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Ezell's Fish Camp

120 Bishop Circle, Pelham (just off I-65 near Oak Mountain State Park)
989-4040
www.ezellsfishcamp.com
Casual family restaurant with rustic fish camp theme known for fried catfish and hushpuppies. The Ezell family has been operating catfish restaurants in the state for more than half a century. Local boards had a lot of negative comments about Ezell's after it opened, including long waits, poor service, and complaints about food quality and serving size. However, City Scene's Deeana Crider gave it four out of five starts in a July review, calling the hushpuppies "exceptional, the real old-fashioned soft and pillowy kind. Catfish fillets "were breaded in a crispy cornmeal batter and were as good as any I've ever had." Fried crab claws, fantail shrimp, stuffed crabs, fries, cheese grits all got high marks, as well; boiled shrimp were reported slightly overcooked. Open for dinner seven days a week and lunch on weekends.

Posted on Monday, June 4, 2007 at 08:43PM by Registered CommenterDeborah Lockridge in | Comments11 Comments

Reader Comments (11)

We waited 25 minutes to be seated, and another 35 minutes for our food. We wrote that off to the fact the the restaurant is new. However, we were really quite disappointed by the quality of the food. The fried green tomatoes were cut very thick and were hard. The cheese grits had no cheese!! The catfish "filets" ($8.95 for a small order of three) were literally of the size referred to in other restaurants as "fingers". The fried fantail shrimp ($10.95) were acceptable, but not out of the ordinary. The cole slaw and hush puppies (gratis) were both very good. The service was very slow. With many other places in town offering catfish of equal or better quality in larger portions (Jim 'N' Nicks comes to mind), Ezell's is going to have to hustle a little to make a mark in this market. (May 2007)

July 9, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterJoel Cure

Crispy catfish fillets, moist hushpuppies, hot fries, and cole slaw to die for. I'm so excited to have a laid-back family catfish establishment within driving distance now. If you're feeling adventurous, their frog legs are also really great. If you're looking for something more standard, my friends also got grilled catfish and steaks (which they said were delicious). The menu is really kid friendly and affordable. (May 2007)

July 9, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterT. Shane Smith

We have eaten at Ezell's twice. The first time when it first opened and we were very disappointed. The couple with us complained of the small portions they were served and were given very nice fillets and shrimp at that point. We have grilled fish and were very disappointed. I was not impressed with the coleslaw and the hushpuppies were greasy.
We decided to give it another try about a month later and still were disappointed. The food was greasy and the portions were small. We won't be back.

August 24, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterPam LaGrone

My husband and I ate at Ezell's Fish Camp almost two weeks ago and for tommorow night he has requested a quiet dinner for two looking at the creek beside the resturant and this time he is ordering Three catfish on his plate, he says. I grew up eating at Ezell's Catfish Cabin in between Wetumpka and Montgomery on HWY 231 and I always went there on my birthday cause if you showed your license you got birthday meal free. It was that memory that drove me to search out this resturant of the same name. The portions of whole catfish were large enough and the hushpuppies and slaw were the same recipe I remembered so it must be the same Ezell's recipe. I got the cheese grits and no...they were not cheesy but the collards were excellent. Tommorow night, I am going to get 3 fish on my plate as well...and just make an absolute pig of myself.

October 12, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterVickey Wilson

My husband, our son, and I ate at Ezell's for lunch today. The restaurant was nearly empty, so we did not have to wait to be seated and service was quick and attentive.

As others have commented, the hushpuppies were exceptional -- I normally don't like hushpuppies at all, but I ate three of these. The coleslaw, however, was disappointing -- very, very sweet and with an overpowering strong taste of onion.

I had a lunch portion combo plate with 4 fried fantail shrimp and 6 fried oysters. The shrimp were excellent; the oysters were good but not outstanding. My husband had catfish filets, which he said were very good.

It was a bit expensive, considering the size of the portions, about $15 for each of us. All in all, we agreed that it was an all-right place to eat but not a keeper. We won't make a point to go back.

November 17, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterC L Newbill

I ate here last night and it was outstanding. Service was great and the food better. Will be back! Thanks Ezell's!

December 2, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterD Tayloe

I've eaten take-out from Ezell's twice (lunch both times), once after it opened and once in the last couple of weeks. We had called our orders in both times, and both times we had to wait an additional 30 minutes after arriving there (~25 minutes after calling) to get our orders (which were not correct). The last time we went (which will be the last time), the manager was rude and snippy with us, 'apologizing' for getting the called-in order wrong by saying she 'needed to get a hearing aid'. I had already been hung up on by this same lady when trying earlier to call in our order. Rude service, food was not good (greasy/cold), prices are high even at lunch.

Will not be going back to repeat the experience.

February 6, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterC.C.

A word of advice --- You're in a very tough, competitive business. If you don't make some changes soon you will be history around here. This means improving your service and attitude toward customers, preparing the food better, and increasing your portions at least by 25% or more. The small portions you are now serving will probably be your biggest downfall.

February 13, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterBigrig

Our car club had a rally in August 2007, and we reserved a room in the back for our group to have dinner on Saturday. We had more people than expected, but the waitstaff gladly opened up the adjacent room for us as well. The hushpuppy bowls were never empty, and everyone seemed to have a great time. We were having a surprise birthday party for one of our members, and they even let us decorate and bring in our own cake. Having organized several large events, I have never been to such a popular/busy spot that was so accommodating. Many thanks to the staff of Ezell's.

March 4, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterHipCat

My husband and I were coming back from TN over the weekend and saw the billboard for Ezell's. We were wanting Seafood so we stopped. It was a little difficult trying to find the place but when we did, we were ready to try it out. It sits next to a running creek and the ambiance of the place is nice. We did not have to wait to be seated and although the portions were small, there was plenty to eat after the coleslaw and the hushpuppies that were complimentary. We will probably be back the next time we are passing by.

March 10, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterc. Hedges

Have only eaten here once and got the worst case of food poisoning every. Will probably never eat catfish again!

April 23, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterSandy

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