Freelance photographer Chuck Cook noticed that Southern restaurant Big Eyed Fish at 908 Henderson is closed. It specialized in comfort food such as deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes and deep-fried quail. It also featured a good craft beer program, as well as several wines by the bottle.

Over the past several months, the restaurant had also hosted the occasional “black-out dinner,” in which diners could not see their food. The intent was to experience the meal using the other senses, such as smell and touch.

The eye-catching, bright turquoise exterior paint color has been replaced with dark red. A sign on the front door says, “Henderson Heights Opening Soon!!!” and it may be a more casual concept than Big Eyed Fish. A tagline underneath the new name reads, "patio," "pub" and "grub." The patio may indeed be a big focal point of Henderson Heights, as the lumber strewn about looks as if it is undergoing some minor remodeling. 


Our May 2015 review of Big Eyed Fish revealed a charming restaurant with great service. Unfortunately, our visits also found that while a few dishes were terrific, many others seemed unseasoned, under-salted and just not as ambitious or well-executed as they could have been. Other concepts that opened in the area afterward, such as Southern Goods, could have also presented some daunting competition. 

Big Eyed Fish was serving dinner as recently as April 18, according to the restaurant's Facebook page, and a Yelp user reported it closed on May 6.

We have contacted the public relations representative for Big Eyed Fish to obtain further information about what to expect from Henderson Heights. We’ll update this article if we get more details.