Dowd’s Catfish and BBQ

On a weekend roadtrip with the Lady. Seeing good reviews of this Catfish place and had to stop.
Atmosphere feels touristy but professional. Nothing over the top but not bad. Staff were really nice. So good points there.
Where it fell down for us was the food. The lady ordered a combo meat plate with pulled pork and chicken tenders. The pork was very shredded which is fine but also very dry. Soaked up the good bbq sauce well but missed that good smokey pulled pork flavor. Her chicken tenders were past well done and I couldn’t tell of the batter was that dark because the oil was old or just that overcooked.
I had to have the catfish. Side of mashed potatoes, gravey, and fried okra. Okra out of bag. Pretty standard. Mashed potatoes ok, but gravy we are pretty sure came out of a bag. If it was made in house it was some pretty marginal stuff. The catfish was cooked well but the corn meal batter really didn’t have any flavor. I found myself looking for salt. Just didn’t meet our expectations.
The Good
Friendly Staff
Plenty of seating.
The Bad
Forgettable flavors on the catfish
The Ugly
Just felt like a lot was pre-​made get it anywhere can do it better at home stuff.

We have been stopping at dowd’s for years when we travel to visit family. The food is great, the catfish is light (not greasy) and the BBQ is solid. It is clean and the service is always excellent. We travel with our dog and when weather permits they have let us sit with her in the outdoor patio area which is right by the parking lot (she was able to hang out in the back hatch of our car while we ate). It was perfect for a warm day. All in all a great pit stop on a road trip.

The food here is subpar quality. The peel and wat shrimp we ordered. It was rubbery and hard. We also ordered the blackened and lemon catfish. It was flakey at the end but hard and rubbery at the other end. The staff here is polite and apologetic. The flavors are great. If they could get away from frozen seafood this would be exceptional. However, all that said there baked beans are without a doubt the best ever.

I love the Cajun spicy catfish fiddlers the smoked chicken is good as well. My daughter loves the
Pork tender loin sandwich but of the many
Times we have stopped in the cat fish and hush puppies have been great .
Parking is ample even with Rv or trailer near by.
Dineing room is unique but quiet …
Neat place on a section of Olé 66 with 66 museum near by as well.
easy connect to I44
State hwy 32 and 5 hwy north to lake of the ì !
Also 64 hwy and 12 short miles to bennett springs
Trout fishing heaven on 64 hwy
Oh and try the fried pickles! !!

So glad we found this place. Food, service and atmosphere were, great. We will stop back in when we are in this area

First time eating at Dowd’s as we are from out of town. Catfish and breading was very good! BUT, it comes on a hamburger bun… say what? The owner should have gone to New Orleans first… Needs to be on a crusty hoagie roll. Also, they need to clean the honey jars on the tables more thoroughly as they are really sticky and merely refilling them with another product type. Service was great! I would go back in a minute.

Disappointing food. Catfish was the tiniest filets I’ve ever seen. Chicken strips were dry. Smoked chicken was dry too (and small). Service was nice and friendly. Interior was nice. Way over talked on Unilocal

my wife and i think they have the best catfish. i have tried other entres, but strictly catfish
. pumpkin cheesecake is yum!

This was not my first stop at Dowd’s. But it WAS the first time the catfish was MUDDY tasting. Didn’t make a scene but our half eaten meal should have been a sign. Beans and slaw were okay. But muddy catfish ruins everything,

Lightly breaded, perfectly cooked! The combo plate offered catfish, chicken tenders and shrimp! Onion rings, okra, hush puppies all done superbly! The fried pickles are wedges not slices, so prepare yourself for a pickle explosion in your mouth! Staff was friendly, helpful and very fast! Thanks! Worth on stop if you are on Route 44!

Really great
Never had catfish before it was great
BBQ was also wonderful
Got the papa combo

It’s all in the name. Get the Catfish. I tried the spicy fish with fried okra, cabbage and corn on the cobb. The cabbage was not very tasty, the okra was a little cold and conversely the corn was piping hot. The fish was very good, I liked the flavor and the breading wasn’t overpowering. As a business traveler I like to go and unwind with a beverage and maybe a game on tv. They do now offer adult beverages but do not have any tv’s. Not that this is then end all for me but I felt the need to eat and get out. The staff was fine, nothing above average except the fish.

Well — who isn’t looking for a specialty CATFISH restaurant? I’LL TELL YA WHO — A Jewish kid from Lon-​Giland (Long Island) — that’s who !
I see a huge billboard telling me, calling me, persuading me to EAT CATFISH!
The place was great. Diner type service, fast, efficient, and definitely priced right. Food was very tasty, hearty portions and all of the goodness in the middle of nowhere USA.
Definitely give this joint a try if you’re in the neighborhood.

Great RV parking! Fast and friendly service. Bread was good, corn was gooey and over cooked, tomatoes weren’t all that ripe, brisket was dry and nothing like good Texas or KC BBQ. It was okay… Prob wouldn’t stop next time I’m passing through.

Last day here for work and decided to try this place out. We were seated immediately and our server came right up and took our drink orders. Once our order was taken we didnt see much of her. Now as for the food I must say Wow. I had the spicy catfish with cabbage, okra and mashed potatoes. The catfish was clean and perfectly cooked and the cabbage was awesome. I wish I had ordered double cabbage instead of the mashed potatoes. The okra was also cooked just right. If im in the area again this is a must stop.

Nice place. Expected a little more smoke accent in the brisket and ham but the catfish was good.
Blackberry cobbler a good way to end the meal.

Family of 4 sat quickly. Ordered 4 soft drinks, came with only 1 straw? 5 mins later, while we were looking at menu, someone else’s food was delivered to our table, had to tell waitress, thst just sat us, that we hadn’t ordered yet.
About 5 mins after we ordered, sides came (Cole slaw and potato salad) about 30 mins before main dish.?? What’s up with that?! Wife had patty melt, kids had shrimp, I had catfish blt, came with no fish, so had to ask for another sandwich. Waitress was apologetic and friendly. Drinks for always filled. Would return If I’m that way.

The best catfish in America. I’ve eaten catfish all over U.S. and this place is the absolute best.
It has many option along with all you can eat too.
The prices are reasonable too.
The perfect place.
I can’t tell you just how good it is here.

Great place and great atmosphere. I got the papa combo with smoked ham, sliced brisket and chopped pork. The ham was excellent the brisket was a little dry and lacking a little in the flavor dept. The chopped pork was good but I’ve had better. The staff was friendly and courteous and things where neat. Catfish is there big draw and I’ll have to try it next time.
In the end, the price alone makes it worth the stop.

Excellent all around! We are traveling and have been craving ribs, but everything looked so good when we arrived that we sampled the catfish and smoked chicken too. All excellent. I’m usually rather sick of chicken, but the chicken here is nothing short of amazing. The rub and the smoke add layers of flavor and the meat fell off the bone.
For those of you like me who care as much about the veggies as the meat, they don’t have greens, but the cole slaw is perfect: sweet and creamy, cut into easy-​to-​eat little squares rather than shreds that whip around or fall off your fork mid-​bite :)
There are two BBQ sauces — both good, but you hardly need them. The dry rub adds all the flavor you could want.
People from all over the world have been here and the place was on food network, but we didn’t have to wait for a table at dinner on Memorial Day weekend Sunday. The service was fast and friendly too.