Quintessential fried seafood joint with the decor to match. It's been around for more than 40 years and the clientele is a mix of older folks and families. Not that many trendy young folks, but that's a-ok with me. When you sit down, you get served hushpuppies with tartar sauce and their 'spicy' green sauce. This place serves hushpuppies like I've never seen before -- they look like thin mozzarella sticks, but crispy and light. They're known for their for fried seafood, especially catfish (obviously). Sides are good (mashed potatoes are of the instant kind). On a recent visit. I got the chicken fried steak (since I had seafood the day before) and it was well seasoned and went well with the mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. Boyfriend had the catfish ponchatrain - no complaints there either. Overall, if you want an easy, unpretentious seafood joint, this is it. read more

One of our fave places in Austin. It's a no frills kind of hidden gem. The service, food, and place were all great in our book. The hush puppies are my favorite thing here aside from the catfish. I suggest getting the spicy. It's really not that spicy, but the flavor is good. Definitely recommend the cabbage too! read more

Catfish Parlour - Combo Catfish and Cracker Jack Shrimp Dinner - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I've been coming here since I was a child. The food has never changed. Crispy, delicious catfish cooked right every time. Sides that are never an after thought. They even have non-breaded options. The atmosphere is the most comfortable in the world. Everyone is friendly and I've never had a bad visit here. Thanks for never changing. Thanks for staying authentic. Thanks for the GREAT food! read more

I was in need of a lite afternoon snack and craving fried catfish so I ended up at The Catfish Parlour. This venue is not intimate or romantic but I didn't come here for intimacy or romance, I came for some good old fried catfish and they did not disappoint. I ordered to-go the medium Combo Catfish and Shrimp, 3 Catfish and 2 Shrimp with 3 sides, Fried Okra, Black Eyed Peas with Bacon, and Steam Broccoli. I will definitely be back as I have been told that the Blackened Catfish is a winner and the Happy Hour specials have my attention. read more

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(Note: I write Facebook reviews for residents of Turner's Crossing, a new development in Buda, as we all learn about good places to dine in Austin.) ------------- Hi, neighbors. I've got another great restaurant for you to try. It's the kind of place I never would have known about if friends didn't give it high praise and tell us about it. Catfish Parlour South is only about 15 to 20 minutes from Turner's Crossing and is well worth the short drive. It's on the south side of the Ben White Boulevard service road, just a quarter mile or so east of I-35. We are lucky to have new friends who are foodies like wife Karen and me. They know lots of good eateries in the Austin area and are introducing us to some of them. They have been living not far from our neighborhood for the past 10 years or so, moving here from Toledo like us. If a restaurant is convenient to them, it's also convenient to all of us. Right now, as write this homage to fine food, I am positively stuffed to the gills. Forgive the cheap pun, please. It is a seafood joint, after all. I would describe the place as a working man's seafood restaurant. The place is well worn, especially the floor, but it is clean, service is very efficient, and the good food is why it has remained popular for more than half a century. Note, however, that the term working man's restaurant does not translate to low prices. Many dinners are in the $25 range, but well worth it. You won't leave hungry. The south Austin place has been open since 1973, and it's easy to see why. It also does a brisk carryout business. There are some innovative items on the menu, and everything our foursome ordered was delicious. No sooner were we all seated, than two orders of hushpuppy sticks appeared at our table, with tartar sauce and an interesting, slightly spicy dipping sauce. The menu, as expected, is heavy on catfish dishes. I am not wild about catfish, but there were other things that caught my attention. I had something called Redfish Ponchartrain (lower left photo). It was a large fillet of flaky, mild fish, blackened and smothered with a special sauce chock full of lump crab meat and small Gulf shrimp. Sides were a very tasty cabbage with bacon, plus a very unexceptional mac & cheese. Karen, who gets excited anytime she sees oysters on a menu, enjoyed her entrée of fried oysters and jumbo shrimp, plus sides of pickled cucumbers and green beans with bacon (bottom center photo). Our friend Chris went with the dinner of jumbo shrimp and catfish, with sides of green beans and mac & cheese (bottom right photo). His wife Sandie had jumbo shrimp, plus french fries and mac & cheese. (No photo of her meal because I thought it would be impolite to tiptoe through the hushpuppies to snap one.) The jumbo shrimp, by the way, were the size of fish filets I have seen at many restaurants. I have never seen bigger shrimp anywhere, and I've been to a lot of restaurants in my 83 years. There were several non-seafood items on the menu, but I can get burgers and chicken fried steak just about any place in Austin. Each of the couples split a piece of Key lime pie, which was better than you get in most places, properly tart as it should be. It was a fitting ending to an enjoyable meal. Diners do not feel crowded in this place, because the tables and booths are nicely separated. It makes polite conversation much easier without having to yell to be heard. read more

Catfish Parlour - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food was good, but not fully seasoned. The catfish was slightly over cooked. I added some season all and Slap Ya Mama and it helped. The shrimp was good and also needed a little seasoning. I tried their jalapeño tarter and also the Remoulade. They can keep the jalapeño tarter but the remoulade helped the fish and shrimp too. The hush puppies taste exactly how you'd expect. read more

Catfish Parlour - All American Plate Combo - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Amazing catfish! Probably the best catfish I ever had!! No heavy batter, just perfect. Great service from the staff. read more

Ordered though uber eats because they were having a buy one get one free deal. Once I received the food I opened it to find I only had sides for one plate of food... I also got the jalapeño tartar sauce and a regular tartar sauce. The jalapeño tartar sauce wasn't spicy at all tasted like the regular. I was also supposed to get hush puppies didn't get them. completely disappointed read more

Food was cold and took forever to get a refill on drinks. Would not recommend coming during a rush

My husband stopped by today to pick up a to-go order. He was south for an errand, we are north and this was supposed to be a treat. I was so excited! He ordered a 4 piece catfish plate, a pound of shrimp and an extra order of hushpuppies. He asked if they included plenty of tartar sauce and jalapenos. They said yes. He got home and...there was one tiny ramakin of tartar sauce. For a 4 piece catfish, a pound of shrimp and extra hushpuppies. And zero jalapenos. So if you order to go, check your order. This is where they apparently save money, by screwing over to-go order people. VERY DISAPPOINTING. So much for our Saturday night treat. Thanks, cheapo CFP. The food that got the little bit of tartar sauce was good, btw. But the rest...NEEDED TARTAR SAUCE! Cheap asses. read more

Great food and service. Quality of food was very good. Went on a busy day and yet staff was very attentive.

I've heard a lot about Catfish Parlour & finally got the chance to check it out. Came in for lunch and had the Combo Catfish & Cracker Jack Shrimp. You could choose between a small, medium and large. I went with the small for $13.95 and each size comes with 3 sides. Went with the black eyed peas, macaroni & cheese and vinaigrette coleslaw. The portion size is more than enough for a small size. I couldn't even finish it all and had to take the rest home. The food flavor was good, but honestly I was hoping for a little more flavor. Thankfully each table has lots of hot sauce. It wasn't bad I just need more flavor and spice. Portion size and low pricing a huge plus. Our waitress was also super sweet. It was a busy lunch rush and the kitchen slightly messed up on of our orders. She was beyond apologetic and had the kitchen bring some complimentary brownies. read more

Catfish Parlour - Combo Catfish and Cracker Jack Shrimp Dinner Combo Catfish and Cracker Jack Shrimp Dinner - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Fried food nirvana!! The food is generally pretty good. You can't go wrong with the fried shrimp and fish plate. Fried Fish 8/10 - good seasoning, not over cooked. I got the 4 piece with 2 spicy and 2 regular. The spice wasn't really spicy at all, just a very mild kick. The pieces are decent size too. Jumbo Fried Shrimp 8/10 - it comes with 3 large butterflied shrimp. Same as the fish, the seasoning and crust were very good. Very generous portions. Hush Puppies 9/10 - these bad boys appear to be like chips and salsa. They are brought to the table with a standard homemade tartar sauce as well as a green, slightly spicy homemade tartar sauce. They are kind of addictive. They are like fingerling hush puppies? Service 7/10 - Antonia was our server, and she did a good job being attentive. Atmosphere 6/10 - nothing fancy, just a typical mom and pop seafood restaurant. It was clean with ample seating. This place has been around for many years, and judging by the crowd today, will be for many more to come. Go check it out! read more

Catfish Parlour - Hush Puppies - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

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From the outside, it kinda looks like a warehouse. The inside looks old but not in a bad way. The service was excellent and very fast. I got the original coleslaw it has a vinegary taste, and I like that. The Mac N Cheese was very cheesy and had great flavor. The shrimp and catfish were good sizes and tasted fresh, and the breading had good flavor. I also liked the hush puppies. They come with a green sauce that was delicious. As far as the price goes, it seemed reasonable to me. All of this with a drink was $33. Most fish places I've been to only offer fries with your combo. Here, you get 3 sides. I didn't give them a 5 because the fish didn't blow me away, but I would highly recommend it. read more

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I couldn't ask for better service and fish. This place was wonderful, and I enjoyed the free hush puppies with the tasty jalapeño tartar sauce. They use oil free of trans fat as well. Thanks guys! read more

Food was natural and tasty. Great catfish, shrimp and chicken. French fries and hush puppies were very tasty. Slaw had great texture and taste. Service was top notch. read more

6/15/2024 Out for a Saturday drive and stopped in for lunch. History: while working at the Airport, a group of use would have lunch here 3-4 times a month. COVID - killed the buffet. Haven't been to this location in 5 yrs. I recognized the tall guy with glasses - Kevin I believe. Maybe the owner ?? He's been working there, I'm guessing 20 years now. ( because time now flies by) Food quality was the same as I remembered from previous years. For many restaurants that was hard to do after Covid but this establishment has figured out a way to keep the quality good and the price reasonable. I had their "big cat card" from years ago, and they even honored that. All in all this is a well run Restaurant that's doing a great job and has been for years - hats off to management. read more

Food was pretty good and prices were decent for the amount of food you get. Service was great & attentive!

Delicious crawfish friendly service and good atmosphere. I've been here many many times and the seafood is always fresh and yummy!

food is consistently pretty good. We decided to split a piece of pie today for dessert and were fairly appalled. They charge $7 for a slice of key lime pie that was about an inch and a half wide at the widest point. In our opinion they shouldn't have charged more than 2.50 or $3 for a tiny sliver of pie. Cutting a pie like this would yield probably 15-16 pieces at $7 a pop. It seems like an extremely cheap tactic. We definitely will not be ordering a dessert here again. You absolutely do not get your money's worth. I should have taken a photo, but my Mom ate it before I got my phone out. It was gone in just 3-4 bites, definitely not enough to share for 2. read more

Delicious banana pudding! We've already been twice this week and we'll be back for more!

Have been living in Austin for over 25 years and heard a lot about this place but never been. Today was my first time here. I was very disappointed. The service was fast and friendly but the food was below average. Catfish fillet was bland and too thin and on the small side. Coleslaw had a weird taste to it. Not a fan of the machine shaped long and thin hushpuppies. I'm used to the traditional short and plump ones. Popcorn shrimp was good so were the fries and the fried okra. It's a very old establishment with typical setting which makes one a bit nostalgic for the old days! read more

HIDDEN GEM!! This place was recommended to me from a coworker and holy she pulled through. Good food (I got the hot & spicy catfish dinner ) definitely coming back for the gumbo though read more

Catfish Parlour - Fried bread - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Had lunch at Catfish Parlour on Ben White today. The food was great as usual. Love the jalapeno tartar sauce. Anthony was our server and he made our meal the best ever. Anthony was very friendly and attentive without hovering. He was quick to refill our drinks and make recommendations from the bar. He brought everything we requested and always had a smile. read more

*****down-to-earth, hearty, and nonpretentious***** Unlike most other Austin spots. the sides were so cheap but so good. Chef felt bad that they didn't have the peelable shrimp on the menu so they gave me a bunch of poached shrimps... service/food was fantastic! Bonus point, no one said anything when I brought my pup in... she was a fan of the hushpuppy fingers! read more

Catfish Parlour - Small well behaved dogs are welcomed - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

First time just yesterday, and the green beans were the best greens I've ever had, my fiancé loved the blacked catfish and the key lime pie, the live music was pleasant surprise and the staff was friendly and inviting, will definitely recommend to family and friends. read more

Neat place for some decent catfish I didn't care for the hush puppies - weird finger like things that look like a novelty. My parents loved them though and ate the whole basket. Fish is good and good sized pieces! We got it with spicy breading and it was legit spicy. The popcorn shrimp was not good though - it was fishy tasting to me. Sides were ok: Mac and cheese is very generic; vinegar and oil coleslaw was delicious and the best side; fried okra ok but needed to be crispier; black eyed peas are good My dessert was banana pudding and it was delicious. It wasn't cloyingly sweet and I really enjoyed it. It's a fun spot to try and will scratch your itch for catfish. Service was excellent and it's very clean inside. read more

Catfish Parlour - Hush-puppy fingers with jalapeño and regular tartar sauce - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

So, we just flew in, and we were hungry. I had been told about this place by family, so we decided to stop. I was really impressed by the front of the building, great porch and seating outside for waiting, just not the day we went, it was hot. Walked inside, and the place is huge, a bar right when you walk in, by the hostess station. Plenty of seating, a great big kitchen that you can look into as you walk by. The decor is really cool. Waitress were super nice. Now the food. Here we go. The waitress first brought us two basket of hush puppy fries with tarter sauce and jalapeño tarter sauce, they were really good. The jalapeño tarter was not too spicy, but looked odd, cause it was green. The Mac and cheese was just okay, nothing really jumped out, taste wise. The paste was done just right. The pinto beans, we just okay, needed some salt, but the beans were cooked just right, but the nothing special about the flavor. The green beans, the same, nothing special on the flavor, just okay. The cole slaw, that had a great taste to it, we got the creamy cole slaw, they had two flavors. We enjoyed the slaw. Now for the fish, my wife had been here back in the day, and she said that the piece used to be a bigger size portion of fish and that the fish had a great taste. The fish we had, were a good size, but no flavor at all. Very bland. Sad to say, we probably won't be going back, but one more place of the bucket list. read more

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We usually stop here when going to or from the airport. Quick service and good food. Try the tangy Cole slaw- it's good! read more

Catfish Parlour - Veggie plate (5 sides)and Medium Catfish with Cj shrimp and 3 sides. - Seafood Near Me - Austin, Texas

Okay so we live super close to here, pass it on the regular, but we have always been a little turned off by the appearance and mixed reviews. St Patrick's Day was here and I was craving thee ol' fish and chips but the baby was asleep and we weren't going anywhere! So, ''twas the time for the Catfish Parlor. I'm not even sure how I ordered... maybe through Yelp, but the menu options weren't the same as their full menu options. I didn't discover this until after I had already ordered so take my word for it: use the real menu and call to order or make sure you're ordering what you want! Example: I ordered two meals (fried catfish that came with three sides I couldn't choose) and an order of fries because I wasn't sure I'd get them. I also requested malt vinegar for the fries. While waiting for the food to be delivered I started looking at their site and pulled up the menu that way and holy smokes - so many more options and options for groups of people with way more food than I ordered (with actual options) and for less money! Bummer but now we know. Next time (yes, definitely a next time) we will be sure to take advantage of the full menu. The fish was really good- the breading could definitely use more seasoning but the jalapeño tarter was perfect. The sides we got were fries (yep), slaw, beans, and hush puppies. Slaw: tangy and different. I actually loved it. Beans; I love beans and so I am kind of picky. I didn't feel they went with the meal, but they were definitely good! Hush puppies: I have never had hush puppies shaped like mozzarella sticks before but it worked. I think I prefer balls to sticks, but I couldn't stop eating them so they must have been just fine! Fries: well we ended up with lots of fries. They were pretty good. I'd compare them to Burger King fries almost with the texture. Not bad. Not the greatest fries ever, and no malt vinegar.... But again, I ate those bad boys like it was the only responsibility I had. Overall: we were super happy and look forward to going for a dine in experience soon. Stay tuned! No pics. I was borderline hangry. read more

We were camping nearby, saw the sign and had to stop on. We were not disappointed at all. The place was clean with a friendly and family atmosphere. The staff was friendly and helpful. The food was great. We like to try different catfish places as we travel and have to say this is one we'd come back to. While the catfish was average, it was good sized portion and not greasy. The fried oysters were awesome as were the sides. The vinegar based slaw was one of the best slaws we've had in a long time if ever. read more

My wife and I returned to dine at the Catfish Parlour South and still looked the pretty much the same with its country style appearance with wood which looked like it came from an old barn. Inside there was a small bar with seating and we were escorted to a table. Everything here is pretty much catfish but there are some other options. Our waitress returned with hush puppy fingers and two varieties of tartar sauces where one was regular and the other jalapeño. The puppies were good especially with the jalapeño tartar sauce which was not spicy hot at all but had an excellent flavor. I ordered the Grilled Catfish Dinner which came on a bed of rice. The catfish was nicely cooked and seasoned, but was a bit spongy perhaps due to it being farm raised. This is a very family friendly place where half the customers had kids with them. I explored this place to find a mid sized party room and large party room to reserve. It was another great time and still raving about the jalapeño tartar sauce. read more

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The food is always amazing, idk how they raise catfish to be fluffy internally. It was such a delight as I had some bad seafood at two other restaurants prior to my visit to Catfish Parlour. Our waiter was delightful and willing to help my elderly parents with the menu. It was very quiet when we went but had a very homey feel. read more

Food is okay, it's at least fresh and hot when it arrived to my table. Prices are I guess average with todays Bidenomics. Thanks Joe!!! The popcorn shrimp serving is pretty small to be honest so just a warning !!! They shut down the buffet so that sucks badly..but I hear all around me during the whole dining, customers wanting the buffet. Bring buffet back !!!!! Don't make excuses it was too expensive or it's because of Covid.. At least those delicious hush puppies are all you can eat !! Haha read more

Food was pretty good, the 10 oz mugs of beer are nice, only downside to when me and a buddy went there, is they where extremely understaffed making the service slow. Manager on duty wasn't the nicest person either, I was buying a t-shirt, the women asked him for the key 10-15 minutes before he got there with it. Then told her about another key but tried to make her feel incompetent for not knowing where the other key was at. Overall, good food with bad management. I can see why they are understaffed. read more

Good service, kind owner. Super cute, homey-woodsy feel inside. Lots of cute decor. Food was cooked well! Yummy hushpuppies. Live music sometimes too! read more

Wow, I've never had crawfish so bland and unseasoned. From the looks of it I was impressed but the taste is bland no seasoning but pepper. It's in the trash. I also got fried pickles; they weren't bad Togo. The Mac and cheese was so small and gross. Save yourself the trouble and get stouffers. Don't buy crawfish here. Maybe the catfish is good but I doubt it. read more

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Still great as ever! Catfish Parlor South was a restaurant I loved and used to frequent years ago when I worked nearby. I ate lunch there recently and found the restaurant even better than I remembered but now it is comfort food for the 21st century. The staff treats you like family and the food makes you feel at home. I enjoyed some of my old favorites and found the fried catfish and fried shrimp are better than ever. The long hush puppies and vinegary cole slaw are also still great. New for me to try was the fried calamari which is addicting and a light and refreshing watermelon salad with walnuts. Yum. I was happy to see the same homey decor and funny walls to read. I will return. read more

Very surprise, the food has gotten better at the Parlor. I also noticed that they are cleaning better than they did before.

Lets start with the excellent customer service. 10+ pounds order was placed the night before. Not only did they accommodate the last minute large order. It was packed and ready for pick up before the restaurant was open. While sitting in my care waiting for my pick up time. The manager came out to the parking lot looking for me. The order was packed and ready. The fish was seasoned and very delicious. After our event, the manager called to see how satisfied we were with it. By the way it was delicious. I give them 5 starts for overall service and food. read more