My second time here, but the first was about 6 years ago! The food and service are still great! Salad bar had many options! I loved the chilled peel-and-eat shrimp - I was almost full before O made it halfway down the buffet line. Other greats - butterfly shrimp, catfish, baked potato, pinto beans, fried okra, and rolls! You won't regret going. Come hungry! read more

Great selection, good fresh food which is rare for a buffet. Grandkids thought they were in heaven! Catfish and hush puppies were excellent. Service and attitudes are welcoming and make you want to come back, great people. read more

This was AMAZING. Family friendly environment, hostess and waitress was very sweet and attentive. The boiled shrimp were perfectly cooked and fresh. So many choices even if you're not a seafood fan (aka my husband and daughter) there is something for everyone! Will definitely be back! FYI we left fat and happy! read more

Typical Buffett. Catfish was heavily breaded and little meat. Fried shrimp was out of a box. Saving grace was the pecan cobbler. It was sinful. read more

If you like fried fish and other fried whatnots on the buffet line then this is your place. We stopped in a while back and it was just okay. The fried fish was bland and didn't stand out. We have not been back since our first trip here. It just wasn't for us. read more

I have gone to this place for years as many others in East Texas. It's always been a good place to fill up on catfish and the fixings. The last time I ate there, about 3 weeks ago (April 2019), I could tell it was different. The fish tasted "off". I hoped I didn't get sick. I didn't. I later found out from talking to an inside employee, they are now getting fish from China. Probably not even catfish. I won't ever go back. Such a shame he has resorted to buying fish from China, as it's not good at all. Don't waste your time going here. You'll be disappointed & might get heartburn(or more), too! And...it's expensive!! $17.95 for one adult, no beverage! read more

Heard about this place from some of my clients and decided to give it a try. Ate here this past Saturday and they did not disappoint!! We all had the buffet which had everything we could ever want. The catfish was always coming out of the kitchen perfectly fried. The hushpups and chicken tenders were a hit for our kiddos which was a huge plus!! The triple cobbler(pecan, apple, and peach) was some kind of good!! We will definitely be back!! read more

The food was all heat-lamp deep fry, which tasted basically the same. The salad bar was very anemic. All plates, cups and silverware were styrofoam, most of which seems to end up on the sides of Texas highways. The staff was pleasant but everything else was just kind of sad. I was glad to unload this culinary mistake a few hours later although I'm sure my foam plate will keep my shame on record for another 100 thousand years. read more

Okay fish and shrimp buffet bit over priced but one can get way to full for the long drive back home. Great if your in this area but not a destination for sure. read more

The owner andy is a true jerk i was once empolyed there he cares very lil about anything expect getting his beer about a hour before closing time A lady ask for gluten free he laughed stating go elsewhere if ya don't like my buffett Only good thing here is Mike the kitchen Mngr And yes the fish is good but not the best go to Seths lake fork Quitman If ya see the owner say hi maybe he wont be in his mood with head in the coulds read more

A heart attack as soon as you sit down. I have tried multiple times to enjoy this place but the grease makes me sick every time. Everything on the buffet is fried except the salad and boiled shrimp. It might get another star if the catfish was meatier. But their fillets are very small. I would recommend anywhere else over this. Sad to say because there are so few places around the lake. read more

A great place for catfish and shrimp. The sides like fries and cole slaw good as well. Drove 125 miles to the location. Senior price $14 AUCE. read more

AJ's Fish House Now Bill Smith's Buffet - a man in a suit and tie - Seafood Near Me - Alba, Texas

All you can eat buffet! Very nice catfish and good fried shrimp even small size- taste good. Also has salad bar and desert for soft ice cream and three different pies read more

Ordered off the menu and waited about an hour for the food. Ordered chicken fried steak. It came out and was super small (hamburger patty in breading ... like the frozen ones from school cafeterias) and it was cold. The worst food I have ever had. read more

Second time at AJ's this weekend. Family friendly and casual dining. I drove all the way from Richardson, TX to eat here with the family, and it is worth the trip every time! Generous buffet, fried catfish, hush puppies, fried shrimp, peel and eat shrimp, pinto beans, corn fritters, cobbler, etc.. It is a BYOB establishment, so stop and get some Cold Bud Light on your drive out. Yet you cannot go wrong with the sweet tea either! You will NOT leave hungry!!! read more

Had the fried catfish ! Bam! Some of the best this southern boy has had in long time. It's byob but that's part of its charm. Great place will return again! read more

The food is plentiful and fresh. Seasoning is a bit lacking. Buffet Price is a bit high in my opinion. if you're not really big eaters it might be best to order off the menu. good variety of food fried n boiled shrimp, salad, Catfish, fries, okra, onion rings and corn nuggets they also feature desert. restrooms are nice n clean, whole place is clean. they have some trophy fish from all over on display. read more

Small salad bar and a fried food buffet. I enjoyed the boiled and fried shrimp with their cocktail sauce. read more

AJ's Fish House Now Bill Smith's Buffet - fried shrimp and onion rings - Seafood Near Me - Alba, Texas

Besides the friendly staff, there's not much to like here. I'm all for a AYCE but the food is just BLAH! Catfish was too dry and couldn't be cut. Boiled shrimp were puny and over-cooked. Besides that there is the fried shrimp which are OK at best. Everything is fried and mass-produced (catfish, fries, hushpuppies, onion rings, okra, etc.). Even the cobbler looked pre-bought from Sam's. But, they have soft-serve. Too expensive for the lack of creativity. read more

All you can eat fish and seafood at a great price. Second time going and just as good as the first time. Very well worth my hour and a half drive. They are constantly putting out fresh food. read more

AJ's Fish House Now Bill Smith's Buffet - the price tag - Seafood Near Me - Alba, Texas

Great farm-raised Southern Pride catfish. AJ buys the best (Southern Pride- farm raised from Alabama- always has) 15lb. cases at $80 a case. You do the math. This fish DOES NOT come from China and it is not cheap. We have invoices from the past 20 years via Ben E. Keith to prove it. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Our restaurant has remained in operation for the past 19 plus years, in spite of the rising cost of catfish. Any questions, please feel free to call and speak to the owner. Thank You. read more

The only reason you would give this place a bad review is to cut down on the crowd. The food is good the service is good! Going back every chance I get. read more

Wait staff is very friendly and helpful. The boiled shrimp is seasoned well, but very small to peel and eat. Most of the items are fried and do not appear to be fresh battered or cut. Salad bar is good, but not worth the price of a buffet. I was very disappointed. read more

I've got one word for this place - FRIED. Fried catfish, fried chicken tenders, fried corn nuggets, french fries, fried potato wedges because french fries weren't enough, fried shrimp, fried apple sticks, fried hush puppies, fried salad, fried beans, fried tartar sauce....ok...so not the last 3...but good grief this was a fried fest! It is also like a step back in time when you were a little kid going to your family reunion way out in the country where it didn't matter what you wore or how you looked - time warp to the eighties. If - for some god forsaken reason you end up in Emory maybe to go fishing on Lake Fork or to see a retired relative who lives in this area - this is a good place to eat if you are stuck here. read more

In true Southern style, AJ`s is an all you can eat buffet of fried selections. The star here is definitely the fried catfish filets. They are always consistent and tasty. For this part of the world, I think it`s a bit pricey. However, we continue to return when we crave catfish. read more

Was my first time visiting and I LOVED it!! Very simple setup but the food is delicious!! Make sure to have your tummy ready to eat well!

Follow the parade of cars, the whole world eats here. OMG...sure fine food and customer service. America used to be this way and I I found a treasure. read more

We've been to AJs many times. The entire staff is terrific and if you like fried shrimp, catfish, hushpuppies,potatoes full fresh salad bar and yummy diserts this is your joint. Plus you can BYOB even if you're a Baptist. We love the place youwill,too, unless you're looking for pizza! read more

My husband and I ate at AJ's on 9/23/17 with our fishing club. We do not eat fish so we ordered the chicken and it was awful.....I couldn't even eat mine. I thought the waitress would give us something off on my meal but, didn't even bat an eye. Her service was good and I still tipped her well but, we will NEVER go back or recommend AJ's. read more

BEST catfish buffet around. Shrimp (boiled and fried) is also good. You help yourself to great coleslaw, fries, salad, great tartar sauce, green tomatoes, apple sticks, hushpuppies, pecan cobbler, peach cobbler, blackberry cobbler, and unbelieveable ice cream. Oh, beans and bake potatoe. I know I have left out something. Put it on your "trip list" -- just out of Emory. read more

Tried this place out last Sunday. Very long drive for us. We all got the buffet. Very expensive for what you get, unless you can eat a lot. The fried fish was not that great. For the money, we could find better a lot closer to home. read more

First time to eat here. Very good shrimp and fish buffet. Boiled shrimp is a little on the small side however, the cocktail sauce is great. Fried catfish is very good. I now this says that it is in Emory but it is actually north of Emory on FM 17. Probably closer to Alba. read more

Good food, Friendly and FAST service. Everything on the buffet is always fresh and hot. My only complaint is that you are limited to the salad bar, boiled shrimp, and dessert, for non-fried foods. read more

Great place located on Lake Fork! Aj's has wonderful Catfish! Great owners who are always there to make sure the food is good and the service is fast and friendly! Seriously has the best staff!! When you walk into AJ's your family! :) read more

I am not typically a fan of fish. That being said....A.J.'s is awesome! They have fried catfish, coleslaw, fries, fried shrimp, seasoned peel-and-eat shrimp, fried okra, amazingly crispy on the outside tender on the inside potato wedges. However; the most sinfully wonderful thing i have ever put in my mouth was the pecan cobbler!!! It was like pecan pie on steroids...next time....I'm going to have it with ice cream.... read more

Great place to eat! It's a bit pricey but it's an all you can eat catfish buffet so what else do you expect? Don't let the flooded parking lot of cars intimidate you. When we first pulled up, we thought it would take forever to be seated. That was not the case. The restaurant is enormous so we were seated right away. The servers were friendly and so were the owners. The catfish wasn't the best I've ever had but it was still good. The fried shrimp were great! We will definitely be going back! read more

Good damn place. So much fried food I love it. Been goin here for a while with family whenever we're up, its good.