Soul Fish Cafe

Yesterday was my first visit to Soul Fish. The customer service is awesome. Our waitress was attentive and very accommodating for first time visitors. The food however was not as amazing as I expected. Maybe I’m more of a soul foodie and comparing the chain sides to soul food restaurants is a bit unfair. Loved the catfish. Gave the hush puppies, Mac and cheese, and collard greens thumbs down.

Not alot of places can do catfish right. This place is literally to die for (well collapse not die lol) I had the catfish basket, no extra sauce needed. Probably the best okra I’ve tasted ever!!! It was freshly breaded and not squishy inside. I tried some of the blackened catfish and it was just the right amount of spice, you literally were able to savor all the flavors of what makes it «blackened» when I come back to Memphis, this is a must have…

Best catfish I ever had. We had the whole catfish Fried Green Tomatoes, greens and sweet potato. Everything was fantastic and the service was friendly, fast and efficient. Be prepared for a crowd but well worth it!

Great atmosphere for any afternoon meal. I get the grilled catfish poboy with okra for a side dish and some hush-​puppies and a cool drink to wash it all down. My wife likes the salads, which are huge. They have a great little bar area with very attentive servers.

I’ve had the opportunity to eat at this establishment today. I have to say that the few dishes I saw come out were very good looking, but I wanted to try something traditional. So I chose the catfish platter. Man was I surprised how homemade these strips were. The fries were cut nice with the skin still showing on some. The fish was nice and crispy. Real honestly like. I will be ordering from Herr again next time I’m in Memphis.

Man cannot live by BBQ alone. Was craving some good fried catfish, and I got it. Fun place with a casual vibe and décor. Catfish, hushpuppies, and slaw! Try the Memphis Made beer!

We decided to try this place out after a friend that was with us recommended it. We arrived about 6:30pm on a Friday and had about a 25 minute wait until being seated. Once seated, I ordered the smoked chicken, it came out in a timely manner and was very good. The staff was on top of things and our waitress was fantastic. Our glasses of water never emptied, they were that attentive. They also have a variety of cakes for dessert to choose from. I ordered a piece of the carmel cake, it was a bit too sweet unlike other carmel cakes I have had at other places, even the waitress admitted so.
The bathrooms are single occupant, so you may be waiting a bit to go during prime times. The number of people going to this place should warrant bathroom expansions.
All and all the place was great!

Come to Memphis and NOT have southern fried catfish?! Fresh, crispy catfish filets and some of the best hush puppies I’ve ever had! #friedcatfish #soulfishcafe and the service was top notch!

I ate waaaay too much here and I only wish I had a bigger stomach.
Soul Fish Café wasn’t a place that I expected to go to, but after recommendations by a lot of people (training instructor, hotel staff, etc), some coworkers and I gave it a go. We were not disappointed at all! The wait was only 15 – 20 minutes for a table of 6 on a Wednesday night at 7PM-​ish.
CRAWFISH BISQUE: probably the least well-​received menu item during dinner. Two coworkers and I got it and their first reaction was «it’s lukewarm». We all pretty much expected it to be really hot but it wasn’t. The flavors were all still there– spicy and tasty– but the desired temperature wasn’t.
SOUL FISH PLATTER: I chose the soul fish platter to get a bit of everything and did not regret it. Still much too much food for me but I made a good attempt to finish everything. I don’t generally eat a lot of fried seafood but every bit of it was good. Paired with their Louisiana hot sauce and the sauce– yum!
PECAN PIE A LA MODE: I wish I had a dessert stomach. The BEST pecan pie I had during my stay in Memphis. Coworkers and I shared two pieces of pie– crust was amazing and the pecans still had a crisp that went well with the ice cream. Not extremely gooey, like Corky’s is, and I prefer it this way. Kind of wish I had gone back and gotten some to go later in the week/​before I left town!
Overall, I am a fan. ⁵⁄₅. I’ll stop by the next time I’m in Memphis!

Good food extravagant price. My wife loved the fried fish because it was cooked with corn meal. I was surprised by the blackened catfish… very tender and flavorful. Collard greens were good and plentiful. The only thing I can complain about is the price comparative to the quantity of food. $ 70 including tip for 4 adults.

Fries pickled green tomatoes are fantastic. No wait time and courteous wait staff. If you’re gonna have catfish. This is the place to have it. everything is good here man.

Fantastic as always. Fish was fast and very hot! The atmosphere is perfect. 5 stars for sure!

Pretty average to me over all. Service has been ok and this last trip the food came out really fast. Had a burger that wasn’t very good but the catfish, cabbage and greens were good today and I would come get them again.

Man I love this place!

Our group decided to try out Soul Fish Café for lunch today — and boy, were we glad we did. Of course, most of the group went for the Catfish and totally enjoyed it. The wait staff was great and they kept our glasses full. The food even came out fast, for a party of 11.
Me? Now, I don’t eat «swimmy things», BUT I DO like my pork chops. Let me tell you this — these Smoked Pork Chops were FANTASTIC! I thought «bone-​in» meant less chop, so I got 2; I was wrong. My pork chop was moist and tender, so well-​seasoned, and so well-​smoked that all I could eat was one (the other I took home for dinner.) We all enjoyed the hushpuppies, fried pickles, fried green tomatoes (not served as you’d expect) — Bottom Line, whatever you try, you’re gonna enjoy.
Sure, YOU probably would like the Catfish, but if you like pork chops TOO, you OWE it to yourself to try their Smoked Pork Chops. You’ll come back to try the rest of the menu — I know we will be going back.

5 stars for original location. 3 for the café. We have been going to the original location since opening and have logged well over 50 trips — Soul Fish Midtown is 5 stars for me and is my favorite place to go for a catfish basket!
I have been hesitate to try any of their other locations but decided to take the leap after church on Sunday — mostly because Frost bake shop is close by and although Soul Fish carries their cakes… I was in the mood for cake and cookies!
Back to Soul Fish Café.
I was scared to go because I worried it would not live up to the original location… and it may have been totally mental but I felt in a slight way it did not. The same food I always get at the original was just okay on this day of dining.
The items that always are standouts to me — the slaw and tarter sauce were missing the kick that I have come to crave. The fries were delicious as always — so was the sweet tea, hush puppies and catfish.
New Items Tried:
*Fried Pickled Green Tomatoes: These are not available at original location. They were okay but just too sweet for my liking as an appetizer. Note «Pickled». Why not keep it traditional and serve up regular fried green tomatoes?
*Fried catfish tacos. These were less than ‘meh’ — good thing we ordered them as an extra and not as our main meal — they lacked flavor and was just a piece of their fish wrapped in a soft shell with some lettuce and salsa. No special sauces or seasoning. And I am pretty sure the guac was soar as it tasted like stale dish water. Naa-​hAss-​Tee! If my husband was not fearful of food being spit on by the kitchen staff (he has watched too many behind the scene shows — regardless of me assuring him that only happens in the movies (LOL) he will never let me send food back) — otherwise I would have sent the entire meal back and requested a refund.
Pros: Much more room — for parking and in the dining room — however I have come to love the cramped space at the original. Service was excellent — as it always is!
So — will we go back to the café. Doubt it.
We will go back to old faithful original Soul Fish — HECK YEAH — at least once a month after church you will find us there!

Woo! Soul Fish hits the spot! Let me tell you, I ordered the shrimp basket and it was straight glorious. It is also HUGE. Definitely something that could be split between two people if you ask me. My wife grabbed a shrimp Po’ boy and loved it as well. I will definitely be back. Maybe next time I’ll try the location on Cooper St. since it’s about a block away from our house. Mmm Mmm good!

The food here is really good! I first had Soul Fish about 3 years ago, when I stayed downtown. I was amazed at the quality of the food, so when this location opened I had to try… which I was kind of skeptical, because usually the original is always the best. When I find something I like I stick to it, so two piece catfish, mac n cheese & cajun cabbage is my go to meal. The staff is really nice, and the food cause out fast and fresh!

Soul Fish Café is a great seafood/​southern restaurant off of Poplar Ave near Perkins Rd. I came here with a friend for lunch. We dined towards the end of the lunch rush (1 pm) so the restaurant was still busy, but not too crowded. There is plenty of parking behind the restaurant.
Food:
Although not cheap, Soul Fish serves very large portions. I ordered the blackened catfish which came with a one side (I chose broccoli), while my friend ordered the shrimp basket with fries. The catfish plate came with two large blackened filets, which was delicious. It was well seasoned, slightly spicy, but too much so. The broccoli was also cooked very well, steamed or blanched, so it still had firmness, and garnished with parmesean cheese. It also came with cornbread and a side of sauce. By the time I finished the broccoli and catfish, I didn’t have room for the cornbread. My friend finished maybe half of her basket and seemed to enjoy it.
Price:
At $ 36 (including tax and tip) for two meals and two waters, the price is a little steep. That’s not to say it’s overpriced. Rather, you get a lot of food, but, given that neither my friend nor I finished our meals, I would prefer smaller portions for lesser price.
Service:
The service was fantastic. Everyone there was incredibly friendly and welcoming. Our waitress was very knowledgeable of the menu and made excellent recommendations. The food came out quickly and waitress was very attentive.
Ambiance:
It’s a nice cafeteria that has booth, tables, and outdoor seating. They fit a lot of tables in the place, so I imagine it gets crowded and loud during the lunch/​dinner rush. But, since we were there after the rush, no problem.
In sum, Soul Fish is a delicious southern seafood restaurant where you pay a fair price for too large a meal. I recommend splitting dishes/​appetizers with friends to avoid a large bill and food waste. 4 stars.

Awesome and very fast service we were seated order taken brought out the drinks then the food 10 minutes tops outstanding… and the food was good and hot