Red Snapper Inn   402 Blue Water Hwy Surfside TX 77541 979.239.3226 You might also be interested in these:     Banquet Facilities - Private Dining Rooms    Seafood Restaurants    ZIP 77541   Add Review       MY REVIEW: My husband, mother in law and I drove down from Arlington, Tx. for a day trip to the Galveston area. We found a write up on Texas Monthly a couple of times suggesting the Red Snapper Inn in Surfside so we decided to try it since Red Snapper is my favorite all-time fish. Wow, well worth the drive!! I had the grilled snapper which was absolutely fabulous! My husband and his Mom had the crab stuffed Flounder and there is no better anywhere. As another reviewer said, there are very good restaurants in Galveston but this beats them all hands down. Again, well worth the drive!! And they do now take credit cards. NAME: Tina Swaim SUBMITTED: 6/5/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: They now take credit cards!! NAME: ABB SUBMITTED: 1/3/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: Jan 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Fried shrimp ok. Not crazy about the batter. Gumbo good/ok. Fish is their best thing. We are glad they are here. Surfside resident Doug NAME: doug SUBMITTED: 12/16/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: Deember 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Avoid the poor boys. The bread is heavy and overwhelms the seafood. They come plain and unadorned with a tartar sauce on the side. The gumbo is satisfactory. Service is adequate. NAME: Jim from Houston SUBMITTED: 6/16/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: June 16, 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Some of the family was staying the weekend on Galveston's west end, so the rest of us linked up and, at my suggestion, drove across San Luis Bridge rather than go into Galveston to celebrate a couple of birthdays and Mother's Day. Red Snapper has become one of my favorites, but like any other place, there are strengths and weaknesses. I think that after 4-5 visits, I now know what to avoid: childs plates are over-priced at $5.95 for what they get, or rather, don't get (no drink, no ice cream or some sort of little desert); boiled shrimp on seafood platter were small and tough, and oysters---3 were small and very mushy, while 2-3 were large, just perfect---don't know why the inconsistency??; 2 people got fish with Ponchetrain sauce, neither was impressed, said it was ok but get much better at P*appas/P*appadeaux's; kinda the same reaction from one about the stuffed shrimp. However on the positive side: fried shrimp and crab florentine cannot be duplicated anywhere; soft shell crabs (fried) were meaty, delicious; shrimp alfredo very good, shrimp huge; service was excellent. This is still one of my favorite seafood restaurants, but from now on I will stick with fried shrimp and ala carte on the crab florentine. But c'mon, Ivan, get consistent with the fried oysters, come up with a better Ponchetrain recipe and give the kids a break on their meals! After all, most customers drive and long way and your prices aren't among the lowest, but you do too many things very well not to improve in other areas. NAME: Steve from League City SUBMITTED: 5/13/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The decor was inappropriate for a beach restaurant, seemed a bit confused between high class and beach joint. Staff was not very friendly and slow. Our appetizer was oysters wrapped in bacon. It was almost inedible, there was no taste except for the overwhelming saltiness of bacon. Oysters were a strange consistency. As an entree we ordered fried seafood and oysters, thinking how hard it is to mess fried food up..boy were we wrong. The fried shrimp was tolerable, home fries were soggy, and oysters were sickening and creamy on the inside. Needless to say I was very disappointed and a little scared I was going to be sick from the bad oysters. The prices were way to high for the quality of food they are serving. I will never go back and hope people realize there's other places that are not too far with much better food. And what sit-down restaurant doesn't take credit cards? NAME: Surfside frequenter SUBMITTED: 5/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: All the reviews are right on. Just want to add (when in season) the soft shell crab...comes with a Roumalade sauce and be sure to wash it all down with a nice cold Warsteiner beer. I'm a native Houstonian and surfer with a small house on Balanger street just a few blocks away from the Red Snapper and make a trip there at least once or twice a visit to Surfside. And never start off your meal without at least a small cup of gumbo. My ol' Mom was right soft shell crabs RULE ! Great staff and management with decent prices. NAME: L.Baroski SUBMITTED: 2/23/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/07 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: My husband and I come here almost every weekend for a "date" night! The atmosphere is relaxed, the service is awesome and the food is the best! The seafood is always freash and they have the best ribeye in town. NAME: TLL SUBMITTED: 10/21/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2006 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: I visited with my sister on my birthday. The food was out of this world. I had fried crab claws with remoulade sauce and just thinking about the sauce gives me a "pavlovian response". our server knew it was my birthday, and instead of the embarrasing birthday song, I was very quietly given a lovely piece of baklava with a candle in it. Bummer about the plastic, but so worth thinking ahead to have cash. Came home raving to my husband about this most excellent dining experience, and I just love the decor, it's so "beachtown." NAME: BiBi 55 SUBMITTED: 10/9/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: october 7, 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: WOW it has been a while since someone has reviewed this restaurant... unbelievable! The food here is EXEPTIONAL! I have a beach house here and this is the only place I go to eat a good seafood meal. Forget Galveston, none of those T*illman-esque chains can hold a candle to the fresh and very well seasoned meals here at this restaurant. TAKE NOTE THEY DO NOT TAKE CREDIT CARDS STILL. And when I was there, they did not take checks either, just cash. IF you forget there is a cash machine on site. Decor reminds me of the seafood houses in louisiana, nautical and outdated. But WHO CARES it is seafood that is the main attraction and that is all that matters. Service is good, even on busy nights which during high season it does get BUSY. But well worth the wait. I think the longest I have waited for a table is 15 minutes. If you want something different take the 30 minute drive from Galveston to eat here, you wont regret it! If you are going to the beach, skip Galveston, come to Surfside and have dinner at this place! NAME: Lovetoeatout SUBMITTED: 8/21/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: This restaurant is one of my favourites, by far. My frist visit was actually a few years ago, but I remember everything I'd eaten that night-- the Greek salad, the fried zucchini, and of course taking bits and pieces of seafood from everyone elses plates. This time 'round I had the Crab Florentine and let me tell you, it was delicious. It came out pipping hot, and elegantly presented (at least as far as elegances goes in the area). The cheese and spinach were so rich, and melded so well with the crab, I was surprised out of my wits. I'd expected it to taste rather funky, as I've never actually a good crab florentine. However, this exceeded any and all expectations I'd set prior and I do hope it's not another two years before I'm able to return! NAME: Sarah Katherine SUBMITTED: 8/28/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: August 27th, 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: The Red Snapper Inn came as a complete to surprise to me and all of my fellow travelers. I am from Minnesota and was down for the week. The first night we were heading back to our townhome in a pea soup thick fog when we saw the lights glowing back at us. On a whim we went in for dinner. We were not disappointed. They do not take credit cards but said they would take cash or checks, even a check from Minnesota. If you are looking for great decor this is not it, but don't take this to mean it is rundown. The decor was friendly and obviously nautical in tone.(the Gulf is right out side the back parking lot) On our first visit we had the Snapper Poncetrain, which was a spicy, alfredo like sauce over a very tasty piece of snapper. On our second visit I had Oysters Brouchette, not for the dieter, which were lightly floured and seasoned oyster, wrapped in bacon and served over rice pilaf with a slight Maurnier butter sauce over the oysters for good measure. I woke up the next morning thinking about how good my dinner had tasted. The wine list is modest but we found something that suited our dinner. The wait staff was great and we even met Ivan, the owner, who had owned a restaurant in Houston but came down to Surfside to retire. He was fun to talk with and was a topper to a great dinner. We tried a couple of other suggested eating spots in the Galveston area and although they were good they were not close to the Red Snapper Inn. Go out of your way for this one. NAME: thibault SUBMITTED: 3/5/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/17/05 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: This is Gulf coast seafood at its best. You will not find trout almondine, filet of sole, swordfish, etc. All you will find is red snapper, flounder, shrimp, crab and oysters, but you will not be disappointed. They do not take credit cards, which is too bad, but the prices are reasonable. I had the special--red snapper Ponchatrain, and it was wonderful. Others in the party had grilled red snapper and grilled flounder, and both were excellent. The guy in the next table ordered stuffed jumbo shrimp. Talk about an oxymoron, these shrimp were bigger than your hand. He devoured them using two hands. Robin, our server, gave great service. The homemade coconut meringue pie was delish. If I want east coast or international seafood, I'll go somewhere else. But when I want Gulf coast seafood, I will definitely come back here. You can't get scrod. NAME: eric SUBMITTED: 2/27/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Although it is not visible while dining, the beach and gulf are only yards away. After dining you can drive along or stroll the beach and even take a dip weather permitting. Full moons can be spectacular. NAME: Local SUBMITTED: 11/12/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/o4 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The food is excellent. My family tried the Snapper and Shrimp entrees. The Seafood is breaded lightly in a tasty batter. The fish tasted very fresh and the shrimp was big and cooked to perfection. We had gumbo, side salad, and a baked potato in addition to our orders. The baked potato order gets you the carousel of toppings brought to your table which includes (real Bacon) a nice treat. The downsides to this are them not taking any credit cards. Which a sign indicating this would be helpful. There is an ATM in the lobby area which is not really noticeable in a far corner but could help in this situaton. Our waitress was a little brusque and rushed at times. But she did not mar our experience there. Going in knowing these few things helps. Go and enjoy a great lunch or dinner and bring friends! NAME: Ana- Houston SUBMITTED: 7/28/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 07/25/04 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: This is absolutely the best seafood place in the Houston area, not to mention the entire state of Texas. The shrimp is awesome. Eating six of their huge shrimp is like eating 12 to 16 shrimp at another establishment. The fried snapper is simply delicious. The desserts are great as well with the whipped cream strawberry pie leading the list. I recently tried another place which was supposed to be better (The Topwater Grill in San Leon). While their food was good, it was like comparing a great player to a hall of famer. I have been going to this place 1-2 twice a year for the past 14 years and the food just keeps getting better and better. NAME: Staubach SUBMITTED: 7/9/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/21/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: we drove from pearland to surfside one sat afternoon just for the afternoon to look around. we were starving and were afraid to just stop anywhere. we took a chance on red snapper inn and man was it good. it was probably the best seafood i have eaten in a very long time. and very fresh. worth the drive trust me NAME: mikey SUBMITTED: 6/18/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/04 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants. My husband and I have been there about 9 or 10 times within the last 2 years, and we have never had a bad experience or bad food. All their seafood is fresh from the Gulf, and delicious. The selection is not large (red snapper, flounder, shrimp, and crabs are pretty much it), but the quality is outstanding. The Red Snapper Orleans, which they sometimes have as a daily special, is fantastic. The snapper is topped with a creamy, bisque-type sauce with crawfish. I have also had the Snapper Ponchartrain, the Snapper a la Greque, the Shrimp a la Greque, and the crabmeat casserole (I for get the name), and have enjoyed them all. The Creme Brulee is absolutely delicious. Probably a cardiologist's nightmare (heavy cream, eggs, and sugar), but who cares? I have found the wait staff to be attentive and capable, even when they are extremely busy, as they usually are on Friday and Saturday evenings. If you want to go when it is less hectic, try a weeknight. The only remotely bad experience we have had was one time when we were seated at a very small table right in the passage between the two rooms (and next to the kitchen door). I felt a little claustrophobic, and the water actually did bump into our table once. Any other table is fine. Be forewarned that they do not accept any form of plastic--cash or checks only. Also, they close at 9 P.M. nightly, so it is not the place for a late supper. However, it is SO worth planning ahead to get there in time. Forget the chains NAME: Laurie SUBMITTED: 2/20/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: November 2003 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: This is my and my husband's absolute favourite restaurant! You cannot find seafood this delicious anywhere else (believe me, we've tried!) We live north of Dallas, but go to the Galveston area whenever possible and head straight for the Red Snapper Inn! And what friendly and fast service! NAME: Virginia SUBMITTED: 3/20/2002   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/02 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I absolutely love this place. The food is always prepared to order and has a wonderful array of selections. I have two favorites, the Greek Grilled Shrimp and the Stuffed Baby Flounder!!!! The gumbo is also wonderful. The atmosphere is relaxed and enjoyable. We take a lot of visitors to this restaurant from all over the country and everyone loves it! NAME: Shirley Jones SUBMITTED: 1/30/2002   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/01 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY