there haven't been any customers there;to speak of;in several months. And the price was ridiculous for fries and slaw. Where did the fish go!!? Dont waste your time here.A good little restaurant that's gone downhill fast read more

Who Knew so much flavor could be packed in such a small establishment. There is nothing I can say negative about Bubbas. Everything is cooked at time of order. Can't get more fresh than that Place is seafood heaven disguised as a food truck. read more

Bubba's Catfish - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

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Great service, which was unexpected coming from something more or less of an upgrade from a food truck. Don't let that scare you off. I happened upon them when waiting for a phone order of sushi to be ready for pick up. If I had knew what was in store I wouldn't have wasted my money on subpar sushi that was overpriced compared to what i could have got here. This place, though fried obviously, has great fish with the most perfect light corn meal batter fry. Served with a delicious dill tartare sauce, lemon wedges and even red onion if you'd like. I wish I had found this place sooner. read more

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Haven't had fried catfish in months. Had to get out of the house, so drove from Dallas to Hot Springs for the day. Searched restaurants and found Bubba's. The catfish was perfectly cooked, very tasty, and a large portion at that. We ordered the 3 fillet meal and got 4 fillets. Definitely would go back. Service was prompt. Food was HOT (we sat in the car in the parking lot and ate). Of you like catfish, go here and enjoy their food! read more

Bubba's Catfish - Catfish meal. Bubba's - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

Never thought I would like food out of a food truck but was very surprised. Great little place, friendly l, great food too. Like that I got a little extra hushpuppies. read more

Last night we ordered the Seafood Sampler. The shrimp and the catfish were great! I also order a half order of fried okra. The okra was the best thing we ordered. The crawfish tails were ok but their remoulade sauce made them better! The prices at this place were fantastic! read more

Bubba's Catfish - Seafood Sampler includes Fried Catfish, Fried Shrimp & Fried Crawfish tails with French fries and hushpuppies! - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

Bubbas was a great meal to a outsider from Shreveport Louisiana. I got the 4 price catfish plate with fries, hush puppies and coleslaw. First off I don't eat coleslaw so I'm afraid I can't tell you about it. The catfish was great, very meaty especially in the middle all the way to the tips. With that being said the tips we're very crispy and mostly batter but that is to be expected from anywhere. In my personal and honest opinion the fried catfish fillets were great!! Between the previously mentioned thickness of the fillets and the super white and flakey meat. The hush puppies were good to me although not much different from any other. My overall opinion of the restaurant was a very great experience. I will be coming back anytime I'm in the area! Thank you all who work at bubbas it was great(: read more

Food was horrible. 4 of us (including 2 17 year olds) could not eat our food all ranging from different items. The food is just not good. We have tried them 3 times and made excuses for the bad food based on it's a busy holiday or it's the slow season but can't make excuses anymore for bad food. The service and servers were great but won't go back. read more