A new restaurant specializing in fried fish and fried chicken opened its doors this week at Westerly Parkway Plaza in State College.
Cluck & Catch, located at 536 Westerly Parkway in the former My My Chicken space, is a collaboration from local restaurateur Hitham Hiyajneh and the owners of Masala Palace in State College.
“Everything I open in State College, it’s like something I like to have but I can’t find it,” Hiyajneh said. “I did the chicken to honor My My Chicken because these guys were making really good food before they went out [in 2020]. And there’s nobody that does fish and chips in State College… They have fried fish, but [from] frozen. We bring in fresh fish. We marinate it. We toss it. And then we put it in actual batter that we make every single day.”
Hiyajneh operates State College eateries such as Yallah Taco, Pita Cabana, Underground Burger, Shokupan food truck and, with his wife, Dulce Luca. He recently opened Yallah Chicken and Taco at 1669 N. Atherton St.
But Cluck & Catch, he says, “is a whole different concept.”
The restaurant offers bone-in fried chicken, including wings, legs, breasts and thighs, boneless tenders and chunks, a variety of sauces and whole roasted or fried chickens.
Fish and chips come with one or two pieces of haddock, flounder or cod. Those, as well as whole tilapia and snapper, are available as plates with two sides, such as rice, beans, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, salad, vegetables and more.
Shrimp and fish tacos can be purchased in orders of one, two or three, and family packs of 10 fish fillets, five orders of fries and five sides are available, ranging from $114.99 for flounder to $130.99 for cod.
There’s also a Tennessee-style fried chicken or fish sandwich, fish filet sandwich and shrimp po boy.
Since opening on Monday, fish has been the overwhelmingly popular selection for customers, Hiyajneh said.
“Ninety percent of our sales are fish,” he said, “It’s a fish place; it’s not a chicken place now. I’m not complaining. It’s kind of fun.”
Hiyajneh has heard comments that prices are a bit high. Fish plates range from $14.95 with one piece of flounder to $27.95 for whole snapper, while fish and chips start at $12.50 for one fillet. Sandwiches are $12.55 for fish filet and $10.50 for Tennessee-style. Half chickens are $17.50 and whole are $24.50, while bone-in chicken pieces start at around $10 for six wings or legs, two breasts or four thighs.
He points, however, to the freshness of the products and preparation, as well as the portions.
“It’s not a small fish. We use about 12-ounce fish. By the time you batter it, everything almost becomes a pound-plus,” Hiyajneh said. “We had a guy yesterday order two pieces of fish. We have no container [big enough] to put the fish in. We have to use aluminum trays. The guy’s like ‘What? I only ordered two pieces.’… Then he opens it like ‘Oh, wow, yeah.’
“That’s because we want you to get your money’s worth of course but also we make an authentic English-style fish.”
He added that the restaurant’s first customer was an employee at the neighboring Weis Markets, who called to tell him “This is the best fish sandwich I’ve eaten in my whole life.”
Cluck & Catch is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
It’s not the last new venture for Hiyajneh and the Masala owners, either. In January, they plan to open Silk Road, which they are currently putting the finishing touches on right next door to Cluck & Catch.
That new restaurant will feature cuisine from Silk Road countries including Indian, Persian, Egyptian and Turkish.
“And we’re going to do an American breakfast kind of thing,” Hiyajneh said. “We’re going to do breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
The two new Westerly establishments — which he said there’s “no way on earth” he could have opened without his partners — are the fourth and fifth Hiyajneh has started in less than a year, joining Dulce Luca, Shokupan and Yallah Chicken and Tacos. He plans to slow down after Silk Road’s opening and focus on his existing restaurants.
“I’m taking a break,” he said. “I need a vacation.”
