The Grand Junction

Updated on Sept. 24, 2021: They closed down for a while to completely remodel the place inside and out, including a name change. It's now called The Grand Junction. They just opened this week, so my husband and I went in for lunch. It now has a farmhouse feel to it. They sell locally made honey and jams in the lobby area. They added one two outdoor covered patio areas, one that overlooks the pond which would have been lovely to sit at on a beautiful day. However, no one was being seated at either patio so that was disappointing. There is now a very large buffet being served cafeteria style. I personally don't like those since you have to tell them each thing you want and how much of it. It's just awkward to me, so we ordered from the menu.
Husband got half shrimp poboy with baked beans and a cup of gumbo. He said the gumbo was good, with whole pieces of shrimp in there which was a nice surprise but the baked beans were spicy.
I chose the fried jumbo shrimp (it had very little flavor sadly) with a baked potato and green beans. The potato was okay, but the baked beans had entirely too much pepper on them and was hard to eat as a result.

Important note - Ive been coming here since I was a kid and I'm now 40 years old. In all of the years I've been to this restaurant, you were given a baskets of hush puppies and cheese for free. You now have to pay for those (they're on the appetizer list for $4.99) if you want them. They're worth it, but being charged for something that has been free for decades was certainly a surprise. Just a heads up.

Service was excellent, so 5 stars on that part. But as an overall experience, 3 stars as of this visit.

My mom who is 84 as of yesterday asked for lunch here so she received! Lunch menu till 4 and they will *not* serve baked or sweet potatoes as a side with lunch. They need to just post this on the lunch menu. Also there are time policies for parties arriving around 4 for lunch. I saw a group whose 4:08 stragglers had to order from a different menu: yikes!

Anyway good fried fare. My mom said oysters were cooked perfectly (and she's ate a few in 84 years so I believe her) and tbh I could make a meal out of hushpuppies. Nice family local place you can depend on...

Unless you're a straggler ;)

Arrived for buffet! Inquired about catfish. Told filets on buffet. Come to find out it white fish. Very disappointed. I was miss lead. No catfish on buffet. The only reason I came for the catfish buffet $17.99. The name of the place is catfish Junction. I requested a Manager! She states what was not said! Then walk away! She talk about signs up. I walk in requesting catfish. My waitress states we have filets on buffet. She failed to stated it was white fish. Or swai! I would have never ordered buffet if no catfish.
False advertisement! I will not be back! Will seek attorney for false advertising! Name of building/business Catfish junction, an no catfish on the buffet! Weak Mgr! Zero customer service skills, waitresses smart as a box of rock!
Nerve to have buffet prices$17.99. Plus tip. And no catfish! Unbelievable!

I have visited this place place twice and both time the food was horrible. The catfish are way to hard, the gumbo is nasty, the hush puppies are good, the beans are tasty but everything else is terrible for the big price tag more than nearly $20 a per person. I do not recommend this place at all!!!

Hubby and I were out in Saraland on business and because folks had suggested it, we decided to lunch at Catfish Junction. So as soon as you drive up you'll see a pond with ducks...I really liked the country feel of the place and was hoping for some great food. We were greeted and seated immediately at a table looking out on the water. Shelly, our waitress was superb and very attentive. She gave us time to look over the menu and made some suggestions.

The complimentary hushpuppies were delicious and one of the highlights of the meal. Hubby ordered the catfish (he's been dreaming of the thin fried catfish from Middendorf's) so he was praying this would come close. He said it was alright, but he would not drive out from Mobile to eat it again.

I love fried oysters and so I ordered the lunch portion. So for $11.99 I was served 6 oysters...uhm am I the only person that thinks that is skimping? To top that, they were a little too undercooked for me. The side of green beans & fries were good. I suggest you either lower the price or give customers a few more oysters, maybe 3 or 4.

Cute place, just was not blow away by the food. There are too many places closer to where I live. Glad we tried it.

Remodeled and reopened. I really love the new outdoor deck at the Junction. It's covered and cool with fans, and overlooks the pond. We opted for the new buffet. It's decent. Not as many items available as other buffets. I was expecting a few more options. They had fried shrimp, catfish, and chicken wings on the day we went as the meat choices. Sides included Lima beans, chicken dumplings, a few veggies, and their famous hush puppies with cheese. Because of Covid, there are ladies serving you from the buffet, so they give the same standard serving of each item. Inside is more open than before and seemed clean and updated. Servers were friendly and efficient. The new hours are lunch Monday - Friday, and dinner only on Friday. They are closed Saturday and Sunday.

After almost a year of driving past this place we decided to stop in for a 6:30 Thursday night dinner. It wasn't busy (4 other tables occupied) but service was pretty slow. Our server was sweet but could use a lesson in customer service.

The hush puppies were ok by my standards but hubs thoroughly enjoyed them. I got the loaded potato thingy (can't remember the exact name ) and hubs got a fish plate.

Truly with catfish in the name we expected better. The fry wasn't great and the blackened piece was just ok. The shrimp were ok, but a few weren't cleaned properly. My potato tasted off but I had just been getting over a cold, so I took most of it home. When I went to eat it the next day I could tell the pork was rancid. It was a pretty unsatisfying meal and not worth the money.

We had a great lunch here! Our server was very attentive and the staff serving the buffet were very nice. The lunch is mostly buffet but you can also order from the menu. I really enjoyed everything and so did my children. There was something for everyone to enjoy, even my picky eaters. The seafood was very fresh and the tartar sauce was great! Also, the salad bar was really good.

I had been driving by this restaurant for almost four months before I decided to stop.

Being a catfish and barbecue snob I expected to be disappointed. Well I was, but not entirely.

The catfish was cooked to perfection but under seasoned for my tastes. The slaw was way too sweet and the hush puppies were a little on the greasy side.

I will definitely give them another try before my contract in the area is up. Maybe I hit them at a bad time. (I'm being optimistic here).

Stopped by a few weeks ago for lunch because I wanted to get in and out quickly and most places in Saraland are packed and too slow. Ordered off the buffet. The employees are very friendly and service is great but the food wasn't as good as I had hoped. Everything was edible but nothing I'd have to have seconds of. The price is a bit much at $12.99 a person and that doesn't include a drink so your looking at spending $16 per person for buffet that's just average. I use to love their cheese dip with hush puppies but something taste different about the dip than it use to and I didn't like it now. The sesame chicken was the only thing I really liked. Overall if you want a quick bite and don't really care about what it taste like, the place fits the bill. Too expensive for me for the quality of food though so I doubt I return. I wouldn't pay more than $10 tops for drink and all for this buffet.