Tjs Catfish & Wings & BBQ — Restaurant in Arlington

**CATFISH IS SWAI Should be called TJ’s Swai and Wings!

My husband had been wanting to try this place for quite awhile and went in yesterday.

Place was packed which of course sometimes can lead you to believe it must be pretty good.

Ordered 3 meat plate and Catfish.

He was so disappointed and disgusted by the taste, poor quality and misrepresentation of CATFISH with SWAI!! He contemplated talking to someone but it was so many people and it being a black owned business he just left the entire plate at the table and called to tell me of his experience.

We know it is hard to succeed and survive as a small business and especially a small Black owned business so he asked that I called to let the management be aware of his experience versus posting a review online. Which in reality would have been the better choice in this businesses case.

I called three times before speaking to someone. 1st time put on hold and then the phone hung up. The next two times it hung up each time they said please hold.

When I finally reached someone and explained the reason for my call the person identified himself as TJ. TJ is my main reason for writing the review and the second is my husband's complaint of the food.

As a business owner, when someone expresses their personal experience you don't say "No one ever says that" "or I have never heard anyone say they didn't like anything!" When obviously based on other reviews there are others who have also expressed their dissatisfaction of the food and/or its quality. He was very arrogant, disrespectful and condescending.

Mr TJ try listening and being humble and apologetic if someone contacts you directly about their personal opinion and experience. Great customer service and humility goes a long way as a business owner.

Just his entire tone and disposition in this situation (that was intended to be avoided and very well could have been avoided) took the complaint to an entirely different level.

I mentioned his false advertisement of CATFISH and asked him directly which he openly admitted was Swai. Some may not know any better but if you have ever eaten real catfish you will immediately know when you are eating Swai. Swai is ILLEGAL to sell in some states due to its significant amounts of failed inspections and health violations. It is also much less expensive than Catfish so to sell it as Catfish is harming and illegal. Customers are cheated when they pay for an higher price and quality of fish but instead receive a fish species of lesser value and quality.

The BbQ- brisket was full of fat and it all tasted boiled and then tossed around on the grill to elude to a bbq taste.

He did say the sides were "okay" in case you ever want some sides that are "okay" but best option is to get your meats and...

Came here because I was craving wings and was told that TJ's has "the best wings in Arlington". Discovered that TJ's catfish and wings combined with a barbecue joint called MJ's barbecue so now they serve both. Even before we got to the entrance, we could smell the barbecue from the outside. It smelled so appealing. When we got inside, we were greeted by friendly staff. We ordered the 10 piece wings, a side of cornbread, a side of fried okras, and the internet infamous loaded potato with barbecue brisket and cheese.

When we got our food, oh boy was that potato loaded. It was so loaded you couldn't even see the potato. But that proportion was just right--I hate whenever I finish my toppings and all I got is potato left. No, they give you enough so you can have a topping with every bite. The barbecue that they use on top is sweet--kinda reminds me of Spring Creek barbecue. It was some damn good potato. Every hearty, definitely gets you full.

The spicy barbecue wings tasted good. Wasn't the best I've ever had, but good wings nonetheless. The spicy barbecue tastes like barbecue sauce mixed with buffalo sauce but there's more buffalo than barbecue. It's listed as spicy but it's not really that spicy in my opinion. The wings come drenched in sauce so you can't complain about that. It comes with a side of ranch and that ranch is pretty darn good. I usually don't like ranch but I can recognize some good ranch when I taste one.

The fried okras are the same as any fried okra out there. These came out hot and fresh and crispy though. So, yes it's plain but it's good quality.

The cornbread is also plain cornbread. Nothing special about it (as a side. There's two types of cornbread, the entree one and the one as a side. I got the side). It is good though. Gives a pretty good aftertaste.

This establishment also serves daiquiris so next time I come I might wanna try them.

The restaurant was clean. Ambiance is roomy and has multiple TVs hooked up to the wall. You could watch a game while eating here. There's a self serve area off to the side where you can get paper plates, utensils, drinks, napkins, to go boxes, and restrooms as well along with a sink with paper towels and soap on the outside which I think is convenient.

Honestly I'm glad I found this place....

I have always driven by TJ’s Catfish and Wings and wondered what the food was like. But whenever the time would come to choose a restaurant my mind would for some reason be more inclined to remember chain restaurants. So one day I made the intentional effort to try TJ’s. All I can say about my experience is WOW.

The catfish pieces are at least twice the size of what you typically get from a restaurant, perfectly battered, fried to a perfect golden-brown, and nearly melts in your mouth. The wings are also of larger size than usual and absolutely smothered in toppings. I ordered garlic parmesan; the wings were smothered in garlic sauce and then rolled in ACTUAL parmesan cheese. I have never seen wings that were topped with actual parmesan cheese. It was delectable! The rest of the food was also awesome. There is not anything sub-par on their menu.

What really made my experience WOW was the customer service. Kat was awesome. She treated me like a person, input the order correctly, kept me fully informed when the order ran into delays, engaged me in friendly conversation, checked on me every now and then to see if I needed anything while I was waiting, and in the end walked the order out to the car for me. She apologized for the delay, wished me well, and invited me to come back again. It has been quite a while since I have received such excellent all-around customer service from a single person. I was floored by her kindness, friendliness, and professionalism. On top of that, while I was waiting, the manager also came out to check on me a couple of times, made small talk, asked if I needed anything, and thanked me for my business. Keep in mind that all this personal customer service happened while the restaurant was completely FULL. I felt very valued as a customer.

If you live in Arlington, you are blessed with having TJ’s Catfish and Wings. If you live on the north side, mosey on down to the south side whenever the catfish craving hits you. If you live in Dallas or Fort Worth or one of the outlying areas to the north or south, schedule a stop at TJ’s when you are passing through. You will not be disappointed. Rather, you will be treated like a VIP. Your tastebuds will also thank you.

Happy New Year, TJ’s! Keep up...