Catfish and White River Views at JoJo’s in Mountain View

A basket of small, crisp hush puppies arrives while the kitchen works on the main event: catfish, hot from the fryer and set down in portions that do not appear to be holding back. At JoJo’s in Mountain View, that opening basket is a pleasant signal that lunch or dinner is going to be a full Southern-style meal, not a quick fish sandwich on the way somewhere else.

The restaurant looks out over the White River through large picture windows, giving a catfish dinner an unexpectedly broad backdrop. Plates, pie, and river scenery all share the table here, and the combination has made JoJo’s a familiar stop on Mountain View visits, scenic drives, and return trips to the area.

Fried catfish is the house specialty, served golden, carefully cooked, and in notably generous portions. It is the order around which the menu seems to turn, with traditional catfish dinners built for diners who want a serious plate rather than a token serving.

There are other ways to go about it, too. Catfish is available baked and grilled as well as fried, which gives the meal a little flexibility without sending anyone away from the restaurant’s central strength.

Seafood combinations expand the possibilities. Shrimp, seafood platters, catfish-and-shrimp combinations, and skewered grilled shrimp give a table plenty to discuss before the order is even placed. A Hungry Fisherman Plate takes the abundance even further, with a large mixed spread that can make sharing a sensible move.

The menu is not limited to fish. Ribeye with shrimp, burgers, crab cakes, and grilled shrimp dishes offer alternatives for a mixed group, though the catfish is plainly the reason many people make the stop.

A catfish dinner here is accompanied by the familiar comforts that make a Southern fish meal satisfying: pinto beans, coleslaw, fried okra, French fries, and tomato relish are among the sides that appear around the main plate.

Pickled green tomatoes, sometimes listed as green tomato pickles, add a tangy little counterpoint to fried fish and beans. It is one of those old-fashioned plate details that makes the meal more interesting than a standard fries-and-slaw formula.

The hush puppies are worth saving room for, even with everything else on the table. They tend toward the smaller, crisp, flavorful style rather than oversized round balls, and the fact that they arrive before the entrée makes it easy to understand how a person can begin filling up early.

Even the salad bar gets a river-minded touch: it is presented in a canoe. It is a simple visual flourish, but a memorable one, turning a familiar restaurant feature into something that fits the setting.

That detail also says something about the rhythm of a meal at JoJo’s. This is not a place that treats the fish plate as the only thing on the table. There are starters, sides, the salad bar, and dessert to consider, so the meal can unfold at an easy pace.

Homemade desserts make a strong case against calling it quits after the catfish. Possum Pie is a favorite finish, a name that tends to catch a newcomer’s eye and a dessert that has become closely associated with a meal here.

Coconut cream fried pie brings a different sort of indulgence, while peanut butter pie offers another classic choice. After fried fish, okra, beans, slaw, and hush puppies, dessert may sound ambitious. It is still hard to ignore when the pie list comes around.

The big windows give the indoor dining room wide views of the White River and the surrounding mountain landscape. That setting changes the character of the restaurant: it has the hearty food of a classic fish house, but the room invites diners to linger over the scenery.

After a meal, the back deck provides a place to step outside, look over the river, and take a few pictures. It is a natural extension of the stop, especially for travelers who have spent the day exploring Mountain View or driving through the area.

Indoor dining is the main setting, with an outdoor patio or terrace also noted. The river remains the dependable focal point, seen from the dining room and enjoyed more directly from the rear deck.

JoJo’s works well as a planned dinner destination or as a generous midday break between drives and town wandering. Many diners return whenever their travels bring them back to Mountain View, and some make more than one meal of it during the same stay.

There is a free parking lot with ample parking, which is welcome when arriving hungry and ready to settle in. Walk-ins are the usual pattern, although busy periods can vary, particularly around holidays.

Portions are substantial across the catfish plates and larger specialty platters. A table ordering several dishes may find that sharing, sampling sides, and leaving a little room for Possum Pie makes more sense than trying to conquer every last hush puppy alone.