At Lassis Inn Fried Fish Still Sets the Tone in Little Rock

A plate of buffalo fish ribs does not arrive looking like a cautious lunch order. At Lassis Inn in Little Rock, the fish is battered and fried around the bones in a rib-like presentation, with a crackling exterior and a tender, meaty middle. It is a dish with presence, and it gives this small restaurant a specialty that is hard to confuse with standard fried-fish fare.

Lassis Inn keeps the focus close to home: fried fish, familiar Southern sides, cold beer and a room built for an unhurried meal. The menu is not trying to cover every possible craving. It is built around a handful of things that belong together, served in an old-school setting with a strong local identity.

Buffalo fish ribs are the order that tends to stop newcomers for a minute. The bones are part of the format, so this is hands-on eating rather than a neat fork-and-knife fish fillet. The reward is the contrast between the crisp fry and the soft fish inside.

The dish also carries a certain old Southern familiarity. Fried buffalo fish has the kind of home-table association that can make a restaurant meal feel connected to earlier family suppers, even for people encountering the ribs for the first time.

For a broader sampling, combination plates can pair buffalo fish ribs with farm-raised catfish fillets. It is a sensible way to compare the two preparations without having to choose sides before the meal begins.

Catfish remains the foundation of the menu. It is available in steaks or fillets, and the steaks are notably substantial: thick pieces of fish with a crisp coating and a tender center.

A catfish steak has a little more heft than a fillet, making it a good fit for diners who want their fish to feel like the main event. Fillets offer the more familiar, straightforward route. Either way, the appeal lies in hot fried fish that stays soft and meaty beneath the crust.

Hush puppies have their own following here. They are the side most likely to inspire a second basket, which tells you something about how easily a supposedly supporting player can take over the table.

Fried okra is another strong choice, cooked with the same attention to a well-fried exterior. Coleslaw supplies the cool, creamy counterpoint that a fish plate wants, while fries bring their own crisp-outside, tender-inside texture.

Tomato relish, pickles and onions add little sharp or tangy notes around the plate. They are modest accompaniments, but they keep the meal from becoming one long stretch of fried richness.

Lassis Inn is small and intimate, more conversational than formal. From outside, it may not announce all that much; inside, the room has more warmth and personality than a quick glance at the exterior suggests.

Awards displayed indoors contribute to the sense that this is a restaurant with a long-standing place in the city. Lassis Inn is widely regarded as a Little Rock tradition, and its history is also associated with accounts of civil rights leaders gathering there.

A blues jukebox gives the dining room an extra bit of character. The music suits the food: direct, rooted and unconcerned with fuss.

The service style is friendly and family-like, with the relaxed courtesy of a place that does not need to rush a table through its meal. That matters with food like this. Buffalo ribs, catfish, hush puppies and sides are better enjoyed at a measured pace than handled like a five-minute stop.

The result is casual without being careless. You can settle in for lunch, talk over a plate of fish and let the jukebox do a little work in the background.

Lassis Inn works for dine-in meals and takeout, so the same fried-fish lineup can travel home when a table meal is not in the cards. Meals generally fall in the $10 to $20 range.

Street parking is available nearby, though spaces can be tight enough that a short walk may be involved. Once inside, the decision is pleasantly simple: catfish, buffalo ribs, or both—and hush puppies are worth making room for.