White River Fish Market

1708 N. Sheridan, Tulsa, OK - (918) 835-1910

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Posted By Michael Stern on December 9, 2008 6:05 PM

A grateful tip of the hat to tiki and to Howard Baratz, who both recommended we stop at the White River Fish Market while traveling through Oklahoma. Howard described it at an "old-time Tulsa classic," in business since 1932. This well-worn combination raw fish market and semi-cafeteria style restaurant northeast of downtown is, in our opinion, a Roadfood gem.

What we mean by "semi-cafeteria style" is that when you enter, you step up to a counter where all sorts of raw fish are displayed. You place your order based not only on a posted menu, but on what you see in the case. Pay the man behind the cash register and find a seat at booth or table in the big, open dining room. Soon, your meal will be brought to the table by a member of the staff.

The choices are vast. Fried seafood is what the place is best known for: gorgeous whole flounders, catfish, perch, etc. The menu also lists broiled seafood, grilled seafood, a couple of seafood salads and a fish sandwich, boiled shrimp by the pound and raw oysters by the dozen. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, one very meaty lobster tail is available for $19.95. All dinners include a couple of crusty, pepper-laced hushpuppies and a choice of such side dishes as onion rings (excellent!), pinto beans, cole slaw (sparkling!), spiced rice, and baked potato.

We started our meals with a cup of gumbo and a bowl of red beans and rice, the latter actually two dishes, one with soulful pinto beans, the other with sausage, beef, onions, and rice in a spicy Cajun sauce.

We love the room tone in this rollicking lunch room (open for dinner, too). It's clearly the place where all sorts of Tulsa citizens feel right at home. Prices are low, the fish is impeccable, and all the side dishes are very soulful. That's a combination that adds up to a necessary stop for anyone with an appetite traveling along I-44.

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Posted By Jay S. on August 16, 2011 2:49 PM

I've been wanting to eat at White River Fish Market for some time, ever since I read about it on Roadfood.com. I am originally from Louisiana and I was a bit disappointed by this popular place, mainly because of the service but also because of the quality of the clams.

It was very crowded on a Friday early evening. This is a classic, old-time Tulsa restaurant, in business since 1932. White River is a combination fish market and cafeteria-style restaurant, located in a marginal neighborhood north and east of downtown. I actually prefer casual, non-fancy restaurants so long as they serve good food and the retro sign out front is great!

You order at the counter and take a seat in the expansive dining room, then wait to have your order delivered. How they know where you are sitting is a mystery but we sat down and waited a full 20 minutes before anyone even came to offer a glass of water (and it was about 105 outside!). Very annoying.

I had a fried combo, eventually: one fine-tasting catfish fillet, two rather bland shrimp, two quite succulent scallops, and a just-alright stuffed crab, for $13.95. This was accompanied by a crisp, small salad and good fries.

Dane got fried clams, which were truly awful. Now, granted, he is originally from Massachusetts (clam heaven) but how a good seafood restaurant can serve these gnarly, chewy, rubbery strips of mostly breading masquerading as clams is truly beyond me. They were terrible.

Overall, I am wary of going back; I think I will look elsewhere for some quality seafood. Even a chain like Cheddar's is better than this.

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Catfish Filets

Scallops

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