Tried this place for the First & Last time!! Ordered a LARGE Catfish dinner, was told 5 pieces. When I recieved my order, was wondering why the bag was soo small as if I ordered a Mini Tip. Got to my car & opened the bag, 5 pieces alright.....the size of Catfish NUGGETS!!! And for $9!! Gtfoh!! NEVER EVER again will I go back here. Thats a Fact!!
(1)
Anna J.
Compliment sandwich.... Something good: The food was very good Something to improve on: I'm hoping the health inspector stickers are authentic because the place definitely wasn't the cleanest (ladies, do NOT use the restroom unless absolutely necessary). The table cloth looks like it gets washed once a week and the utensils were suspect (had to ask for replacements). Honestly, I got the shady alderman vibe a little bit too... Something good: But, all that being said, the food WAS good!
(3)
Elizabeth M.
Alright. This place doesn't really deserve more than 2 stars, because the service and food really isn't that great at all..despite all of the good reviews i have heard about it. They truly cater to veterans that have been going there for a few decades. It seems if they don't know you , or you aren't a veteran , you wont get very good service. Which is probably why the young people that do come here , do take out. We waited a very long time just for baked mac n cheese ( which didn't even have egg in it so i don't understand why it took so long.) And as in long , i mean about 30-40 minutes. The waitress we did have had a little snappy sounding attitude.(Dislike) So i get my food (finally) and i start digging in. I ordered Perch , Greens , and baked mac. Boy was i disappointed. That Mac and cheese was some of the worst i ever had, and their greens had absolutely no salt in them(i understand the greens because lots of people who are diabetic go there.) but come on! that mac n cheese was disgraceful. Now the perch...was very good. Some of the best i ever had...but you really should have decent sides with your main entree , because if not, the price you payed is not worth it at all. Overall , the location, service , and food basically sucked. I wont come here again. I would have been better off trying Priscilla's.
(2)
Damian S.
Although I'm still not used to eating fish with skin on (and on the bone) the catfish was tasty, the jack salmon was cornmeal dusted and even better than the catfish--though that may have been due to the work involved with the catfish! The corn muffin was tasty as were the black-eyed peas--you could taste that there was definitely a ham hock or two in the big pot those were dished from. The greens were the only really negative part to the meal, and that was kind of my fault. I was expecting vinegar on them to tone down the bitterness of the greens, but it wasn't there. Greens without it always taste bitter and a little dirty--must be my taste buds! One of my friends was shocked that I ate there alone, as they think of the west side as the "bad part" of town. I never felt ill-at-ease, and the patrons and servers treated me like I was a "regular," talking about my day, the history of the place, and the pictures of famous visitors up around the walls. If you're looking for some tasty, authentic, soul food, then this is one place I can highly recommend! Scaredy cats can go to Popeyes and pretend--a lot!
(4)
M -dot W.
This place is in " the hood" and some might not be comfortable with being in an urban environment. Then this place is not for you. You should not walk from the L here. For the rest, THIS IS SOME GOOD FRIED CATFISH !! We also got the candied yams ( good !) and the collard greens ( also good!) The "star" of the platter , the catfish was also crispy outside and tender inside. Dip in hot sauce ....and this becomes an outer body experience. This restaurant is one side take out and one side sit in. We got takeout which has no seats. If you want some good fried catfish , that's way off the tourist map , then Wallace's will hit the spot !!
(4)
Kerri B.
Headed to a hockey game with some Canadian friends in town to watch Ottawa take on the 'Hawks and found this place. It's not often you get to visit a place with such rich history AND great food! The history is documented on the walls with photos of celebrities and famous patrons of the past. From Muhammad Ali to President Obama, everyone has been there. We had the catfish, meatloaf and rib tips between us and not one complaint among our group- even the picky eaters loved everything; greens, black eyed peas, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese. We found out that the lovely proprietress was a Wilberforce grad and that just sparked off a great conversation about Ohio soul food that resulted in her bring out even more food, "Here, try this, too!" They could sell the hot sauce- it was that good. So was the BBQ sauce. To top it off, they had a variety of cakes for dessert- including a hard to find strawberry that was amazing. We met Wallace and saw a few other politicians while we were there. Everyone friendly and a pleasant experience. We vowed to go to more hockey games if it meant getting to Wallace's more often.
(5)
Breeze Y.
Rat infested hole in the wall. Crack head waitresses and bums standing outside. The city should close it DOWN. EEEWWW.
(1)
Kay C.
This is the place to go on the west side. I work a few blocks away from it and this is the place to go if u want some cat fish yumm
(5)
Thi T.
If you want a real, soulful experience with tasty catfish, definitely come to Wallace's Catfish Corner...! My friends and I wanted to get food late at night and randomly came across this place. The surrounding may be considered a bit taunting to some, but we decided to give it a try since we heard that it's one of the places in Chicago that serves fried catfish (with skin on and bone in). It was Friday night and when we came inside the place, there seemed to be some sort of party going on. There was a $5 cover to come in, which we didn't know about, but we were told that it was JAZZ/BLUES night so decided to stay. OMG... if you want to experience unbelievable, talented and authentic music sung by local blues/jazz artists, definitely come!! It's every Friday night. The people there were a bit shock to see us college kids but extremely welcoming and hospitable, nonetheless. Let me tell you.. This place was thriving with soul. We came half way through the show and the people were already drinking and having a good time. We ordered the catfish dinner. The catfish was great! It was served with hot sauce and what I come to think, their home-made ketchup (YUM), the crust was crispy and the catfish meat was hot and tender, and also with a side of fries, and either potato salad or coleslaw. Even got some free beer.. :) After a while, the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Wallace, invited me to come up front and we all started to dance. SO FUN and sudden but well worth our stay! The point of this entire long review is to say that this place was great, quite the experience and has delicious catfish. Definitely give it a try!
(4)
C H.
I always order the Chicken & Shrimp combo. They are one of the gems in the area. I gave 4 stars because each time I went in the credit card machine was down and I would have to leave out to go and find an ATM in order to pay for my food. The employees are very nice. They have a banquet hall next door in case you're thinking about hosting an event local.
(4)
Angela G.
Yes, this place is on the west side of Chicago and I stay in the 'burbs. But who doesn't travel for some good food? Well let me be honest, I was only over here because one of my nail techs was having a Support the Cure party in the area. They were having free drinks and appetizers. You know how that goes, not enough food and drinking too much. I figured I better get something to eat before I start drinking. I seen that Wallace's Catfish corner was directly across the street from the event. I wasn't really feeling any catfish but I figured I could go in and see what they have. I went in and asked for the jerk chicken and they didn't have any. The lady at the counter was very nice and told me they had soul food next door. So next door, I go. This place is like a major meeting place in this community. It is a very spacious place and plenty of seating. I must say that they had their group of retired men who are probably a staple there. They were very nice though and spoke to me. They were about to have a bid whist game in the back and had a DJ. It looks as though they were about to start partying (wish I could have stayed for the bid whist). I really didn't want anything too heavy so I opted for the veggie plate which was three sides and a muffin. I got the mac and cheese, greens and cabbage. I tasted the mac and cheese and I had to get up and look to see if my granny was back there. THAT MAC N CHEESE WAS FIRE! God Lord that food was good. The greens were well seasoned (not too much) and the cabbage was good also. Oh my, oh my the food was too good. The waitress was great also. She was very nice and speedy with her service even though it was crowded. (I sat in the bar area) I was messed up by the food being so good, I didn't recognize that I was overcharged. But she did and she quickly apologized and corrected the problem. That right there warranted a tip. Now this is to all the people that think BJ's Market is good, go over to Wallace's and order their soul food. I bet your review will be longer than mine.
(5)
Baroness D.
My late grandmother used to always order her catfish from here and she loved it, and so did I, or what she would hand over to me. Now that I moved back to the area, I'm very willing to go inside this place and order some delicious catfish, when I have more money. Sorry, on a freakishly-strict budget, and who isn't these days? Anyway, I asked for a menu of this place a few weeks ago, and yes, this place is very unique, and let the take-out menu be a sign-it is laminated and never flat thanks to its lamination. You can roll it out and roll it back in, which is pretty cool. Another thing that makes this place so interesting is the area where you order food. On one side of the counter is seating with plants and large mounted TVs, and on the other side is nothing basically, and that's the carryout side of the restaurant. Yeah, this eatery is in the "hood" if you want to continue calling it that, but the area's much better than it was when I last lived there in 2002. Nevertheless, I wouldn't recommend coming to this restaurant or riding the Green Line to get here late on Friday-Sunday nights. There is a seriously high number of weird & wild drunks over here.
(4)
Lenell W.
Best fried catfish in Chicago
(5)
Amy R.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes - eat it! I was here with a friend a couple weeks ago and sweetbabyjebus it's good food! We ate in the west side of the building - east side does deep fried fish and chicken, west side does soul food. I believe they're connected through the kitchen, but I could be wrong ... At any rate, I'm pretty sure I'll never love black-eyed peas from anywhere else ever again. I can't stop telling people about them either. "Like black-eyed peas? I bet you never had any as good as Wallace's." When the gent behind the counter dished them up I saw chunks of ham and very nearly squealed right out loud. We had baked chicken - moist and the skin was perfect - and mac 'n' cheese, too (had better, but still good), and even the corn bread was fantastic. Side note: nothing to do with the food, but they had The Bachelor on the tv in the dining room. Almost everyone eating in there was a grown man, and yet, there's The Bachelor. Go figure.
(5)
Mark A.
I'm takin' it! Late on a Saturday, I wanted some srimp. Been to Goose Island and its totally overrated. This place, on the near west side might scare you if you're not one of the homies, but I've driven by there so many times and I finally had to get some. They also had rib tips and they were done pretty good too. You have to love any place that puts Wonderbread on top of everything. I mean, it keeps everything hot, right? The shrimp batter was great and they have good BBQ sauce. Ribs were tender even for ordering so late at night when stuff might've been sitting out all day. Fries, whatever - but they're covered in BBQ sauce. They've also got a pretty good menu: burgers, fish, oysters, chicken. I'm down to go back. I'm not scurred, and now the nice woman behind the counter knows me. You know what's sweet? When the dude they let sit there asks if you're heading back toward the city, full well knowing that of course you are so he can ask for a ride and 4AM. Yeah, and share my shrimp? No thanks homie. Catch you next Saturday though!
(5)
Katrina H.
I hadn't been to this place in almost 5 years! Me being a Louisiana Girl, I'd like to first say that I know my way around the kitchen when it comes to Soul Food.. We have a Catfish Dinner, Jumbo Shrimp Dinner, Rib Tip Dinner and Fried Chicken Dinner (for 4 people) The meals came out to be about $42. .and yes there was plenty of Food! I give them 5 stars for that !! the food was Seasoned pretty good. Nothing tasted like someone Stumbled over the food with an Open Salt Can.. I wouldn't ever sit and eat there.. It's a bit Crowded with "All Walks Of Life" in there but After you Hold your Bags close baby , this is place is a must go.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Tara A.
Tried this place for the First & Last time!! Ordered a LARGE Catfish dinner, was told 5 pieces. When I recieved my order, was wondering why the bag was soo small as if I ordered a Mini Tip. Got to my car & opened the bag, 5 pieces alright.....the size of Catfish NUGGETS!!! And for $9!! Gtfoh!! NEVER EVER again will I go back here. Thats a Fact!!
(1)Anna J.
Compliment sandwich.... Something good: The food was very good Something to improve on: I'm hoping the health inspector stickers are authentic because the place definitely wasn't the cleanest (ladies, do NOT use the restroom unless absolutely necessary). The table cloth looks like it gets washed once a week and the utensils were suspect (had to ask for replacements). Honestly, I got the shady alderman vibe a little bit too... Something good: But, all that being said, the food WAS good!
(3)Elizabeth M.
Alright. This place doesn't really deserve more than 2 stars, because the service and food really isn't that great at all..despite all of the good reviews i have heard about it. They truly cater to veterans that have been going there for a few decades. It seems if they don't know you , or you aren't a veteran , you wont get very good service. Which is probably why the young people that do come here , do take out. We waited a very long time just for baked mac n cheese ( which didn't even have egg in it so i don't understand why it took so long.) And as in long , i mean about 30-40 minutes. The waitress we did have had a little snappy sounding attitude.(Dislike) So i get my food (finally) and i start digging in. I ordered Perch , Greens , and baked mac. Boy was i disappointed. That Mac and cheese was some of the worst i ever had, and their greens had absolutely no salt in them(i understand the greens because lots of people who are diabetic go there.) but come on! that mac n cheese was disgraceful. Now the perch...was very good. Some of the best i ever had...but you really should have decent sides with your main entree , because if not, the price you payed is not worth it at all. Overall , the location, service , and food basically sucked. I wont come here again. I would have been better off trying Priscilla's.
(2)Damian S.
Although I'm still not used to eating fish with skin on (and on the bone) the catfish was tasty, the jack salmon was cornmeal dusted and even better than the catfish--though that may have been due to the work involved with the catfish! The corn muffin was tasty as were the black-eyed peas--you could taste that there was definitely a ham hock or two in the big pot those were dished from. The greens were the only really negative part to the meal, and that was kind of my fault. I was expecting vinegar on them to tone down the bitterness of the greens, but it wasn't there. Greens without it always taste bitter and a little dirty--must be my taste buds! One of my friends was shocked that I ate there alone, as they think of the west side as the "bad part" of town. I never felt ill-at-ease, and the patrons and servers treated me like I was a "regular," talking about my day, the history of the place, and the pictures of famous visitors up around the walls. If you're looking for some tasty, authentic, soul food, then this is one place I can highly recommend! Scaredy cats can go to Popeyes and pretend--a lot!
(4)M -dot W.
This place is in " the hood" and some might not be comfortable with being in an urban environment. Then this place is not for you. You should not walk from the L here. For the rest, THIS IS SOME GOOD FRIED CATFISH !! We also got the candied yams ( good !) and the collard greens ( also good!) The "star" of the platter , the catfish was also crispy outside and tender inside. Dip in hot sauce ....and this becomes an outer body experience. This restaurant is one side take out and one side sit in. We got takeout which has no seats. If you want some good fried catfish , that's way off the tourist map , then Wallace's will hit the spot !!
(4)Kerri B.
Headed to a hockey game with some Canadian friends in town to watch Ottawa take on the 'Hawks and found this place. It's not often you get to visit a place with such rich history AND great food! The history is documented on the walls with photos of celebrities and famous patrons of the past. From Muhammad Ali to President Obama, everyone has been there. We had the catfish, meatloaf and rib tips between us and not one complaint among our group- even the picky eaters loved everything; greens, black eyed peas, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese. We found out that the lovely proprietress was a Wilberforce grad and that just sparked off a great conversation about Ohio soul food that resulted in her bring out even more food, "Here, try this, too!" They could sell the hot sauce- it was that good. So was the BBQ sauce. To top it off, they had a variety of cakes for dessert- including a hard to find strawberry that was amazing. We met Wallace and saw a few other politicians while we were there. Everyone friendly and a pleasant experience. We vowed to go to more hockey games if it meant getting to Wallace's more often.
(5)Breeze Y.
Rat infested hole in the wall. Crack head waitresses and bums standing outside. The city should close it DOWN. EEEWWW.
(1)Kay C.
This is the place to go on the west side. I work a few blocks away from it and this is the place to go if u want some cat fish yumm
(5)Thi T.
If you want a real, soulful experience with tasty catfish, definitely come to Wallace's Catfish Corner...! My friends and I wanted to get food late at night and randomly came across this place. The surrounding may be considered a bit taunting to some, but we decided to give it a try since we heard that it's one of the places in Chicago that serves fried catfish (with skin on and bone in). It was Friday night and when we came inside the place, there seemed to be some sort of party going on. There was a $5 cover to come in, which we didn't know about, but we were told that it was JAZZ/BLUES night so decided to stay. OMG... if you want to experience unbelievable, talented and authentic music sung by local blues/jazz artists, definitely come!! It's every Friday night. The people there were a bit shock to see us college kids but extremely welcoming and hospitable, nonetheless. Let me tell you.. This place was thriving with soul. We came half way through the show and the people were already drinking and having a good time. We ordered the catfish dinner. The catfish was great! It was served with hot sauce and what I come to think, their home-made ketchup (YUM), the crust was crispy and the catfish meat was hot and tender, and also with a side of fries, and either potato salad or coleslaw. Even got some free beer.. :) After a while, the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Wallace, invited me to come up front and we all started to dance. SO FUN and sudden but well worth our stay! The point of this entire long review is to say that this place was great, quite the experience and has delicious catfish. Definitely give it a try!
(4)C H.
I always order the Chicken & Shrimp combo. They are one of the gems in the area. I gave 4 stars because each time I went in the credit card machine was down and I would have to leave out to go and find an ATM in order to pay for my food. The employees are very nice. They have a banquet hall next door in case you're thinking about hosting an event local.
(4)Angela G.
Yes, this place is on the west side of Chicago and I stay in the 'burbs. But who doesn't travel for some good food? Well let me be honest, I was only over here because one of my nail techs was having a Support the Cure party in the area. They were having free drinks and appetizers. You know how that goes, not enough food and drinking too much. I figured I better get something to eat before I start drinking. I seen that Wallace's Catfish corner was directly across the street from the event. I wasn't really feeling any catfish but I figured I could go in and see what they have. I went in and asked for the jerk chicken and they didn't have any. The lady at the counter was very nice and told me they had soul food next door. So next door, I go. This place is like a major meeting place in this community. It is a very spacious place and plenty of seating. I must say that they had their group of retired men who are probably a staple there. They were very nice though and spoke to me. They were about to have a bid whist game in the back and had a DJ. It looks as though they were about to start partying (wish I could have stayed for the bid whist). I really didn't want anything too heavy so I opted for the veggie plate which was three sides and a muffin. I got the mac and cheese, greens and cabbage. I tasted the mac and cheese and I had to get up and look to see if my granny was back there. THAT MAC N CHEESE WAS FIRE! God Lord that food was good. The greens were well seasoned (not too much) and the cabbage was good also. Oh my, oh my the food was too good. The waitress was great also. She was very nice and speedy with her service even though it was crowded. (I sat in the bar area) I was messed up by the food being so good, I didn't recognize that I was overcharged. But she did and she quickly apologized and corrected the problem. That right there warranted a tip. Now this is to all the people that think BJ's Market is good, go over to Wallace's and order their soul food. I bet your review will be longer than mine.
(5)Baroness D.
My late grandmother used to always order her catfish from here and she loved it, and so did I, or what she would hand over to me. Now that I moved back to the area, I'm very willing to go inside this place and order some delicious catfish, when I have more money. Sorry, on a freakishly-strict budget, and who isn't these days? Anyway, I asked for a menu of this place a few weeks ago, and yes, this place is very unique, and let the take-out menu be a sign-it is laminated and never flat thanks to its lamination. You can roll it out and roll it back in, which is pretty cool. Another thing that makes this place so interesting is the area where you order food. On one side of the counter is seating with plants and large mounted TVs, and on the other side is nothing basically, and that's the carryout side of the restaurant. Yeah, this eatery is in the "hood" if you want to continue calling it that, but the area's much better than it was when I last lived there in 2002. Nevertheless, I wouldn't recommend coming to this restaurant or riding the Green Line to get here late on Friday-Sunday nights. There is a seriously high number of weird & wild drunks over here.
(4)Lenell W.
Best fried catfish in Chicago
(5)Amy R.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes - eat it! I was here with a friend a couple weeks ago and sweetbabyjebus it's good food! We ate in the west side of the building - east side does deep fried fish and chicken, west side does soul food. I believe they're connected through the kitchen, but I could be wrong ... At any rate, I'm pretty sure I'll never love black-eyed peas from anywhere else ever again. I can't stop telling people about them either. "Like black-eyed peas? I bet you never had any as good as Wallace's." When the gent behind the counter dished them up I saw chunks of ham and very nearly squealed right out loud. We had baked chicken - moist and the skin was perfect - and mac 'n' cheese, too (had better, but still good), and even the corn bread was fantastic. Side note: nothing to do with the food, but they had The Bachelor on the tv in the dining room. Almost everyone eating in there was a grown man, and yet, there's The Bachelor. Go figure.
(5)Mark A.
I'm takin' it! Late on a Saturday, I wanted some srimp. Been to Goose Island and its totally overrated. This place, on the near west side might scare you if you're not one of the homies, but I've driven by there so many times and I finally had to get some. They also had rib tips and they were done pretty good too. You have to love any place that puts Wonderbread on top of everything. I mean, it keeps everything hot, right? The shrimp batter was great and they have good BBQ sauce. Ribs were tender even for ordering so late at night when stuff might've been sitting out all day. Fries, whatever - but they're covered in BBQ sauce. They've also got a pretty good menu: burgers, fish, oysters, chicken. I'm down to go back. I'm not scurred, and now the nice woman behind the counter knows me. You know what's sweet? When the dude they let sit there asks if you're heading back toward the city, full well knowing that of course you are so he can ask for a ride and 4AM. Yeah, and share my shrimp? No thanks homie. Catch you next Saturday though!
(5)Katrina H.
I hadn't been to this place in almost 5 years! Me being a Louisiana Girl, I'd like to first say that I know my way around the kitchen when it comes to Soul Food.. We have a Catfish Dinner, Jumbo Shrimp Dinner, Rib Tip Dinner and Fried Chicken Dinner (for 4 people) The meals came out to be about $42. .and yes there was plenty of Food! I give them 5 stars for that !! the food was Seasoned pretty good. Nothing tasted like someone Stumbled over the food with an Open Salt Can.. I wouldn't ever sit and eat there.. It's a bit Crowded with "All Walks Of Life" in there but After you Hold your Bags close baby , this is place is a must go.
(4)