Jackson's Catfish Corner

Jackson's Catfish Corner
The restaurant's exterior, 2023
Map
Restaurant information
Established1985 (1985)
Owner(s)Terrell and Rachel Jackson
Previous owner(s)Woodrow (Woody) and Rosemary (Rosie) Jackson
Food type
Street address2218 South Jackson Street
CitySeattle
CountyKing
StateWashington
Postal/ZIP Code98144
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47°35′58″N 122°18′09″W / 47.5994°N 122.3025°W / 47.5994; -122.3025
Websitejacksonscatfishcorner.com

Jackson's Catfish Corner (originally Catfish Corner) is a family-owned Southern restaurant in Seattle's Central District, in the U.S. state of Washington. Woodrow (Woody) and Rosemary (Rosie) Jackson opened Catfish Corner in the Central District in 1985. After selling the business to friends in 2009, the restaurant closed in 2014.

The Jacksons' grandson Terrell and his wife Rachel reopened and rebranded the restaurant in 2015. Jackson's Catfish corner had a brick and mortar in Rainier Valley, before relocating and operating in the Central District again from 2016 to 2018. Jackson's Catfish Corner reopened at 23rd and South Jackson Street in 2021.

The Black-owned business has a catfish-dominant menu which has included gumbo, hushpuppies, prawns, and other seafood and soul food options such as fish and chips, coleslaw, collard greens, sweet potatoes, and rice and beans. Jackson's Catfish Corner has garnered a positive reception.

Description

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The Southern restaurant Jackson's Catfish Corner is located in Central District, Seattle. The Black-owned, family-operated[1] fast casual restaurant's menu is catfish-heavy but has also included gumbo, the Ohbama burger,[2] hushpuppies, prawns, snapper and other seafood and soul food[3][4] items such as fish and chips,[5] coleslaw, collard greens, candied sweet potatoes, and rice and beans.[6] The Captain's Platter includes seven strips of catfish, seven prawns, four hushpuppies, and French fries.[7] Jackson's Catfish Corner makes its own tartar sauce.[8] The dessert menu has included banana pudding, German chocolate cake with caramel, and red velvet cupcakes.[6]

History

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The restaurant's interior in 2023

Spouses Woodrow (Woody) and Rosemary (Rosie) Jackson opened Catfish Corner on East Cherry Street at Martin Luther King Jr., in the Central District, in 1985. In 2009, the couple sold the business to friends. The restaurant closed in August 2014.[9][10]

Terrell Jackson and his wife Rachel restarted and rebranded the restaurant as Jackson's Catfish Corner in 2015. Initially, the couple sold food from a tent before securing a permanent location in Rainier Beach.[11][12][13] The couple announced plans to open a second location at 21st in the Central District.[14] Some funds for the project were raised via GoFundMe.[15] The restaurant operated from 2016 to 2018.[16][17]

Jackson's Catfish Corner reopened at 23rd and South Jackson Street in 2021.[18] The 4,500-square-foot space is in the Community House Mental Health Agency's Patricia K Apartments development.[19][20] A grand opening was held on Juneteenth.[21][22] The Infatuation's Carlo Mantuano wrote: "Catfish Corner's return to the Central District after a 12-year hiatus is a huge deal. Talk to anybody who lived or worked in the area in the '90s and you'll likely hear stories of post-workday fried seafood or lunchtime Southern sides."[23] The Jacksons have a 25-year lease.[24]

The restaurant was featured on season 1, episode 2 ("Winner Winner FREE Dinner") of the Food Network series Big Bargain Eats.[25] Jackson's Catfish Corner has participated in Seattle's Black Restaurant Week.[4][26]

Reception

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Catfish sandwich, 2023

When David Brewster was writing anonymous restaurant reviews for the newsletter A Gourmet's Notebook, he said Catfish Corner had "very fine fast food".[27] In The Food and Drink of Seattle: From Wild Salmon to Craft Beer (2018), Judith Dern said the business "[expands] the tradition of African American food in Seattle".[28] Naomi Tomky included the business in Thrillist's 2022 overview of "where to eat in Seattle right now".[29]

Nate Hall included Jackson's Catfish Corner in Eater Seattle's 2022 list of "fabulous" fish and chips destinations in the Seattle metropolitan area.[30] The restaurant was also included in the website's 2022 list of Seattle's "most sensational" sandwiches and 2023 list of the city's "essential" seafood restaurants.[31][32] Aimee Rizzo included Jackson's Catfish Corner in The Infatuation's 2022 overview of Seattle's best fish and chips.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jackson's Catfish Corner features Southern cuisine in Seattle, Washington". 2023-06-19. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  2. ^ "Black-Owned Restaurants in Seattle: A Diner's Guide". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  3. ^ Fodor's Seattle. Fodor's Travel. 2023-04-25. ISBN 978-1-64097-594-1.
  4. ^ a b Simpson, Jordie. "Black Restaurant Weeks". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  5. ^ a b "The 13 Best Fish & Chips In Seattle - Seattle". The Infatuation. 2022-02-15. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  6. ^ a b "Catfish Corner in Seattle's Central District serves southern food with soul". king5.com. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  7. ^ Keimig, Jas; Seling, Megan; Smith, Rich. "Stranger Suggests: Jackson's Catfish Corner, Linda From Work, 'Giselle,' 'Punch-Drunk Love,' Silent Film Mondays". The Stranger. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  8. ^ "In this week's issue, editors and reporters highlighted their 50 favorite restaurants". Seattle Weekly. 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  9. ^ Garbes, Angela. "Jackson's Catfish Corner Comes Full Circle". The Stranger. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  10. ^ Billups, Sara (2014-08-27). "Catfish Corner Shutters After Almost Three Decades". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  11. ^ Radil, Amy (2018-10-24). "Feeling Displaced In Southeast Seattle, District 2". kuow.org. Archived from the original on 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  12. ^ Hill, Megan (2015-07-07). "Jackson's Catfish Corner Finds Permanent Home in Rainier Beach". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  13. ^ "Catfish Corner: a new location, still a family fish-fry affair". The Seattle Times. 2015-08-05. Archived from the original on 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  14. ^ Jones, Sara (2015-08-17). "Jackson's Catfish Corner to Return to Jackson Street". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  15. ^ "Catfish Corner Plans to Reopen Next Week". South Seattle Emerald. 2016-08-08. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  16. ^ Hill, Megan (2016-10-18). "Whoa: Jackson's Catfish Corner Returns to Central District Roots". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  17. ^ Callaghan, Adam H. (2018-02-27). "Central District Classic Jackson's Catfish Corner Closes Yet Again". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  18. ^ Burnstead, Brandon (2021-10-13). "Jackson's Catfish Corner: The continuation of an incredible Seattle legacy". Seattle Refined. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  19. ^ Guarente, Gabe (2021-05-10). "Beloved Jackson's Catfish Corner Plans Another Return to the Central District". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  20. ^ "Coming Home: Jackson's Catfish Corner Reopens in the Central District On Juneteenth". South Seattle Emerald. 2021-06-18. Archived from the original on 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  21. ^ "PHOTO ESSAY: South End Marks First Federal Juneteenth With Celebration and Joy". South Seattle Emerald. 2021-06-21. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  22. ^ Guarente, Gabe (2021-06-21). "Iconic Jackson's Catfish Corner Makes Celebratory Return to Central District". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  23. ^ "Jackson's Catfish Corner Review - Central District - Seattle". The Infatuation. 2022-08-22. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  24. ^ Jackson, Brian (2023-03-08). "Soul of the CD: Family business, Jackson's Catfish Corner, comes back home to Central District". FOX 13 Seattle. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  25. ^ "Winner Winner FREE Dinner". Food Network. Archived from the original on 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  26. ^ Briscoe, Kienan (2023-02-25). "Black Restaurant Week kicks off in Seattle for Black History Month". Lynnwood Times. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  27. ^ Tomky, Naomi (2021-08-24). "Dive into Seattle restaurant history starting from the beginning". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2023-06-18. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  28. ^ Dern, Judith (2018-08-10). The Food and Drink of Seattle: From Wild Salmon to Craft Beer. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-5977-5.
  29. ^ Tomky, Naomi (2020-08-12). "Where to Eat in Seattle Right Now". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  30. ^ Hall, Nate (2022-09-19). "Where to Get Fabulous Fish and Chips in the Seattle Area". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  31. ^ "Where to Order Some of Seattle's Most Sensational Sandwiches". Eater Seattle. 2015-10-22. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  32. ^ "Essential Seattle Seafood Restaurants". Eater Seattle. 2023-01-12. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
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