Food T The Fish House RESTAURANT
Murfreesboro restaurant fries many types of fish; come in for half-pound fish sandwich, peach tea or a bingo night
STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO
28 * JUNE 2022 * BOROPULSE.COM
PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO
here’s a lot going on at the Fish House, located at the corner of Middle Tennessee Boulevard and Bradyville Pike in what used to be the Kroger shopping center. In addition to all sorts of fried foods— many different types of fish, chicken, pickles, shrimp, okra, fries and more—the restaurant serves a rotation of different food items each week on Sundays. Mondays and Thursdays are bingo nights, beginning at 6 p.m. And Tuesday, the Fish House hosts poker at 7 p.m. The restaurant now has a full bar; check in periodically for all sorts of various drink specials at the Fish House. It offers bottomless mimosas for $14.99 on Sundays. The Fish House hosts corn hole outside on occasion. Kids eat free on Mondays from 2–8 p.m. And the business now has a food truck, which will be hitting the streets soon. In addition to the many menu items available every day, including half-pound fish sandwiches for $7.95, on Wednesday nights only the restaurant offers grilled and blackened fish and shrimp. To accompany your fish, try some spicy cabbage and sweet peach tea. “I had fried catfish with mac and cheese and spicy cabbage,” Caycee Blaise reported after a recent meal. “It was delicious, fresh and seasoned really well. I liked the vibe inside the restaurant and the fruit tea was out of this world!” The environment is part greasy spoon/ Southern cafeteria, part sports lounge and dive bar. “The catfish is awesome, [but this time] I decided to try the fried pork chop and was not disappointed. The spicy cabbage and potato salad are my absolute favorite,” Brittany Marie Todd said. The establishment serves chicken under the Kick’n Chick’n brand, a separate identity from The Fish House—complete with a separate logo featuring a chicken sporting an afro and performing karate. Restaurant owner Jojo Herbert plans to franchise both restaurant concepts over the near future. “Two brands will be extending from the Fish House in two to three years,” Herbert said. Spice up your fish or chicken in various ways at the Fish House. “We have 20 sauces and rubs,” Herbert said. Get your wings, fish fillets or pork chop tossed in hot sauce, Cajun ranch, Asian zing, BBQ and other flavors.
The Dish RESTAURANT The Fish House LOCATION 1626 Middle Tennessee Blvd. PHONE 615-410-7688 HOURS 11 a.m.–11 p.m. every day PRICES Whiting or tilapia sandwich: $7.95; Catfish nugget basket with fries: $9.95; Half-pound burger: $8.95; Two fried pork chops with two sides: $13.95; 10 wings: $13.95; Salmon or grouper plate with two sides: $20.95 ONLINE fishhousemurfreesboro.com There’s a little spice in the hot honey gold. Herbert suggests trying wings tossed in this sauce and dusted in lemon pepper. Near the Coca Cola fountain are three large beverage containers filled with KoolAid—former tea dispensers now labeled simply “purple,” “red” and “blue.” Blue Kool-Aid, fried whiting, cabbage and beans make a wonderful lunch. Also in the drink section, the Fish House offers a really, really good peach tea—free refills available on the tea and Kool-Aid as well as fountain sodas. Sherrie Blakemore recommends the pork chop plate at Fish House. And the burger is quite tasty, with kind of a meatloaf flavor going on, like some good spices and sauces were mixed into the beef before cooking. Herbert aims for the restaurant to provide a “soulful sports bar experience,” he said. The Fish House got its origins selling fish sandwiches to the hungry people of Murfreesboro on Bridge Avenue. Gwen, who was an owner of the original location and still works at the new location, said her sister in-law moved the Fish House from its Bridge Avenue space to a bigger space, its current home on Middle Tennessee Boulevard. Herbert later purchased the business in 2020. The Fish House is a whole new place now—different owner, different concept, broader menu, full bar. But it still offers those legendary large fried fish sandwiches. In addition to the original fried fish offerings of whiting,
