imo... best upscale brunch brunch - galvez hotel best regular brunch - farley girls cafe best coffee shop - mod coffee house best steak - rudy and paco's best burger - the spot best icecream - hey mikey's icecream (sorry la king's) best bargain seafood - the black pearl best seafood - saltwater or nonno tony's will think of more stuff later.
The mansions, yes. But a little condo on the beach can be had for less than 150K. Sometimes way less. I just like the laid back feel of the entire island. It's probably true for any beach community, but life just seems to move a little slower there.
The thing about the island is there are tons of good mom and pop restaurants. You should never eat in a chain restaurant with so many good local options. Here are some places locals frequent. Di Bella's (Italian) The Original (Mexican) Mi Abuelitas (Mexican) Olympia (Greek) Shrimp and Stuff (seafood) The Black Pearl (seafood, steak, etc.) Sunflower Bakery (sandwiches and soup) Happy Buddha (chinese) The Donut Shoppe (despite the name does not actually have donuts. it's actually a great breakfast burrito place) Queen's BBQ Micheal Burger (far west end) Pho 18 (in a run down building, but the best soup around) China Sea (in the ghetto so only go during the day, but really really good Chinese food) Yamato's (one of the best sushi and hibachi places in all the greater Houston area imo) Leon's World Famous BBQ Clary's (seafood) Cajun Greek Sony's Place (Americana) El Jardin (Mexican) That's a long list, but still plenty more good local spots to eat. The quality choices of food is I think the most underrated part of the island.
LOL. Last time in Galveston, I asked someone for a recommendation for a good breakfast place and they said the Donut Shoppe. I disregarded the suggestion because I wasn't looking for donuts.
Last time I went to Galveston my ride got arrested and I had to walk to the ferry ridiculously drunk in the blazing heat... if anybody ever wants to sober up really quick i suggest walking miles in the sun!
Ya everyone goes there for the Bronco burrito. It's jam packed on the weekends. Their salsa is fantastic. I completely cake my burrito in it.
My parents used to go to the Balinese Room in the '40's and '50's for dancing and gambling, before the crack down by a demented law enforcement entity that couldn't be bribed.
Its on the East end, downtown, and the "historic" district runs from 25th to 19thish streets. Strand is just one street (even though the whole area is known as the "strand")... its actually a bunch of parallel streets extending from harbor side to around market st that contain restaraunts/shops/historic places. One overlooked aspect of Galveston is that there's actually a decent concentration of bars/nightlife that is all within walking distance within the strand area... as opposed to Houston where you have to drive/cab/kill somebody for parking to go out anywhere popular.
Rumor has it that Ferttita can turn the San Luis Convention Center into a casino with a snap of a finger... its apparently "pre-wired" for gaming machines throughout, and you can't beat the location right along seawall. (and there's ample parking between there and the san luis hotel).
I would add Mosquito Cafe (down the street from Sunflower, good brunch place) and Brew's Brothers (a gastropub downtown that has great burgers).
Are there any chicks to gig at night there though? Doesn't seem like it. But I haven't been in years.
Thank you! The last time I ate dinner at Galveston, we ate at a touristy place on The Strand which was okay, but not great. We'll give one of these places a try next time.
