Catfish Parlour
4705 E. Ben White, 443-1698 Daily, 11am-10pm 11910 Research, 258-1853 Monday-Saturday, 11am-10pmThese two large, informal fish houses have been serving up satisfying family-sized catfish meals as long as we can remember. Just leave your tackle box in the garage. When the gang’s hungry, take a crowd to eat in, call ahead to order tubs o’ cats by the pound with all the trimmings, or arrange to have them cater your next outdoor fish fry. They’ll fry you up a mess of fish, shrimp, chicken, or chicken-fried steaks complete with hushpuppies, fries, slaw, beans, and all the necessary condiments regardless of the size of the party you need to feed.
Cherry Creek Catfish Company
5712 Manchaca, 440-8810 Sunday-Thursday, 11am-9pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-10pmCherry Creek is a comfortable family restaurant with something on the menu to please everyone. There’s a burger for the non-fish-eater, and dieters can order boiled shrimp or fish from the grill. Fried-food lovers can choose from catfish (fillets or whole), shrimp, or oysters alone or in combo platters with hushpuppies, fries, cole slaw, and pinto beans. Southern-style po’boys come on a toasted roll dressed with tartar sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes and make a full meal with an order of fried green tomatoes as an appetizer.
Springhill Catfish Company
2505 W. Pecan, Pflugerville, 512/251-0159 13212 Hwy. 71 W., 263-3244 Sunday-Thursday, 11am-9pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-9:30pm; Buffet, 11am-2pm dailyIf that visit to Lake Travis makes you hungry for fish, the Springhill folks will be happy to do all the work for you. The crew can all relax with a cold brew or a bottomless tankard of iced tea after a long day on the water and eat their fill. The daily buffet always features fried catfish, vegetables, and salad bars. The Pflugerville location gives nonboaters a taste of the goods, including a weekday special (chicken-fried steak, King Ranch casserole, chicken-fried chicken, enchiladas, etc.). Several good choices for non-fish-eaters, as well.
Jack’s Backyard
6901 N. I-35, 451-5008 Sunday-Thursday, 11am-12mid; Friday-Saturday, 11am-2amLast year, Truluck’s Restaurant Group opened Jack’s Backyard in the former Dixie’s Red Hot Roadhouse location. Don’t fret, Dixie fans; the catfish stayed. Cravings can be satisfied with the giant catfish po’boy on a French baguette or the all-you-can-eat catfish special on Fridays. The menu is typical American cuisine offering burgers, ribs, soups, and salads, as well as some Tex-Mex fare. Patio seating, pool tables, and daily specials help you “Eat, Drink, Play.”
Terry’s Seafood Company
1805 Airport, 477-3233 Monday-Thursday, 10:30am-9pm; Friday-Saturday, 10:30am-10pmWhen Terry’s is cooking, you can count on a steady stream of customers stopping in to enjoy very credible examples of the Southern frymaster’s art or taking home boxes of perfectly fried catfish fillets, shrimp, or chicken with all the trimmings.
TJ’s Seafood
1900 E. Seventh, 469-9038 Monday-Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday, 11am-11pmThis casual Eastside restaurant next to the Huston-Tillotson campus is equipped with a drive-through window for seafood lovers on the go. The menu here is a hybrid of Southern American and Asian fried foods, offering shrimp, catfish, crawfish, oysters, and whiting in all manner of combinations with sides of fries, salad, and shrimp fried rice. We’re partial to the catfish po’boy and fries with a small order of plump, cornmeal-crusted crawfish as a chaser.
This article appears in April 23 • 2004.