The Best Restaurants In Galveston, Texas

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At Fish Tales, where ‘one bite and you’ll be hooked,’ you can relax on one of the most well-loved balconies on the Seawall whilst enjoying delicious food, incredible mixed drinks and amazingly fresh seafood right from the Gulf of Mexico. For an appetizer, be sure to try Fish Tales’ ‘shrimp kisses,’ bacon-wrapped shrimp stuffed with jalapeno-jack cheese. Concentrating on creating delectable seafood, pastas, steaks and salads for hungry visitors, Fish Tales is a popular destination on the island. Fish Tales also offers amazing seafood soups, like seafood gumbo or clam chowder, fish-n-chips, po’boys, crab cake sandwiches, shrimp scampi and shrimp wraps.

Number 13 of Galveston’s Offatts Bay is a fantastic restaurant open for brunch and dinner. The restaurant is named after two brothers who were spies for Spain in Galveston during the Mexican War for Independence, nicknamed ‘Number 13.’ Number 13’s breakfast buffet includes a carving station, fresh fruits, a Bloody Mary bar and endless mimosas. At dinner, Number 13 serves mouth-watering steaks, salads, soups and ‘features,’ such as shrimp and grits, stuffed flounder or braised short ribs. Or, try ‘The Grand Amuse,’ which includes cocktail shrimp, a mussel salad, seasonal oysters, poached scallops, tuna tartar and either poached lobster or king crab.

At Mosquito Café, where ‘one bite is all it takes,’ you are sure to have a delightful experience in the restaurant’s warm atmosphere and with its delicious and fresh homemade food. Mosquito Café is located in Galveston’s historical district in a refurbished 1870’s building. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the cafe serves breakfast bowls, quiches, pancakes, French toast, soups, salads and sandwiches, among other entrees. At lunchtime, try one of the cafe’s amazing appetizers, like pecan-crusted brie or the warm goat’s cheese medallions. Enjoy amazing meals like Mosquito Café’s spinach pasta, grilled shrimp, carnitas or steak tacos or mouth-watering burgers. Dinner entrees include grilled fish Baja-style tacos, chicken Veracruz, ‘Grandma’s meatloaf’ and pork chop chatignon.

Gaido’s restaurant was first opened in 1911 by its founder, San Giacinto Gaido, and has been serving the Galveston public (as well as many famous presidents, athletes and celebrities, such as Alfred Hitchcock) amazing food and seafood dishes for all these years. This ‘coastal classic’ serves an array of oyster and crab dishes (like ‘Oysters Maria,’ cornmeal-fried oysters with bacon and hollandaise sauce, and spinach-crab dip) and delicious appetizers (such as creole crawfish fondue, gumbo and ‘Watkin’s Bisque,’ a seafood-cream bisque with shrimp, tomatoes, onions and carrots). Gaido’s seafood menu includes myriad wonderful items, including blackened Atlantic tuna, pecan-encrusted catfish and flounder stuffed with shrimp and cracker-meal stuffing.

Cajun Greek is one of Galveston locals’ favorite places to dine and with an array of seafood, Cajun and Greek-influenced cuisine and Galveston-inspired dishes, Cajun Greek has something on the menu to please everyone. Try the Greek salad gyro, crab bisque, seafood soup or delicious grilled crab cake. At Cajun Greek, one will find an assortment of Cajun dishes, such as boudain balls, po’boys and fried seafood. Cajun Greek also offers a plethora of Greek cuisine, ranging from tzatziki and pita bread to Greek ‘lollipops,’ a Greek burger and gyros. Other delectable menu items include seafood-stuffed jalapenos, Sicily-sautéed calamari and shrimp, crab claws and boiled crawfish.

Saltwater Grill, located in the Galveston strand area, is a popular seafood restaurant open for lunch and dinner. Serving soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta and rice dishes, beef, fish and shrimp meals, as well as homemade desserts, Saltwater Grill’s menu offers something for every palate. Try Saltwater’s marinated tuna tower (served in a citrus soy sauce and with avocado), corn and crab chowder, shrimp and lobster tacos or crawfish etouffe. Some of Saltwater’s meals ‘from the kettle’ include ‘Bouillabaisse’ (a French-style soup with shrimp, fish, crab, clams, mussels and vegetables), ‘Cioppino’ (an Italian soup with clams, calamari, fish and shrimp) and gumbo. Other delicious seafood dishes at Saltwater include Texas redfish ponchartrain, Hong-Kong Chilean sea bass and almond-coconut-crusted salmon and shrimp.

Shrimp ‘N Stuff Restaurant, first opened in 1976, offers delectable seafood dishes, made-from-scratch gumbo, salads and po’boys. Try Shrimp ‘N Stuff’s gumbo, a local favorite. One can also create their own seafood platter with item choices such as boiled, fried, coconut or stuffed shrimp, catfish, crab balls and oysters. End the meal on a sweet note with one of Shrimp ‘N Stuff’s key lime pies or cheesecakes.

When in the mood for scrumptious Texas barbecue in Galveston, Queen’s Bar-B-Que is the place to dine. Family owned and operated for almost 50 years, Queen’s serves incredible Pecan and Oak-smoked meats sure to please any visitor. Try one of Queen’s amazing sandwiches, like the barbecue pork, beef, smoked ham, sausage or turkey, on a po’boy or hamburger bun. Queen’s also serves homemade chili, French-dip roast beef, stuffed potatoes and delicious sides. Make sure to end your meal with Queen’s homemade pina colada cake, homemade ice cream or a delicious peach cobbler.