Pop’s Kitchen Maryland Heights: Fried Catfish, Jack Salmon & Wings Worth the Trip
Revised July 12, 2026
What is Pop’s Kitchen in Maryland Heights known for?
Pop’s Kitchen is a takeout-only fish-and-chicken shop in the Dorsett Village plaza in Maryland Heights, known for fried catfish, jack salmon, wings, and a loaded Philly cheesesteak — generous portions at fair prices, around 4.4 to 4.5 stars. Open Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays; no dine-in, so order ahead.
Keep reading ↓It’s Friday, you’re wiped, and the last thing you want to do is cook. What you actually want is a paper bag going translucent at the bottom, still warm, packed with something fried that was worth the drive home. Maybe you’re headed back toward Bridgeton, maybe out to Creve Coeur, maybe you just need to feed a hungry house without spending an hour at the stove.
In Maryland Heights, a small counter-service spot tucked into the Dorsett Village plaza has quietly built a reputation for exactly that. No dining room, no frills — just made-to-order fish, chicken, and sandwiches that come out fast and come out big. That’s Pop’s Kitchen. Here’s what to order, what to know before you go, and the family story behind the counter.
At a Glance: What to Order
| Order this | Note |
|---|---|
| Fried catfish | The reason to make the trip |
| Jack salmon | St. Louis fried whiting — a local classic |
| Party wings | Fried to order, nine sauces |
| Philly cheesesteak | Loaded and messy in the best way |
| Banana pudding | Save room |
What Pop’s Kitchen Actually Is
Pop’s Kitchen is a fast, order-at-the-counter comfort-food shop — fried fish, fried chicken, and grilled sandwiches, made to order. There’s no dine-in room; this is a pick-up spot, so you order ahead or wait a few minutes and carry it home. What keeps people coming back isn’t ambiance — it’s that the portions are huge, the food is flavorful, and the price is fair.
It’s also a genuine family business. Pop’s is run by the Qasem family, who came to St. Louis from Palestine — founder Mohammed Qasem immigrated in 1997, opened the original shop on St. Charles Rock Road in 2013, and grew it into a second Maryland Heights location in 2021, where his brother Fayez runs the counter. That’s the “Pop” energy people feel here: a spot built by one family, one fryer basket at a time, feeding their corner of the metro.
It’s a very St. Louis story, when you think about it — a family that crossed an ocean and built something real out of a strip-mall storefront, serving the fried catfish and wings their neighbors grew up on. There’s no corporate playbook behind the counter, no test kitchen deciding the recipes. Because everything is cooked to order rather than sitting under a heat lamp, what you carry out is genuinely fresh from the fryer — the trade-off being that you wait a few minutes, which is exactly why calling ahead is the regular’s move. That combination — family-run, made-to-order, big portions, fair prices — is why a small counter with no dining room has earned the loyalty it has.
A St. Louis kind of shop
If you’re not from here, the fried-fish-and-chicken counter might need a little explaining — because in St. Louis, it’s practically its own food group. All over the metro you’ll find small, independent shops doing exactly this: catfish and whiting in the fryer, wings tossed to order, and, more often than not, a Philly cheesesteak on the same menu. Longtime institutions like King Edward’s Chicken & Fish have been working this template since 1966. Pop’s sits squarely in that tradition — the neighborhood fry counter where dinner comes in a paper bag and nobody leaves hungry.
It’s the kind of food that shows up at St. Louis fish fries and Friday-night dinner tables year-round — fried fish is close to a regional love language here — and a shop like Pop’s turns it into a weeknight option you don’t have to cook yourself. Pairing a Philly cheesesteak with a catfish dinner might sound odd on paper, but in St. Louis it’s a familiar combination: the neighborhood fry counter is where a lot of these menus grew up, adding hot sandwiches and wings until there was something for everybody in the car. Pop’s carries that tradition forward without overthinking it — the point isn’t novelty, it’s a hot, generous meal handed across the counter in a couple of minutes.
Fried fish is a St. Louis love language
To really understand a place like Pop’s, it helps to know how seriously St. Louis takes fried fish. For generations, the Friday fish fry has been a regional institution — rooted in the Catholic tradition of skipping meat on Fridays, especially during Lent, and turned into a community event in church basements and social halls across the metro. Some have been running for decades; the fish fry at St. Ferdinand in Florissant has been going since 1953. Learning to love a paper plate of fried cod or catfish is, only half-jokingly, part of becoming a true St. Louisan.
A shop like Pop’s takes that seasonal, once-a-week ritual and puts it on the menu six days a week. You don’t have to wait for Lent or a parish calendar — the fryer’s already going.
What to Order at Pop’s Kitchen
The fried catfish is the headliner — crisp cornmeal crust, moist inside, the plate people make the drive for. You can get it as a fillet, or go for catfish nuggets if you want all crunch. Right next to it, order the jack salmon (more on that name below) for the true St. Louis experience — available as a fillet or whole. There’s also fried tilapia and shrimp, from regular to jumbo, for anyone who wants to mix the box up.
On the chicken side, the party wings come fried to order with a genuinely long list of sauces — buffalo, honey glazed, sweet chili, honey BBQ, garlic parm, and more — so you can build a box exactly how you like it. There are also chicken tenders, nuggets, and gizzards for the fried-chicken crowd. The Philly cheesesteak is loaded and generous, a fan favorite for anyone who wants a hot sandwich instead of a fish plate, and it shares the menu with burgers, a gyro, and other grilled sandwiches. Round it all out with sides — hush puppies, cheese fries, fried pickles, onion rings, or a loaded potato bowl — and, if you’ve got any room left, the banana pudding that regulars rave about.
Wait — what is “jack salmon”?
Here’s a fun one for out-of-towners: jack salmon isn’t salmon at all. In St. Louis, “jack salmon” means fried whiting — a mild, flaky whitefish — and the name is pure local history. As St. Louis Magazine’s George Mahe has explained, the term traces back to a St. Louis restaurant that billed whiting as “jack salmon” as far back as the 1920s, and the name simply stuck around town. Order it bone-in and whole and you’ll get the old-school version many locals swear is the moistest and most flavorful. When you see “jack salmon” on Pop’s menu, now you’re in on the St. Louis secret.
Before You Go: Hours & How It Works
Pop’s Kitchen in Maryland Heights sits in the Dorsett Village plaza — the Schnucks-anchored strip center at the corner of Dorsett Road and McKelvey Road, just off I-270 (63043). It’s open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed Sundays. Remember there’s no seating — this is a takeout counter, so the move is to call your order ahead at (314) 628-1996 or order and wait a few minutes for it to come out hot. It earns a solid rating in the 4.4–4.5-star range across more than 130 Google reviews, which for a no-frills fry counter tells you the food does the talking.
Make It a Maryland Heights Meal
Pop’s is perfectly placed for a bigger outing. It’s minutes from Creve Coeur Park and Lake — a 320-acre lake with paddleboarding, kayaking, biking, and miles of trails — so you can grab a catfish plate and eat lakeside after a walk or a paddle. It’s an easy stop before a concert at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, the metro’s big outdoor music venue just up the road, where a real dinner beats a $20 venue hot dog every time. And Westport Plaza — a cluster of restaurants, hotels, and entertainment — is right nearby if you’re making a night of it. Pop’s is the kind of fast, filling, no-fuss stop that anchors a Maryland Heights afternoon without slowing it down.
That versatility is a big part of the appeal. This isn’t a sit-down, linger-over-dinner place — it’s the spot you hit when real food, fast, is the whole point: a work lunch, a car full of hungry kids, a lake day, a tailgate before a show. Order a big box, split it around, and everyone’s happy for well under what a chain sit-down would cost.
Find great local spots (and a note for the owners)
Family-run spots like Pop’s Kitchen are the backbone of St. Louis’s food scene — and they’re exactly what a good local directory helps you find. You can search St Louis Near Me Directory to look up hours, menus, and details for restaurants and takeout counters across the metro before you head out.
And if you run a food business anywhere in the St. Louis area — a fry counter, a food truck, a family restaurant — getting found by hungry neighbors is the whole game. Listing your business is how people searching for “fish and chicken near me” end up at your window instead of driving past.
More St. Louis food & dining guides
- Where to eat on South Grand: the International District
- The Missouri Baking Co menu on The Hill
- Cate Zone: real Northeastern Chinese in University City
- Old St. Louis chop suey & the St. Paul sandwich
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pop’s Kitchen in Maryland Heights?
Pop’s Kitchen sits in the Dorsett Village plaza at the corner of Dorsett Road and McKelvey Road in Maryland Heights (63043), just off I-270. It’s a takeout-only counter open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Sundays. Call ahead at (314) 628-1996 or order and wait a few minutes.
What should I order at Pop’s Kitchen?
Start with the fried catfish — the dish most people make the drive for — and add the jack salmon for the true St. Louis experience. The party wings come fried to order with a long list of sauces, and the loaded Philly cheesesteak is a favorite hot sandwich. Save room for the banana pudding.
What are the reviews like for Pop’s Kitchen?
Pop’s Kitchen holds a rating in the 4.4-to-4.5-star range across more than 130 Google reviews, which is strong for a no-frills takeout counter. Fans consistently praise the generous portions, the crispy fried catfish and wings, and the banana pudding. It’s a local favorite for good, fast, affordable comfort food.
Does Pop’s Kitchen have dine-in seating?
No. Pop’s Kitchen is a takeout-only, order-at-the-counter shop with no dining room — just a small waiting area. Everything is made to order, so the smart move is to phone your order ahead at (314) 628-1996 and pick it up hot, or plan to eat it at home, a park, or wherever you’re headed.
Who owns Pop’s Kitchen?
Pop’s Kitchen is a family business run by the Qasem family, who came to St. Louis from Palestine. Founder Mohammed Qasem immigrated in 1997 and opened the original location on St. Charles Rock Road in 2013, then expanded to Maryland Heights in 2021, where his brother Fayez runs the counter.
What restaurants are in Maryland Heights?
Maryland Heights is home to family-run takeout counters like Pop’s Kitchen, known for fried catfish, jack salmon, and wings in the Dorsett Village plaza. Nearby Westport Plaza gathers a cluster of restaurants, hotels, and entertainment, and Creve Coeur Park and the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre sit minutes away for a fuller outing.
What is jack salmon?
In St. Louis, “jack salmon” is fried whiting — a mild, flaky whitefish, not actual salmon. The name is a local regionalism that dates back to a St. Louis restaurant billing whiting as jack salmon in the 1920s. It’s a fish-fry and fry-counter staple, and Pop’s serves it as a fillet or whole.
Written by a dedicated team of St. Louis locals who live, work, and play right here in the St. Louis metro. Founder Lane Forman and team are committed to building the region’s most trusted directory by verifying listings and connecting local businesses with loyal customers across Missouri and Illinois.