Jerry's Catfish House — Restaurant in Florence

My girlfriend and I stopped in at Jerry Catfish house at 1:30pm on 3/9/25 to grab some lunch as we were heading back north. There was a line out into the parking lot which being Sunday after church it was to be expected. The line did move relatively fast thanks to the bus boys and Ms. Ashely the wonderful hostess.

Upon being seated my girlfriend and I sat waiting for service for around 10 minutes. Finally I got Ms. Ashley’s attention and inquired about our waitress not attending to needs as she passed by the table quite a few times without acknowledgment.

Ms. Ashley apologized profusely about the situation and promptly asked my girlfriend and I what we would like to drink as well as what we would be having this evening.

Our actual waitress Angie only acknowledged my girlfriend and I on two occasions throughout our 1 hour visit to Jerry’s Catfish House, Ms. Ashley took care of us throughout our visit here while also directing traffic as her actual job was being a hostess.

Now with all the above mentioned being said this my second visit to Jerry’s Catfish House in my whole 45 years on earth and I myself grew up in this area. This was my girlfriend’s first time to eat at Jerry’s Catfish House.

The food was fresh and our service provided by Ms. Ashley (hostess) not Angie (actual waitress) was superb. Whether or not my girlfriend and I will be back for a visit is at this time up in the air.

Needless to say Ms. Ashley got a tip from us while our non existent waitress...

I have traveled across the country and dined at all kinds of establishments, high brow and low. After attending service with my host family, I asked where to go for some good catfish...this was the place they recommended. I was warned the lines would be long and service a little slow, but the food was supposed to be worth it. When I arrived, the line was out the door. There aren't many eateries in the area, so it makes sense that everyone would come here to dine out. For the sake of time, I chose to place my order to go. I ordered the 8 pcs catfish fillet plate, which came with fries, slaw, and hush puppies for about $15 after tax. (For a few bucks more I could've stayed and had the all you can eat, but I honestly wouldn't have had more than what I got anyways). By far the best fillets I've ever had!...and I'm a girl that likes her chicken fillets usually. They were tender on the inside and had a light crunch, just enough to remind you they're fried. There was no fishy smell, which is always a good sign (wouldn't eat it if it did), and the taste was mild- tarter sauce optional. The hush puppies were tasty as well, not too fried, and mild taste. Since I ordered to go I can't really comment on the service inside or the buffet. But the girl at the front counter did an excellent job balancing the register and taking to-go orders from an ever growing line. I would absolutely come again when given the opportunity and I'd recommend this to anyone passing...

Complete lack of hospitality, no one smiled; the hostess didn't smile, the waitress didn't smile, and the cashier didn't smile. I almost felt like I was bothering them. The fried catfish was good, but the broiled catfish was bland - no seasoning whatsoever. The salad was nothing but iceburg lettuce and little chunks of tomato. The turnip greens is an interesting story: I am the only one at the table who doesn't normally like greens, but, I did like the greens Jerry makes. HOWEVER, no one else at the table liked them. They had a smoked flavor and I think that's why I liked them: they covered the taste of the greens. No one else at the table thought they were good. My glass of water went empty (oh, by the way, they charge .50 for a glass of water), and the waitress never once refilled it. My husband ordered all-you-can-eat catfish. He wanted whole catfish and ordered such. He was brought filets; we decided to stay quiet about it because it took so long to receive our food in the first place. The waitress never checked on us, so when my husband needed another order of catfish, we had to flag someone. The hushpuppies were very good, as was the sweet potato. We will never return to this restaurant as long as the present management runs it. It obviously isn't a happy place to work...