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    Middendorf's - Manchac

    3.6 (523 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood, Sandwiches
    Closed Closed

    Middendorf's - Manchac Photos

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    MIDDENDORF'S - MANCHAC ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Middendorf's - Manchac

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    Nikki F.

    I didn't visit the actual location but I had it at a pop up in Baton Rouge at the Orgin Hotel's restaurant, Passe'. The food came out fairly quick. I ordered the special which was the thin cut catfish, fries, hush puppies, and I believe potato salad. I subbed the potato salad for extra fries. Now the amount of food was not much at all! Definitely not $19 worth. The fish was ok. Not bad but not anything I'd just have to have again. I didn't like the hush puppies at all. I wish it came with some type of bread. Overall, I'm glad I got to try it. Would I travel to get it? Nah.

    Cheeseburger and Fries
    Craig L.

    Without even getting to the food, I'll just say if you are passing through this area Middendorf's is worth trying. If you take a look at some of the photos that I've included you will see that it is located in a unique, picaresque location. The original location was established in 1934. The food? I enjoyed it. I like catfish and had no complaints. Their specialty is the thin sliced fried catfish. I had that with fried shrimp, and it was delicious. They also offer the regular sliced catfish as well as other fresh seafood and non seafood choices. The only downside was that the hushpuppies were not the best and I can live without coleslaw. I thought that maybe they could offer a substitute veggie for the non cabbage eater. I did not have drinks since I was driving, but they did offer what appeared to be a full service bar. The restaurant has a unique vibe. Tables are arranged in various areas so that you do not feel crowded. The decor reflects the uniqueness of the area. The service was okay, but could have been a little more attentive. Also it is a pet peeve of mine when a server asks if I need change, especially when you are paying with large bills. Overall, a good time was had by everyone in my party and no one left hungry.

    Really enjoyed it. Recommended by a friend who suggested we should stop for lunch on our way out of New Orleans. The hostess told us there would be a 15-20 minute wait for a table. This is perfectly reasonable for peak meal-time at a popular restaurant. However, the hostess also said we could seat ourselves at the bar and dine there if we wished. We did this and it was a great option. The food was good. The service was wonderful. The atmosphere was casual and bright and welcoming. There were many large family groups, lots of kids, and all of the staff I saw were very friendly. Overall we really enjoyed it and were glad we stopped.

    Michael L.

    The food is great, the service is great, and the building is part of history. I have been eating here since I was a kid and now I bring my children and grandchildren to experience.

    Cole slaw topped with a dill pickle slice
    Toni F.

    First stop after being picked up at the airport for a visit home. I'd been craving Middendorf's thin fried catfish for weeks, and it didn't disappoint! There was a bit of a wait for a table, then we settled in for the best catfish anywhere. The cole slaw is so-so, just a simple slaw but it's the fish that's a standout. Every bit as good as I'd remembered it!

    We been stopping here for many years when traveling I-55 Never disappointed always plenty of great seafood and good service at affordable prices. Had the catfish oyster poboy with gumbo and salad. Great views of lake Pontchartrain.

    Outside

    I ordered the gumbo, and as someone from Louisiana, I can confidently say--this is not gumbo. It was by far the most disappointing version I've ever had. If you're expecting authentic Cajun or Louisiana-style food, this simply isn't it. I genuinely appreciate the service and cleanliness of the place, but I can't recommend anything on the menu based on my experience. If you're looking for true Louisiana Cajun cuisine, you'll want to look elsewhere.

    Thin fried catfish, breaded shrimp and delicious Cole slaw

    Wow! This was recommended by some friends and they were correct. Delicious thin cut catfish. The service was fabulous. Friendly welcoming and defiantly a highlight on our trip

    Broiled Chicken Breast sandwich
    Traci B.

    Great location and roomy deck on Lake Maurepas! Staff is friendly, but they're understaffed so you have to go to the counter, order, get your order, and your refills which is fine just fyi. Our food was pretty good, typical fried seafood and sides. I don't get the hype for thin-cut catfish. The pasta was meh. The mushroom appetizer was weird-broiled mushrooms with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs sprinkled on top, cheese doesn't melt. The best values for your money are the fried shrimp basket (lots of fried shrimp!) and the broiled stuffed shrimp with hush puppies, fries and coleslaw for $19! It had lots of crab on the broiled shrimp. The hush puppies were disappointing-bland (you get 2 with the dinners). We had a great time with our family, but don't want to drive 50 minutes out of our way to get charged that much for so-so seafood.

    Thin catfish platter

    Arrived around 2pm for a late lunch. We were seated right away. We waited for quite some time and nobody came to take drink orders. Very few customers in there and several wait staff actively waiting on those customers. After a considerable amount of time I asked someone if we had a waitress assigned to our table. She said yes, I'll have to go find her. After several more minutes, our waitress comes and takes our order. Food came out quickly and looked good. . Serving sizes are large. Everyone's food was very salty. None of us finished our food. I would not recommend this place.

    Thursday night entertainment
    Mike M.

    I can remember coming to Middendorf's as a kid when my Dad brought our family to eat here. It is kind of in the middle of nowhere and I remember good seafood in an old building next to the water. The last time I dined here was about 20 years ago before my dinner last Thursday night. I was on the fence to come here because I think during my last visit I decided I wasn't a fan of their thin fried catfish. I have changed my mind. I ordered the large version of their thin fried catfish meal for $19 and it came with fries, hush puppies and fries. On the night of my visit the restaurant had a nice dinner crowd there with about a 5-10 minute wait for a table in this large multi room restaurant. They even had an accordion player in one dining room entertaining the guests. My meal arrived about 10 minutes after ordering and it looked quite large. I received 5 or 6 pieces of fish, two large hush puppies, fries and cole slaw in a separate container. The fish was delicious. Lightly breaded and with plenty of meat the fillets were so light tasting and almost like eating tender potato chips. They were very good. The hush puppies were thick in their cornmeal texture and flavorful and filling. They were quality hush puppies not often found nowadays. I liked the well cooked fries and the cole slaw was perfect as a palate cleanser. This meal was very good and I couldn't finish it all wishing that I had ordered the smaller version of the meal. Middendorf's is kind of a Louisiana institution with a unique and decorative interior and a seafood centric menu with their famous thin fried catfish. Strongly consider eating here especially if you are driving by on I-55.

    Thin Fried Catfish Poboy
    Lucas G.

    Finally took the opportunity to give this place a try after always seeing it and wondering what it even was...wonderful is what it is! Our waitress here was so nice and friendly and funny, patient. To start, outside they have their own mini zoo. Turkeys, ducks, geese, chickens, fish, and more I'm probably forgetting. Definitely a great sight for the kids if you bring them! Also inside is just decorated so fascinating, I love a nicely decorated restaurant. Had to try the onion rings and as you can see, they taste just as good as they look. Great! Went ahead and got the poboy while my girl just got an order of fish which comes with coleslaw, hush puppies and fries. It was good, does not come with mayo on it but they can bring packets for you to apply your own. It was good, absolutely ginormous pieces of fish, very thin and crispy and good. I must say when I finished it for leftovers hours later, it wasn't as tasty as I remembered it when fresh. The French fries were just basic restaurant fries but still good. 2 gnarly barley beer on tap as well as michelob ultra. Ticket was $51 for the poboy, order of fish, onion ring appetizer and 2 regular drinks. Overall 5 star in my opinion with the ambiance and service being spectacular. Oh, also, it was lunch time on a sunday and they were packed like sardines but the kitchen is still very speedy and we didn't wait to be seated but only had a party of 2

    Menu
    Dawn M.

    On our way for a family getaway to New Orleans for New Year's, my mom mentioned she had never eaten at Middendorf's so we decided to swing by. I've eaten there once and being a Mississippi woman, I like my catfish a certain way. It's two days after Christmas and they appeared to be short staffed, which impacted seating. To say there were a lot of people there, we didn't wait more than 15 minutes. Inside reminds me of a typical local Louisiana seafood spot. They do have a mini animal farm on the property which is good if you have kids. It all gives you a touristy feel but it's cool. Momma ordered the small thin catfish platter, my sister got the one stuffed crab platter, my niece got a kid's chicken tender plate and I got the fried shrimp and thin catfish combo platter minus fries sub extra coleslaw. My shrimp were lukewarm when my plate arrived. The flavor was good but they were not fresh out the grease hot. The coleslaw, as I remembered it, was very very good, which is why I got two servings. The hushpuppies were horrible. I do not like thin catfish! It's like eating pork skins with very little fish. I don't know why I got this instead of just getting the fried shrimp plate instead. My mom didn't like the thin catfish either. My sister said the stuffed crab, while it had plenty of crabmeat stuffing, lacked basic seasoning. Only person who enjoyed their food was my niece. She said the chicken tenders were very good. Again, I live in Mississippi and we eat plump pieces of catfish. They do have that on the menu and next time I will skip the thin catfish here.

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    1 month ago

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    Christie G.

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    9 days ago

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    Christie G.

    Glad you enjoyed your visit! Thank you, Lloyd!

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    24 days ago

    Their fried thin catfish is always worth a stop. We are from Texas and any time we take I-10 we try to stop at middendorfs .

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    Christie G.

    We're honored that you include us in your travels! Thank you, Nicole!

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    Christie G.

    Thank you, Andrew!

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    6 months ago

    Excellent food definitely try the thin fried catfish! Service was on point. They were friendly. It's a great place to go.

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    1 year ago

    We go to Middendorfs almost every time we are driving through LA. It's one of our favorite seafood restaurants in the world.

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    2 years ago

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    Christie G.

    Thank you, Annie! :)

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    Page 1 of 14

    Ask the Community - Middendorf's - Manchac

    Is the outdoor seating area dog friendly?? 🐶

    I don’t know. I don’t take dogs to restaurants.

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    Babyyyyy let me tell y'all... I would have gone out HAPPY Saturday night after eating here and that…read moreis NOT an exaggeration ‍ From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was so peaceful and welcoming. And can we talk about the music?! Christian music playing the whole time -- that's all we listen to, so my son was over there having his own little concert knowing every word lol. It just felt GOOD in there. Now listen... they were BUSY busy (Saturday night, so we expected that), and we were starvingggg, so we skipped the appetizers -- which honestly hurt my feelings a little because they sounded SO good And I HAVE to shout out the server/owner -- because baby, my dad is 80 years old and will talk to ANYBODY about ANYTHING. When I say they handled him like a pro... I mean patient, kind, laughing with him, never rushing him off -- just truly good people. If you know, you know Let's get into the food though I ordered the BBQ bacon cheeseburger (no onions) with fries... AND a fresh squeezed lemonade that was absolutely BOMB ‍ Like refreshing, perfect, not too sweet -- I could've had about three of those, easy My dad got the surf & turf burger, my sister got a regular burger, my brother-in-law had the crawfish étouffée with fried catfish, and my son got chicken fingers. We did have a bit of a wait, but honestly it gave us time to sit, talk, and enjoy being together -- no complaints there BUT BABY... when that food hit the table... Not. One. Word. Except "OMG this is the best thing I've ever eaten!!!" That burger?!?! I'm not even kidding -- I would request that as my LAST MEAL. It was THICK, juicy, cooked perfectly. The bacon? Crispy perfection The sourdough bun? Soft, fluffy, just holding everything together like it was sent from Heaven The BBQ sauce wasn't overpowering -- just right. AND let me say this... I am the DIPPING SAUCE QUEEN I normally need ranch, ketchup, something on the side at all times... but this burger?! I didn't touch a single sauce. Not ONE. It stood on its own and didn't need a thing I did not stop eating until it was GONE. No to-go box. No shame. No regrets. I usually can't even finish a burger anywhere, but this one?? I couldn't put it down. And when I tell you EVERYONE cleaned their plates -- I mean EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. Even my son, who is VERY picky about his "chicken nuggets," was tearing those chicken fingers UP and talking about how good they were So will I be back? ABSOLUTELY. Will I recommend it? Already have ‍ Will I start a petition (or boycott ) if they ever take that burger off the menu? Don't test me. Also... sorry there are no pictures We turned into straight feral animals the second that food hit the table 10/10 -- run, don't walk.

    Food was very tasty. We ordered Red Beans (flavorful) and Rice, Special Yams (super sweet), wings…read more(nice a crispy). We started with the DJ Fries. Ambience holds tight to "Faith and Flavor"

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    View from our booth looking at the bar area

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    Middendorf's - Manchac - seafood - Updated June 2026

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