Texas Roadhouse catfish is a hand-battered, deep-fried fillet entree served with two sides and fresh-baked rolls. It is a regional item that is not on every menu, and non-steak entrees at Texas Roadhouse typically run about $14 to $19 depending on location.
What Texas Roadhouse catfish actually is
Catfish at Texas Roadhouse is a battered and fried white-fish fillet plate, built like the chain’s other country-style entrees: protein, two made-from-scratch sides, and unlimited rolls with cinnamon butter. It sits in the seafood or country dinner section, not the steak section.
The fillet is farm-raised channel catfish, the same mild, slightly sweet fish you get at a Southern fish house. The batter is a seasoned cornmeal-and-flour style coating rather than a heavy beer batter, so the crust stays thin and crisp instead of puffy. Most plates arrive as one large fillet or two smaller ones depending on how the kitchen portions that day, with tartar sauce and lemon on the side.
Item spec table
| What it is | Hand-battered, deep-fried farm-raised catfish fillet(s) |
|---|---|
| Category | Seafood / country dinner entree (not a steak) |
| Typical portion | Roughly 7 to 9 oz of fish, plated as one large or two smaller fillets |
| Coating | Seasoned cornmeal-style breading, fried to order |
| Cook standard | Fried through to a food-safe internal temperature; no doneness choice, unlike steak |
| Price | No single national price. Expect the $14 to $19 non-steak entree band; confirm locally |
| Calories | Not published as a standalone national figure. Fried fish plates commonly land in the 600 to 900 calorie range before sides |
| What is included | Two sides of your choice plus unlimited fresh-baked rolls and cinnamon butter |
| Served with | Tartar sauce and lemon |
| Availability | Regional. Strongest in Southern and Southeastern locations |
Texas Roadhouse catfish price
There is no national catfish price we can verify, because the item is a regional listing and Texas Roadhouse prices are set franchise by franchise. Use the non-steak entree band as your planning number and check your own store’s menu before you budget the table.
| Menu tier | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Country dinner / seafood entrees | $14 to $19 | Where catfish sits when a location carries it |
| Same item in high-cost metros | Add roughly 10-15% | Coastal and big-city stores price above the band |
| Early Dine version, if offered | Often several dollars less | Only at participating stores, weekdays, in a limited window |
To confirm the real number in under a minute: open the Texas Roadhouse app or website, set your specific location, and pull up the dinner menu. Prices shown there are store-level. A phone call to the host stand works too, and is the fastest way to find out whether catfish is even in the building.
Calories and nutrition
Texas Roadhouse does not publish a widely available standalone calorie count for catfish, so treat any number you see repeated online with suspicion. Fried fish entrees of this size generally land somewhere between 600 and 900 calories before you add sides or rolls.
Three things drive the real total, and all three are under your control:
- The frying. Breading plus fryer oil is where most of the fat lives. A grilled preparation, where offered, cuts a large share of it.
- The two sides. A loaded sweet potato or seasoned rice reads very differently from steamed vegetables or a house salad with dressing on the side.
- The rolls. They are unlimited and the cinnamon butter is generous. Two rolls with butter is a meaningful addition on its own.
If you need exact figures, the nutrition sheet posted on the official Texas Roadhouse site is the only source worth trusting, and in-restaurant menus in some states are required to print calories directly on the page. Ask your server for the nutrition guide if it matters medically.
Why catfish is not on every menu
Catfish is one of Texas Roadhouse’s regional items. Individual locations have latitude on a handful of listings, and fried catfish shows up most reliably in Southern and Southeastern markets where demand for it is built in. Northern and Western stores often skip it entirely.
This is the single most common reason people leave disappointed. Do not assume a menu you saw on a national aggregator matches your store. Aggregators mix regional listings together and rarely date their pages. Check your location’s own menu in the app first.
Availability can also move seasonally or during Lent, when some stores expand fried fish offerings. If your store does not carry catfish, the closest substitutes on a standard menu are the Grilled Salmon and the Country Fried Chicken.
How to order it well
Unlike steak, catfish has no doneness choice. What you can control is the seasoning, the sauce, and how fresh the plate hits the table. Ask for it fried to order rather than held, which most kitchens do by default but is worth saying out loud on a slow night.
- Ask for extra lemon. A hard squeeze cuts the fryer oil and brings out the sweetness of the fish. It costs nothing.
- Get sauces on the side. Tartar is standard. Cocktail sauce and BBQ sauce are usually available on request and both work on fried catfish.
- Ask if grilled or blackened is possible. Some kitchens will accommodate. It is not a listed option, so treat a yes as a bonus rather than an expectation.
- Say “light salt” if you are watching sodium. Breading plus seasoning blend is where it accumulates.
- Order rolls at the start. They come out fast and are the best value on any Texas Roadhouse table.
Best sides to pair with catfish
Your entree includes two sides, and the classic Southern pairing beats the default. Green beans cooked with bacon and a buttered corn or seasoned rice give you the fish-house plate most people are actually after when they order catfish.
Other combinations that work: steak fries if you want the fish-and-chips feel, or a house salad plus steamed vegetables if you are offsetting the fry. Skip pairing catfish with the loaded baked potato unless you want a genuinely heavy meal, since you are stacking fried breading on top of cheese, bacon, and sour cream. Applesauce is a quiet winner here for the same reason lemon is, the acidity resets your palate between bites.
Is it worth it compared to salmon or Chicken Critters
Catfish is worth it if you specifically want fried Southern fish and your location does it well. If you want the best value or the most consistent execution, the Grilled Salmon and the Chicken Critters both make stronger arguments on a typical menu.
Versus Grilled Salmon: salmon is usually priced a little higher, is available nationally, and is the better choice nutritionally by a wide margin. Catfish wins on comfort-food character and usually on price.
Versus Chicken Critters: the hand-battered chicken tenders hit a similar fried, dippable, comfort register for less money. If your table is ordering catfish mostly because it is fried, Critters get you there cheaper.
Versus the steaks: honestly, most people go to Texas Roadhouse for the steak, and the kitchen’s attention follows. Order catfish because you want catfish, not because you expect it to be the star of the menu.
What we cannot confirm
We do not have a verified national price or calorie count for Texas Roadhouse catfish, and we are not guessing at one. This site is an independent guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Texas Roadhouse.
Specifically unconfirmed: exact fillet weight, exact price at your location, whether catfish appears on your store’s current menu at all, whether a grilled preparation is available, and whether the item is included in any Early Dine or special pricing near you. All five vary by restaurant. The reliable check is your location’s menu in the official Texas Roadhouse app or a direct call to the store. Anything on this page that conflicts with what your restaurant tells you, believe the restaurant.
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas Roadhouse have catfish?
Some locations do. Fried catfish is a regional menu item, most common in Southern and Southeastern stores, and many Northern and Western locations do not carry it. Check your specific restaurant’s menu in the Texas Roadhouse app or call the store before you go.
How much is catfish at Texas Roadhouse?
There is no single national price. When a location carries it, catfish sits in the non-steak entree band, roughly $14 to $19, with higher-cost metros running 10-15% above that. Your store’s menu in the official app shows the real local price.
Is Texas Roadhouse catfish fried or grilled?
It is served fried, hand-battered in a seasoned cornmeal-style coating. Grilled or blackened is not a listed option, though some kitchens will accommodate a request. Ask your server rather than assuming it can be changed.
How many calories are in Texas Roadhouse catfish?
A standalone national figure is not widely published. Fried fish entrees of this size typically fall between 600 and 900 calories before sides and rolls. For exact numbers, use the nutrition guide on the official Texas Roadhouse site or ask for it in-restaurant.
Does catfish come with sides?
Yes. Like other Texas Roadhouse entrees, it includes two sides of your choice plus unlimited fresh-baked rolls with cinnamon butter. Tartar sauce and lemon come with the fish.
What sides go best with Texas Roadhouse catfish?
Green beans and buttered corn or seasoned rice give you the classic Southern fish-house plate. Steak fries work if you want a fish-and-chips feel. Applesauce or a house salad helps cut the fry if the plate feels heavy.
Is Texas Roadhouse catfish available for takeout?
If your location carries it, it is orderable to go through the app, the website, or the call-ahead line. Fried fish loses crispness in a to-go container, so eat it quickly and ask for sauces packed separately.
What should I order if my location does not have catfish?
Grilled Salmon is the closest seafood substitute and is on menus nationally. If you wanted catfish mainly for the fried texture, Chicken Critters or Country Fried Chicken scratch the same itch, usually for less money.
Related guides
- Texas Roadhouse menu with full sections and current pricing
- Check whether Early Dine pricing applies at your store
- See what entrees look like packed to go
- This week’s specials and limited-time plates