The Ark

I like a good dive just as much as the next person, but that being said, I still expect it to have decent food. And while the service was good, the food was not.
Highlights of our meal were the fried pickle appetizer and the peach cobbler with soft ice cream for dessert. Lowlights were the actual entrees. Three of us had the fried oyster and fried catfish combo with sweet potato fries. Unfortunately, the fried oysters, the fries, and the hushpuppies were served completely cold. The catfish was very hot — obviously they were waiting on that to come out of the fryer after they had already cooked and plated the rest of the food. My other side dish was fried okra which was completely cold, as well. Quite frankly, fried food served cold is nasty. And while I was pleased that at least the catfish was hot, it was overcooked and not flaky at all.
The entire table agreed it was a pretty disappointing meal, and we will not be back.

Great Service; our waitress was friendly and caring. The food was fantastic. My husband, teenage son and I shared appetizers of fried chicken livers (awesome), a seafood platter and a 3 piece fried fish plate. It was more than enough for us. All of the seafood was perfectly cooked, as were the sides. Delighted we selected this place for dinner.

Catfish and shrimp were fantastic! Fried perfectly. If you’re in the area a must stop!

Delicious shrimp and catfish! You will not be disappointed! The service was friendly and fast. This is great seafood restaurant!

Good place to eat and the service was great. I had the fried catfish and grilled shrimp. The shrimp was great! The catfish was fresh but I was not a fan of the flavor. Maybe it is just where were were. The coleslaw was very tasty. I am only a fan of very view coleslaw. I would eat this one again. I am not sure I would go back but it was worth the adventure. The story of the restaurant is a good one!

Service was southern friendly. There we were, a couple of Detroit area guys, trying to figure out who’s Tiger picture it was on the far wall. Quick search reveals that Todd Jones lives in the area.
Food-​wise: Old ketchup bottles old enough to be collectibles. Soda sold in cans only. Fries had a hint of shrimp. Catfish was pretty good.
It’s far from fancy — I think ‘roadhouse’ is the best description.

Okay… here we go. 1^st I’ll say the service was excellent. Our waitress Donna was a hoot! 2^nd the hush puppies were awesome. I ordered the seafood platter which consists of 1 catfish filet, 2 fried shrimp, 2 small fried oysters, 2 fried frog legs, 1 deviled crab… plus 2 sides in which I chose slaw & baked potato. The hubby had a ribeye steak & baked potato. Hush puppies come on the table when seated. Our total was $ 41.23 and we both ordered tea.
So, we were not a fan of what they called hush puppy sauce… it seemed to be a mixture of ketchup & BBQ sauce. The tarter sauce was made with dill pickles… too many of them because it was bitter. Slaw is good here.
All the fried stuff was pleasant looking & golden color. However, the catfish was cooked a bit too long making it dry. The fried shrimp was butterflied therefore it was difficult to eat… even though there were only 2 on the platter. and too much batter/crust…same thing on frog legs which were small. Deviled crab was too mushy inside, but tasted good nonetheless. Baked potatoes were good.
As for the steak… it needed seasoning, maybe a bit of garlic salt was it grilled because it was bland, but cooked exactly how requested. The seafood platter was a bit pricey considering the small amount of food on it. However, I was stuffed, but nearly ate all of it. A man would’ve needed more food. Steak was a good size and cut. Tea was good.
Overall it was a good experience, but a so-​so meal. Couldn’t ask for nicer folks. I’ll return and order something different.

After a long day at the Talladega Raceway, we were looking forward to some good Southern cooking. My husband wanted to get back to his roots and have some catfish. We were brought here… OMG!
The whole fish option brought tears to my husband’s eyes. There couldn’t be more fried Southern goodness. From the fried pickles, to the hush puppies, to the fish and slaw, everything was so good. We got there near closing time, and even though the staff cleaned around us, they assured us we could stay as long as we wanted and kept bringing out food and sweet tea until we couldn’t eat any more.
The setting is homestyle, but it’s like sitting in your cousin’s patio garage enjoying great home cooking. The waitstaff was friendly, the food awesome, and the ambience pure Southern.
Order the catfish whole. I got the shrimp and filet. They also offer frog legs which I heard were good, but alas we were too full to try. Get the relish plate and fried pickles, but bring an appetite!!!
If we make it back to Talladega Speedway, we’ll definitely come back here!!!

The food is good, but very expensive. $ 8.95 for a 5″ oyster poboy sandwich. Fries are an Extra $ 2.00. The restaurant is run edown. There’s dust in the windows, the booths are vinyl and cracked. And the salad was iceberg lettuce cut up with pieces of tomato, and a clump of shredded cheese. I would not recommend for a fancy dinning experience. The Waffle House is cleaner, and not so expensive.

Ate here twice during race weekend in May 2012. Its close to the track and right off the highway. I got the shrimp and my dad got the catfish and we both enjoyed. These shrimp are better than shrimp I have had on the Atlantic coast. There is a picture of Dale Earnhardt Sr. On the wall, with I guess the owner. The plates come with slaw and French fries but I am sure you can substitute. This place has great fish and shrimp!

The seasoning on the deep-​fired catfish was not to my liking. The onion rings were just OK. The grilled catfish was outstanding. That dish is worth making a stop off of the I-​20 interstate for lunch or dinner at this restaurant.

The Ark was started in the late 40’s. When we moved to Pell City about ten years ago we were told not to miss the Ark.
Our first trip a pleasant young lady asked us what we wanted from the menu. Stating it was our first time, she began telling us all about the restaurant and the food. This seafood is fresh daily. Fresh from The Gulf and catfish farms. Combo catfish filet with shrimp is the best. My wife goes for the «bigem» shrimp plate. Oyster — Shrimp combo is good. The Cole slaw and hushpuppies are the best. After we ordered she brought us a «Center Plate» on the house.(Don’t know what that is? You will have to and find out.
Don’t know about dessert as we never make it that far!
Oh, that young lady is still at The Ark, is the floor manager and never fails to recognize us on sight!
Don’t go on NASCAR weekend. You cannot get near the place!
You may see one of your favorite drivers IF you do manage to get inside to eat.
All in all… A nice place with very friendly people.

This place has filling, fried seafood with prices that are very reasonable. I was brought here by a local and now make a point to bring others when I’m in town.

During our stay in Georgia and day-​trip into Alabama, I made a point to have some authentic Southern cookin’. I’m happy that we stopped into The Ark because it filled the bill!
Basically, we were looking for a place to get lunch between Talladega Superspeedway and Birmingham. I fired up my Unilocal Android app and came across Ian’s review and convinced the family that we should give it a go.
I ordered a catfish fillet with fries and slaw. This also came with hushpuppies. Unlike Ian’s experience, our order was none too quick to get out and when everyone’s food came it, seemed we were short some hushpups. No sweat. The waitress said, «I’ll just bring y’all out another plate». Those appeared instantly. They keep a bunch of sauces on the table for your fish (I went tabasco and another Louisiana hot sauce). My fillet was perfect. The fries were not too shabby and slaw creamy. The hushpuppies, though, must’ve had some crack in them or something. I could eat those things
.long.
Everyone else in our party enjoyed their meal, as well. Lotsa locals in here, which is always a good sign.
I did have some trouble finding it, as Ian seems to have put it in the wrong place. Luckily, I cross-​checked it with Google Maps and got us there fine. Hopefully, I can correct the location after my review.

The Ark Family Restaurant is a popular little seafood restaurant located on the banks of Martin Lake, just off I-​20 Exit 162 at 13 030 US Hwy 78 East in Riverside. The Ark was seen in Southern Living, Portico, The Birmingham News, USA Today, and The NY Times. The place inside has a cozy roadhouse atmosphere with plenty of framed/​autographed photos of celebrities and race car drivers on the walls.
The menu offerings include their Famous Catfish (fillet or whole/​grilled or fried), seafood (oysters, shrimp, crabs, frog legs), sandwiches, loaded burgers, chicken fingers, chicken livers, steaks (t-​bone & ribeye), fried foods, and seafood gumbo. The prices are pretty fair. Lunch specials (11AM-​2PM) are also offered. Beer and wine offered too.
I stopped in here on a sunny Sunday afternoon and the place was very busy, folks dining in and picking up large takeout orders. I decided to get a takeout lunch to enjoy at Talladega. I ordered Catfish Fillet Lunch Special ($ 6.95 plus tax) served with slaw, fries, and hush puppies. The food came out fast and I was back on the road again in no time.
The Catfish filet was very good, which was a soft and tender fillet with light crispy corn meal breading on the outside. The 3 corn meal hushpuppies (oval shaped) were pretty good, crispy outside and soft inside. The fries were okay, lightly fried to yellow. The minced cole slaw was sweet and crispy and had a creamy texture.