Fried catfish and/or Calabash-style seafood in Durham/Chapel Hill?

[CindyD]

I have some friends coming to visit from Toronto who are anxious to try Calabash-style seafood and fried catfish. I'm not a big fan of either, so I haven't a clue where to take them. Any recommendations?

TIA.

[notfancyjustgood]

Mama Dip's... although I prefer the fried chicken

or better yet just take a daytrip down to Calabash for the real deal... I like Coleman's in calabash.

[realjuel]

We like Capt. John's Dockside on 15-501 heading toward Pittsboro. Haven't had the catfish there but the fried croaker is great. I love fried catfish, mind you, but I think catching and cleaning them yourself results in a more flavorful fish than the farm raised ones.

[cackalackie]

And coincidentally, Kemp's is now located at the original site of the Cock of the Walk, which is where I had fried catfish for the first time, many moons ago. (Anyone remember that place?)

[chazzer]

I remember that place all the food tasted like the metal pans it was served in

[rossgrady]

As everybody else says, Kemp's. The canonical answer used to be "the seafood restaurant at the NC Farmer's Market in Raleigh," and since, to the best of my knowledge, they're owned by the same guy, I guess it still is the canonical answer, more or less. So you can pick between the two depending on which is closer.

NC Farmer's mkt: http://triangle.citysearch.com/profile/6179199
Kemps: http://triangle.citysearch.com/review...

I'm not really much of a fan of Calabash-style anything, but I know enough to know that, the half-dozen times I went, Kemp's was a pretty classic example of it.

[jsb23nc]

Kemp's

[About Town]

I'd check out Mama Dips for fried catfish. http://www.mamadips.com/lunchdinner2....

[walras]

Kemp's in Durham.

Their website is down, so try
http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&...

[Chow Penguin]

I'll second that. However, my OH is reluctant to return any time soon because he had tummy troubles after our last visit. I put this down to bad oil that the food was fried in. I was OK though.