Veronica Navarro has been cooking for almost her entire life.
Having had her first child at a young age, she always had to make sure there was food on the table.
Navarro loved cooking more and more with each dish she prepared. She learned how to cook from her family.
“My dad cooks a lot of Mexican food, so I learned how to cook Mexican food from him,” Navarro says. “My aunt kind of taught me how to cook soul food. We would talk on the phone, and I would ask questions while I was cooking, and she taught me.”
Navarro is no stranger to seafood cuisine. Before owning her first restaurant, Navarro worked as a cashier and cook for nine years at the South Dallas location of Ronnie’s Catfish before franchising her own.
The first Ronnie’s Catfish that Navarro franchises is located in Mesquite. She knew her second location, which opened in December 2020, had to be in Lake Highlands.
“I always wanted to. I just thought that was the perfect location,” Navarro says. “When I worked at the South Dallas location I used to have a lot of customers come from like Plano, North Dallas and Frisco area, so I just thought having one there will be a little bit closer to them.”
The food at Ronnie’s Catfish is made to order and served fresh. The catfish is available in bone-in or filets (no bone). All catfish meals start at two pieces and can go up to 20 pieces. Party orders can include up to 100 pieces of catfish.
On top of serving catfish, Ronnie’s Catfish also offers a variety of sandwiches, baskets, tails and desserts. Aside from seafood, customers love the pork chop baskets, cheeseburgers and the Texas burger, which is a three-patty burger placed on Texas toast with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and pickles, served with fries.
“I just love customers coming in, and when they place their order, they love the food,” Navarro says. “They love the fact that it’s real catfish. There’s not many places that have real Southern catfish.”
Navarro plans to add daiquiris to the menu sometime this summer, but for now, she wants to enjoy cooking catfish and meeting people in Lake Highlands.
“This Ronnie’s Catfish restaurant was probably the best decision I could have made,” Navarro says. “I just love it.”
Ronnie’s Catfish & More, 469.372.0288, 10729 Audelia Road
