A TON of great food for cheap price. The reviews are correct about the location but I ordered to go so I really didn't mind much. True hole in the wall, but pretty good food. read more

Great food very generous portions and reasonable price. I wish everyone could see what a great restaurant this is too bad Waco does not have a second location. read more

The food is AMAZING! I had fried fish and fried shrimp. Yum! The fish is white meat. It doesn't have a weird fishy flavor or any weird colored meat. The fries are my version of homestyle (not nasty Mickey D's version) and the red beans and rice have great flavor. Not too spicy, but very seasoned and flavorful. It's a very casual, laid back place to dine. read more

Awesome. This is one of those places that you shouldn't "judge the book by its cover." Yes, it's in a rougher area of town, but still safe. Yes, the building isn't flashy, but it's clean and comfy. The food?!? Wow. The food is awesome and the price is great. You can't go wrong with either the grilled or fried fish. Both are tasty and come with two sides. One more thing... You will get more food than you order. If you order #32, the 3 fish/3 shrimp... You're getting more than 3/3. Service is phenomenal. read more

We had heard great reviews so gave it a try. The heat was not on or working. The cashier even had a hat and mittens on. The fish was super greasy and the vegetables tasted like they were straight from the can..so sad read more

Good fatten food! Service good. Place little out of the way. Good place to go to if you are in a large group.

Upon first impression I passed the location up because the building didn't quite look like the picture I found online and the sign said Shaan southern eatery and not Sam's. I drove around the building to give it a once over and decided that I wasn't going to try it but then I seen several cars pull in and thought ok well people are coming here so it can't be too back. When I walked in there were signs of new management taking over so the sign not being correct made sense. I already had an idea of what I wanted to eat since my hometown has a Sam's and I LOVE THE FOOD. I chose to get the 8piece shrimp with red beans and rice and Mac and cheese. The cashier wasn't very friendly but she was quick, got my order right without me repeating it and gave me an accurate wait time. She honestly just looked like she had a long day so I wasn't too picky about the service. I got my food and went to my car and ate the sides first. The red beans and rice were A-MAZING! I would have eaten them fast if they weren't so hot. The Mac and cheese was pretty basic. They should definitely consider using multiple cheeses and baking it and they would have a winner. Now the shrimp were just what I had hoped for. They were piping hot and fresh and tasted delicious. If I wasn't moving within the next two weeks I would definitely be back....or maybe I will. HAHA! read more

I always have the livers and was always excellent but today they were fried so brown all you got was crust. My husband fish was cold. Air condition out there so I am not in good health so did not take back. It was very hot in there. Has been five star but today barely one. If they make it right tomorrow I am sure it will be back to 5 star. read more

Tried this place last night, and I'm giving it 4 stars for portion size and expert level frying, although there are some significant misses. First the positives: portion size is huge! The seafood is very fresh and is cooked to order. Plan on ordering everything fried; yep, it's one of those places. The shrimp are to die for. They are a must order. The tarter sauce might be the best I've ever had. It's the perfect compliment to yummy fried fish and shrimp. The hush puppies are good, but we're spicier than I had hoped for. Be prepared. The red beans and rice and gumbo looked good, but I didn't get to try them. The service was friendly, but see below for more on that. The fried seafood was plump, juicy, crunchy, seasoned nicely, and was not greasy. Nice job! Again, big plus is the portion size and value here. There are some big misses with this place too. The biggest of all is their Mac and cheese. It was some of the worst I've ever had! Seriously. Pass on that. It's a shame too, because all good southern restaurants should serve yummy Mac and cheese, but not here! The pasta is horribly over cooked, and the sauce is watery. Very watery. There is no thickness or seasoning at all. Blandest I've ever had. Extremely poor! Also, the green beans are straight from a can. Again no seasoning or additions like bacon, a pat of butter, or even a pinch of salt. Pass on this. The other thing is they ran out of everything we wanted to order, and it was only 7:30 on a Friday night! No stuffed shrimp (big disappointment), and no chicken nuggets for my toddler. I also wanted some corn bread or rolls with my meal, but there's nothing like that on the menu. The place is not in a good neighborhood and is a total old, run down, hole in the wall. Don't take a date here or expect any ambiance, because there is none. Also, the young girl at the counter was new and super sweet, but man did she screw up my order! They gave me an extra order of fried fish which I didn't place because I think they were afraid to tell me that they had just run out of shrimp, which I did order! She forgot my extra order of hush puppies and gave me fried fish instead of the extra shrimp. They strictly ration their tarter sauce (super yummy) to the point where they don't give you enough. I had to trade in my cocktail sauce for an extra order of tarter sauce, and they forgot that too. Ridiculous! read more

Great place to eat! They have generous portions with great quality. Finally Waco has a decent fast-food seafood place. Shrimp was huge and, oh-so delicious. Hush puppies and tartar sauce were great! Oh, I know we have other fast-food restaurants. However, you may pay less, but, you will get less in portion and quality at the other fast-food seafood restaurants. read more

I LOVE this place! The food is great and the portions are very generous! The prices are fair and the staff is friendly. Can't ask for much more in a restraint! 5 Stars!!! read more

Spent a four day RV trip in Waco and did not run across Sam's until the parting day and just wish we had found on the first day. It is pure hell finding good fried oysters and fried chicken livers and Sam's gets great reviews in both categories. We had the fish because we had not seen the reviews until later and the fish was very good and was even better cold after we took a box full back to our RV.. Sam's opens and closes lots of stores and just hope they keep Waco open. Again very good and they give you plenty. If you order three pieces you are just about assured to get five and they are not small. read more

Great fried fish and shrimp. This place gets it right. I had just about given up eating fried fish in the Waco area, since everything I've been served in the last 3 years has been undercooked and slimy. Sam's knows how to cook it and how. Make no mistake, the decor and interior is dated and shabby, but the food more than makes up for the shortfall . Super generous portions. We could have fed our family of three on one of the larger dinner plates. (9. 99$) . The child's plate was truly enough for an adult meal. I've already been back twice in a week. We'll be making this place a regular stop and bringing our friends with us. read more

This place has really good food. Don't judge by the exterior or location! The are definitely doing a great job right where they are. You will be surprised! read more

This was my first trip to Sam's. excellent fish and shrimp. The red beans and rice was very good also

Had fried shrimp, catfish, red beans and rice, hush puppies and okra. Amazing! Don't let the hole in the wall atmosphere keep you away. Very clean. Very friendly folks that know how to fry their catfish and shrimp. Will defiantly be back when we travel down I-35. read more

Good place with large portions. The catfish and oysters were fried perfectly, the fries were hot, the slaw was good, and the service was fast. read more

This place puts Red Lobster to shame! If you want to eat good shrimp all you have to do is visit Sam's. I had the grilled shrimp and my wife had the fried shrimp. These were truly JUMBO shrimp and I rate them as the best I have ever eaten! I am 60 years old so that's saying a lot. Yes, the facilities are dated and the customer service is mediocre, but the food is awesome! My cole slaw tasted almost like that at Long John Silvers which is a good thing. My okra was typical fried okra. I was pleasantly surprised that there were grilled onions and bell peppers on my plate. Anywhere else they would have charged extra for those. I was stuffed when we left. read more

Wow, I couldn't believe the size of the fish here. Everything is bigger in Texas fits here. The fish planks are as long as the plate and deep fried to perfection. Piping hot too! And the taste is very good! They also have Shrimp which are also very plump. Place doesn't look like much from the road but don't let that fool you. It's a place you gotta try and you'll be hooked. read more

Before I start this review I would like to point out this place has an incorrect address posted. The correct address should be 1824 West Waco Drive. Not East as posted. That being said, these folks know how to fry fish! We each ordered the four piece fish dinner. They come with two sides of your choice. We waited about 5 -7 minutes after placing our order for the young lady to bring our food out. As soon as we saw the food we knew immediately we were not going to be able to eat it all. The baskets were running over! No kidding! The wife's even had five pieces of fish, not four! We started eating and both kind of burned our tongue. This fish was straight out of the fryer, not sitting under a heat lamp! Perfectly breaded and fried too. The sides were also delicious as well. We ate what we could and then got a box to bring the other four pieces of fish home. Plenty for another meal! Wish we lived closer to this place because we would be regulars. Good food good value! read more

Found this establishment using Yelp!! I ordered the fish and shrimp special!! It was fantastic and enough food to take home. I would most definitely recommend this place!! read more

What a great experience! The fish and shrimp were delicious. The red beans and rice were the best I've ever eaten. The value was excellent. You'd better have an appetite if you stop here. The portions are huge. A must stop if you are a fried fish and shrimp eater. On a scale of 1 to 10 they'd definitely get a 10 read more

I am obsessed with this place!!!! When they were in Killeen I went there daily lol!! Love their grilled seafood!!! Now I travel to Waco weekly to indulge lol... read more

Nope. I generally trust my fellow yelpers, and we picked this based on the positive reviews. Unfortunately our experience was far from positive. The macaroni and cheese did not taste like it had any actual cheese in it and the pasta was overcooked. The okra and fries were decent and the shrimp was passable. The chicken strips were fairly flavorless and somewhat tough - more than half of them went in the trash. It also didn't seem to be particularly clean. I will not be returning. read more

Good, fast, hot and tasty. Had the Clam 'Po Boy and fires. It was under $8 and a good sized portion. Will eat there again.

Sam's gets 5 stars just for having great fried catfish at an unbeatable price. We ordered by phone since other Yelpers said orders take awhile. I ordered the 4 piece, but got 5 big pieces! It was only around $8. The cole slaw was LJS basically, fries were ok. Two of the tiniest hush puppies known to man, and one tiny cup of tartar sauce. Good thing my niece gave me her tartar and cocktail sauce and have some at home. Some lemons on the side would've been nice. No napkins or silverware.The first Friday of Lent I now realize might have been the busiest day of the year for us to go...the place was packed! But, like I said, I care about the catfish. I know non-Wacoans think the neighborhood is shady, but no one lives around there! It's all businesses in that area and no one walks. So it's pretty safe there. 18th Street & Waco Drive are high traffic streets & very visible. Even though the sides and incidentals were mediocre, it's a catfish lover's dream. I tasted one of my niece's fried shrimp it was nice and meaty with a great coating, nice deep brown color. Next time I'll pay extra for tartar sauce if I have to. From SB I-35 take the 17th street exit & go right onto 17th St.,(If NB, take exit and go left at 2nd light), follow the Cotton Palace signs (it's a one way) and just go straight. You'll pass lights at Dutton, Clay, go over the bridge, then Franklin, Austin, Washington, Columbus. There's a small street just past Columbus called Barnard. Turn left on that so you can avoid the Waco Drive lights and maybe a u-turn. Go one block, and after you go through the stop sign, Sam's is there on the right. To get back to I-35 just make a right onto 18th St, also a one-way. Go straight and you'll be back on 35 in 5 or 6 minutes. Basically Waco Drive is parallel to I-35 and 17th/18th streets are the streets that connect them together. It's a very easy side trip. I'll definitely go back. read more