Tj’s Bbq & Fish

You’ll never eat a fish sandwich this good. This is what made east Nashville famous for food. No, it’s not hot chicken. It’s whiting fish coated and fred and served right out of the skillet on two pieces of plain white bread with an abundance of mustard, pickles, and yellow onions.
The fish has a crumb coating on it so Crisp that it could stand it on its end. Inside the two huge pieces of fish are flaky and moist — firmer than catfish. No, the white bread can’t stand up to the sandwich. It’s not supposed to. Don’t come here with your White starched shirt, on a date before you’re going to the movies. You came here to eat. In a T-​shirt. In a of pair shorts. And you may need a shower afterwards.
The folks here are friendly and proud of what they do. Bring cash — about 10 bucks — and eat on the tailgate of your pick up truck or SUV. You can’t really leave Nashville or live here without having a whiting fish sandwich from TJ’s.

I came across this drive-​up only fourth stop on my Nashville BBQ tour after a recommendation from the guy working at Hog Heaven. Let me begin by saying, «Get the fish!» Do yourself a favor and skip the BBQ. The rib were good but nothing special. They lacked the flavor of better ribs, and the sauces consumed the flavor — preventing the meat to shine.
Okay, with that being said, the fish is fantastic. I got the catfish with onion, mustard, pickles, and hot sauce. It is served as a sandwich on white bread. Wow! The fish is cooked to perfection. The batter is peppery and complements the fish perfectly. This drive-​up dive does fried fish better than anyone else. (That last statement is pure speculation; I haven’t tried much fried fish in TN.) Even though the ribs were mediocre, the fish salvaged the review and was so good I gave the four stars to the fish.