Food was good, but for me it had to much sugar in the hush puppies and in the coleslaw

We love Fred's. Obviously, the old Fred's, before the fire, was a nostalgic place with good food. Always packed! This was our first time back since they reopened. Sadly, It is not the same. But new things come with a new way if doing things. Maybe the owners will see some of the reviews and make some changes. read more

Love going to Fred's, it always delivers on one's expectations. I spent two (2) weeks at Norfolk Lake and dined at Fred's at less four times. I had the catfish with all the trimmings a few times. Also had the crab cakes with sides. All of the food was excellent and would gladly recommend Fred's to everyone. The ambiance was great, can't beat it. I had a wonderful server, couldn't ask for a better one. When you visit Fred's, always ask for Dillon. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming to all of us. Enjoy you visit there, eat up. read more

Slow and disorganized Food fair at best and overpriced Not the same Fred's One and done There will not be another visit read more

A few of the locals and the yelp reviews said that this place was really good and that I should try it. Being a guy who loves his catfish, I couldn't leave without trying this place. The place is right on the water, so I figured the catfish had to be fresh. The server was very pleasant and explained some things on the menu for me. I ordered a sampler that came with catfish, scallops, shrimp, potatoes and hush puppies. The menu said that their hush puppies were "award winning", so I had to try those. It also came with a side of coleslaw and some pickles. Not everyone makes good coleslaw, but theirs was actually pretty good. As far as the fish goes, I was disappointed. I don't think they seasoned the batter at all. I meant to get the spicy fish, but forgot. I'd hope that the spicy catfish had more flavor. Another issue I had with the fish was that it wasn't full of meat. Half of the filet had meat and the other half was just crunchy batter. The hush puppies were supposed to be the big thing here, but I didn't really get what all of the buzz is about. They are a little on the sweet side and are more crunchy than what I prefer. There wasn't much flavor in those either. They reminded me of a fried ball of Jiffy cornbread. The scallops were really small and the shrimp just tasted like something out of a frozen box that was deep fried. The potatoes (jojos) weren't that good to me either. I'm used to potato wedges being fried, but I think these were baked with some type of flour batter on them. There was nothing that I tried from there that would make me want to come back, however, I am interested in finding out how the spicy catfish tastes. I'm not in much of a hurry to try it though since the regular catfish I had was such a let down. read more

Fred's Fish House - Sampler: catfish, scallops, stuffed crab, hush puppies, potatoes (jojos) and butterfly shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Mountain Home, Arkansas

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Service was great, but the food is a hollow shell of what this place used to be. The steak wasn't cooked the way we asked and was mushy. The fish was bland, and asking for tartar sauce is like asking them for a free meal. Won't be back read more

Burned down. No service. Unknown if they will rebuild. Always was a great place and a must stop every time in town.

I've been going to Fred's Fish House for about 25 years. Every year I come to town for deer hunting . Fred's is always on the list to eat at. I went to Fred's last night after the remodel. In my opinion the set up was bad, the food was so so without a lot of taste. Had the 3 pieces of catfish as always and it was subpar to say the least. As I went to pay with a debit card I was informed that there is now a 3.5% service fee for using a debit card or credit card. Total BS!! I paid in cash because it was the principal of the surcharge. Freds just lost a longtime customer with myself and my group of 10 other friends. A shame, a total disappointment ... read more

Beautiful place and good service the food delicious Nice and clean!!!! For sure I will come back!!!! Best hushpuppy's read more

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If your in the mood for catfish or anything else at Fred's don't wast your time! long wait ( I can handle that ) this place was so F---ing cold inside no one could enjoy a thing! STUPID! we were not the only ones with this problem! read more

Service was okay, but the food was terrible. We ate there four years ago and it was amazing. But now, I won't be back. The inside looks nice, but the food is something else. read more

This place is a well-known gem in the area. Nice variety of fish favorites on the menu and stuff for other appetites. Come hungry and scratch your plans for the rest of the day. You will leave full. read more

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I don't really know where to start. I've been twice since the rebuild and after the first time, I really didn't want to go back but my elderly dad wanted catfish. I regret taking him. Here we go. Awful odor of garbage upon arrival in the parking lot. Went inside and the floor was visibly littered with food particles and spilled drinks. The chairs were very small and uncomfortable. Sitting on a tree stump would have actually been an improvement. Service was unpleasant and unprofessional. Our bill was 72 dollars for 3 people. I don't mind paying that if I have a good dining experience. I gave the waitress a 100 dollar bill and she had the nerve to ask if I wanted my change. She apparently thought she deserved it or we were just stupid. Unacceptable! What ever happened to earn your tips! Don't think you are entitled to it for below average service. The main course plates were way too small. They literally piled the food up to a pyramid and you had to move your food to get to your other items. I can't, for the life of me, understand why anyone would enjoy this and give it a good review. I could probably think of more unpleasant things about this place. The pride in restaurant service and food no longer exists. Will not go back. EVER! read more

This was the second time I visited Fred's Fish House. We waited 30 minutes for our food and there only 8 other tables occupied. The fish, chicken tenders, and fries were disgusting. The food was not fresh -- very disappointing. Especially for a restaurant with so much potential. read more

I guess this place is hit or miss. We had a party of 18. Understandable we had to wait a while to be seated....we waited 90 minutes for our food. It was as my husband said- "one of the worse meals he has ever eaten". The only thing that our party of 18 agreed on was that the pickles were good. My husband ordered walleye. He knows his fish and it definitely wasn't walleye. It was more like a tilapia filled with bones. I ordered a prime rib. It was pricey, but I love prime rib. It ended up being a thin sirloin of some kind. Was definitely nothing even resembling prim rib. My daughters chicken was dry. Sons burger was dry. Nieces scallops were burnt. My brother in law said his catfish was almost inedible. They did not give my mother in law the correct fish combo and gave her a choice- wait a long time or take what the cook gave her. Needless to say most of us left with upset stomachs and another niece threw up all night. So a few hundred dollars down the drain. We will not be going back. Our waitress was nice though. read more

The food was great! I had that catfish and it was cooked to perfection! The waitstaff were fun and took excellent care of us. The interior is rustic with a beautiful view outdoors. This is a MUST to visit went in the area!! The chef is top notch and much better than others in the area that catch n cook fish!! The wine and beer selection has a good variety. Prices are reasonable . I highly recommend! read more

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So glad we stopped by and ate lunch at Fred's Fish House. The staff was hilarious and a lot of fun. The view was wonderful while eating fantastic food. I highly recommend you stop by. You will be so glad you did! read more

Fred's Fish House - The sign is hard to see if you are heading north. - Seafood Near Me - Mountain Home, Arkansas

I grew up in Mississippi & have eaten catfish since I was a child. This restaurant served catfish & the accompanying sides just like my home state: Mississippi farm raised catfish at its best! My entire party had only praise for EVERYTHING we ordered: fried catfish, lemon grilled catfish, fried shrimp, fried scallops, fried oysters, crab cakes, clam chowder, cheese sticks & bean soup. We have eaten catfish at a few other restaurants here in Baxter County, but this is TOPS in our opinion! read more

Food was good!! Got the 3 piece catfish. Plenty to eat! Got a carry out and got home to find no pickled tomatoes or onion! Just a little disappointed!! read more

Had lunch with my mom here. I had the Cajun catfish and she had the regular, the fish was cooked to perfection, light and crisp! They give you a huge slice of onion and a slice of onion with the fish is wonderful! The baked potato and hushpuppies were delicious, and the coleslaw too. We also ordered fried pickles and their green tomato relish, the entire meal was fabulous! Service was very good. My mom is in a wheelchair and it is a bit of a maneuver to get in bit well worth it. Beautiful view of the lake is an added bonus. Very good prices. read more

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We had the burger, crab cakes and fin &feather, the burger was good, fin and feather average and crab cakes poor. Restaurant is nice/clean with a great view of Norfolk lake. Wait staff was adequate the wait was long and the prices were high for the area. The waitress brought a small plate of condiments pickled tomato/2 pickle spears/and an onion slice to go with our drinks - what was that all about?!?! read more

Five stars for the BEST hushpuppies around this area! I've eaten them for years now and they are the best! I like the white cornmeal they use for these! The fish is sometimes better than other times! I like my fish white meat and flaky sometimes I get more of a grey color and not flaky. Why is that? Frozen too long? On occasion I have gotten a fillet that isn't quiet full of fish, maybe 1/2 or 2/3 fish and the rest just crust. Excellent fried chicken fingers!! Really good fried chicken!! All in all it's a good place to eat and I'll continue to keep coming back! I've never experienced bad service here! Since we live close we go fairly often and do curbside pick up now while COVID is still going on. Always polite and efficient service. read more

Fun place we go a few times a year when visiting the kids here. The fish is great. Usually get the 4 piece mixed cajun and regular with coleslaw and JoJo's which are potato wedges. Now its on the pricey side. See pictures of the menu. A 10oz ribeye is $23. They have beer and wine. They have kids menu, mac and cheese which is just like kraft in a box, It probably is. The views from the back window seating is beautiful. Very clean place and great service. Hope this review helps.. read more

Fred's Fish House - Catfish Heaven!! - Seafood Near Me - Mountain Home, Arkansas

Visiting the area from San Diego CA. and was craving fish and hush puppies. A family friend told us about Fred's. This is the place to go. Amazing fish and some of the best hush puppies we have ever had and great service as well. Our family will definitely be back the next time we are in town. read more

Sorry, but this is another review that seems to go against most yelpers. "You gotta go to Fred's!" The reviews on Yelp and people I spoke with all agreed "go to Fred's." I went. It had the fried catfish and hush puppies. It was good but not great. The fish was extra crunchy, not greasy, but very, very crunchy really almost too crunchy. You pretty much have to work to f up fried catfish and hush puppies but by the same token it can only be so good too. Find a VFW or church fish fry, you'll see. If you want fish and you're near Fred's at the time okay but don't make a special trip thinking you're going to find the holy grail of catfish. read more

Fred's Fish House - The "little un" plate - Seafood Near Me - Mountain Home, Arkansas

The food here was very good! They're known for their catfish and it is a must try when dining here! I tried the Cajun and the original fried catfish and they were both very good. The Cajun was not too spicy, more like a blackened flavor. The breading was nice and crispy but not too thick. We also had a table right by a window with an amazing view of the lake! read more

Fred's Fish House - Seafood Near Me - Mountain Home, Arkansas

Can't taste my fish. As others have posted, there is way too much breading and the breading has no flavor. The fish may be good but it is overpowered by the breading. Slaw is good. No fried green tomatoes as a std. side was very disappointing at an Arkansas fish house. read more

Catfish cooked perfection, Jojo potato wedges yummy, excellenthomemade bean soup with extras and tasty sweet coleslaw. Good waitress.. read more

Fred's Fish House - Bean soup - Seafood Near Me - Mountain Home, Arkansas

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Fish was good, ordered half reg & half cajun. Love the cajun! Had to ask for item that were automatically with meal in the past, like onion, pickled green tomatoes, brown beans. Service just ok. Prices increased a lot. Overall just ok. read more

The locals all seem to love this place for some reason. I ordered the three piece Cajun catfish with coleslaw, hushpuppies, and jojos. The breading on the catfish was so thick and overcooked that it was just gross. The coleslaw was good and the view of the lake was nice, but this place is a one and done for me. read more

This is one of only two places in Arkansas we will eat catfish. Always a great meal! It's a friendly, family atmosphere and the view of Lake Norfork is beautiful. This is one of the few places we don't mind taking friends and family from out of town. Everyone always enjoys it. If you don't like fish, they have plenty of turf options. read more

Food was mostly fried. Walleye was supposed to be grilled but looked like it was torched before it was killed. Hush puppies were size of a baseball fried unable to cut with a knife. We had to take tums for our stomach pains. Too much grease and beer was expensive served in bottles. read more

I have been going to Fred's my whole life. Every year I look forward to coming down to Arkansas to get the best seafood.

The luncheon special used to be good, but they have done away with specials so we decided to go to other restaurant that wants our business Waitress was rude on telephone, guess she was unhppy with her job read more

We visited Fred's last evening for dinner around 7:00 PM. It was extremely busy, but tables were available. We stood at the hostess podium without being acknowledged for about 7 or 8 minutes. There was a large group of 13 people just ahead of us, and the manager and hostess were trying to find a large table to accommodate them. Fine, but we only had 4 in our party and several smaller tables were available that could have accommodted us. Rather than acknowledging our presence and asking how many in our party, the hostess instead took a menu and began fanning herself with it while waiting for a large table to open up for the group of 13. Finally, she turned and asked me how many. I replied "four". Oh, she says, we can seat you right away. Ya, I know you can, and could have about 10 minutes ago if only you'd paid attention to the line. So off we go to our table with menus. About 10 to 12 minutes later, we were still sitting at the table with menus and nothing else. No server, nobody taking drink orders, no nothing. Yep, it was a busy place, but there were plenty of workers running around who could have taken a second to stop and say, "Hi, I'll be right with you......or can I get your drink orders". Nope.........the only thing we got was the walk-bys. Oh, and the large group of 13.....yep the had already been seated (after us), had their drinks, and already had received their salads. We were just about to get up and walk out, when finally a waitress comes over to the table. She takes our drink orders and our food orders and disappears. Many, many more minutes go by and no drinks have been delivered. Eventually, a BUS BOY notices we are all just sitting there empty handed and comes over to ask about our drinks. He was very apologetic and offered to get our drinks immediately. He was back in about 2 minutes with our drinks. Kudos to the BUS BOY, thumbs down to the watiress. Once the food came, it was great as always.........but the service definately SUCKED on this trip....probably the worst we had ever experienced at Freds. read more

If you like fried things, this is the place to go! About 75% of the menu is fried, which can be good, but also can be a little much. The popular thing here is the Fried Catfish Dinner. It was quite tasty, but after eating the fried pickles and sampling some of the items in the Ultimate Sampler (which is an array of fried appetizers - onion rings, mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, fried mushrooms, fried zucchini, and a few other fried items), I felt a little overwhelmed with..... fried. I started to fear that I'll be sweating grease by morning. Yikers! read more

I love this place! The spicy version (cajun) catfish is great! This is near Mountain Home and honestly I found it on yelp and then called them to see where they were open. There sweet tea is good. IF I ever go back to Mountain Home I will defintely come here! Loved It! Thank You once again Yelp! You do not fail me! :) read more

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We love Fred's! If you are in Arkansas, don't miss coming to Fred's. You won't regret it. First off, the service is spectacular. The owners are always present. They walk around, ask if customers need anything. They make you feel like part of the family. The servers, bus boys, and hosts go above and beyond to give their customers a great dining experience. The food is amazing! I have tried a lot of items on their menu and loved everything. I highly recommend the halibut, tilapia, and catfish. If you are a meat lover, the steaks are certified Angus and delicious! There is something for everyone at Fred's. If the weather is nice, sit outside for a beautiful view of the lake! Don't miss out on Fred's!! The best!! read more

In AR from St Louis had to find some catfish and yelp sent us to the right place. The Cajun fried catfish was FANTASTIC the fried green tomatoes and fried green beans were a hit as well. read more

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Visited in October 2012 Got the Cat fish & hush puppies both times. It was very good. The waitress was especially sweet & caring toward my 100 year grandma & gave her dinner FREE. My wheel chair bound mom was given a great spot for her chair. We all enjoyed our meals. DO GO here! btw if you read the reviews of others.. check out their other reviews (example Jeff L. of Gassville) if the reviews are often negative, perhaps the customer is expecting more than a place like this offers, or just happened to have a bd experience numerous times??? Be fair & use your own discretion. read more