The seafood here is amazing !! Great catfish and shrimp platters! They have green tomato relish that we pair with their hush puppies that are delicious! Just Good ole home style cooking at its best!! read more

I have been going to Vernon's since I was wee child. My grandparents had a house on Lake Conroe and we would come here ALL the time for hush puppies and some "good" pie. Now, all grown up, I bring my daughter here and reminisce about my childhood. I went here last night with my family and decided I would shake things up and order some grilled quail. Mistake. The quail was really fatty and lacked a lot of flavor. That being said, that is my only food complaint. Everyone else at the table got old fashioned food items and they all turned out really well. The chicken strips are huge and extra breaded, the burgers are a nice size for the price and the fried okra was perfect. Like I said before, we love the hush puppies here. They are rather spicy (without having any sign of jalapeno in the middle) and have a nice crisp crust. It also comes with some pickled green tomatoes, which as a kid I hated but as an adult with my so-called matured taste buds I ate every last bit of it, We topped off our tanks with some good pie and banana pudding. The banana pudding was very made-from-scratch tasting and the good pie, as it has been for years, is probably the only pineapple pie I can tolerate with a thick layer of whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce with a light sprinkle of peanuts. The prices here are great and its good "kuntry" cooking as promised. Anyone with a nut allergy should steer clear of this place because they do a majority of their cooking with peanut oil, if you don't have an allergy, you will appreciate the way the fried food tastes. read more

I had lunch here the other day and had a good experience at this casual country restaurant. I had the catfish, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw which was all super yummy. Their specialty is the catfish and I can definitely see why! read more

This place is a Conroe landmark, but definitely vulnerable to competition. The seafood is of average quality and the service needs to be greatly improved. All the girls are nice, but nowhere to be found when you need them. They also drop orders because of the general inefficiency of operations there. I have eaten there three times in the past year, and nothing changes. Just who is the manager there? read more

I've driven by this place a million times and was really looking forward to going for lunch. Unfortunately, I was less than impressed. As soon as we were seated I noticed the dining room smelled like urine. I think we can all agree that's unpleasant. Our waitress was very sweet and gave good service, but the food was nothing special. We got the hush puppies and relish everyone raved about. They weren't bad but they were also nothing extraordinary, obviously frozen and deep fried. I had a chicken fried steak sandwich, don't remember what my manger ordered. I do, however, remember being embarrassed I picked the place. Maybe Vernon's BBQ is better. Regardless, if you've been thinking about stopping I'd recommend you drive right on past this place. read more

*Peanut oil is used* We were disappointed with the food here especially since they were packed and it has good online reviews. We walked in and no one offered to seat us. We stood there for at least 5 mins and there were 3 workers standing right in front of us. We ordered the catfish, corn, mashed potatoes, shrimp etouffe. Good helping of catfish but it was bland as was everything else we ordered. My family only ate a portion of what they were served and tossed the rest. Tomato relish was interesting but good. Our waitress' vibe was as if she didn't want to serve us. read more

I have always loved bringing friends and family to share tasty meals here for years, and hope to keep doing so. I want to say that it's always been a great place (the best that Lake Conroe had to offer). We support and appreciate all of the work the owners have done in the community for decades. The reason for this review is to let the owners know that lately it hasn't been up to par and hope it's just something to correct and not the result of some sort of permanent changes. We brought out of town friends here while visiting over the 4th. We have noticed in past visits that the pieces of fish are getting smaller and smaller. This time our fried catfish was tough & overcooked on every single plate at the table. Overall the food we were served on July 3rd, 2021 wasn't as fresh or cooked properly like it used to be, plus some of the sides don't taste the same, our squash and home fries were soaked in old grease, onion rings were all thick breading and tasted old. The fried oysters tasted dry inside like paper. The butterfly shrimp were huge but covered in thick old breading and tough like they had been overcooked or frozen. The wait staff was very friendly, but the Woman working as Manager was not friendly, personable, nor was she bothering to greet anyone. She looked us & other guests in the eye several times, but her demeanor was too busy to smile or speak while up front around the public. I hope to go back and find that it's all back to how it used to be, which was consistent, cheerful and fun, with fresh food, and wonderful people managing it who are glad to have their customers come there. Hope this helps Vernon's get back on track. It's not an easy time we know, and we love the place and what it's always stood for. Thanks read more

stopped in today for a quick lunch at 11 am. Service has improved greatly from just a few years ago. Both of us opted for the lunch specials ($9.50) including drink. I selected the grilled catfish w/2 veg sides. In less than 5 minutes the food was on the table. Fish was very tasty and seasoned just right. Wait staff friendly and always nearby. read more

I have been here 10-12 times and its good catfish. I have not tried anything else but the catfish. The sides are good and the portions are big. Kids like it here. The place is big enough where they can talk and not whisper. The staff is great and courteous. They have all the sides that you would expect. Ora is good, fries are soft not too crispy, green beans are good. Never had to wait to be seated and the food is out fast. read more

Meh at best. I ate here last night and none of the seven of us were impressed. Coleslaw was swimming in liquid cause they don't stir it before serving or ever and the grease doesn't seem to get changed often enough? read more

I could eat here everyday. Their fried catfish is amazing. I love their blackened tilapia with seafood gumbo. Love their Caesar salad.

Vernon's fried catfish is the best I have ever tasted, and I have enjoyed eating fried catfish at restaurants and cooked at home. Since my cooking is no competition to the excellent cooks at Vernon's, I just get my catfish there and enjoy the treat. read more

The catfish is excellent as it should be! Stick to the catfish/hushpuppies/fries platter and don't get too adventurous with anything else. The tomato relish is so awesome you should pick up a jar on your way out. Yum! read more

This is THE local place to go. Sunday after church. Wednesday at lunch. Friday night date. All covered. The relish plate is wonderful. Great hush puppies and tomato relish. Catfish is the best. Chicken fried steaks are superb. All the desserts are top notch. I just had the seafood gumbo tonight. I wasn't too impressed. The shrimp and crawfish were mush in my mouth. The taste was...monotone. Otherwise, this place is amazing. read more

Was not as good as the first visit. The catfish was over cooked and hard to cut. Ordered the potato salad and got mashed potatoes with potato salad flavoring. The beans were not as good either. The hush puppies were okay this time but not great either. read more

We stopped in yesterday for the first time after reading great reviews about the catfish...and it did not disappoint. However, the waitresses need to be trained on the desserts. We had the peach cobbler there and that was amazing...we ordered the Good Pie and a Key lime pie to go to enjoy at home...my husband loved the Good Pie...mine was wrong. I opened the box on the drive home and told my husband it had coconut flakes in it which I thought was odd but maybe they made theirs differently there. Nope, this morning I went to enjoy it with my coffee and it was some thin gel-like texture which clearly used to be a coconut cream when it was fresh maybe a few weeks ago. Very disappointing as I am a key lime fanatic. We live in Spring so not like we could run back over. I just suggest some training on what the different pies look like, and if you see a bunch of coconut flakes, it's NOT key lime. read more

Vernon's Kuntry Katfish - We ordered a key lime pie to go, but it's a flat old coconut cream. - Seafood Near Me - Conroe, Texas

We had the sampler platter with stuffed Jalapeños, Katfish bites, and fried pickles - it wasn't bad just wasn't the four star experience that it had on yelp at the time. We said lets not give up yet, why don't we give something else a try, so we ordered a cup of seafood gumbo and the fried shrimp platter. The gumbo was decent but overly salty and the fried shrimp were average. The server we had was very nice but clearly busy while others servers had time to stand around and talk. Sorry Kuntry Catfish, you are clearly loved by others but you couldn't reel us in, better luck next time. read more

This was the hottest (fresh out of the basket) food I've ever had from a restaurant. Everything was fresh out of the fryer. But there was no seasoning on anything. It was all bland. The food looked good and smelled good but there was absolutely no seasoning on anything - not even salt. It was just odd that a place that always has a packed lot and seems to have a crowd of regulars (as the waitresses seemed to know many by name) had such blah -bland food. read more

My all time favorite to take non-Texans to when they visit. Great jospitality, great food (consistently) and lots of options. Pro Tip: order the chicken fried steak sandwich with a side of gravy and it ends up costing about half as much. Sweet pickled green tomatoes, hush puppies, tomatoes bisque soup, gumbo and etoufe are some of my favorites. I've even had the frogs legs a couple of times. Leave room for some banana pudding or cobbler too! read more

Truly the worst catfish My wife and I have ever had. We didn't come close to finishing the meal. We decided that we would rather just have leftovers from the night before. I'm just shaking my head from this horrible experience more and more after this horrible dinner. Save your money and go to Popeyes instead. read more

This old favorite continues to deliver quality food and huge portions at fantastic price points. The staff is another huge asset as they always seek to provide exceptional & friendly service. Always a treat when in The Woodlands/Conroe area so don't miss an opportunity to experience a great restaurant. read more

Poorest service and food, my husband and I ordered the seafood platter his fried mine grilled, I was served fried instead, sent back to get what I ordered and ended up with what looked like a child's plate, with the crab cake fried, was told that is the only way it is served and that almost 90% if the seafood us frozen and breaded for frying, what happened to advertisement of fresh food? My husband's order wasn't cooked all the way. Tried to advise the manager and was dismissed, for 60.00 I expect better service and food, yes we were charged full price even though we couldn't eat our meals, very saddened, but also received same service and food 3 years prior, why did I expect different!!!! read more

Great place - I love the burgers and FRESH french fries here. The service is excellent!

LOVE this restaurant. This was our third time visiting since discovering it a few months ago. My husband and I live south of Houston and will drive up just for Vernon's! I have had the crawfish étouffée every time and love it! It's a little spicy with rice, garlic bread and salad. My husband has had the chicken fried steak and catfish plate. The mashed potatoes and green beans are amazing. They also give you hushpuppies and tomato relish to start out with. I am not usually a fan of either but together is perfection. Very friendly staff and good prices. Will continue to come again and again!! read more

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We just loved this place! The waitresses were friendly and obviously paid special attention to regular customers. The food was outstanding. I had the beef and cheddar potato. It was super yummy! My hubby had the fish tacos and liked everything about his lunch. The coleslaw was tasty and the salad was fresh. The fish was grilled just right. We will definitely stop here again. Regular customers has their own koozie on the wall. How cool is that? read more

It's where the locals are! And the reason is that the food is consistently fresh and delicious. The service is friendly and courteous - your iced tea glass will just about never be empty. They've been in Conroe for years and appreciate their customers by providing excellent service. Plan to wait a while after church on Sunday and some weekend evenings, but it's definitely worth it. Don't leave without trying their complimentary green tomatoes and hush puppies. read more

Great service. I only gave 2 stars because they serve Swai instead of Catfish. I guess the clue is the Katfish is spelled with a K instead of a C. The sides and the Appetizer we got were good. I wish restaurants would be upfront about what they are serving. If I return, I would avoid the Katfish. read more

Catfish was good. Crab cakes so-so. Hardly any crab, but being from New Orleans my expectations may be a tad high. I'd go back for sure!

Excellent food and excellent service. The lunch specials they have give you a lot of food for a low price... Even included the drinks and no tax added! Got 2 full delicious meals and 2 pieces of pie for under $20. Girl at the front desk was pretty rude and had a crappy attitude but the waitress and (who I assume was) a/the manager, were super friendly and nice. The catfish is sooo good and so is the cornbread! Highly recommend and will definitely return. Atmosphere is great as well! read more

We have eaten at Vernon's for years and have really enjoyed their fired catfish. We ate there this evening and service was really bad and the fired catfish was halve the size we use to get . We will not be going there anymore. Price for what you get is too much!!! read more

Had lunch here today after many local friends have mentioned the place. Fried Catfish is what it should be....nice rich cornmeal crust. French fries appear to be hand cut potatoes, and coleslaw was great, not full of mayonnaise. I ordered the grilled lemon pepper catfish, which didn't hit the spot, was eating my husband's fried catfish! Go for the fried seafood, that is the specialty here! read more

Love it! Tomato relish is awesome! Hush puppies have a good kick. catfish on the thinner side and is always crispy. Cole slaw a little sweet. Haven't tried the fried chicken on Tuesday nights yet, always mean to but love the catfish so much can't order anything else. read more

Nice reminder of the true old school restaurant experience. Food a bit over fried. Service was really good. Believe I would have enjoyed the other choices rather than fried fish. Will try it again and order the other side of the menu to be fair. read more

It has been around forever and has always stayed the same (to me). Most everything is good here: steak, catfish, pork chops, chopped steak. One thing I like is they have fried pickles and fried green tomatoes! Try to avoid Sunday after 11 and the 12 o'clock lunch time as this place is packed (waiting line). Some times the service is slow. My favorite dish is their Chicken Gumbo soup; it is the best thing on the menu. read more

In town for the Texas Renaissance Festival, and checked Yelp to find a decent place for dinner. I can't say enough good about this place! HUGE servings of some of the best home-style cooking I've had in a long time! And our server, Amy, was absolutely outstanding, very attentive and helpful! I had a cup of the seafood gumbo, and the fried catfish. My boyfriend had the country fried ribeye. All were cooked to perfection, and seasoned beautifully. I will definitely be eating here again whenever I'm in the area. read more

Great service, had the small catfish plate with tater tots and corn and it was to die for! Already craving it again and that was only 2 days ago! read more

Ate here for lunch on a Friday. We all got the lemon pepper catfish. We all agreed it was excellent. Such a great value for under $10. It came with 2 sides, a drink and a bread. Their lunch menu is such a good selection for every appetite. Will definitely be back. read more

The food was not that great. My wife had a cup of gumbo, barely warm,over salted and tasted like it was left over from a few days and a order of fried okra,barely fried. I had the small Katfish dinner with barely fried okra(was hot but kind of mushy) and coleslaw was great.The pickled tomatoes and hush puppies were good and had a very unique flavor, the catfish tasted OK but it was Not hot, was room temp. I don't think we will be back.We were there at around 2:40pm today. read more

Made a personal trip with my Mom to Conroe. Knew were going today, so came on Yelp to find a restaurant for lunch. Checked out the menu and saw they had quail, which is hard to find in restaurants. Told my Mom about it and she was highly excited to have the rare fowl fried on her plate. When we finally found the place (do not use google--they have been giving me bad directions lately) it was high noon-the height of lunch hour, but they seated us in about two minutes despite the hussle and bussle of noon time chowers by the window. Mom and I were able to carry a conversation, but you could other convos too, so be aware of the noise level. Hushpuppies were served with picked tomatoes as a free appetizer while the food arrives. Hushpuppies were fresh, crispy and not salty--just right. The pickled green tomatoes--very unique. Tasted like a picked cucumber but not salty like a pickle. Just different! Orders came less than 5 minutes after the apps came, so real quick turnaround. I had the lunch special fried catfish fillets with collard greens and okra. Collard greens were fresh and seasones just right--not too salty either, but did add hot sauce for a lil heat! Mom's fried quail looked okay to me (had too much batter for my taste) but she said it tasted really good. Tasted her green beans, which were okay but not fresh snaps. A little disappointed with the mash potatoes and my fish overall. The mash potatoes tasted like instant ones to me and the catfish "fillets" were close to being called catfish strips in my opinion, but filling. Price for food was descent too. Tax already included in prices, so think about that before you order. If you order a biscuit or cornbread, BEWARE! They are massive. The cornbread is thick like a slice of cake and the biscuits are pretty thick as well! Overall, would go there again if I passed by and was hungry but not on purpose. read more

It is disgusting, I love the old style look but felt very dirty inside. Staff was slow. Seems like there's only two items on the menu just in different forms. Will not be coming back. I am a professional food critic. read more