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    Catfish Sam's

    4.0 (221 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood, Southern
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Catfish Sam's Photos

    Business Info

    CATFISH SAM'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Catfish Sam's

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    Reviews With Photos - Catfish Sam's

    dean d.

    Never disappoints: good service, more food than a normal person can eat, freshly made, and delicious. It still irks me that appetizers only ever show up with the meal.

    Plenty of room and very clean
    Jim M.

    Place is an Arlington institution been there since I can remember and today was my 1st time in to my surprise it was spotless clean from top to bottom plenty of seating with a port side decor only thing missing was a fishing dock. The catfish was absolutely perfect and the wife said her Shrimp was very good portions were more than we could finish cole slaw,beans went well tomato relish was differently good and yeast roll stole my heart. Amber our server was very kind polite an a real treat you can tell the folks here enjoy their work. Looking forward to stopping in next time where that way.

    Medium Catfish Dinner ($20) - Three filets, red beans, coleslaw, green pickled tomatoes, hushpuppies, & a baked potato.
    Nicole S.

    Great gem in Arlington, grew up here & I can't believe I have never been to this place! Went here for dinner on a weeknight with a couple of friends. Small menu, as expected when catfish is their thing, but there are still options for everyone. I didn't know know one of the friends I was with didn't like seafood, lol. This is what we had: Medium Catfish Dinner ($20) Hamburger Steak ($18) Little Sammy Special ($12) Butterfinger Pie ($7) Peach Cobbler ($9) The first two came with all three sides which were beans, coleslaw, & pickled tomatoes. The Little Sammy Special you had a choice of one of those, that was my meal & I chose the pickled green tomatoes. Excellent. Also, my three catfish strips was still a lot of fish. All our meals came with a baked potato (or fries) with sour cream & butter, then of course hush puppies. Rolls come at the end, with honey to add as you please, soft & fluffy. My friends also had the Butterfinger Pie which apparently was amazing & the peach cobbler which was pretty good too. The food takes a little while to come out, totally fine because it's cooked when ordered & clearly the fish is not sitting there. It's not greasy & honestly, just great food. Red beans were a bit bland, I tried my friends, but that's forgivable. Clean restaurant, wonderful staff & service with a cheery bright atmosphere. The host was friendly & greeted us upon arrival, then kindly thanked us as we left. Our waitress, she gives you that sweet mom vibe that just wants to take care of everyone & gets you. She was a bit older, had glasses, such a high energy. Protect her at all costs! Stop by here if you haven't already, you'll be back, I know we will!

    Time for dinner
    Chuck M.

    Oh Catfish Sam's how I love you. Other than the excellent catfish, the items in their setup are some of my favorites. The setup for decades has those addictive little round hushpuppies, sweet green tomatoes, dill pickles and okra, onions (a must) and Catfish Sam's declivous pinto beans. I could forego the fish and much down on just the items in the setup. But how can you go to Catfish Sam's and NOT get their phenomenal catfish? Their catfish is battered and fried to perfection. What an incredible greeting from our server! They're always so friendly and welcoming. My wife is not a big fish lover, but fortunately, Catfish Sam's has lots of options on the menu for those land lovers. On this visit she opted for the children's chicken tender's dinner, and I opted for the medium catfish filet platter with a baked potato. and all the deliciousness that goes with it! Our platters arrived after a short wait. ALL of our food was delicious and served piping hot. My catfish was fried to perfection and my wife loved her chicken tenders. What a wonderful time we had. We both left with VERY happy tummies. We'll see you again soon Catfish Sam's.

    Aquarium
    Les G.

    I wanted good catfish. I've been checking out different locations and decided to stop here. I hadn't read anything about Sam's before I stopped. But a catfish craving is a catfish craving. I ordered it to go because it was still a bit early for supper. The service was fantastic. And fast. Speedy fast. The restaurant is a bit dated - reminded me of some of the restaurants from the late 70's. (nOTE: the late 70's is back in the 1900's.) If you want good farm-raised catfish, make it a point to stop here!

    Inside seating area
    Rigo M.

    Let me just say the food here is nothing but amazing. This was my first time eating here and I was in no way disappointed. Service was beyond perfect and the friendliest I have ever had. Love the whole fishing, ocean life and anything that has to do with fish vibe this establishment has. If you love sea food like I do then this is the place for you. They also offer other dishes that are not fish or sea food related.

    Medium Catfish Dinner

    Ordered a 5 peice dinner of catfish it was prepped pretty good taste was not too bad with a mixture of tarter and hot sauces would recommend too try would try again to see how I feel

    a tray full of food
    Freda R.

    Still good! Reminds me of the catfish dinner joints back home in Texarkana area. Good service, super clean, crispy cornmeal catfish with all the fixings! I will be back!

    Catfish Shrimp and Fish Dinner  Shrimp and Fish Dinner

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    6 months ago

    The service was immaculate the food was decent if you like fried fish you'll be satisfied

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    1 year ago

    Ordered takeout and it was so good! Definitely the best catfish I've had and love the set up.

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    2 years ago

    Great food good service and nice establishment. My first time did not disappoint. The experience was excellent.

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Catfish Sam's

    Are they open for dine in?

    Yes, they have indoor dining. They have altered their routine some but the food is still great!! My favorite catfish restaurant!

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    Madea's Down Home Cooking

    Madea's Down Home Cooking

    4.4
    (575 reviews)
    11.1 mi
    $$

    I visited Madea's for the first time on a Thursday while in town visiting family, and I was…read morewelcomed right at the entrance. The hospitality set the tone for a great experience. I ordered the pork chop plate, and the server kindly let me try both a fried pork chop and a smothered one since I couldn't make up my mind. I also had fried cabbage and yams. The cabbage had a little unexpected heat to it, but that's actually the same way my family cooks theirs, so I ended up really enjoying it. One thing that stood out to me was the staff. I'm not sure if the restaurant is always staffed this way, but I was genuinely impressed that all the front-line workers were men -- and every single one of them was courteous, respectful, patient, and mindful of each customer. While I enjoyed my meal, I watched them treat each person who walked in with the same positive energy and attentiveness. If you're in the area, go support this restaurant. The food, the atmosphere, and the service all made my first visit a memorable one.

    I was on this side of town and was a little famished for some soul food. Decided to call in a take…read moreout order. The young man who answered the phone was very kind and ensured he had my order correct. Even verified I was ok with paying over the phone before he took my order. I arrived about 15 minutes later and once inside the cashier called for my order number then requested to see the card I paid with and my ID. In today's world it's comforting to know there are businesses verifying identity! Kudos!! Once seated at home I opened my container to hot fried catfish, tomatoes and okra, Mac n cheese and hot water cornbread. My first bite of everything was very good and seasoned to perfection. I got so full so quick that I wasn't able to finish but it made for perfect leftovers later that day. On to the desserts! My mom got a slice of pecan pie and I enjoyed the strawberry cake. Both were tasty and prepared perfectly! I will stop in again for fried pork chops when it's time for an off plan meal.

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    Fried chicken
    Fried chicken
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    Nana's Kitchen

    Nana's Kitchen

    4.0
    (146 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    The food was very well presented, I had the meat loaf, sweet potatoes, and corn bread…read more Meatloaf was very well portioned savory and tastefully good. Sweet potatoes were very tender. Good portion flavor was amazing.. (For me a bit too sweet), but overall good. Corn bread, now exactly how it was described, very velvety it melts in your mouth. For the flavor and density was very surprised it wasn't crumbly. Service was very welcoming, didn't make you feel overwhelmed for being a first time customer. No rushing while trying to order, which for me is very important when trying a restaurant for the first time. Ambiance very comfortable and laid-back. Definitely will try this hidden gem again

    My husband is from the south, Virginia to be exact, so my review will be biased based on that. I am…read moregiving a very generous 4 star review mainly because of the woman who was plating all the food behind the counter and because this place is a soul food spot not southern. I came here today a little after 5pm and did not get a greeting like everyone else did when I walked into the door. They were pretty busy with to go orders around this time. There is an entrance area where you order and pay for your food and a separate area for dining in. I ordered a catfish fillet with Mac n cheese and sweet potatoes and fried shrimp basket with fries and greens to go. I ordered at 5:15 and got my food at 5:45 and let me tell you, it was the longest wait of my life. I think the A/C must've been broken because it was hot in the waiting area and it didn't help that one of the front desk girls kept complaining about them still being open for another hour. There were a bunch of flies everywhere and the front area doesn't seem to be cleaned throughout the day. I also feel for the woman who puts the plates together because she's doing it by herself and was constantly asking the front desk girls to bag the orders. She stayed calm though and still greeted people as they were coming in. Now for the food. The shrimp basket was $25.99 and the catfish was $19.99. The shrimp was good, kids approved. The catfish was good too. All the food was made fresh to order so I can appreciate that for quality. Onto the sides. I think the French fries were accidentally season with sugar instead of salt. The greens were ok, just drenched with garlic. The Mac n cheese, ehhh. I was looking forward to the Mac n cheese but it wasn't as cheesy as I was expecting but tasted ok. The sweet potatoes were really good, probably my favorite side out of the four. The cornbread was moist and good. Overall, food was good but definitely overpriced. However, I do support small businesses but still think it's a bit overpriced based on portion size. They do require you pay for your food before you sit down if you are dining in. This may be because of too many incidents where people dine and dash. I do think that the lady behind the counter putting the plates together needs better help. No offense to the young girls they have working there but either train them or get someone who can actually do the job. If you are looking for true southern food, this ain't it. Texas food vs. southern food are 2 completely different things which I am learning the hard way now having lived here for a year.

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    2 fried catfish with mashed potatoes + green beans
    2 fried catfish with mashed potatoes + green beans
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    Catfish Sam's - seafood - Updated August 2026

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