Customers Say This Texas Roadhouse Favorite Has Gone Downhill

From melt-in-your-mouth prime rib to those famously fluffy dinner rolls, Texas Roadhouse boasts a bunch of can't-miss menu items. Better yet, compared to some higher-end eateries out there, the chain offers these impressive bites at relatively affordable price points. But, despite being wallet-friendly, not every dish at Texas Roadhouse is worth the money. According to some customers, the restaurant's once-revered fried catfish seems to have gone downhill.

In a Facebook post from 2026, a self-professed former employee claimed that the chain's standards had declined, citing burnt catfish among the evidence. However, complaints about the seafood item aren't new. In one Trip Advisor review from 2021, a diner accused an Illinois location of cutting corners because the fried catfish they ordered was "95% breading with a very finely sliced minuscule piece of fish in the center." Needless to say, they found it "extremely disappointing." In 2024, a miffed reviewer who visited an Arkansas restaurant wrote that they discovered bones in their fish strips, and declared, "I will definitely NOT ever order the catfish meal here, ever again!" That same year, someone who ate at a Texas location claimed that the chain changed the breading and complained that the new coating was unpleasantly thick and hard.

Texas Roadhouse's catfish has also been accused of, well, catfishing customers. A Reddit user alleged that they had been duped into ordering the catfish meal after it had been advertised as a "fish and chips" dish. "The picture is clearly traditional fish [and] chips with halibut or cod," they wrote. After speaking to the manager, they learned, "it's supposed to be catfish in the image and it just looks like that to be more appealing."

Listed as one of its "Dockside Favorites," Texas Roadhouse's catfish meal features three to four pieces of farm-raised catfish, which have been breaded in southern cornmeal and fried 'til golden. It certainly sounds like a seafood lover's dream, and despite the complaints that have been popping up about it over the past few years, the catfish still has its fair share of fans. On platforms like TikTok, reviewers have called it hot, fresh, and tender. One reviewer on Reddit even compared it to the "extra crispy" catfish their own mother makes (a high compliment, we're sure).

Given some of the less-than-stellar reviews though, you still might be a little iffy on this fried fish dish. Luckily, you have a few other options if you want to indulge in the "surf" portion of the steakhouse's surf and turf offerings. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that Texas Roadhouse employees themselves highly recommend the restaurant's seafood, especially the grilled salmon and grilled shrimp skewers.

But if you've got a craving for catfish, you might want to pivot your plans to a night out at Cracker Barrel. The southern-style chain wows with its cornmeal-crusted catfish — just one of the many comfort food classics on its menu. As one Mashed tester described it, the popular Cracker Barrel entree has a great batter-to-fish ratio, with a moist, meaty inside and flavorful breaded crust. And the quality? Consistently praised.