Texas Fish Chicken Grill takes winning formula to new Arlington location
There's a new restaurant in Arlington serving fried fish and fried chicken in one convenient spot: Called Texas Fish Chicken Grill , it's part of a family-owned mini-chain, which opened on June 27 at 1030 W Arkansas Ln. #206, in the former D. Smith's Chicken and Fish (which relocated).
Texas Fish Chicken Grill is owned by Obie Alananzeh and his five brothers, who debuted the concept in Fort Worth in July 2023.
They describe the food as Midwest Chicago fare, with a goal to be both affordable and delicious. It's a wide-ranging menu, featuring chicken wings, T-bone steak, grilled chicken dinner, Philly cheesesteaks, gyro sandwiches, and loaded fries.
But it was not always this way, Alananzeh says. "We started off as a small restaurant doing Mediterranean-style food, a cuisine that we know — but it didn't catch on," he says.
They pivoted to fried, including their signature fried catfish, two fillets dusted in cornmeal and fried until lightly golden, served with French fries, for $14.
Their other signature is their fried chicken wings, an unusual rendition with the whole wing dipped in batter and fried. They also do traditional smaller wings with the usual sauces such as honey, hot, parmesan garlic, and BBQ. One of their most popular orders is a combo with fried catfish with wings, for $20.
More things they fry include tilapia, shrimp, fish nuggets, chicken gizzards, and chicken tenders. Plus sides such as onion rings, fried okra, mozzarella sticks, fried mushrooms, and hush puppies.
Their most expensive item is a grilled rib-eye with six shrimp, served with potato, a salad, and Texas toast for $26. All food and sauces are made in house.
Prior to starting Texas Fish Chicken Grill, they'd briefly owned a restaurant in their hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, before relocating to Texas.
"We just one day were like, 'Let's move out of St. Louis and start a family business,'" he says. "I'm grateful we achieved this success in this short time; I give it up to my brothers, we've been in this since day one. We've put in every dime in our pockets toward this to get it to where it is in one year."
They've earned great word of mouth on social media, especially Facebook, where customers began sharing their positive experiences and begging for more locations.
"We're located in communities where people have got to go to work and make a living and don't have time to cook," Alananzeh says. "You come to our restaurant, and we give you the same food for probably less than cooking it at home."
