I was never a big fan of fried catfish until I moved to Little Rock about five years ago, and now I love it. Funny how that works out. Same can be said about pimento cheese. Anyways, my newfound love for the fried version of this bottom-dwelling fish has led me to seek out places that specialize in it.

Restaurants like … Eat My Catfish in Little Rock. Here’s how yesterday’s lunch turned out (which was also my first time at the restaurant).

Food
I had two tablemates for lunch, so I was able to try out a few menu items. I ordered the fried crawfish po’boy and added a side of fries. The fries were solid, fairly ho-hum, but still good enough for me to devour 80% of the basket. Unfortunately, however, the po’boy bordered on terrible. The pieces of crawfish were small, over-battered and almost all fell out of the sandwich with one bite. The somewhat dry, bland bread was also a disappointment. Happily, a couple bites of my buddy’s fried catfish and chicken tenders turned the meal around. The piping hot fish was well-seasoned, crispy, and overall, just an excellent version of this Southern classic. Same can be said for the meaty chicken tenders. And while I didn’t get to try the hush puppies, they certainly passed the eyeball test.

Atmosphere/Service
Eat My Catfish is a fast casual, order-at-the-counter restaurant with friendly, attentive service. Think of it as a catfish version of David’s Burgers, without someone screaming at you upon walking through the door. Heck, the cashier even called me “honey,” which was cool.

Price
My small-ish po’boy, basket of fries, and Diet Coke ran about $12 (and I added a $1 tip). I wouldn’t categorize this as an insane value, but it was reasonable.

Verdict
I won’t be rushing back to Eat My Catfish, but the food was certainly good enough to inspire a return visit. The fried catfish can hold its own with the Flying Fish and The Faded Rose’s of the world … and folks on my FB claim the boiled crawfish and shrimp are the real deal. Go check out the menu, and you’ll see that Eat My Catfish is heaven for lovers of fried food. Fried chicken tenders, catfish, pickles, shrimp, and cheese … it’s all there.