Catfish Cove — Restaurant in Oklahoma City

Since I was in the NW OKC and Yukon area early this afternoon, I took advantage of trying the Catfish Cove location in Yukon..

Catfish Cove had a location in Moore that closed about six years ago +/-.. I dined there on occasion, and recall it having pretty good eats for a buffet-style restaurant..

Would the one in Yukon live up to my recalled hype?? Keep reading for the results..

The Sunday buffet with a drink weighed in at $19.49, which worked out to something in the $17.54 range after my 10% military discount.. They also offer a discount for seniors 55+.. Oh wait, that's me, too!! But, I digress..

Aside from their use of plastic/foam plates, foam bowls, and flatware (surely it would be cheaper and better for the environment to maintain food service quality plates and flatware, right?) I have to say my experience was generally good..

I set out to sample small quantities of my former favorites, and I think I succeeded..

Round one was a fresh greens salad topped with boiled eggs, shredded cheese, cherry tomatoes, and bacon bits.. I ladled a bit of their Italian dressing into a bowl and applied just what I needed after snapping the pic.. The toppings I chose were remarkably fresh, and the salad was a great start..

I tried the following items on round two: fried, baked, and Cajun Catfish, fried okra, fried shrimp, pinto beans, green beans, buttered sweet corn, and mac & cheese.. All of the fried goodies were delightfully hot and fresh and, more importantly, not greasy.. Each of the sides held their own and were pretty decent..

My third and final round had repeats of the fried catfish and shrimp with coleslaw, jalapeño corn nuggets, and hush puppies.. The corn nuggets had some good heat (there was a sign advising folks the same on the bar), and the hush puppies, though small, were what I expected them to be.. The slaw wasn't bad..

My verdict?? A solid 4 out of 5.. While I thought the eats were pretty good, I'm not sure it would be a destination I'd drive an hour for by itself.. Grabbing it if the mood hit and I was going to be in Yukon is a more likely scenario..

Their crab legs (sold separately from the buffet) seemed to be popular among diners while I was there, so the Cove might be a destination for those folks.. Other reviewers will have to provide the deets on them..

Oh, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the staff kept the salad, hot, and condiments bars well-stocked with fresh goods during my visit.. The tables were kept bussed, too, and a couple of the employees made rounds through the dining room assisting diners.. Service gets a...

Dag nabbit, if I have to drive an hour and 45 minutes just to get to a crab leg buffet and I'll do it, I'll do it! And I did.

I finally made it and I was kind of like "This does not going to be very good." judging from the outside on what it looked like but that's a book by it's cover because once you step in here you are greeted by a friendly host and promptly arrested. Pay first please!

The price for the crab leg buffet drink included is about $52 per person and depending on your budget I think it's worth it. The bigger is pretty well-kept because not within spans of five minutes there was always somebody that I've seen replenishing the food and this was at a time where it was not even busy inside.

Did you get any choice on this visit early June 2020, two types of Catfish ( regular and Cajun flavor), fish tacos, enchiladas, french fries, Hush Puppies, boiled shrimp, salad bar, dessert to the side by the drinks with cobblers and bread pudding. One thing I'd like to point out that it has that the other buffets don't is clam strips! When's the last time you ever had Clam strips on buffet!

All of the food that I tried here were good, the ingredients for a sure good holding temperature, not room temperature and the cold items like the salad bar was definitely cold. And another thing, the air conditioner here works well, very well, I mean very very well, in fact too well. O o.

Also another side note, there are two types of tartar sauces here, not that bland stuff that comes out of a bottle seemingly. One is a dill type tartar sauce the other is your caper/ pickle type. Choices, Yay!

Definitely worth another an hour and 45 minute drive back here

Both of the ladies that were on duty were exceptionally well, they treated...

The food was great overall. Not a lot of variety, but it was all fresh seasoned well.

The service and atmosphere a different story. We were greeted at the door where you pay. Just for insight we didn't opt for the crab as it was lunch time. For two children and two adults it was $67 before gratuity. I have no real understanding of what the gratuity was for, since we were never spoken too or acknowledged again until we had finished our meal and were getting ready to leave. No one came by to clear the table of the extra plates or refill drinks.

I totally get the vibe was somewhat like a summertime laid back fish fry. However, I found it odd for the price, which with gratuity was closer to $80, there was no real customer service. We didn't mind that the dinner ware was Styrofoam, probably is easier to manage with a smaller staff.

There were two ladies that were the front-end staff who spent most of their time joking with regulars about how one of them was hardly ever there. The cook was working very hard and constantly back and forth between the kitchen and the buffet.

So considering the food, which was a 4-5 and the price/value for food about a 3, and the service and atmosphere being a 2 this would be a 0 if i didn't see how hard the cook was working. It's an overall 3 for me.

It was worth trying, but I wouldn't rush back or recommend it to a friend. If your going to eat at a buffet, just go to Golden Corral, a much better value and variety, and the service is...