Bubba’s Catfish

Discouraged because food was pre made sitting under a heating lamp with flies landing on food.

I’m not sure you can find fried catfish better than this! The french fries, cole slaw, and hush puppies were also really good. A Southern classic!

No trip to the South is complete without a bite of deep fried catfish, hush puppies and slaw. No trip to Hot Springs is complete without a stop at Bubba’s. If you ever thought a dish as simple as fried catfish would be hard to get wrong, you would be sorely and sadly disappointed. Yes, you might think that the few extra bucks aren’t worth the meal but you would also find yourself dealing with overtly salty catfish from unnamed fast food franchises, or in other instances where you venture out to the quirky sit-​in diner, a mushy serving of something vaguely resembling some sort of fish and recycled vegetable oil. I can personally attest to both of these situations.
Luckily for me and the rest of human race, Bubba’s Catfish NEVER DISAPPOINTS. And, as if their fail-​proof fried catfish wasn’t enough, THEIR FRIES ARE ON POINT. (i.e. they’re way better than the stuff at any of the fast food joints in the neighborhood.) Their slaw and hush puppies round things up to more than a good meal.
Call your order in ahead of time to cut down on your wait.

Don’t let the trailer setting scare you away. The night we ordered out — it was a one man show and the food was out of this world.

Whenever I travel to Hot Springs whether with family or friends we must go to Bubba’s! Because I like just about everything they serve I usually get a combo meal. The shrimp and crawfish are good but hands down the catfish is what keeps me coming back. It is well seasoned and fried to perfection. Don’t let the trailer fool you it’s better than any sit down fish place in the area!

Great fish and shrimp, only saw locals eating here which is why I wanted to try it
Hush puppies are fantastic. Next time we are in Hot Springs I will stop by again.

I decided to use this location for my wedding reception meal. They did not require a deposit, simply a few phonecalls to check in.
We got a super reasonable deal that included fish, shrimp and chicken strips with fries, hushpuppies, coleslaw and all the condiments. We were able to have tea and lemonaid too but our reception site already had the drinks covered. They even said that we could get fried pies if we wanted!
They brought out their truck and began preparing a few hours before the party. Once it was time, they started bringing in food in buffet style trays. They even included plates and forks!
I don’t think you could find a better meal for a crowd at this price, especially cooked on the spot!

How is it possible that no one has Unilocaled this place yet? I came here on the rec of a local (thanks, Hank!).
Bubba’s has two location in Hot Spring. I think that one is a restaurant, but the one we went to was a trailer. I was surprised to learn that Bubba’s won the vote for best catfish in the area, since this definitely was not reflected on Unilocal.
All the food is fried fresh once you order. That’s a definite plus in my book. We got the catfish by the piece (less than $ 2 per fillet) and a side of okra. The okra was not sodden like almost all of the ones I’ve had before, so they did right by me. But the star of the show was definitely the catfish, which was the best I’ve had so far (and I’ve done lots of catfish joints across the South). It had a perfect cornmeal crust… and was seasoned with more salt than Flying Fish, which I prefer. The fillets were not as large, but I like the smaller size (better crust to fish ratio;) Anyways, the guys there were super friendly and gave me great advice on things to do in the area. And I didn’t realize this til I left, but they gave me extra food.
Amazing food served by great people at a low price. You know I’ll be coming back.