For the last year or so, I’ve been hearing talk about the fried catfish at I Fry. I Fry is a mobile food vendor that recently opened a storefront at 101 Travis St. in downtown Shreveport. Friday and Saturday nights In the wee hours of each Thursday morning, owners Dennis and Debbie operate a food truck near the Red River District that opens at 1 a.m. and closes at 5:30 a.m. They open the storefront for lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and late night Friday and Saturday, 11:59 p.m.-6 a.m. The menu is made up entirely of fried food, including fried hot dogs ($2 or $1.50 if ordering two or more), chicken tenders ($3), fish fillets ($3 each), shrimp ($9 for a dozen) and more.
Because most of my friends who’d eaten at I Fry had done so following a few hours of socializing downtown, I’d always assumed that their glowing reviews of the catfish fillets may have lacked clear-headed objectivity. But, having tried it for myself, I have to admit it: This is some of the best fried catfish I’ve ever tasted. Each broad, golden brown fillet delivers a satisfying crunch. The fish is marinated in the batter, not just dredged in it immediately before frying. The batter itself has a lot going on, and is colored slightly red before the fillets go into the fryer. Whatever the secret is (is there crab boil in the batter?), the end product is really special.
I Fry’s storefront location at 101 Travis Street is open, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday-Friday. Call-in orders are welcome at (318) 990-0460. I Fry accepts Visa and Mastercard.
Thanks, Chris! Just to clarify our hours – we only have the food truck open, located on the corner of Crockett and Commerce, from 1am – 5:30am, on Wednesday night (early Thursday morning). We are in the storefront location on Friday and Saturday nights from 11:59pm – 6am and lunches from 11am – 2pm Tuesday through Friday.