Rockaway Fish House

This place has gone seriously downhill. The food was old and tasted awful like it had been sitting out for days. There's no flavor, no love, no nothing in their so-called "soul food." And to top it all off, I think they tried to pass off beef neck bones as short beef ribs. Totally unacceptable! The service is disgraceful. No southern charm here. This place is old been here for a while and you would think some renovations had been done they closed down for a couple of months and then came back worse than when they closed. I think the Fish House Ran its race and now they need to close. They are now quantity over quality. They lost their touch. Bye, fish house. Food sitting out all day until it's dried out. The health department needs to take a look at this place... Hot food should not be kept out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. If the temperature is 90°F or higher, the time limit is reduced to 1 hour. This is because bacteria can multiply rapidly in the "danger zone" between 40°F and 140°F. They used to have a quick turnover and line out the door, but not anymore. I only get the fried fish from here. The Fish is cooked to order. My family ordered that other stuff.

Member of my lodge has been bringing the fried Whiting for quite a while. We have other food but everyone eats the Whiting. Tastes fantastic. We are now going to expand by ordering other dishes on the menu. I'm one Italian who loves this food.

The food is good and the portions are large. Check the day you go, somedays are only cash, but most days you can use your debit/credit cards. The place is Caribbean/African American so you get spices in some meals. Nothing is bland, so it tastes very good. I have lived here, moved away, and returned for a few months, and I am happy this place is here to service the neighborhood. Good Ribs and Chicken are hard to find, and this place delivers a good serving of both. When someone gives a bad review, check their other reviews before you believe it, most places are good. If they lack something, tell hem, and let them improve to your taste. Thanks.

I was staying at a hotel near JFK and went for a walk to find something more interesting than hotel food: this place blew me away. The ribs were so flavourful and tender, the mac n cheese is probably the best I’ve ever had, with a huge portion and reasonable prices. Thank you guys for looking after a confused looking English person

I ordered Uber. The food was raw nasty. It taste like morning breath, and I’m gonna redo it the way I like it. The ribs was dry and raw like they boil the ribs and then put in the oven to cook. If I wasn’t at work, I would take it back horrible

Growing up we knew this restaurant as RCL . I would drive from Brooklyn to get these big plates to share with 4 of us . There food is affordable for what you get and taste like home cooking . At time the lines can get long but it moves . Long time Patron they don’t miss .

Best place to get Soul-Food. The wait may be long but the service is awesome. I been going to Rockaway fish house for years. My grandmother worked there with her good friend and owner Mr. Charlie, when Carmichael dinner closed down. If you want some good down SOUL-FOOD YOU have to give Rockaway fish house try

When i come to New york it's a must go too. The workers are so friendly, food is 💯

The Food was amazing! I had Smothered chicken with potato salad and string beans. I started off eating the food with my fingers because I didn't have a fork. It was so good I couldn't stop.!

The worst Mac & Cheese ever , Watery and all taste is black pepper and the appearance doesn't make you excited to dig in , the yams had no flavor and the color was off , they were big with so many strings. I placed the order for delivery and I specified how I would like my food packaged and it was a mess yams on top and under the Mac & Cheese and don't get me started on the fish I had just got in from work and didn't feel like cooking so I looked online to order from a place I know the food is good but I seen this place and thought I would give it a try the worst decision I will never get or recommend this place ever again. I threw the whole thing in the trash a waste of money. I think I should open a restaurant like my family been telling me for years and show them how it's done

This place has gone seriously downhill. The food was old and tasted awful like it had been sitting out for days. There's no flavor, no love, no nothing in their so-called "soul food." And to top it all off, I think they tried to pass off beef neck bones as shirt beef ribs. Totally unacceptable! The service is disgraceful. No southern charm here. This place is old been here for a while and you would think some renovations had been done they closed down for a couple of months and then came back worse than when they closed. I think the Fish House Ran its race and now they need to close. They are now quantity over quality. They lost their touch. Bye, fish house.

I decided to try RFH again a few times since my last review. My thru the roof Soul Food cravings needed fixing and RFH did the job!! I ordered my favs, Fried chicken and BBQ chicken (entree) w.mac n cheese, yams and collard greens. Everything was good. The chicken was well seasoned and moist and the sides were hitting as well! Portions are always good. I'm happy to continue to support this business..I hope they remain consistent. :-)

If you like medium rare pig feet order from here. Absolutely disgusting. The garbage it went. $20 for a very small order of less than 2 pieces sliced in half with remaining bones. Total RIPOFF!!!!

I cannot believe their prices have increased this much. So I stopped by because I had a taste for fried pork chops and didn't want to go shopping nor did I want to cook. I was shocked to see that they are now charging $26+ tax (28 in total) for a pork chop dinner in a take out restaurant. Worst part is they were only ok and the greens were cold. I should have known that something was wrong when I was able to get parking right outside of the door (IYKYK). The only good thing was the service, the server helping me was delightful.

I ordered 2 platters- pig feet, potato salad, and greens. The other was fried fish, mac&cheese, yams. The fish was okay, yams are sweet and good. Please skip the greens and the bland Mac. As far as the random ordering of pig feet- If you are about that life, you will appreciate it, but they do have a few hairs. Home cooks usually burn those pieces of hair off the feet. Potato salad was also just okay. Large portions of meh. All in all not bad or great- just choose items you cannot mess up and you will be full. Cheers!

Food is great, it's what we call down home cooking... something's your Grandmother would make on a Sunday meal. After church dinner all week long.

The food was absolutely delicious--well worth the long wait and the frustrating parking situation

Prices are ridiculous. This use to be an affordable, go-to spot. No way would I pay almost $30 for some turkey wings and sides that are served cafeteria style. I'll go to thos spot in Brooklyn that is literally half the price.

The fact that this place is still in business is nothing short of a miracle. If my mom didn't have a craving for Soul Food, I would never set foot back in this establishment again. The food here is way too overpriced for the quality you get out and it's not much. I went for a fish dinner with mac n Cheese and string beans along with a slice of cake for dessert. The while thing came up to $28, I felt like I got robbed. Is a fish dinner really more than $20 now? That is absolutely wild! After coming back home to eat, I was unsatisfied and so was my mom. It's bad enough the fish and sides were mediocre, just having to pay close to $30 for what I bought just made the whole meal taste like garbage. The cake was the only redeeming factor of my purchase but that doesn't really count because it's not like they make it. It's a shame that there is no competition nearby for RFC like there was back in the day, at least you'd know you would get a bangin' meal for an affordable price, but since this is the only soul food spot in the nearby area, business has gotten lazy and money hungry that it's not worth paying for any of their meals that lack heart and taste. What a disappointment.

I ordered barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese and candy yams Viva telephone. Apparently there is no option to get two helping of the same food items like double yams oppose to chicken, candy, yams, and macaroni and cheese. there are was no option if you wanted breast vs leg. Anyway the chicken was extremely fatty, collar greens were undercooked, sharp stems sticking out and the yams were decent, I am no longer licking my lips when this meal arrives, and all this for 24 dollars

Sometimes memories should just be left as memories. Back in the day the fried whites were the best. Freshly cleaned fish that was fried up to order. Yesterday I ordered some fried whitening fish and was anticipating to eat it when I got home. The smell was smelling really good in the car. Got home and sat down to eat and realized that this was not fresh fish but frozen fish filets. Very disappointed to say the least. It's still edible but just know that it's not freshly caught fish.

Food was good. Service was even better. No frills establishment just grab your grub and run

Well, on my layover at JFK International Airport, hunger became overwhelming. Being wary of airport cuisine, I persuaded the crew to head over to Rockaway Fish House for a trip down memory lane, soul food cuisine style. I noted some less than favorable reviews of late on this place and was a bit skeptical, but I decided to try it anyway. Thankfully, it was a day when oxtail was on the menu, which proved to be a magnificent selection. One of the group had the fried chicken platter, the other gorged on oxtails like me, only exchanging the sides. While some upgrades could be made to the interior facade, this didn't take away from what was important, the quality and overall taste of the food. The oxtail was extraordinarily seasoned and tender, just as I had envisioned them on the short drive over. My Mac and cheese were a well selected corner piece, slightly crunchy on the top and very cheesy. I couldn't have made it better myself. A sizable iced tea to wash it down, and a slice of coconut custard pie finished me off real well. I was gastronomically prepared for my 14-hour flight, although I wishing I had obtained a to-go order to offset that airline food. A big win for the Rockaway Fish House keeps holding on to your standards of excellence.

The food is great especially the pig feet and hog maws, it is worth the wait. For the food they give you I have no problems at all.

Food is amazing and they serve you a good portion. I love this place. The worker are very polite. I will always recommend this place to anyone if they want soul food

Many years ago when I was first exploring Jamaica's food scene, most locals told me to check out the "Fish House" for some bangin' soul food. Yet, I could only find "RCL Enterprises." The storefront sign reflected as such, as did virtually every listing online. After asking around, I was told this *was* the Fish House and I've been coming ever since. The setup is similar to many casual eateries in the area: line up, put the order through, and they'll take care of the rest. There is no seating, just big catered trays of food reflecting a wide range of southern fare with lots of choices. Any first timer might assume this was a buffet of some kind (#2) but that's just for display. There is no seating, usually just long lines of people with double parked cars outside. I enjoy their smothered anything, turkey legs, collard greens, mac and cheese, potato salad, tuna mac, fried fish, chopped bbq meat and banana pudding. Folks who really want to get it poppin need to get on the hog maws (pig's feet), chitlins, oxtail, and fried chicken. They don't skimp on the portion sizes, which I so appreciate. Lately the naysayers believe the food has taken a hit, but I think they're still as solid as ever. Prices have certainly gone up over the years, but such is inflation. No one ever likes it. They also deliver via UberEats now, which was the case even before the pandemic hit. Service may seem lukewarm to most, but I think they're just take a no BS approach to getting food out. Folks who hold up the line by being wishy washy will often get rushed and sometimes they're not great at confirming food availability on the phone. They've been in business for several decades at this point and I hope they continue to stick around for the neighborhood and the borough. One can never have enough soul food options and RCL / Rockaway Fish House is one not to miss. __________ (#1) Sort of like ethnic restaurants that have a local name but an official name for everyone else. (#2) I wish. An AYCE soul food buffet would be a dream.

My food waa terrible take like the coolard greens were canned collards greens and my rice was hard. I was so hungry it was so bad i couldnt ear. I really dintvlike giving bad reviews but i had no choice and they are not friendly very rude and its no price list you have been warned. I dont have money to just give away.

I stayed at local hotel for an early morning flight out of JFK. I asked the front desk if there was anywhere I could walk to .... They quickly said no. Not knowing the area I brought up Yelp and saw this was less than a mile away. Well after a quick 10 minute walk I found it! Upon arrival I questioned my decision, I am not gonna lie...the place does not look overwhelmingly inviting. Inam glad I walked in. The woman behind the counter was awesome. She walked me through and let taste local favorites. I loved everything...but there really is no fish. Haha. They have great baked, bbq and jerked chicken. They have the same options for ribs along with an amazing beef rib. I went with the baked chicken and jerked pork ribs. A side of rice with the beef gravy and some Mac n cheese. After getting back to the room, I ate like a king while watching some old episodes of Seinfeld on Netflix! Thanks to whoever was working that evening .... She made this out of town guy feel welcome and put together a great meal!!!

They've gone down, way down. And they only take cash to not to pay taxes or the correct amount of taxes.

Ok Ok gotta give this place they say lol. They say you cannot tell by the crowd if the food was good.... they was packed. I learned about this place from my cousin who lives in California lol and my son. They give you some nice healthy portions of food and had a nice variety as well. They were out of oxtail and chicken wings so we opted for the a fish sandwich which was really good and my mother had the BBQ chicken rice and peas and Mac and cheese. The ribs are good but not cooked all the way it was pink inside which was a turn off for me. Here a two pictures

I'll never eat here again, sorry but my experience was the worst, line was long as I walked in, thinking oh must be great food. After placing my order, had to wait 25 min for fried chicken, after 26 min we were given our food, we left, when we got to the car my husband decided to check the food to make sure they didn't mix our order up as they were very busy, said so said done, definitely was mixed had to go back in, waited another few min to get it right. When we got home rice was very hard and dry maybe after sitting there, the fried chicken was dried the breast, didn't even get our corn bread that we paid for. Only thing I did enjoy was the Mac and cheese reason for the two stars! W I try the food again? Definitely NOT!!

Food is decent and the price and amount of food they throw on your plate is great which makes it worth the trip and the waiting in line

Came in tonight for dinner. Ordered Smothered chicken with a side of green beans and Mac and cheese. Their Mac n cheese is one of the best I've ever had. Portion was huge as well so I def have some lunch saved for tomorrow. Food is tasty, place is clean and service is ok, def could be a lot friendlier.

It's been years since I've been here, the food used to be great. My expectations were not met. I was so disappointed with my food and the service matched.

I have been coming to Rockaway Fish House for years. Back in the 80's, 90's, even 2000's the food was fresh, well seasoned, and you got your monies worth. A TRUE SOUTHERN TAKE-OUT! I still occasionally come for a dinner, but the food is just not what it use to be. The meats do not look appetizing. A large selection of food, but, nothing is very appealing. RCL is a well established business in South Jamaica. The original owner was dedicated to the community and making sure the food was properly prepared. The long lines were worth the wait. The customers are still willing to come to your restaurant but consider what makes for repeat customers...Tasty, Fresh food, made with love.

Great spot for some Soul food. The serving sizes are huge. Dinner plates come with 2 sides & a main dish. They have a variety of meats to choose from, bbq chicken; jerk chicken, ribs, etc. I ordered Whiteys plate which comes with 4 pcs of fish, and 2 sides - Mac & cheese with cabbage. I also ordered yams, and black eye peas with a side of jerk chicken. Everything taste so good. The plates are filling & delicious

Well, I must say Thanksgiving was a bust...I ordered several pans for our meal on turkey day..The stuffing was the worst and the canned sweet potatoes placed a close second. Needless to say, the compost enjoyed the recycled mess..we all had to pitch in and perform a "surgical " re-do as the folk coming were anticipating a soul food extravaganza... NOT!! I take no joy in lambasting this black biz but yall need to put some love back in your catering as it seemed like more of a money grab than seasoned biz that as far as I am concerned USE TO BE the place to go for Soul Food but has now SOLD OUT and LOWERED THEIR STANDARDS. Oh, and btw..my fur babies cosign on this total Day of Misgiving as today we are all suffering from salt overload...I am beyond frustrated!!!!

I've been coming here for years. Went today and ordered a chicken dinner and received 2 pieces for $15 I realize they are cutting back but that's ridiculous.. at least 3 plus it was a breast and a wing.. I think this place has run its course.

Cash only. Food is tasty af. My takeout container was stuffed to the brim. Love the beef ribs. Got a side of rice to make sure I was eating healthy with collard greens and yams

The staff and ownership has clearly changed. I grew up on this place and it has changed drastically. I believe the new owners are West Indian. Everything is greasy and the servers aren't as pleasant. The fish is just OK now where it used to be great

Food is good but they sue the same gloves to touch food with money and never change. Prices go up everyday months

Food is not the same. The fish is bland no seasoning. This use to be my favorite place to order 10 or 14 pieces of fish.

Excellent for years!!! Best Soul Food In Queens!!! My Family has used them for years and years!!!

Love them and love the food - been coming here since I was 10 years old (I'm 30 now) To the point they know my order Jerk Ribs Mac & Cheese and Yams Kind of upset it's cash only now but other than that good still bussin

I'm never completely satisfied when I get food from here, and yet every once and a while I still find myself walking through their doors for a Sunday meal. Usually enough time has passed between visits and I forget how dissatisfied I was the last time. They have this new thing where you can order online, tell them what type of car you have - you pull up outside and they'll bring your meal to you. There's no charge for this service so upon placing my online order of short ribs, whiting, and turkey wings, I tipped $6 because I'm thinking ok, this person has to take up my food, pack it up, and then come out in the cold to find my car and give me my order. So nice of them! Fast forward. 5mins before my order was scheduled to come out, I'm told they were out of turkey wings. I asked what other meats they had and she ran off the list, but left out oxtail, which definitely would've been my next choice. So I opted for another order of short ribs. I get a call 2mins later saying they were out of the strawberry shortcake I ordered and wanted to replace it with something else. I told them to just refund the cake and they told me it wasn't an option because there was no manager there to give the refund...huh? So I'm strong armed into paying for something I don't want? **insert annoyed, frustrated and ripped off smiley here** And do you wanna know the icing on the strawberry shortcake I never got?? The woman then asked me if I could come inside and get the food because she was too busy to bring it out!! Wait, but I gave you a $6 tip! Smh.

The food is delicious! The portions are very generous. The price, not bad for the amount of food you're receiving. There's many options to choose from. HOWEVER, the customer service needs work. Two of the young girls were rude and aggressive, also not very attentive. The older woman was pleasant, and "cleaned" up the service for them. But as my first impression, it wasn't good. But the food is good enough to bring me back next time I'm in the a Update: 7/2019 I won't be coming back here. This was my second visit here and the service is still bad. The food is good, but it's not worth coming to a restaurant and be treated so insignificantly at a place where I'm spending my money. There's no reason I'm standing in line for 10 mins and get no acknowledgement, people who came in after getting their order taken before me, and not a word spoken to me when my money is dropped in my hand. I did recommend this place to others, but I will be retracting that recommendation. There's definitely other places I can go.

The best soul food in Queens, maybe even NYC. My family and I love this food. We normally get multiple trays and share the food as if it's a Thanksgiving Dinner. The Fried fried is made to order so you do have to wait for it to be made. The Mac and cheese w/ Candied yams is to die for. This spot is the closest thing to my moms cooking and that says a lot because my mom can COOK! If you going into the restaurant, expect a line and expect to want to take a nap after devouring this delicious food.

Good crab legs, I most def got enough to fly back home with! This is not my first time here or at this location. I did like the food this go round better than the last. This time I did not get to dine in but it wasn't a big deal because I had the experience before. The hours make this a go to place to grab decent food

Came by at 5 for Sunday dinner. I was on line for bout 30 mins but definitely worth the time for what I received...lovely bbq ribs, limas, and yummy yams. The pork ribs are soft, plentiful, meaty...delicious. Lima beans are cooked with some sort of pork bone so they are full of flavor. Yams are chunky and sweet and AMAZING!. But ya know what? The BBQ SAUCE on the side is even more freaking amazing. I drank it like soup and that's no joke. Get it!!! I will definitely return and often. So many choices it'll make your brain work overtime before the fateful decision...WHAT WILL I GET! Can't wait to try the namesake fried whiting next time.

Haven't eaten here in a very long time. Being hungry I ordered ribs. Collard greens, sweet potatoes and cornbread I am so glad I did. Delicious!!!!!!

Food is great but your servers have attitude And that's not good no one wants some one serving there food with an attitude and also you need to train them on how to take orders over the phone we are paying customers learn how to be pleasant on the phone all that slamming. The phone in the customer hears is a no no it's not a good look for your restaurant.

If you are looking for Soul Food, this IS NOT the place to go to.... The first time I've tried the food it was not good at all. I gave them the benefit of doubt since it was late at night. I tried again this evening and man-- the Fried Chicken tasted like absolutely nothing. The food was so bland. The tasty part of the chicken was the flour on the skin. The presentation was sloppy, and the food was soggy. The mac n cheese was as if they boil the noodles then poured Government cheese on top. I regretted every bite. This so called "Soul food" was more like Ghost food . The Sweet Potato Pie was the texture of clay. Left me flabbergasted...

This is STILL one of my favorite places to get GOOD food at GREAT prices. Is the wait long? Yes but the food is so worth it. Do you ever get tired of waiting on the line? Yes but the food is worth it. I love this place because they give you what you pay for, if a dinner is $13.00, please know that you will have exactly what you are paying for. A lady stood in front of me on the line and I was undecided about which type of meats to choose from since there are so MANY choices to choose from so she suggested that I try either the oxtails or the jerk reins. She also told me that if I was interested in trying anything that they offer that they will give you a sample. I was totally surprised so I decided to ask my server if I can try the jerk ribs to see if that's what I wanted and he gave me two not one to sample. Oh my oh my, the jerk ribs were delicious that I immediately fell in love. That sealed the deal so I chose the jerk ribs along with string beans which the lady suggested as well and my all time favorite, the candied yams. They also offer lunch specials Monday-Friday from 11:30-3:30 for ONLY $7.00. If you don't mind waiting a bit for some good food, then head over to RCL Enterprises and make your stomach happy. You will not be disappointed at all.

Drove from Brooklyn hunting for some good old soulfood ribs. Being disappointed by the Rib Shack, I drove over to my other old go to spot RCL where I had almost the same disappointing experience and conversation with the othe r 3 people in there about the look of the food and how it all looked as if it was sitting all day yet they had just opened. Back in the day you walked in and joined a line that went around and outside and saw the beautiful golden fried fish and the smoke coming off the food in the cases being constantly brought out because business was so brisk. How the mighty have fallen another main staple abandoned by it's ownership and trying to hold on to it's past glory. The changes are obvious, cash only and no pig feet, or FISH, no pig ears or cheese in the mac. The ribs were really something put out from the fridge in pieces cut up, might even had been baby backs cut up, the older lady and I could not figure out which but it was clear I was not getting any of the meat dishes from here even the older ladies just purchased some sides. I got mom some candied sweet potatoes and a sweet potato pie which was always her favorite. I'm so disappointed, I used to live down the street from this place and always came home with choices because it was hard to decide on just one thing. I was so disheartened to see the chopped bbq pork all dried up and hard, I ALWAYS grabbed an order in a sandwich....not today....this is the 2nd time, I'll be back next Spring and try one last time, in the mean time I'll pray for new owners....that care.

Do Not Except Credit Cards Why? Fried Fish is Poorly Seasoned if not at all Please let them know this review so they can improve other food there is delicious!

Food is delicious! Wait time is brutal but worth it. I had fish sandwich which was wonderful. Oxtails were NOT good. I do not recommend Oxtails yo. Mac n cheese was the BOMB... Very tasty. Banana pudding was straight fire for reals. Expert tip: be sure to park around the block in front of abandoned house next to psycho attack dogs

I'm not sure what has happened with this place over the past couple of years but they have begun to dwindle dwindle and dwindle slowly yet surely. I had the macaroni and cheese and it did not have that southern home cooked taste. It was lacking flavor and different types of cheese. It was more like macaroni pie. The fish, which is a very simple dish to cook was too crispy and had little flavor of any. As for the chopped bbq, it was good texture-wise but the sauce was a nah. Kraft bbq sauce tastes better. The costs greens were good though. So yea after visiting my once go-to spot for soul food, I won't be going anymore. Pickup via postmates was simple and easy!