OVERALL In search of something other than another Mexican restaurant or a chain in Odessa, TX, my fiancé who used to live there suggested Big Daddy's Grill & Bar. (I don't know who put it in as "Big Daddy's Catfish & Chicken" in Yelp, but I have photos to prove that otherwise.) RATING BREAKDOWN Food: 4.5 | Service: 4 | Ambiance: 5 | Price: 4 PARKING Ample free parking in a plaza lot. LOCATION/AMBIANCE This restaurant looks rather unassuming from 42nd Street. It seems like a hole-in-the-wall within a strip mall, yet, when I walked in it was buzzing with many Good Friday customers. A giant catfish sculpture adorned in a chef's outfit greeted folks at the entrance. One side is for diners while the left side is for takeout orders for pickup. I really wanted to dine in, but my kiddos weren't all that hungry so I ate on the road. THE GRUB I opted for the small catfish platter ($14.48 with my card). It came with about 5 fillets of flaky white catfish, a few hush puppies (rod-shaped), and my choice of mashed potatoes with cream gravy and fried okra. The tartar sauce was good, but I wish I had asked for a second cup. Served hot & fresh. LITTLE YELPER'S CLUB On the kid's menu was the following: catfish fillets, chicken strips, charbroiled drumsticks, mini corndogs, steak fingers, & popcorn shrimp. One veggie side and a small drink were included with meals running between $6-10. SERVICE Wonderful, fast service on March 29, 2024, from a pleasant young lady at the takeout counter. She originally told me it would be about a 30-minute wait. That turned into 5 minutes. Lol. MY FAVORITE PART... The catfish & tartar sauce! NOT SO FAVORITE PART... How far away I live from this place. Also, I was not told that a non-cash fee ($.42) would be assessed nor did I see any signage indicating this. TIP + They also serve beer & wine. This review was no joke, but Happy April Fool's Day nonetheless! read more

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The worst service I've had in my life. Go in by myself ended up at the bar so I wouldn't take up a table none of the large tables in the back area were full as well as the tables between the bar and back room they seat seat several of them as I'm waiting 20 minutes later 2 other people end up sitting at the bar finally she comes gets drink order I knew what I wanted 1 small catfish takes forever but she brings my tea and the worst burnt hush puppies I've ever eaten cooked in obviously bad oil you could smell it I tried a couple waited another 35-40 minutes she brings the other 2 their food says she doesn't know where mine was and the other 2 people had the wrong sides at that point I said never mind she acts mad about it and I Leave. Looked like the bar hadn't been wiped off in a while with food stuck to it. Dirty to say the least. Don't waste your time place is trash read more

Hush puppies--EXTRA CHARGE now! Famous banana pudding. No longer great Side dishes very average! Catfish still good. Overall very average meal!! read more

The service was good, Katie was very attentive and other staff checked on us as well. Dirty rice was not dorty or spicy. The pinto beans were no fully cooked. My fish was not very fresh by temperature. Stuffed crab and shrimp were hot. Green beans were fresh and seasoned well. Mom's fish was hot and fresh. First time visit while in town seeing family. read more

Big Daddy's Grill & Bar - Warming up with hush puppies. - Fish & Chips Near Me - Odessa, Texas

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Tried this place with the hopes that it remained me of the way I used to eat growing up. Didn't disappoint at all! OMG the fried catfish was sooo super tender! Nice batter not too thick....I loved it. Great meal, I wish I lived here just for this restaurant. Please consider opening one up in San Antonio. Rose was super sweet and gave great service. Thank you to y'all for a great meal away from home. read more

We used Big Daddy's Catering for an inservice meal at Grady. I organized through Scharlena who was super easy to work with. Jessica came out with the meal. She communicated when she was leaving, was so kind, and did an amazing job. We had multiple staff members comment about how wonderful she was. The food was delicious as always. Highly recommend Big Daddy's Catering!!! read more

The server was super friendly and very efficient, especially for the large group (we had at least 25). We were celebrating a couple's anniversary. The food was delicious too! They have a large room in back for groups like ours. read more

Great waitress good food cold cold beer banana pudding is grandma good a little pricey but worth it will make it a regular favorite

Absolutely unacceptable and barely edible. Tiny pieces of catfish and was dry. Fries were dry and cold. Hush puppies were dry and cold. Hush puppies wouldn't even melt butter. This place has officially become a member of the don't go to list! Best thing about the place is the old fashioned scenery I remembered from 20 years ago. The waitress was great, very sweet. 5Star read more

I sometimes order the ribs even though this is a catfish place. I haven't been disappointed. today as I was hungry for ribs and didn't want to go across town I ordered from a close by bar b que place that had been around 50-60 years. I got take out and was disappointed that they did not measure up to Big Daddy's in either flavor, size,or tenderness. Big Daddy's for ribs from now on. read more

Food was great! I got the chicken fried steak and it was so good reminded me of my Grandma's! The place is really neat inside love all the art and things hung up. Our waitress was very nice. We can't wait to go back! read more

We had the chicken fried steak and it was delicious. Took awhile to get seated but our waitress was excellent and on top of things.

Delivery was fast I appreciate that the food was still hot the food was delicious will be doing delivery again soon the ribs were great and very tender read more

I usually give restaurants several chances before I give up and won't return. Tonight was the third time. I won't return. Bad service. Fish and sides weren't hot. Long time to get food. I won't be back. Deejay read more

The one star is for the waiters service. Unfortunately the food has gone way downhill. Out of the last two times we went there, one time the fish was cold when they brought it out and we had to ask them to heat it up. The other time, the fish was bland. No taste. No seasoning maybe?! They used to give free hush puppies, but they now charge... and then skimp on them. The first bowl they brought out was "gummy", meaning the batter was not cooked completely... the color was a light brown, which means not cooked enough. I asked if they could get some that was cooked thoroughly. The waiter was nice, but said it depends on if there were any that was cooked longer. I had to tell him that if they weren't cooked thoroughly, to remove them from our bill because we couldn't eat those. I just don't get how owners can't tell their business is slowing down. I'm just floored by how bad the food is at so many establishments. Another business we won't be going back to. read more

Place is losing it, and customers. Smaller portions like the Chicken Fried Steak. Dishes and plates are smaller. Hushpuppies are no longer free, and a bit old tasting. Okra not the greatest. Green beans overcooked. Iced tea taste odd. All of this could be we were about the first ones there and got the food from the previous day. Service was good. Price high for what was served. read more

The atmosphere at Big Daddys seems old, dusty and worn out! The food is horrendous. I think they basically take frozen food, stick it in the microwave or fry it then serve it. I stopped patronizing Mexican restaurants that make you pay for chips and salsa. I'm doing the same thing with Big Daddys. How do you charge for hush puppies and tartar sauce when it used to be free then also raise prices! I wish I could give zero stars! read more

Slow service. Very slow service. Not busy at all. Order called in over 30 min ago. Not ready still. SLOW SLOW SLOW.

This place has taken a considerable dive from what it was many years ago. The food is alright, and the servers don't seem to have customer service down around lunchtime (1:30 PM). The small portions of the sides are a slap in the face and just short of highway robbery. The quality and taste of the food are not all that good either. The hush puppies as a straw are just lame and played out. Why not stick to ROUND? I'd stick to any shape if they tasted good. These hush puppies don't taste very good, in my opinion. I know COVID set many places back, but I'm not sure what's happening here. Please fix this legendary spot? It's worth another try, but the size portions are no excuse at all. LET'S GO, OWNER/MANAGEMENT!!! read more

Big Daddy's Grill & Bar - This Mac and Cheese for real!! - Fish & Chips Near Me - Odessa, Texas

The service was good and frankly I felt sorry for the waitress having to serve such terrible food. I hadn't eaten at Bug Daddy's in several years and I was so disappointed in how bad the food was. The hush puppies were dry...and they charged us for them. The tartar sauce that used to be homemade and so good was no longer good. We got crab and shrimp and it was most certainly the cheapest frozen stuff they could find. The Mac and cheese was worse than school mac and cheese. I didn't eat much and three of the four people I was with got sick within an hour of eating there. So sad that this place has gone so downhill. read more

Food and service is great - we always get the same thing and never look at the menu and pay $62 BUT today our price was $87 - it will take us a while to digest a 30% price increase ( from a month ago ) It took us awhile to be ok with paying for the hush puppies but we will pay for them even though they aren't as good as they were in the past But we will return maybe next year read more

beacause I waitress was unprofessional we order 2 appetizers with 6 people... we waited for small plates( child was getting out of school earlier) Our time eating was limited We started eating with the few napkins as plates....till our napkins kept falling apart.. Went up to ask for small plates( which another waitress gave to us, I explained why we needed them) Our waitress heard us We our waitress brought out plates she had a chance to apologize for the lack of small plates NOPE! it was a special meal...Kinder Graduation There was 2 parents 2 grandparents and 2 children I asked for a straw...she pointed it was on the other side of the table... Never came back during our meal to ask if we ok and needed anything else. the only reason my son-in-law...... he got a refill of his coke is cuz he stop her when she was passing by and told her I used to be a waitress before I got married and I know "tips" r what they try to leave on! I even leave at least $5. tip at sonic when ordering This Waitress dropped the ball bad...(with these oil field jobs....the tips earned should be good( son-in-law ) has one of those jobs) plus my direct knowledge of "tips" Either she wasnt feeling like waitressinng for "US"( Hispanic) or she's just a bad waitress Used to love going there.... read more

When we got to the restaraunt it took a considerable amount of time to be seated eveng though they weren't very busy. I t took over twenty minutes to get two bottles of beer. Our appetizers took considerably longer. I took a drink of my beer and almost swallowed broken glass from the beer mug. The worst offense was the waitress Jennifer actually asked my sister-in-law if we needed separate checks so her husband wouldn't know we were there together. I'm guessing she heard us talking about my brother. My sister-in-law was in tears at the waitress insuating she was cheating on her husband like that. I will never ever go back to this restaraunt and would strongly advise against frequenting this establishment. read more

Great Catfish, Great service. We liked the hush puppies. I've eat an there for a long time.

Big Daddy's Food is great. I had the fish, green beans, and fried okra. Was maybe just a little salty, but I don't use much salt at all, so maybe that's just me. Service was good with plenty of of spacing between tables. Support your local small businesses. They need it more than the national chains, especially now. read more

The food is pretty good I had a solid last time it was delicious. My daughter had the catfish and of course they always have delicious fried catfish. I love the hush puppies although I do not like the fact that they are charging for them now. read more

Came in on a Friday afternoon. Server was quick and friendly. Order came out fast and was delicious.

Locally owned by a great family. Neat atmosphere and great catfish. The best hush puppies in the world!

Well that was very disappointing. We have been eating here since they opened and one of our favorite things was the free hush puppies that have always been served, not only do they charge for them now but they aren't the same. The waitress told us that they were just sent the different ones which tells me they don't make them in house, disappointing. When we checked out I mentioned to the cashier about how disappointed we were about it, she said she has passed on this same info several times, she said, "I don't think she's going to change it back" which tells me that they don't really care what their customers want. So for me, I won't be back until the free, good hush puppies are back. read more

Used to enjoy going there. They are now charging $3.99 for a dozen hush puppies which at one point in time hush puppies were always complementary as long as you were eating inside. We ordered the hush puppies and paid $3.99 for them and they were stale, cold and just not good. Quality of food has seem to have gone down as the prices of the food has went up. Very disappointed and will not go back for a long time. read more

We went for lunch at about 1:30 this afternoon. The catfish had been under the warmer long enough to make the outside so tough it was impossible to eat, it was not hot. The thicker parts were ok. The okra had no flavor, the fried shrimp was flavorless. The fried oysters needed to be cleaned prior to breading and frying, I almost gagged. The potato salad is German style, which we don't care for. The dirty rice wasn't dirty, only tasted rice. Slaw was cabbage and I couldn't tell you what. The service was good . Bless her heart they all need to find better place to work. We left her a $20. Sad sad... we do not recommend eating there. read more

I used to come here all the time as a kid and I never seemed to have a bad experience. Time has passed by obviously and I have come back today for the first time in about ten years. I was rather nervous because most of my childhood favorites have gone to shit, but not this place. It has the same vibe, same amazing food, and great service (Tiffany was perfect)! I definitely will be back sooner than another ten years from now read more

We always request Jess to be our waitress whenever we plan on a family get together. She always goes above & beyond to make sure everything is just right from the time we sit down, till it's time to leave. She's amazing at her job & we love her for that !!! There needs to be alot more waitresses like her for sure. She's just a fun loving person to be around !!! Thankyou Jess for putting up with us when we all come in !!! You deserve alot more than 5 stars !!! Sincerely, The Herron, Hawkins, Standiford & Mayo family read more

Service and wait time is crazy. Stood in-line for about 30 mins before we even saw the host. And then she said it was going to be about 20-30 more minutes before we could even be seated read more

Another visit to Big Daddy's 10-10-23 was horrible - wife and I decided to eat here around 2:00 pm - was not busy at all maybe 8 customers - we waited longer than usually for service as the waitress was so forgetful after we finally ordered we had another long wait for the food to get to the table - the shrimp tasted like it was fried in the fish oil - we didn't enjoy this place at this time and I can see why it has gone down hill - should of gone to long John Silvers sad but true - sad fact is there are a few restaurants in this town that has gone down hill big time and they needed to be closed read more

This place was recommend by one of the locals & yelp seems to support that. One of my favorite meals is fried catfish - can't beat it IMO. This is my first visit to West Texas was looking forward to trying a couple of local eatery's. The entrance is a little deceptive. From the outside, it looks like a small restaurant stuck in a strip mall but when you walk through the door it's huge. I got there around 5:30 -- prime dinner time and the place was nearly deserted. -- usually a red flag. I was seated immediately. My waitress was quick to respond and she (Mia) was very nice. She made a recommendation of Baja (shrimp) and catfish -- I went with it. I also ordered fried oysters another favorite of mine. The fried oysters -- the first observation was they were heavily breaded. That seemed to be the running theme here. The oysters had a touch of fish taste, which is not abnormal but the breading was a deal breaker, way too much for my taste. The Baja shrimp is: shrimp, wrapped in bacon stuffed with a slice of jalapeno and cheese, coated with a "Swedish" glaze. -- sounds really good but didn't remotely live up to my expectations. All you could really taste was the glaze, IMO, it overpowered the all the elements. The breaded catfish filets was also a disappointment. Again, heavily breaded to the point that's almost all you could taste. It's a personal preference but I prefer filets lightly breaded and like to taste the fish. My waitress was very friendly and did a good job -- no negative comments there For me, this was not what I was expecting and all in all was disappointed. I'm not sure if it's a West Texas thing but heavy breaded items don't work for me. read more

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Delicious food great place to sit and eat enjoy your time Well worth the money and the time to go sit and eat great place

Great food and staff. Everything was delicious . I had a catfish dinner. The food was hot and delicious.

The waitstaff was awesome! However, one of my biggest pet peeves of a restaurant is nasty ass married ketchup bottles from 1922, well this place is one of those. Plus they were nasty filthy!!! The burger was dry and crunchy. No juices or flavor except the burnt flavor. Fries were cold. I haven't been here in about a year, things like this don't make me want to come back. read more

Big Daddy's Grill & Bar - Fish & Chips Near Me - Odessa, Texas

Our family reunion catered from Big Daddy's both days. The bbq ribs and sausage were big hits on Friday. Ribs pulled off the bone with ease. Saturday was amazing catfish with chicken tenders and steak fingers. After all the reviews for hush puppies, I have to say they lived up to the hype! Catering was hosted by Jessica. Set up everything, served and even walked around refilling tea. We over ordered and she gladly wrapped all the food for the family to take home. Definitely recommend if you have an event or family gathering. read more