14 Oklahoma Fried Catfish Spots That Locals Agree Are Worth Every Bite
Catfish runs deep in Oklahoma culture, right up there with football and rodeos. Across the state, you’ll find humble roadside shacks and bustling family diners where the fryer never stops, and the catfish stays golden.
I grew up eating catfish at church suppers and lakeside cookouts, so I know what makes a plate truly special.
This list celebrates the spots where locals park their trucks and settle in for plates piled high with cornmeal-crusted fillets, hush puppies, and enough tartar sauce to swim in.
These restaurants earned their reputations one crispy fillet at a time. They are truly worth it.
1. McGehee’s Catfish Restaurant – Marietta
Head south toward the Red River and you’ll eventually spot a low-slung building on a bluff with a parking lot full of pickups and lake dust.
That’s McGehee’s, and it’s been drawing regulars for decades with a simple promise: hot, crisp fillets and friendly service just outside Marietta, right on the riverbank.
Inside, plates of all-you-can-eat fried catfish land on tables already crowded with fries cut from fresh Idaho potatoes and classic sides. The cornmeal coating crunches just right, and the fish stays tender underneath.
Service moves fast, and the staff treats everyone like family, whether you’re a first-timer or a regular who shows up every Friday night without fail.
2. Bill’s Fish House – Waurika
On Highway 79 near the Red River, Bill’s Fish House carries itself like a tiny roadhouse that somehow turned into a statewide legend.
Established in 1962, it’s known across southern Oklahoma for hand-trimmed catfish fillets fried to a deep golden crust and served over fries with hush puppies and slaw.
Locals pile in for the relaxed, family-run atmosphere, and many swear it’s the best catfish in Oklahoma, worth planning an entire road trip around. The portions are generous, the prices stay fair, and the place hums with conversation and laughter.
I stopped here once on a whim and ended up staying for two plates.
3. Catfish Round-Up – Seminole
East of Oklahoma City, Catfish Round-Up feels like a little catfish village: big dining room, apple fritters, and even an RV park next door for travelers who decide to stay the night.
The story started in the 1980s when Catfish Night exploded in popularity and the owners realized they were onto something special.
Today, they go through over half a ton of catfish a week, serving thin, cornmeal-crusted fillets with baked potatoes and endless tartar sauce. The place stays busy from lunch until late, giving it the feel of a standing small-town reunion.
Regulars know to save room for those apple fritters, which disappear faster than the catfish.
4. Simon’s Catch – Elk City
Out near Elk City, a drive down a country road ends at Simon’s Catch, where the parking lot glows at night and the smell of fryer oil and fresh rolls drifts out the door.
The house specialty is all-you-can-eat catfish, rolled in cornmeal and served family style with Aunt Tiny’s coleslaw, pickled green tomatoes, slow-cooked beans, fries, hush puppies, and warm rolls.
It feels less like a restaurant and more like a big family gathering, the kind of place where kids race to the dessert table while grandparents debate who’s on their third helping.
The catfish stays hot and crispy, plate after plate.
5. Louie’s Catfish Corner – Ardmore
In Ardmore, Louie’s Catfish Corner hides in plain sight on South Commerce Street, looking like any other small-town storefront until you see the steady stream of locals ducking inside.
The star here is the thin-sliced fried catfish, dredged in a seasoned cornmeal coating and fried until the edges are perfectly crisp.
Plates come out loaded with catfish, hush puppies, and classic sides, and the mood is pure Southern comfort. No fuss, just hot food and the feeling that everyone already knows your name.
My cousin swears by this place and refuses to eat catfish anywhere else when she’s in town.
6. Bob’s Landmark Eatery – Comanche
Southwest of Duncan, Bob’s Landmark Eatery sits off Old Highway 81 with a big sign and a bigger reputation.
For more than three decades, this family-run spot has been serving home-style plates, including catfish that locals say is the best in the area.
Hot, crispy fillets win over even folks who claim they don’t like catfish, and they end up finishing every bite.
The vibe is pure Oklahoma cafe: friendly servers, big portions, and a menu full of comfort food that feels tailored for post-lake appetites and small-town celebrations.
Regulars talk about Bob’s the way some people talk about their grandma’s cooking.
7. Curtis Watson’s Catfish Restaurant – McLoud
Tucked off a rural road outside McLoud, Curtis Watson’s looks like a simple roadside diner until you open the door and see tables covered in catfish platters.
This family-owned spot is dedicated to Southern comfort cooking, with fried catfish as the undisputed headliner, backed by coleslaw, beans, and all the usual fixings.
Regulars talk about it as a hidden treasure where the hospitality is as warm as the hush puppies, and travelers quickly understand why the parking lot is full of pickup trucks and church vans.
The catfish stays tender inside that crunchy cornmeal shell, and nobody leaves hungry or unhappy.
8. Punkin’s Bar-B-Que & Catfish – Pauls Valley
Right off I-35 in Pauls Valley, Punkin’s looks like a classic barbecue joint, but locals know to come hungry for the catfish too.
The restaurant bills its catfish as award-winning, with an all-you-can-eat catfish special that has become something of a rite of passage for regulars.
Smoked meats might perfume the dining room, but plate after plate of crisp, cornmeal-coated catfish makes it clear this place can hold its own with any dedicated fish house in the state.
I’ve watched travelers pull off the interstate, planning to grab barbecue, and walk out raving about the catfish instead. It’s that good, and that surprising.
9. Shad’s Catfish Hole – Sallisaw
Near Kerr Lake and the Arkansas River, Shad’s Catfish Hole sits just off a country road, a friendly beacon for anyone craving a country fish fry.
Inside, it’s all-you-can-eat fried catfish, served alongside shrimp, fried chicken, and Angus steaks, but most folks keep circling back for more fish and hush puppies.
The room hums with families, fishermen, and road-trippers swapping stories over baskets of golden fillets that many claim are among the best in Oklahoma.
Servers keep the tea glasses full and the catfish coming, and the whole experience feels like Saturday night at the lake, minus the sunburn.
10. Cosby’s Catfish Restaurant – Eucha
Up in Green Country near Grand Lake, Cosby’s Catfish Restaurant feels like a lakeside tradition more than a simple meal.
For nearly 40 years, the Cosby family has been serving all-you-can-eat catfish, fried in a cornmeal breading that longtime customers swear hasn’t changed a bit.
Hush puppies, coleslaw, and fries round out the platters, and the dining room carries that easy, weekend-at-the-lake energy. Muddy boots, big laughs, and no one in any kind of hurry.
Regulars plan their lake trips around dinner at Cosby’s, and first-timers usually become regulars after just one visit.
11. White River Fish Market – Tulsa & Broken Arrow
In Tulsa and Broken Arrow, White River Fish Market has been a seafood institution since the 1930s, the kind of place grandparents bring grandkids to show them how it’s done.
The restaurant doubles as a fish market, flying in seafood from across the coasts, but many regulars come specifically for the fried catfish dinners.
Fillets or combos with shrimp get paired with hush puppies and red beans and rice. Generations of Tulsans describe White River as their first memory of truly great catfish, a no-frills counter where the line and the aroma both stretch toward the door.
The legacy speaks louder than any advertisement ever could.
12. Catfish Cove – Norman
On the west side of Norman, Catfish Cove feels like a big family buffet built around one thing: hot, freshly fried catfish.
Established in 2010, this locally owned spot brags accurately, according to regulars, that it’s the place for catfish in the Oklahoma City area, with an always-stocked buffet of hand-breaded fillets and from-scratch sides.
Diners load their plates with catfish, hush puppies, frog legs, cobbler, and homemade ice cream, turning an ordinary weeknight into something that feels like a church social or family reunion.
The buffet format means you can pace yourself or pile it high, no judgment either way.
13. Jimmy’s Round-Up Cafe & Fried Pies – Oklahoma City
On SW 59th in Oklahoma City, Jimmy’s Round-Up looks like an old-school cafe, but the menu reads like a love letter to comfort food, with fried catfish taking a starring role.
The restaurant runs all-you-can-eat catfish specials and proudly touts catfish as one of its favorite menu items, right alongside those famous fried pies.
Regulars talk about a bustling dining room, an owner who seems to be everywhere at once, greeting guests, and catfish plates that feel tailor-made for big families and post-game crowds.
The fried pies steal headlines, but the catfish quietly steals hearts, one golden fillet at a time.
14. The Grazin’ Table on Franklin – Haskell
In Haskell, The Grazin’ Table looks like a cozy small-town cafe, complete with rustic decor and a pot-belly-stove vibe, but the food has earned it an outsized reputation.
Locals rave about generous plates of fried catfish, often mentioned in the same breath as the chicken-fried steak, paired with green beans, pintos, mashed potatoes, and cornbread.
Reviews describe it as the kind of place where the catfish is the bomb, the service is quick and friendly, and you walk out feeling like you just ate in a neighbor’s kitchen rather than a restaurant.
Small-town hospitality meets serious cooking skills here.