After ordering and waiting 45 minutes we watched others who had been seated after we ordered receive their food which was what we had ordered. When we asked our server she said "that happens". Finally got a manger and she was kind enough to only charge us $10 for our 2 drinks. Never did get any food. read more

I was very underwhelmed by Catfish King. My boyfriend and I were visiting my family for Thanksgiving and my mom highly recommended Catfish King. Funny, because the food she makes at home would beat anything served at this place by a mile! I got some kind of cajun sampler platter. Everything was breaded, but it was the holidays so my waistline gave a forgiving nod, and I decided to overindulge. However, I took most of my meal home in a box because the breading was so mediocre I decided it wasn't worth the calories. The unlimited salad bar was also pretty disappointing. The selection was minimal, but the deal breaker was the wilted, brown lettuce. My boyfriend was pretty happy with his chicken fried steak, but he's California born and bred and wouldn't know a good home cooked meal if it jumped off the table and slapped him in the face. (Much love to Cali, though!) read more

Catfish King - Seafood Near Me - Livingston, Texas

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Went at lunch on Saturday, Salad bar not stocked, no bowls for beans, no spoons for beans. Ordered CFS, waited almost a hour, no food... Floor dirty, chairs ripped and torn, Used to be a family favorite, TIME FOR CLEAN AND REPAIR... Don't think I'll be back soon! Wait staff trying hard, management not trying! read more

I was very disappointed with the Catfish King. I was so excited to finally try them out only to be let down by lackluster unseasoned catfish and shrimp. We decided on the all you can eat catfish and shrimp. I initially got the regular catfish and shrimp because, the waitress said the Cajun style was spicy and I don't like spicy food. The regular catfish was so bland. It had absolutely no seasoning on it. My cousin let me try her Cajun catfish and it wasn't spicy at all so, I changed my order to Cajun. The Cajun style was seasoned a wee bit more but, not much. The fries weren't good either. You could tell they were frozen. The only thing I actually enjoyed were the popcorn shrimp and the hush puppies. The hush puppies were really good. So, I can say I finally ate at the Catfish King and never do it again. read more

Catfish King - All you can eat Cajun catfish and shrimp. - Seafood Near Me - Livingston, Texas

Catfish was room temp and tough and had NO flavor. Hush puppies were fine & was the best part of the meal. Salad bar was pretty good but has very limited dressing choices. The pinto beans tasted bland with had maybe 1 piece of bacon for looks. We will not be going back. read more

I got the seafood gumbo and my fiancé got the shrimp scampi... and I have to say we were very very disappointed with both.. best thing about our trip was the salad and since it was a salad bar we made those ourself. The service was terrible and our waitress didn't smile a single time. No drink refills and had to get up and ask a random waitress for a Togo box. Basically paid 30 dollars to take it home and give it to my dogs... Won't be going here again unless I wanna make my own salad. read more

From what I've seen of catfish king it has a decent salad bar and most of the food isn't over the top but let me tell you the catfish here is what I use to compare any other catfish too this location has some service issues but the catfish is top notch indeed. If your going for just catfish 5 stars for sure but some of the other food is a little lacking. read more

My wife and I have been going to the Catfish King for about 20 years. We went last Saturday night, September 9, 2022. That will be the last time we ever go back there. My wife ordered her usual which was broiled catfish and she did say it was good and about normal. However mine was a disaster. I ordered my usual which is fried catfish. I ordered the LARGE portion. What they served me was 5 thin, maybe 1-1/2 inch wide catfish strips. (If they were not strips, they must have been pretty small catfish.) The meat was maybe 1/4 inch thick and the batter on both sides was as thick as the catfish meat. They must be doing this to cut costs. However, in doing so, the fried catfish was super tough. I had to chew each piece around ten times before swallowing the piece. I have never had catfish this tough before in any restaurant. Also, the portions have shrunk dramatically. Before dinner I went to the men's room and in it they have two towel dispensers. Neither had any paper towels but a roll of them was on the counter. Back at the table I asked twice to have some malt vinegar. What the brought me was 4 packs of malt vinegar in small catsup like packets. (They used to have malt vinegar in bottles they would bring to you.) After we ordered, the waitress brought us a couple paper sleeves which included the silverware. However what was in the packet was one fork and one straw! (No knife and believe me I could have used a sharp knife for the catfish they brought to me.) I understand present conditions are straining restaurants and they are trying to cut costs. But in doing so, Catfish King has gone too far. I am no longer willing to pay $35.00 with tip for something that looks like it came out of a fast food restaurant. I have since talked to some of my friends about my experience and three of them told me they too have stopped going to this restaurant. Goodbye Catfish King. Livingston is short of good restaurants, and you don't have a lot of choices there. But, Catfish King is now on my never again list. They cheapened the experience to the point I no longer wish to go there. L. Bahr read more

I like this place. I always get the same waitress, Brandy Jo. She is an excellent waitress and makes sure you have everything you need. The food is pretty good too. It's has a nice Texas feel to it. The food is good too, I haven't had a bad experience! read more

When my husband and I got to the restaurant, the two hostesses seated us at a table that was in their sight lines from the hostess stand. We looked at the menu, and we both decided to get the shrimp and oyster combo. We both closed our menus. We waited for someone to come and take our order, and waited, and walked, as I stated previously with our menus closed, and set aside. Another customer noticed how long we waited, and commented "Wow!" All this time, one of the hostesses was standing in the door, less than 8 feet from where we were sitting. Finally, after about 10 minutes, my husband said that he was ready to leave, since no one had even taken our drink order. All of a sudden, the younger hostess came over, and apologized for no one getting our order yet. She said that "We didn't know that no one had gotten your order." I said how could they not know because they both saw us sitting here with our menus. Liars really p*as me off. Finally, our waitress Heather came over and apologized, saying they didn't tell her she had our table. She take our order. Our food came out within about 7 minutes, but by this point, I was so upset, I couldn't enjoy my dinner. I left wondering what in the h*ell my husband and I did that p*asked those hostesses off! I don't know if we'll ever be back. To add insult to injury, the older hostess, nor any manager ever came to our table and apologized, and didn't comp the soupy peach cobbler we ordered to take home. If I were the owner, someone would have gotten terminated for treating my customers with such disrespect as my husband and I were treated. read more

we had lunch there today and the food was wonderful. service was great also. Wayne and Marylan Laviolette 8/24/22

Hospital food anyone? It's even served on plastic plates. The locals seem to love this place though. I certainly didn't growing up or now when I visit. It's funny how it's located by the great Lake Livingston but everything seems to taste like it was picked up at the frozen foods aisle at HEB. Oh no.... did I say that out loud? 2 stars for the salad bar! :D read more

We have been eating here for many years. Heard they were open so we decided to go.Both ordered the Senior Catch catfish as we usually do. The waitress brought out 2 flat styrofoam containers 3/4 cup I think of beans and cole slaw. Very unappetizing.The beans had come straight out of a can. No seasoning of any kind.They were still hard.The Cole Slaw was pure raw cabbage no dressing of any kind. We decided to pay for our drinks and cancel the rest of the order. I realize that times are different now, however hopefully in the future we will get back to normal. Catfish King just lost a long time customer due to Sloppy Food.I have worked in Food Service so I know that if you open a can of beans it takes very little effort to put them on the stove and cook them a little more with some seasoning in them.That is the way they used to be served there. It would not be hard to serve the 3 items in a plastic plate that would have been much more appealing. read more

Having read Dave E., I'd have to say that the food has not improved in two years. As Dave E. pointed out, this restaurant seems to be popular with a huge seating area and parking lot. I was in a party of four, I ordered the oyster platter which seemed to have more breading than oyster. The salad bar was small but seemed fresh. The prepared salads may have come from HEB also as Dave E. suggests. I would try other seafood locations in Livingston before returning to Catfish King. I will commend our service person who was friendly and efficient. read more

Catfish King - Catfish King on an early evening in April. - Seafood Near Me - Livingston, Texas

We did our monthly family birthday lunch here a couple of month ago and will be dining there next month as well. They lunch specials are super reasonable and you get a ton of food for the price. I ordered the fish lunch and it was delicious. Others ordered the shrimps lunch and got a plate full of shrimps that were so delicious!! I'm ordering the shrimps next time! I really love their salad bar! You can make a huge salad with just about every topping you could want and they have the pickled tomatoes on the salad bar that goes oh-so-well with the fish. You help yourself to the beans, slaw, potato salad or whatever sides you want, it's on the salad bar. PROS Delicious food Super reasonable prices Amazing salad bar Nice rustic décor Great service Nice people Buy a jar of pickled tomatoes to-go! CONS: Needs better bathroom tissue read more

Well, first time we ordered takeout it was great. Went back a second time this past Monday. I was so disappointed. Ordered 2 senior dinners for pickup. Got them home and you could tell the catfish, hush puppies and fries had been sitting under a heat lamp. It was cold, chewy and rubbery. I'm still so mad as I write this. The only thing that wasn't cold was my baked potato sub on one of the plates. I don't know if the manager was off that day and people working just didn't care what kind of crap they sent out. I won't take a chance again. Nothing I hate more than inconsistency, not caring about your product or whether you are going to lose business because who cares what they eat. A great experience the first time doesn't negate getting it wrong the next time. Food mostly went in trash. Thanks for wasting my money. I will tell everyone I know to never go to this location. read more

We stopped at this restaurant based on the number of cars in the parking lot and the nice look of the outside of the building. The staff was friendly, pleasant and up beat. For the size of the place the menu wasn't as large. Catfish, shrimp, oysters, chicken, one kind of steak, and chicken fried steak was pretty much it. I had the butterfly shrimp which came with a trip through the salad bar, beans, baked potato or french fries and hush puppies. The salad bar was okay. Nothing to write home about. Our dinner took way too long to get. I know they were busy but....so we watched golf on the TV. If you are into deep fried food this is the place for you. Everything on my dinner plate except for the baked potato (which was excellent) was deep fried. The shrimp was tasteless but the breading surrounding it was favorable. My 1 star rating says it all for me. read more

Four of us stopped in for lunch today. Because the service was decent and the salad bar was fresh this place gets two stars. We all had fish and two also had shrimp. Totally tasteless fish & shrimp. The hush puppies were undercooked and mushy. This was a one time visit. Never again. read more

Decent catfish for Livingston, I usually get the regular catfish but I got the Cajun catfish and it had a better taste; I've definitely have had better catfish though. The salad bar is decent, could be better, like using real bacon bits. read more

Catfish King - My salad from the salad bar - Seafood Near Me - Livingston, Texas

Great local place, come here everytime I am in town. Hot, food , tasty ,great friendly service . Jackie was super, even with my New York accent. read more

Catfish King - Seafood Platter, a sample of everything - Seafood Near Me - Livingston, Texas

If you like fried catfish this place is fantastic. The grilled or broiled is better for me but the fried cornmeal breading is down home slap yo Mama good! Large portions, hot and fresh. Not the muddy taste like catfish can be. Fast friendly service. read more

Love this place. And you can't beat the service. Very family friendly. And the prices aren't bad either.

Great stop on our road trip! Food was good service was better! Great prices and big servings of food! Salad bar was very good as well!

I am in Livingston for a couple weeks and will be eating most meals out. Based on the other reviews, I was hesitant to even try Catfish King. I was pleasantly surprised! First let me say, I do not order fish in restaurants. I have eaten fresh caught salmon grilled on an Alaskan river bank and so any fish from a restaurant is just a disappointment, certainly farm raised catfish, so I cannot comment on the catfish. However, I do enjoy fried oysters and was tempted to order the oyster plate, but due to the bad reviews I had read, I was reluctant to "put all my eggs in one basket" so I got the shrimp / oyster combo. The oysters were great, better flavor than the ones I had at the other Livingston seafood place a couple days ago. The shrimp was also good, not that big, but very good flavor. The salad bar that the other reviewers were whining about was just fine...I had a great salad! Service was friendly and fast!! That combined with good food and great prices gets four stars. I'll be back!! read more

Scale 1-10 Shrimp- 5 / Undercooked Baked potato- 7 / A little too hard Catfish- 6 / undercooked Union rings- 6 Service- 9 / waitress was very friendly read more

We love the Catfish King All you can eat Catfish & Shrimp, the Cajun is the best, and priced reasonably; what else do I need to say!?! The Cajun catfish is not too spicy, but has a good flavor, and is almost always a good size, plump bite of tasty catfish. Not fishy. Not more crispy batter than catfish. Pretty much just really good catfish. The salad bar is exceptional too. I have eaten at most of the places that serve catfish, from here, to what used to be my favorite place (off 105 in Conroe), and this place holds the title in my book. We used to eat here when we came to visit family close by, but now, we have a place not too far away. And Catfish King is still my favorite. read more

I was a first-timer and a bit skeptical. At first thought the place was a little homey, but I grew to like it. We got a great booth near the salad bar and met THREE awesome waitresses -- the service is great! Three in our party -- we each had one of the senior meals with drinks and one extra salad and was in-and-out for $25, including tip. I had the chicken fried steak which was too big for my plate! Loved the atmosphere, the service, and the prices -- I will be coming back for sure! read more

I saw lots of trucks and cars at lunch as I passed by on the highway en route to Houston, so decided to check it out. Prices were reasonable, even cheap for lunch specials, excellent and attentive service, tasty food. The salad bar was fresh and had plenty of variety. The baked fish and butterfly shrimp were recommended. I had the lunch shrimp special, great value and flavor. Everyone working there seemed to enjoy being there. The hush puppies are a bit denser than I grew up with, but had great flavor. My only suggestion would be fresh lemon instead of lemon juice. read more

The food was ok not great the toas t was hard as a rock the manager that was on duty was not good at all she never once came by to see about us or anyone else there when we left she couldn't even look up from her phone to say thanks for coming or have a good night she said nothing our waitress looked like she was strung out on something don't think we will be back unless they make some changes read more

I have eaten here many times over the years. The service has always been more than acceptable, and the food has always been good. Same as everyone else has been saying- the food was better before the fire, but it is still good these days. I always get the all you can eat catfish and shrimp. Every time, the fish has been nicely seasoned. The hush puppies are as tasty as the rest of the sides, and all the fried food has never been greasy... maybe they soak the oil out of it before serving? I like how you get starch options to go with your seafood, fries or baked potato. Oh- and the onion rings are great too! They are worth the extra money for ordering on the side. The salad bar really sucks and isn't worth a second glance.... but who goes to a seafood place for salad anyway? I am not sure if it is allowed or not, but our waitress let us take our leftovers home with us... That's not a bad idea since the food would have ended up in the trash and wasted anyhow. Overall, YES, this place is worth visiting and returning to. You will find good food at a reasonable price, and accompanied by prompt service. Parking is ample and the atmosphere is great- rustic and fishing related. read more

We have eaten at the location in Jacksonville TX all the time and its wonderful. Not here food tasted like it set under a heat lamp for 20 min before being served. Since the owner is the same never expected such bad food at this location. When in Livingston eat at Florida's Kitchen and get 5 star food read more

One of the best restaurants I've ever been to! Called at 8:20, and the host said they closed at 9 pm. We arrived at 8:30, the entire staff welcomed us with open arms, as if the shift just started. Our waitress "Brandi Jo" was by far the best waitress I've ever had, and I've been to plenty of restaurants in my life, mostly in California. My date and I ordered the chicken fried steak dinner and the large Cajun catfish platter, which we both shared with each other. Brandi took our order and told us to help our selves to the salad bar!! Wait... What?! Yes you get a huge salad bar with all the fixings, fruit and even a bowl of baked beans! All included! Everything we ordered was absolutely amazing! 5 Stars! All the staff made it a point to make sure we were all taken care of, at no point in time did they try to rush us out! In fact we didn't end up leaving until 20 minutes after closing time! Brandi Jo kept our glasses full and even made us drinks to go, along with sauces for our food!!! Read no further and get your butts down there right now!!! Y'all welcome!!! read more

Catfish King - Seafood Near Me - Livingston, Texas

Good service ,good food "and lots of it for the price" I ate three meals from my bakeed catfish left overs,it was so good and Our server was perfect he was there when we needed him and attentive but did not hover. He was awesome and I wish I could remember his name . My husband had the country fried steak and my daughter had the shrimp and catfish plate and they said it was all tasty. We will deffenetly be back , soon I hope read more

OK, you are in deep East Texas. If you are looking for Haute cuisine, you are in the wrong part of the state. On my first driving trip to Texas some 20+ years ago we stopped at a Catfish King along highway 59 (you can find them from Texarkana to Livingston. Too bad they are not open for breakfast, because then I could eat three meals a day there. For $6.99 you get three of the hottest, freshest, most mouthwatering cat fish fillets in the country. Lightly battered in corn meal and flour they were simply wonderful. For the price you also get as many trips to the salad bar as you like, green beans and that Texas favorite Pinto beans and bacon. Oh don't forget the hush puppies and fries. Way too much food, but oh so wonderful. For a couple of bucks more you can get "all you can eat." From the physiques of the guests and wait staff, they really take advantage of it. Our server had all the charm and sincere friendliness, that the 40% tip I gave her was wiorth every penny. I hope I can find one on the way home. read more

This place sucks, we didn't get what we ordered. Sat for over two hours waiting on our food while everyone around us who got their after us got their food bf us. The sweet tea tasted sour, our waitress acted like she was running around with her head cut off with only four tables filled. This was by far the worst place I've ever eaten and I will never go back. read more

Was always a good place to eat, but now the service is terrible. I picked the all you can eat on the menu, and the waitress said to go to the salad bar, so I did. After finishing my salad, took about 14 minutes to eat. I kept waiting, and waiting, and after 35, or 40 more minutes of waiting, I grabbed my cane, and started storming out to pay for the salad. She said I didn't have to pay, but I told the manager, I'm going to pay my 4.32, and I said I will never come back here again. I always gave a good review before, but they really made me angry by waiting so long, that I lost my appetite. They are way under staffed now, and I didn't want to wait longer than the hour I had already waited. I will not darken their door with my shadow again! No one gave me any explanation, except, "Sorry we were too busy" Be prepared to wait, I just didn't have enough patience or enough Valium to calm my nerves! Jack,from Coldspring,TX Not Good Service, Anymore! read more

Catfish King was a big disappointment. The butterfly shrimp was over cooked and rubbery and the hush puppies were burnt. The waitress was apologetic and offered to have it recooked but it didn't help. We won't be returning. read more

I was told this place had good catfish, and, I thought being so close to Lake Livingston that it could be among the best. No. Catfish fillets were way too thin and overcooked. The seasoning on them was fine; not too salty. The fried shrimp were fresh and excellent. Sides were pinto beans, coleslaw, French fries and hush puppies. The hush puppies were good, not salty, not at all greasy, crispy on the outside and soft inside. Pinto beans were just okay, as were the fries. I did like the coleslaw. It was pretty sweet, but not mayonnaise-laden and it was a good palate cleanser. Service and appearance of the server left something to be desired. We did not have to wait to be seated, our server arrived promptly and the food was delivered quickly. I did ask for tea later and never got it; then got sweetened, instead of unsweetened. By the time I got the correct order, I was long since finished with my meal. It's worth checking out if you are in Livingston, but I would hesitate to recommend it. read more

To start the waitress wouldn't even stand still to take my order. She started walking away as I'm trying to finish my order. I ordered a baked potato which cost extra. It was so cold the butter wouldn't even melt. I had to go into the kitchen to complain about the potato as my waitress never returned to the table to ask if everything was OK. It took about five minutes to get a replacement while the table next to me received their baked potato without having to wait. Once I get the second potato it is so hard I don't even bother to try to eat it. When paying, the cashier did not ask me if everything was OK. When I started telling her all the issues I had she seemed indifferent. As I'm walking out the door she makes some smart comment. I go back and asked to talk to a manager. The manager comes and he is totally indifferent to the situation and even starts talking over me and then just walks away. I have been going to this place on and off for the last for five years. But they lost a customer today read more

Don't recommend the only thing good about this is the salad bar .Food is served cold or old