Paw-Paw’s Catfish House

Best fish I’ve had in Texas. I usually don’t give good reviews but the food was extant. All fried of course but very good. Try the pickle spears. Louisiana man.

Love the «BIG MOUTH BURGER». Paws Paws is amazing. The staff is friendly and the food is great. Getting a table is hit or miss. With only 15 tables (inside) you have to come at a good time or you will have to wait. I recommend this place. Thanks for being here in Bastrop.

Food was good worth good sized portions. Had the catfish platter and also some onion rings. Overall everything tasted good and the prices were very reasonable.

Very good food, the catfish does not have that normal «fishy» taste! Coleslaw is amazing! The only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is I would like to see more non fried options!

Nice home cooked food and pretty great service. The catfish is without a doubt the best thing on the menu.

Way over priced. I was very disappointed. The food was OK but not as great as all the reviews say.

We enjoyed lunch here on Sunday afternoon. We sat outside.
We both ordered the combo basket which was delicious! The fish, shrimp and fries were cooked to perfection! The tea comes in a cute mason jar and tasted great!
Based on the food we would give it 5 stars, but unfortunately our service was not wonderful.
We ordered chips and chili sauce for an appetizer but never got it. (They enter your order in a handheld device and it didn’t have great service.)
Then once out food came we didn’t see our server again until it was time for the check and we really wanted a refill on our tea.

Having moved to Bastrop, two years ago, this has become our favorite place for my Son to dine. My kid loves catfish and more importantly – HE LOVES PAPAW’s. I used to be in the restaurant industry for a long time. EVERY SINGLE TIME we come in –it’s consistently delicious and wonderful. Prices are fair and we always feel like we get a value for our family dinner. Evan loves the fish game at the table and can eat his own weight in catfish. Evan loves to order the chocolate dessert and catfish basket. Service is always great, food is always hot & good. WE appreciate the cooks and staff. Thanks for always being on point!
Evan is having his birthday soon and I think we will have his party here! xo

Since the place opened a few years ago my Wife and I have shown a lot of luv. No we aren’t weekly customers, but we could use two hands to count the number of times we’ve been here.
All that changed today 10.24.15. The weather is rainy due to a hurricane coming from the Pacific. We’ve eaten at home all day and decided hey let’s get a burger. We decided on paw paws because we’ve had success with the place in the past. As you stated a dozen times we’ve patronized them.
We call in order and we’re told 15 minutes it’d be ready. We hop in our ride and head that way. We had a good 20 minute drive from our home. We pull up and I go in to retrieve dinner. I speak with a waitress and she says it’ll be a second. Another waitress walked up with our food. I pay, go to my vehicle and we peek inside the plates to be sure they’re right. My better judgement said tear the patties and I didn’t.
We make it home and get situated. I’m coming back from washing my hands and my Wife says this isn’t done. I’m like what do you mean? I look and they’d browned the outside and left the middle raw. We don’t eat our meat that way.
I’m disappointed that after driving for the food it wasn’t right. I call and one of the waitress answered. I got as far as hi I was just there. I stopped myself and said you know what could I please speak with a manager. The waitress replied“yes let me get Erin”. As she walks to get her I hear her say «Erin it’s the big black guy with the deep voice that just left, he said something is wrong with the order».
Well damn she said it so cavalier my Wife and I were like okay then (speaker phone). I stopped short of mentioning that to Erin and asked for a refund. She asked me if I wanted a new order and I replied nope just a refund. She claimed she could release the money back to my card. I’m going to be looking for it.
I know people aren’t perfect (for sure I’m not). However the place had 14 people when I arrived and most had eaten or food was coming out. My point is a couple minutes more and the food would have been thoroughly cooked. I can forgive that part though.
About me being a big black guy. …yeah I am a big man. Yes my voice is very deep. How about using your conscious mind and describe folk respectfully. You could have stopped with the man that just left with the deep voice. Unfortunately Bastrop county has a lot of people like that.
We’re good on this place. Next time we want seafood we’ll have to hit the coast… You live and learn though I hope.

So, the Hubbs and I took a day trip out to Austin on a Friday that we miraculously ended up having off at the same time. We took I-​10 in, but decided to take 290 home. As our tummies started rumbling right around Bastrop, we looked to old faithful, Unilocal,to find some grub.
We saw that Paw-Paw’s was just off our route towards home and it looked like it had some stick-​to-​your-​ribs kinda food, so we thought we’d give it a shot. We turned onto Main St. and it looked like everything was closed or was getting ready to close down for the day, so it was easy to spot the blue neon lights in an otherwise dark downtown street. Also, we were able to park right there in the front by the door, bonus!
So, have you ever walked into a spot and instantly felt out of place? When we walked up to the front door, that is exactly how I felt, but to my surprise, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was just as friendly as could be! Just as instantly as I felt like we might be out of place, I instantly felt warmly welcomed when we walked in. The hostess let us know that all the tables were full inside and since it was such a nice night, we decided to sit outside in the patio area. They were definitely busy, only about an hour before closing, but the servers worked well together, helping each other out to make sure everyone was being taken care of. While we were sitting outside, we saw people from all walks of life walking going in. It was nice. I mean, even the customers were incredibly friendly. After visiting Paw-paw’s, the hubbs and I were even talking about moving to Bastrop because everyone was just SO FREAKING friendly!
Anyway, I ordered the Pawpaw’s platter, which came with fried shrimp, fried catfish, fries, beans, coleslaw, and hushpuppies. Hubb’s got the fried shrimp platter, which came with fries. He was reluctant to order it, because the menu said it came with I think just 4 or 6 shrimp and he didn’t think it would be enough. The waitress reassured him that the shrimp were huge and it would be enough, and she was right.
So here are the things I didn’t like about the food:
–I wish their catfish came with white beans, but that’s really just a preference thing.
–I wish their catfish was a little more seasoned, but again, that’s just my preference.
–The coleslaw was a little tart for my liking.
What I did like about the food:
–The Shrimp were PERFECT! Well seasoned and cooked to perfection. And also huge (as previously mentioned)
–The hushpuppies were soooo good! Crispy on the outside, not all dry on the inside, and all the right flavors were there.
–Standard delicious fries.
–I don’t know if it is store bought or made in-​house, but I dug the tartar sauce. It really gave the less than perfectly seasoned catfish that extra umph it needed as far as flavors go.
It was a very casual, but über friendly atmosphere, the service was great, and the food was above-​par. I’d love to come back one day and try the fried deviled-​eggs, the home made chips, and also dessert.

With two kids under five, it’s hard to find any place to eat out that isn’t fast food, esp on a road trip. This place was a great stop on the way back to Austin to Houston. They had a little fish game on every table that kept the kids entertained and happy and they advertise that families are welcome in their window. They even brought the kids meals out first when they were ready first, which is a small thing but helps so much when the littles are hungry.
Chicken fingers were best I’ve ever had-​fresh and def not from a frozen bag. Brought back memories of my own childhood chicken finger phase. Catfish was awesome. This place will be a regular stop for sure.

Great food! Came for lunch during volleyball tournament, only 5 minutes from High School. Fried Deviled eggs ARE all that! Good tenders, good shrimp and great catfish! Even the green beans were good.

Love this place! Chicken tenders basket is my go to meal with plenty to take home for dinner. Try the homemade chips with dip, and the hush puppies, and everything. It is all good!

$ 9 for 4 little pieces of catfish, a small portion of fries and two of the smallest hush puppies I have ever seen.
Next time I’ll be going to Popeyes.

Have eaten Paw-Paw’s a few times now. Service and food are both consistent and tip-​top. They know how to treat catfish (100% American Farm Raised BTW — yay!). Their motto is «Fish, Family, and Big Stories!» Sounds good to me!
On first visit, absolutely had to try the Deep Fried Deviled Eggs! Love deviled eggs… love fried foods… and way too intriguing not to try. They were indeed interesting. A-​OK, glad I ordered them; however, doubt I will again. Texture a bit off-​putting and served with Ranch dressing — just strange. Lol! But, please, try for yourself!
Fried catfish (basket or platter) — you get 2 more pieces of fish and extra sides (pinto beans: cooked well, not mushy, good flavor and slaw: good, slight kick of hit, nice crunch) with the platter for a mere $ 2 more so the better bargain by far — are smaller cuts, but are perfectly dusted with corn meal and are not the slightest bit greasy or overly salty. Fries were crispy, which is always a bonus in my book. Nothing worse than soggy fries! The small hushpuppies are delish. I couldn’t even snag my hubby’s who «doesn’t like hushpuppies» because he ate them before I noticed. The housemade tartar and cocktail sauces are welcomed accoutrements.
The Blackened Catfish was cooked well, not overly seasoned like many other places do, and was served on a bed of dirty rice and green beans. The sides were pretty average, but the fish was a winner for sure. Sadly the platter did not come with the yummy lil pups.
Shrimp and Cat Combo comes with two small strips of fried cat, two massive fried shrimp (the menu stated «jumbo» and they weren’t kidding! — palm of my chubby hand jumbo!), fries, and HPs. The shrimp were dredged in a flour based coating, were not overly rubbery; however, lacked in flavor a bit (a little S&P in the batter please?)…nothing a dip of cocktail sauce couldn’t fix.
Paw Paw’s Catfish House is located in an old building; however, is nice and new looking on the inside. Super friendly staff! Recommend.
p. s. They also serve burgers — haven’t tried.
[142 in 2015]

On Main Street in Bastrop, exactly what you would hope for in a place named «Pawpaw’s Catfish». The fried deviled eggs were a fun food adventure and tasted great! The food could be breaded according to taste and that worked well for our family. An excellent surprise stop as we traveled based on Unilocal recommendations.

Had lunch Friday and food was very good. Hubby liked that the onion rings were not too crispy and easy to eat, loved the green beans. Iced tea in mason jars is so right! I had the catfish lunch special and hubby had the chicken tender platter. had to bring home enough for another delightful meal. Loved the hush puppies and next visit plan on trying the fried deviled eggs. So happy we can get good catfish without making a special trip into Austin

WOW! What a great place… we loved it. The service was great… I’m weird I order weird things like remuloude and pickles with my chicken strips… coming from
Austin I have just gotten used to crappy service our waitress actually remembered all the weird stuff I asked for and our drinks never hit empty… the portions where huge and everything was delicious the fried shrimp where a hit and I not kidding the chicken strips where massive… they have deep fried deviled eggs… I don’t even like deviled eggs and they were FUmazing… seriously great!!! Try it… you’ll like it.

We were having a lazy fun day checking out Historic Bastrop, and, got hungry. We hit Main Street and when we drove by this place I said «Hey, let’s eat there. I used to call my grandpa Paw-​Paw.» It’s true, that is the first reason we stopped here. I also called my grandma Maw-​Maw and she used to love the Paw-​Paw fruit that was hard to find. Seeing the names on the menu and the store just really made me feel at home.
Since it was a beautiful day we grabbed a table on the street. Our waitress, Veronica was a real sweetheart. She took our drink orders and left. While she was gone I checked out the menu. It took no time to decide on the catfish basket. I looked at everything and found the wine section. There were two offerings: CK Mondavi and Marc Mondavi.
When the waitress returns with the water we place our order then I asked her if this wine by the Mondavi’s was the real deal. She paused for a moment and said «Yeah I guess.». I said cool! Is it really only $ 8 a gallon! I was so excited as I thought I was about to cash in on some serious home brew. She started laughing and said «That’s $ 8 a glass, not, gallon!.». I felt my face go beet red. Seriously, why in the world would I ever think you could get boot leg in a restaurant!?! I must’ve temporarily lost my mind! We all had a good laugh about it!
The catfish had a light cornmeal batter that wasn’t over seasoned and was fried perfectly! I was really impressed with my fish. Holy catfish! All I kept saying was «Now this is how you do catfish»! Fries were nice and crisp and the hushpuppies were little cornmeal balls of love! I can’t think of a single thing to complain about and I will up it one by telling you that this is some of the best catfish I’ve had in years. If you are wanting a day out, they are worth the drive. We weren’t a mile away and both of us were like «I want to eat there again»! We have already decided that we must go back and try the burgers!

Looking to escape hotel food at the Lost Pines Resort, we were glad to find this place. More of a café than a restaurant, Paw-​Paws Catfish House offers tasty, high quality comfort food at a reasonable price. I enjoyed the combo platter with fried catfish and shrimp, my husband enjoyed the blackened catfish. The sides were good, the service was efficient and down-​home friendly. Though we could have quit there, I could not help ordering the «wangs», bacon-​wrapped white meat chunks with jalapeño. MMMMmmm. Paw-​Paws is located on Main Street historic Bastrop across the street from the county Democratic Headquarters. Every small town should have an establishment like this that serves up tasty, satisfying food and get their chardonnay served in small mason jar.