Big Ant’s Fish and Chicken

WOW just had my first meal from Big Ants (catfish w/​fries and collard greens) and it was absolutely delicious. I have lived in Northern California for a litte over two years (I’m originally from New Orleans, LA and I am here due to military orders) and it is hands down the best catfish I have had in quite a while… since last time i was in the south!!! Great seasoning and and expertly cooked. Nice crunchy coating while still maintaining the meatiness and taste of the catfish. The greens were well cooked not soggy and with a little bite/​texture left in the greens. Awesome job. Really 4 and ½ stars if in the south…5 STARS for everywhere else.

This location is closed, but I’m happy that I can still get my Big Ants fix because he is now mobile!

Local, and with a high rating on Unilocal,had to try it. They were out of wings, which didn’t bother me, I didn’t want any. I ordered chicken (strips) and catfish combo, which comes with a side. I ordered Mac and cheese. A few min after ordering, the cashier tells me the Mac isn’t ready yet. Got greens instead. Boo.
The chicken was good, the smaller pieces seemed slightly tough, the fish was moist and tasty. Dipped in tartar sauce, was perfect. The greens were a little salty for my taste. Potato salad was good, lots of crunchy veggies and a little spice. Looks like they deliver, for $ 2. Might have to try that sometime.

Fast becoming my absolute favorite in the EPA/​Menlo area, easily beating IKEA and Swedish meatballs. Big Ant’s is about the food. My first visit, I recall my good intentions of bringing back some of the catfish to share with coworkers. When I arrived at the office, I was dismayed to discover that the catfish had somehow evaporated on the drive back. On my second visit, the staff assured me that catfish does not evaporate, though it might have swam away. All kidding aside, everything on the menu is yummy, even the greens taste like they couldn’t possibly be good for you. It’s become my mission to send all my friends and coworkers there, and (ultimately) to have them cater our office parties. Thumbs up!

Awesome hole in the wall joint. What the place lacks in ambience it makes up in delicious corn meal crusted fried goodness. Fried catfish and chicken are excellent, love the fried okra (when they have it) and greens are not too shabby. The small size is sufficient enough for one! Parking is in the back, but always seems to be packed out. I’ve driven up the street and parked near the Shell station. Probably a good idea to take a walk after consuming large amounts of fried food anyway. :-\

Chicken and Waffles were great. Catfish was delicious. Snapper was also good (although the catfish was much better). A definite hole in the wall atmosphere. Can’t beat prices ($ 5 specials on Tuesday). Open kitchen. Ample seating (front and back) Friendly staff (owners?). I love it when restaurants feel authentic… this place definitely had that feeling. Will be back to try more things real soon (and next time I will leave room for dessert).

The food was pretty good though a bit on the salty side. note that there is no A/​C and more of a hole in the wall. This is mostly a take-​out place from what we observed as we were the only ones there at the time.
The staff is really friendly though.

My sister and I went here for lunch one day, and parking was easy to find. As we walked in you get the feeling that the place is authentic southern food. There is not much to the atmosphere, but I think that’s what makes it. The workers are very friendly! They talk to you, ask how your day is going, and crack plenty of jokes (in good humor of course). They explained to us that the restaurant uses all of their Ant and Uncles home recipes so it’s a true owned and operated family mom and pop shop.
We ordered the 3 meat combo: chicken, Catfish, and prawns to share. The price came out to about 17 $, not bad but not cheap. The food arrived promptly about 12 min after we ordered with plenty of delicious homemade sauces (tar tar, hot sauce, BBQ, and ketchup). It tasted good but not great, the Chicken was a bit dry and the catfish was a bit too fishy if you know what I mean.
One of the guys explained to us that they have BBQ’s on weekends, half price deals on Tuesdays, and chicken and waffles all day now. Nice! I gave the place 5 stars for this reason and customer service. The place is community building in a place like EPA which desperately needs it. We even saw the reverend of the local church coming to eat there! It provides a place for the local youth to come and enjoy some southern food or hang out at the BBQ rather then getting into trouble.

At first I was a little skeptical when I walked in because the place did not look busy and looked a little run down. My husband ordered the chicken wings and I ordered the strips. We were both very surprised when the order arrived. The wings and strips were some of the best Fried Chicken that I have ever had. The chicken is coated in what looks like a cornmeal breading as opposed to white flour, makes a huge difference. I did not expect the service that we received as Ants looked like a order out place, all of the staff working on Sunday June 3, 2012 were extremely friendly, courteous, and made sure that we were taken care of properly. This is probably the best service that I have received in a long time.
The prices are great 7.00 for 5 – 6 wings or strips and a side. The potato salad side was different but also good. I highly recommend coming here. This place is located in the strip mall with the Auto zone just past the Ikea shopping center on University ave. You have to stop by is you want great wings at a affordable price and great service. I will definitely be back and will recommend it to all of my friends. Keep up the good work.

I have long been eye-​ing this place on Unilocal and I went on a whimp on a Sunday afternoon, I arrived just when they just opened!!! lol. Parking is on the back btw, there is a sign for the restaurant’s parking, so watch it :).
Yes, it’s in EPA, but I will go anywhere for good food and what not to love, this place employs local teenagers… which I thought super super super AWESOME and the owner’s son’s (also a teenage boy) was working there that day with his friends :).
The service was friendly and it took about 10 – 15 minutes to get my food BUT it’s because they are made to order. I got the combo snapper and wings. The wings were huge and the snappers were also huge, great portion!!! but of course I ate them all HAHAHAHAHAHHAA!!!
Ok, now the taste test… The batter on the fish and okra was a bit thicker than my liking and I certainly had better fried chicken elsewhere BUT they were all seasoned very well so they were tasty. I would pass on the fried okra though, I thought there was too much batter. Oh, even though they were all deep fried… they were not greasy!!!
BTW, they deliver AND cater too, I certainly hope this place will survive, lots of great people work here and YAY to a local small business. Keep up the great work!

Service is so welcoming, you feel like part of the family. ;)
Brought the kiddos in for lunch because they love chicken wings. We were not disappointed!
We had:
Chicken wings and chicken strips — super yummy breaded and fried goodness
Catfish — delish! Loved the crispy breading
Cheeseburger — really good burger
Fries — yum
Collards — yum
Carrot cake — I loved this! The hubs doesn’t usually like carrot cake, but he tried it anyway and ended up sharing it with me. Grrrr. lol! ;) I don’t think there are walnuts in this one (or if there were, they were sparse) which is probably why he liked it so much! It was moist and sweet and not too carroty. Yum yum! We will definitely be back for more! :)

Love the people who work here. It’s definitely a hole in the wall but my husband and I felt so welcome from the moment we came in.
Fried fish wins over the fried chicken. If you’re having trouble choosing, go with the fish. The cornmeal crust is awesome.
I really liked the collard greens as well, but the yams (sweet potato?) were too sweet for my liking.

I live in the neighborhood, but I have never tried this place. I’ll tell you why, sometimes (in the past) when I have visited businesses in EPA, some of the staff have been ‘less than professional’. I learned that the staff at Big Ant’s is the EXACT opposite. They are 100% professional. They taught me how stupid my stereotype was– they are extremely courteous and thorough. So please, do not be put-​off by the location.
I LOVE Fried Catfish, Oyster, Prawns and Good Soul Food in general. I am from New Orleans, and because of this– I sort of view myself as an ‘expert’ on all things Creole/​Cajun.
On Saturday, 2÷25÷12, I went to Big Ants and got a Combo platter of; Catfish, Oysters, Shrimp and Chicken with a side order of Mac and Cheese. All of this cost around $ 16, but I got a mountain of food. I waited for about 15 minutes, because my order was made fresh (as they do with all of their orders). I took it ‘to go’, and when I got home– everything was still super hot!
EVERYTHING was delicious. I liked the Oysters the best. I just wish I had ordered 12! LOL! I take that back, I cannot tell you what I liked the best, because it ALL was amazing! The Mac and Cheese is better than homemade. I hate to say it, but I’ve NEVER had better Mac and cheese than this.
I went back the next day and ordered two Large orders of Catfish, $ 12/​each, for my g/​f and I. We got Yams and Potato Salad as the sides– the Mac and Cheese was not ready yet (waaah, waaah). My g/​f is very picky about seafood– in fact– she never ate it before she met me. So, for her to like fish, is a big deal. She loved the Catfish! This place is AWESOME!

What awesome customer service and the food isn’t bad either! Every person working there made our experience absolutely awesome. The food is made to order and comes out piping hot. Chicken and waffles was the best deal on the menu. They provide you with plenty of sauces to accompany your meal. I even got my fill of grape soda here! Parking wasn’t hard and the location is pretty convenient and easy to find.

This is some of the best fried food you’ll find anywhere.
When you walk in, you’ll see a rather plain restaurant. Wooden chairs and tables are placed throughout the rather spacious restaurants, and plain white walls are all that you’ll see around you. Although there is plenty of seating, I wouldn’t call this a sit-​down restaurant, and sure enough, everybody who came in while I was their ordered their food to go.
Service at the counter was so jovial and friendly. The people who take your order at Big Ant’s are the type of people who just love to interact with customers, and are proud of the menu offered at Big Ant’s.
I got a three-​entrée plate, which came with fried chicken, fried catfish, and fried red snapper. My favorite was the catfish, although all three were very, very good!
Portions are enormous; aside from the three entrees, I also got a heaping portion of fries, which they offered to me free of charge (usually you only get one side, although I got this plus my macaroni and cheese included in the price — how can you complain about that?)
Not so good for watching the calories, but if you’re not concerned about that, then this is some of the best deep fried food you’ll encounter!

Not in a sketchy part of town, yo… It’s just past the four seasons and on a busy street. What else it’s not is necessarily cheap but the price is fair and the staff super nice. As others have said, the fish was on the dry side and a tad salty, although quite good. Had the fish (we had catfish and snapper) been slightly more moist, I’d have devoured it, salt and all. The chicken wings were similarly salty and dry but still somehow it had great flavor.
Collard were a little too sweet for my taste but had a nice smokey flavor. Mac n cheese were ok.
They give generous portions of tartar sauce and ranch and hot sauce. I’d love to see they thrive with some small tweaks to the menu.

We were cruzing through town after picking up my new car, and decided to stop off for some fried chicken on our way home for dinner with the kids.
YUM — YUM — YUM and oh yeah — YUM. I am not sure what was my favorite — the catfish was incredible, the oysters juicy and moist! The chicken — on the bone or in a strip was cooked to fried perfection.
And then there were the sides… Mac and Cheese and Greens — I thought I had died and went to heaven! I seriously think I ate 6 orders of Greens. So good… SOOOOO SOOOOO GOOOD.
Their portions were HEAPING and the kids ate everything — it was that good. Also — I can’t say enough good things about the staff. They were wonderful, making sure we had everything to complete our feast. What a happy crew. I wish every place we ate, allowed you to commuicate with the people making your food. I also wish everyone loved their job as much as this team does.
I will be back here time and time again, when my travels take me though town. Don’t miss it. Parking is tucked in behind the building — it’s worth a trip around the block if need be.

I just happened to be on University Ave and hungry. I saw the sign and stopped in. The first thing that got my attention was the family greeting. I felt welcomed. The second thing that got my attention was the menu. Are we talking soul food or what? I felt like a kid in a candy store. I ordered a combo of catfish, shrimp and chicken wings with sides of potato salad and yams.
I could not have been more pleased with how the food tasted. I felt like I was back on the east coast!
This is a family owned business and they know how to treat folks. And if you have a taste for down home fried foods. You need to go and check this place out. It’s about the food not the location.

Loved all the deep fried goodness! Usually I don’t like fried shrimps (prefer more scampi style), but they’re just crispy and yummy! Ate the tails too! Had the oysters & shrimp combo, and chicken large. Everything was extra crispy and yummy! They ran out of collard greens, but it sounds like I should try them next.
Parking tip: coming from 101 on University, when you almost pass the restaurant, there’s a parking entrance to the back. I thought I had to park up front where an old Cady was taking up 2 spaces, but realized there’s a parking lot behind the building. There’s a sign. You can access the backdoor from the lot.

I LOVE this place and predict and hope that this becomes the next Back A Yard BBQ with a 4.5 rating and 800+ reviews.
Rina the owner is fantastic. Looks like she recently opened this place after working at another area eatery for a long time. She is very friendly, warm and genuine. I also appreciate that she is doing her part to make the community a better place by helping others out. Makes you want to see her and her business succeed.
The place is pretty laid back. The food is fresh and prepared when you order, so plan on staying a while.
The banana pudding is to die for. The fried chicken was amazing too. Everything from the sides to the tartar sauce that they make there is really good.
It appears that Rina is experimenting with her menu and there is even a Polynesian section which was surprising. She mentioned that she is holding back on advertising till things settle and he is happy with everything. Well, I hope things settle soon and this place is no longer a secret!
Note that it is hard to find and the area is a little iffy in East Palo Alto. Don’t let that hold you back. Go try it today!!!