Catfish Sam’s

Stumbled across this place while driving to an appointment and I’m glad I stopped! The atmosphere is (how do I put this nicely) «dated», but dang it I wanted delicious fried catfish and that’s exactly what I got! Great food, generous portions, and very good service.

good value. not great, but good. the interior is kinda tired in a diner sort of way. the green tomato relish and pickled okra are different and tasty. the hush puppy sticks need salt or sugar, one or the other, they were bland. the catfish fillets are huge and fried to perfection, but I really didnt feel like they had much taste. so much for farm raised catfish. pretty bland. coleslaw is homemade and tasty, potato baked to creamy perfection. but everything else falls off the back of a sysco foods truck. sour cream in a squeeze pouch, margarine in tiny little zip pkgs, most everything else comes out of a jar. Its a good jar, but still a jar.

We have been here once before… absolutely the BEST CATFISH in the area. Fresh, big filets are cooked to perfection. Plenty of sides like the amazing pickled green tomatoes and cornbread (hush puppy) sticks. Highly recommend!

Catfish is great! Comes with a little baked potato or French fries. Both were really tasty. And the rolls melt in your mouth. Great place to go if you want a hearty meal without going fancy.

Catfish Sam’s was not my favorite.
The Good:
The tomato relish is different and good.
The catfish was good and had a nice snap to it.
The french fries were battered a little and also very good.
The Not So Good:
When I was about to order a cup of gumbo, the waitress informed me that «they sent us the wrong kind and it doesn’t have sausage in it».
They??? so you don’t make that gumbo, it’s from a can.
Friends who got baked potatoes got sour cream in a sealed «to go» wrapper which they both found difficult to open, in addition to just plain weird.
Coleslaw was nondescript and bland.
Beans were forgettable.
Pickles are pickles.
You do not get automatic refills and have to ask for refills on any of the sides.
The $ 2 piña colada tasted pretty good but there was barely any rum in it. but then again, what do you expect for $ 2?
For three catfish fillets and three shrimp and fries $ 20
seems high doesn’t it? But that was my only option for both fish and shrimp.
The shrimp had no taste and had been in a freezer for a long time.
Would I go again? I don’t think I would. It just wasn’t for me. The décor is trapped in 1960 and rather gloomy which I would forgive if I was wowed by the food. I just wasn’t wowed. Pricey for what you get.

When I was visiting a friend of mine in the DFW area, she took me to this place. It was awesome! The catfish was incredible. And the hush puppies, beans, pickles, tomato relish and other stuff you get with the fish is incredible. I know whenever I’m in that area again, that place will be at the top of my list!

Cat Fish Sam’s has been our favorite eat out place since moving to Arlington in ’98.
Neighbors took my wife and me there last night (Apr. 15, ’14).
It is still The Best.
And our waitress, Suzanne contributed to making the evening all the better
with her attentiveness and sense of humor.
Thank you SAM who ever you are.
R. E.

Was really excited to try this place. When you walk in, the décor and seating, etc is really outdated.
They give «complimentary» hush puppies, and a tray of condiments (pickles, pickled okra, beans, etc). I say it’s «complimentary» because on the menu it states that if you do not order anything, you will be charged $ 5.99 for it. It’s not worth 5.99 so if you’re not eating, don’t come. The tray of condiments was nothing special but it was good to have something to snack on while waiting for your food.
My bf had the small fish combo and I had the shrimp basket. Let’s just say I was the winner that night. The shrimp was perfectly cooked with the right amount of batter on it. The shrimp was ginormous! It was really good. The first piece of fish my bf had, he was not impressed… He said razoo’s would be the same and cheaper.
We had leftover for the next day and my bf said the second piece of fish was definitely better. So he thinks he had a bad fish.
If we come back we would definitely order the shrimp basket and maybe avoid potentially getting a bad fish.

I will start off by reminding everyone that I don’t eat seafood, unless you could the McFish!
Met a friend for dinner and this place was just what I expected. I have dined here in the past, but it’s not one of go-​to spots due to the limited non-​seafood menu. Here is a play by play for those who have never been.
When you sit down, you are greeted by a nice lady (least we were) who gives you cool cylindrical hush puppies in a basket, along with some (new to me) garlic toast thingies. Ok, but don’t waste valuable belly space on them! You also receive small dishes of dill pickles, onions, cole slaw and their famous green tomato relish. Finally, a steaming bowl of beans is put down and the grazing begins. Hush puppies could have been warmer, but they were ok. Normally I eat quite a few and I only had two, so something was off. Cole slaw is ok, tastes store bought and the dill pickles were pretty standard. I don’t eat beans but my dinner date ate the whole bowl, plus a refill.
I ordered the chicken fried steak, which was made in-​house, according to the menu. For about $ 10, I got a thin piece of CFS, lightly breaded with this seriously way too thin gravy that had no flavor! The steak part was good, but the gravy was a big old letdown. I ordered a baked potato and it was on the small side, served with butter and one of those tubes of sour cream (weird for a dine in place, eh?)
My friend got the catfish, also with a baked potato. His was identical to mine and he gobbled up the fish so I concluded that it was good.
Nothing here ever strikes me as stellar, amazing, or worth making a trip for; however, for catfish lovers, this place seems to strike a chord. I thought there used to be an all-​you-​can-​eat catfish option but I didn’t see it on the menu this time. They have added fish tacos, for $ 2 each.
So, hope this review and the pictures help if you are craving catfish in Arlington!

Poor customer service. Bad and confusing pricing on the menu concerning the «setup».
The shrimp was hard and inedible. I brought it to the attention of the owner and she said «that’s just how it is».
Well, I will never, ever eat at this place again. And that’s just how it is !!!

Been eating here for decades and Catfish Sams still has some of the best catfish around. Don’t come to the restaurant expecting anything fancy, it’s not. I’ve never had a bad meal at Catfish Sams. I love the little round hush puppies. I really have to watch myself that I don’t eat too many of them or I can’t finish my dinner. The «setup» of the onions, slaw, pickled okra, pickles and beans is a great way to start your meal out with.
The catfish has a wonderful «light» cornmeal batter on it. The only other menu item I’ve ever tried is the ½ pound of «peel and eat» shrimp. I order the shrimp every once in a while when I’m not in the mood for something fried. My wife, when she comes with me, always orders the chicken tenders since she doesn’t like fish. She never leaves anything on her plate!
Catfish Sams is a «rock solid» restaurant that I hope never changes.

The name of the place says it all. They serve very good catfish. I eat a lot, but here I usually order the small portion, except when I feel really hungry and go for the medium. I have never ordered the large, and I have never left any way other than stuffed and sated.
The catfish comes wih a relish tray, which arrives before you’ve even ordered. There are pickles, onions, beans, pickled tomatoes (my personal favorite). The hushpuppies are great. The dinner rolls are standard, industrial food type and fairly boring.
Their desserts make a fine ending to the meal, but I am usually far too full to partake.
The décor is old, the clientelle is old. This is not fancy or glamorous, but it is very good.

You can’t go away hungry. I can barely eat the 2 filet catfish, and if I do I have to skip the roll with butter and honey and the extra hush puppies. Get the idea? You can ask for more setup if you have an empty spot. The typical busy dinner time is just that. Plan on early or later than the 7:00 time just like every where else. Just home style eating.

This is the best of the best ! Great food, great atmosphere, great staff (I recommend sitting in Byron’s section, although all the staff is great) ! Let’s start of with the first course (appetizers) although it’s alot more than that… relish tray with coleslaw, pickles and okra, green tomato relish along with perfectly prepared brown beans and hushpuppies. Then of course The Catfish, large lightly battered filets that are plan and simply the best with your choice of side. This place has been around for a long time and once you dine there you will know why. Do yourself a favor and take all your family and friends!
Yum, yum, yum!

I went here on Friday evening with my kids because I had been hearing rave reviews on this place plus the great reviews here. I got here and it was crowded but we didnt have to wait. The décor of the place makes you feel like you are in a time warp. The waiter wasnt friendly but wasnt rude. Just kind of like he’d been working at this joint too long to go out of his way. They delivered the condiments and beans. The beans were tasteless. I had to add a bunch of salt and pepper. Our meal arrived and I just knew I was about to experience some of the best catfish in the metroplex. Boy was I wrong. It was completely tasteless except for the muddy taste of the flesh. Only way I could eat it was with the tarter sauce. Only thing good at this place is the hushpuppies. I should have just ordered a plate of those. I will never go here again and do not recommend it to anyone else.

Catfish Sam’s is located in a rundown part of Arlington. The restaurant and décor fit right in, but it is amazingly popular. One recent Saturday evening it was hard to find a parking spot and there was a long line waiting to get in.
Our wait to be seated in this large restaurant was only 15 minutes. Our waitress had obviously been there forever, and knew her job well, but she was harried and had too many tables to follow up on things like more water or refills of the condiments or hushpuppies, which disappeared quickly at our table.
The pre-​meal offerings are nice and certainly make many patrons return again and again for the tasty hushpuppies, pickled okra, pinto beans, cole slaw, pickles, and onions. It is all too easy to fill up on these and in case you were thinking of it, they will charge you $ 5.99 for just sitting there and sharing someone else’s dinner.
Catfish is the thing to have here. It is good but not the best I’ve had. Most recently I found the fillets a bit skimpy and overcooked, but if you like crispy fried cornmeal, it is for you. The baked potato is better than their fries in my opinion. Love the rolls that are served with dinner.
In the end, we left full and not missing the refill of the hushpuppies.

Anytime I go home to visit my mom, we always go to Catfish Sam’s at least one time. Good food good service. Nothing like good ol’ Texas Fried Catfish, pinto beans, tomato relish, and hushpuppies. They also have specials on Groupon.

I love this place! I dined here with my family the other night while visiting my home town of Arlington. It had been several years since I visited Catfish Sam’s, and I missed it. I was wondering if the service was still good that the food was still good.
I am happy to report that the service is still outstanding. This is a family owned restaurant and it shows. The young man who served our table of seven was very polite and attentive. He kept bringing us Hush Puppies which made me very happy, at least while I was eating them. I was not too happy later!
The catfish was excellent. I ordered the medium plate which was more catfish than I could eat. A large plate would probably feed about for normal people. I saw another review saying that the portions were skimpy, and I can imagine anyone would think that the portions here are skimpy.
Right after you sit down, they bring you beans, Hush Puppies, and a relish tray. I love the Hush Puppies. The beans are good, too. After that, you get your catfish. In the catfish is excellent.
Some people do not like catfish, and if you do not like catfish that do not go eat catfish. But if you like catfish, this is the place in Arlington to get it.
Do not go to Arlington and miss Catfish Sam’
trip to Arlington is complete without a meal at Catfish Sam’s!

I have to disagree with everyone else. I do not like Catfish Sam’s. When I drive by they are always busy. So I figure I will try them once more. This was the first time back in about 5 years. Will I was not happy. The catfish for 2 pieces was 11.99 it had to much of a bad fish taste. My friend had the 9 dollar shrimp basket and it tasted like store bought frozen shrimp not good at all almost sent them back. He regrets that he did not. The chicken fried steak which my friend had last time we went here was a frozen store bought hamburger patty. The rest of the food on the menus such as the steak was way over priced for this type of diner food. We will not try this place again. And when we left the cashier ask how are food was. And my friend ask if she wanted the truth. Will she said nothing she did not want the truth.
I did like the rolls and the tray of appetizers they bring out before your food arrives.

Hello old hole in the wall in Arlington, nice to meet you. Turns out I had driven by this place probably 100+ times in my life and always thought, «It’s on Division, Division is shady, it looks shady, no thanks.» But when the wife’s grandmother wanted to go grab catfish here — and the lady knows her catfish — I figured it must be good.
They serve you family style on the sides and those come early — pickled okra (awesome), cole slaw, beans, hush puppies, bread, etc. And then you order your «meal» — get the catfish — and it comes out a few minutes later.
The catfish is corn meal battered and good and crispy, like it should be. The fries aren’t great so get a potato instead. The fries had seasoning on them which I like, but they tasted like they were bagged potatoes just dropped in a frier and then served up to you.
All in all, this is a great place to take a walk back through Arlington’s history. It was opened in one form or another in the 40s, still in the same family and servin’ up some great catfish. Amen.