New owners Russ and aKeri have worked so hard to restore it to what it was and BETTER. Great catfish and sides. Homemade dessert and even more to come. X Come float on The Fish Dock which is the new name. Sit and view the beautiful scenery of Southern Illinois on The Ohio River right on the banks. Plenty of beautiful things to see here in the Shawnee National Forest read more

The catfish dinner with all the trimmings was good. The service was friendly and also helpful. read more

Disappointing experience at this fish restaurant. Service was slow and inattentive, with staff ignoring requests. Fish was bland, overcooked, and lacked freshness. Cleanliness was subpar--tables sticky, floors dirty, and bathrooms neglected. Won't return. read more

Fish was pretty good but the fries were awful. restaurant was completely understaff for the amount of seating and customers. Wait staff was stressed but remained friendly and helpful. read more

E'town River Restaurant - a view of the water - Seafood Near Me - Elizabethtown, Illinois

Want fresh caught Ohio River catfish? Want to eat on a barge floating in that very same river? Well, this is the place for you! Thank goodness they were doing carryout during the coronavirus shutdowns. Bummer I didn't get to sway on the barge while eating this time, but the catfish was equally good. Long wait, but that's normal -- people flock to this place, and for good reason. Heck, it's good the wait was still long, honestly; that means people are still supporting them even when they can't eat inside. Took our food and enjoyed it in the city's public picnic area (thankfully open, thankfully uncrowded) overlooking the river. If you find yourself in Illinois's least populous county any time soon, go get you some catfish. But call in that order a good 45-60 minutes in advance! read more

Diner on a dock with good catfish, nice people and welcoming view of the z Ohio River. Small place but does have outdoor seating. Busy place but servers kept up with the flow. Cute town to visit too read more

Everything was delicious! We got the catfish platter and absolutely loved the catfish, wedge fries, slaw, etc. it was a windy day & fun to watch the whitecaps on the river! Great vibe & worth check Into out. read more

E'town River Restaurant - E'town River Diner - Seafood Near Me - Elizabethtown, Illinois

Good food. Pleasant staff. We ate outside and enjoyed the waves as they rocked the boat. The only issue is the peanut oil. If you have peanut allergies, which my picky little boy does, just keep going to the next stop. That being said I loved it. read more

Our host recommended this place to us and we were told not to be in a hurry and to not go at prime time. So we figured we would try lunch on a Saturday, apparently this was a prime time. The place was packed, but we were able to find a table for a party of seven almost right away (feeling lucky). The enclosed restaurant is floating as is the double decker open air picnic tables next to it. One amazing thing about the open air portion is that it SCREAMED bar, but there was no alcohol to be found. I was very perplexed by this, especially given the wait I will describe next. Why not have your customers spend money while they wait? We got our non-alcoholic drinks and put our orders in. An hour and a half later, the appetizers had not come out yet. However, the thing that REALLY freaked me out was that there was an older couple and a single man that were there before we arrived and they did not have any food on their table yet either. Despite the lack of food, masses and masses of people kept coming. It was a truly amazing thing to behold, a crowded restaurant with no food. At one point, so many people were entering the open air portion on the right hand side of the restaurant that the enclosed float portion started to lean and take on water. As a group, we had to abandon the entire lunch concept here because we simply could not fathom how it could take that long to fry catfish. I politely explained that we were leaving to our server but I do not think it made much of a difference given the food delay. I honestly think they were fishing to order. I spied a girl on the side of the dock with a pole and a cooler when we first pulled up, which is a great fresh concept but fails to supply demand in a timely manner. My personal take aways from this experience are - 1) Never trust my host's food recommendation again 2) Never eat in Elizabethtown, IL in general. Not only did this particular venue manage to suck two hours of my life and still not provide lunch but, my group, either being gluttons for punishment, or simply masochistic, went another round. Still being hungry, the restaurant in the gas station next door took a good chunk of time to turn around sandwiches/burgers as well, but at least the food eventually came. 3) If you must eat in Elizabethtown, buy from the BBQ food stand around the corner from the fish house, that guy looked like he was ready to hand me a sandwich 4) People in Elizabethtown, IL have more patience than Job when it comes to food 5) Just south Rosiclare has a food shanty called Lucy's that is super affordable and easy, I would recommend grabbing lunch there read more

Wow the food was wonderful! The river catfish dinner was delicious..slaw, fries, hush puppies, and baked beans. It was nice looking out over the river. Took my sister and daughter after cave in rock. Perfect ending to a fun day. read more

Awesome food and atmosphere, right on the Ohio River! We sat upstairs on the deck. Enjoy the view and the food. River catfish and pickles were good. Big portions, we could have enjoyed half an order. Definitely worth a stop read more

E'town River Restaurant - a picnic table on a dock - Seafood Near Me - Elizabethtown, Illinois

This place was right on the river help was OK food was okay you was wonderful if I was in the area I go again

Had heard about this place for a while now and just recently had the chance to try it. I wasn't impressed at all. Much better catfish restaurants all over southern Illinois. The fish was tough and the hush puppies were over cooked. The slaw wasn't the greatest. Took forever to get food once ordered. Nice to be on the river for a bit but doubt I'll make the trip to eat there again. read more

The quality if the food is amazing! A little expensive, but definitely worth a visit! I heard rant reviews bout this catfish and it definitely lived up to it's hype! To top it all off the beautiful atmosphere that surrounds! Staff are very friendly. What more could you ask for! read more

Great catfish but make sure they don't sleep on your order. If it gets cold it will be less than stellar.

Not usually a fan of catfish, but at E'town River Restaurant they have perfected how to make catfish very delicious. Price is reasonable and the place has a unique atmosphere by being on the river. read more

A friend of mine introduced me to this river restaurant after we went hiking at Garden of the gods. I had river catfish for the first time and it was good along with the shrimp. The food takes a little longer than average so don't wait til you are starving to go there. The seating area is small but the atmosphere is pretty relaxing as you are on the river. read more

See all

Went on a Sunday afternoon at 1:30. There was no waiting and had our pick of the tables on the outside upper deck. Staff was friendly and helpful. Was told by an exiting customer that the catfish was the specialty. My husband ordered the "river" catfish, I took the "pond" catfish. Food arrived in about 5 minutes. Maybe not the best I've ever eaten, but very respectable. Side dishes good, and they have the baked beans down to an art. It was a mild day in the 70's and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the river traffic and dining leisurely, al fresco. We will go back, and I will check out the burgers. read more

E'town River Restaurant - Entrance - Seafood Near Me - Elizabethtown, Illinois

See all

We were in town for Hogrock and looking for a good dinner. We found it here, it was amazing, best cat fish I've ever had! Great service, very friendly! If you like catfish you'll love this! read more

The entire time we were the only ones in the restaurant. The employees were 50 feet from us in the back room complaining about other coworkers, their pay, and how their job was so bad. Fries weren't fully cooked and the serving was about 5 fries for an appetizer. Rest of the food seemed like it could have been fried longer and again was not portioned well. Waitress came and gave us our food and never checked on us again the entire time. We were out of drinks and ready for our check and no one was there. Extremely disappointed in service and food quality. Would not recommend. read more

The food is pretty good. Most of the time this place is pretty good. We waited over an hour for our food on a Sunday evening. The sodas were all flat. After waiting an hour the server brought our food but nothing else, we had waited an hour, maybe at some point she could have brought silverware. After the food was brought we waited for plastic forks and very little tarter sauce and no cocktail sauce. The fish is pretty good, don't expect anything else. I have eaten here many times in the fall and things went well, I dont know if they were swamped(didnt look like it) or what. I have heard the new place(owned by the same person) is pretty good, I will give it a try next time. Sitting outside or inside watching the river is fun. read more

We loved pretty much everything about this place except the inability to sit on the patio (apparently that closes at 7pm even though the restaurant is open until 8pm - you've been warned!). We had the river catfish, fried shrimp, hush puppies (so good!), okra, corn nuggets, fried cheese...it's impossible to complain about a meal that's all fried. Would definitely recommend E-Town! read more

If you love catfish and you don't mind the wait this is a perfect stop. Indoor seating is limited and the fish was somewhat overcooked but still edible . from the time we ordered to the time we got our meal it took 45 minutes. I thought the cost was a little bit pricey for the portions you get. but if you like country river ambience and some good tasty fish this is at least worth a stop. read more

See all

Michael W. from Northbrook, IL.....I really think you should give the E'town River Restaurant another try. You need to go during the week when it's not as busy. We are originally from up North like yourself, and when we moved to Murphysboro, IL 15 years ago, and found out about this place, well I have to say.....not one person who has visited us was unhappy about this restaurant. Sorry, you had a bad experience, but it's really a neat place to go for lunch or dinner. On the way, you may want to visit Garden of the Gods, Cave in Rock, and don't forget the Chocolate Factory.....it's something to see. Enjoy your next time in Southern Illinois. Patricia Barnes ~ Murphysboro, IL ;) read more

The wife and I were just bouncing around the Shawnee area, and were on our way from Garden of the Gods to Cave-in-Rock. We stopped by the river for a quick look, and weren't planning on lunch just then, but the E-Town smelled really good. She got a BLT, I got catfish and hush puppies. Fantastic. Friendly service. Nice view. The place gently rocks with the river current. Will definitely stop in again when we return to the area at the end of the summer. read more

This restaurant was the highlight of a hiking trip to the area. When I visited for lunch, this boat/floating pier restaurant had two choices: farm catfish or Ohio River catfish. I went with the river catfish, seeing as I was floating in the river at the time. It was pretty good, although I think I might have been happier with the "cleaner" tasting farm-raised. But I'll definitely be back. The service was friendly and so were the other customers, which is always nice for an obvious out-of-towner. read more

We love going here. We jump in our jon boat running from the KY side to IL side. Always fresh good eating.

Love the food, love the atmosphere. I got to sit outside on the open patio while looking out at the river. Friendly waitresses, and best of all: who wouldn't want to eat at a restaurant sitting ON the river?! :) Highly recommended! read more

Such a cute little place! Friendly staff, and the food was pretty good for such a tiny town and tiny restaurant. The seating was a little cramped, and our hush puppies didn't seem super fresh, but the rest of the food was great. It could use a little décor upgrade too. The menu was a little confusing to read as well. read more

Good place for catfish with tasty sides. Interesting to be floating on the river. I imagine that the restaurant would move around a bit when a tow goes past. read more

The food is OK. It is the location and uniqueness of the place. The place was packed on a Saturday afternoon . While we waited an hour for our food, we saw bikers ride up, numerous boats docking and ordering, and even two planes landed on the Ohio River and pulled up to eat. It is an experience. read more

Excellent food, good service. It is always a little busy on the weekends, but it is worth the wait.

If you like catfish this is where you should go if you're within a 100 mile radius. Great fish, good sides. I only wish when it burnt a few years ago they would have made it bigger. If you go on a nice weekend before prepared for a little wait from all the tourist/bikers. All in all, a great spot if you, for some reason find yourself in Hardin Co. read more

Very cool place. Seriously nice people and REALLY good food. Catfish special of course. Hearty portion probably enuf to share. Can u believe it's actually on the water? Guessing a house boat of sorts. Don't pass it up. Worth the drive read more

Best tasting catfish ever. Funny thing is, we were told about how good the fish was 150 miles north of the restaurant. Owners should be proud that they are acquiring such a good reputation for great tasting catfish. read more

We have eaten at this restaurant over the last several years, and we always go back!! I will NOT order fish out anywhere, except this place and two others. The river catfish is awesome; no 'fishy' taste. I tried the pond fish once thinking it would taste less fishy, and while it is good, the river catfish is MUCH better. We have never had to wait very long for our order, but I tell you, it is worth the wait if you like good fish. We have driven there on a Saturday or Sunday (3 - 4 hours) JUST TO EAT. Of course, the scenery along the way is a bonus, but the destination is the catfish. An added bonus is sitting on a boat in the Ohio River, gently swaying when boats go by. read more

sometimes you gotta wait a min but when the fish is this good you expect a degree of this,been there several times haven't eaten anything but fish and sides would gladly give 6 stars if they served beer read more

Great place, I like the idea of eating fish that was caught less than 12 hours before being rolled in batter and fried up just for you. Yes, it does take a little longer than usual for the fish, but that means your order was fried up fresh. Sides are ok, just the usual, slaw, beans, hush-puppies. But the shrimp was good and they have sweet tea. The restaurant is small and floats on the river which is a neat setting. read more

So I will keep this short but sweet... To start off my husband and I usually don't like catfish, at all... So when the owners of our B & B told us to go to this "floating restaurant" for the BEST river catfish ever, we were both like.. well maybe. So after a day of hiking at Garden of the Gods & Rim Rock... we took a cruise down to Elizabethtown and check it out. First impressions are everything to me so when we pulled up and saw that it was literally floating on the river I was like, "Well, this is interesting...". We walked down the gangplank to the "front porch" of the place... swung the door open and found this very quaint little cafe... it was clean, the service was very good and the catfish was OUTSTANDING. Can I say that again OUTSTANDING... And we don't like catfish! So by me writing OUTSTANDING three times.. it says an awful lot. This fish we ate was caught that morning in the Ohio River... was just cleaned... did not have that "muddy" taste at all... It was served with a side of hush puppies... which were also quite good. So check this place out after some great hiking in beautiful Southern Illinois!!!! read more

Went over the summer with family . Food was great . Organization of seating and service was a little chaotic . They almost need to expand and pull up another barge with indoor dining. Food for the $ was plentiful and good! River cat was cooked just right with hushpuppies... mmm mmm like goin to a fish fry . Place does not seat many so dont go during any 'peak' lunch or dinner time on weekends and expect to get a seat without waiting . Highly recommend . :) Note**** They are closed from Mid November - Till Springtime . Always call to see if will be open if unsure . read more