Follow Your Nose to Billy Ray’s

Broken Arrow’s Best Catfish and BBQ

Pull into the parking lot at 91st and Elm on a Tuesday afternoon and you’ll smell it before you see the sign. Hickory smoke. The kind that takes all day to get right. That’s Billy Ray’s Catfish & BBQ Company, and if you haven’t been, there are probably people in your neighborhood who’ve been meaning to tell you about it.

Tyler and Teresa Roberts have run the Broken Arrow location since 2011, carrying on a tradition that Teresa’s stepfather Billy Ray Cooper started back in 1984 with a single spot on Southwest Boulevard in Tulsa. Billy Ray passed in 2018, but the recipes, some of them traced back to a handwritten collection found in Grandma’s silver chest, haven’t changed a lick. His wife Sherry still runs the original Tulsa location. Teresa and Tyler hold down Broken Arrow, and they do it well.

Tyler will tell you, “The best part of the job isn’t the food, it’s our regulars.”

“I love most interacting with our guests,” he said. “We’ve been seeing many of the same people for 15 years and meeting all of the new people who were recommended to our restaurant.”

Fifteen years of the same faces. That’s not customer retention it’s satisfaction.

Why Catfish and BBQ? Because Nothing Else Comes Close.

There’s a reason fried catfish has been a staple of Southern and Midwestern cooking for generations. Done right, with mild, flaky filets coated in seasoned cornmeal and dropped into hot peanut oil, it’s hard to improve on. Oklahoma’s Official Travel & Tourism website flat-out calls Billy Ray’s catfish “out of this world.” One TripAdvisor reviewer made the drive from out of town, liked it so much he came back the very next evening, and wrote that it was the catfish specifically that “won me over.”

The BBQ side of the menu operates on a different kind of patience. Ribs, brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, bologna, sausage links, and chopped chicken all spend the better part of a day over hickory wood. You can’t fake that. The meat either earned its smoke ring or it didn’t. At Billy Ray’s, it has, every time, for more than 40 years.

Teresa Roberts puts the philosophy plainly, We love being a town staple and don’t plan to fix what isn’t broken. The recipes are the recipes. We do it right and take care of our diners.”

More Than You Expected

First-timers often come in for the catfish or the ribs and leave surprised by how much else there is to try. The fish tacos have earned “best in polls” recognition around Tulsa. The pork sliders are a regular subject of conversation. There are also loaded baked potatoes, crispy and grilled chicken salads, chicken strips, burgers, and sandwiches, all grounded in that same famous BBQ sauce that’s been a regional staple since Billy Ray first opened his doors.

Hungry crowd coming? The “Dinner for Two” is a generous plate of ribs, chicken, and catfish with five sides, or you can go all catfish if that’s your move. Family packs make feeding a group easy. The kids’ menu goes well beyond the usual: fried shrimp, rib dinners, catfish filets, and the Little Ray Burger. Meat by the pound is there for the people who know exactly what they want and want a lot of it.

“We CATER,” Tyler said. “From small deliveries to full-service events, we can take care of all of your catering needs.”

Their drive-thru window adds convenience for those who want to place a call-in order or order from their website. For nights you don’t feel like leaving the couch, Billy Ray’s delivers through DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub.

The Tulsa Area Has Options. Billy Ray’s Has Regulars.

Broken Arrow and the greater Tulsa metro aren’t short on barbecue joints and catfish spots. What separates Billy Ray’s isn’t a gimmick or a new concept. It’s the fact that the food is just consistently good, the portions are honest, and the people behind the counter actually know your name after a few visits.

Reviewers on TripAdvisor keep circling back to the same themes: go early, go hungry, and don’t skip the cobbler. One diner wrote that the food reminded them of their grandmother’s cooking. That’s the kind of compliment that can’t be manufactured. Teresa Roberts said it simply: “What will you see when you dine at Billy Ray’s? Happy guests enjoying great food in a friendly casual atmosphere.”

The western-vibe dining room is the kind of place where you settle in, loosen your belt a notch, and eat until you’re glad you came. No pretense. Just good food and a family that’s been at this a long time.

Come Hungry

Billy Ray’s Catfish & BBQ Company is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.