Gaido's in Galveston, Texas

Seafood Near the Seawall
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Don and I recently spent a week in Galveston so I figured I should at least share one seafood dining experience.  ​

We experienced a few curious places to along Seawall Boulevard, but I'll mostly focus on the place with the giant crab on the roof!

​The Poop Deck
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I should at least mention that we finally dared to visit the place with the ugly name! The tattered US flag waving, next to the Statue of Liberty with her peeling silver paint.  This photo was taken early morning so there were no bikers lined up along the railing. My photos don't reveal just how tattered the American flag looked. You can't see the pealing silver paint on the Statue of Liberty.But there were some colorful characters by afternoon when we climbed the steps in the musty stairwell to the deck.  

We arrived in the afternoon and climbed the steps inside a musty stairwell. There were some colorful characters on the Poop Deck's deck. We chatted with our waitress who wore a sporty sailor hat. We made a toast to the nude mermaid mural nearby. But we couldn't bring ourselves to order food at a place with poop in the name.

Hotel Galvez

​Compared to the Poop Deck, the grand Hotel Galvez offered a heavenly atmosphere. 

Don and I had drinks in the lobby lounge, near the elegant dining room. We applauded the piano player. Sadly he seemed as bored as the few guests on stools gathered around the piano. I'm sure the seafood is top notch, but we tipped our piano man and decided to save dinner for a livelier night.

Jimmy's on the Pier

We did actually have a pretty darn delicious meal at Jimmy's one evening.  Eating fish tacos while watching fishermen below on the pier, was pretty awesome.  

I also must say I loved the colorful chairs, that looked like they'd been stolen out from under lifeguards.

​However,  I saved my review for the place that has been serving seafood since 1911!

Good Old Gaido's
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​There's a little dated nautical theme going on at Gaido's and I was just fine with that. It took me back to living in Florida as a kid. We were greeted by lots of rope and brass as well as a gigantic, gift & shell shop.  

I'm all for a little retro.  Although I would have preferred an even older Gaido's, that first opened across the street on a pier over the water. But that was many hurricanes ago.

​Family Stuff

There's often a long wait for a table at Gaido's, but there's lots to look at while you kill time. I happen to love other people's stuff. Gaido's makes you feel kind of like you're in someone's home, snooping at all their portraits and memorabilia. ​

I spent some time studying the display cases and walls. There was  Kewpie Gaido's Cut Glass Collection. (Love that name!)  And many framed images of the Gaido family. They've owned this restaurant for over 100 years, so there was lots to look at. 

​Where is Everyone?  

I love the people watching at Gaido's, since it's usually packed with diners. I loved spying on local families and friends gathered around tables, covered with white linen... celebrating birthdays and romantic dinners! 

The tourists are easy to spot in their flip-flops and  sunburns. (I choose to be amused instead of annoyed, by the combination of tablecloths and tacky t-shirts) In the past Don and I have marveled at the skills of professional waiters in their black vests and ties, maneuvering around the tables with martini glasses and trays of steaming seafood. But it was a quiet evening at Gaido's. Good, maybe Don and I could spend more time chatting with our waiter and learning more about the history of this Galveston icon.

Cheers to Carl
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​After Don and I were seated, we scanned the dining room hoping for an older waiter who was a part of Gaido's history and had stories to tell.

But our waiter Carl was about 25 years old and had just started working at Gaido's. When Don ordered a Manhattan, he seemed confused. When we asked for food suggestions, he had to think a long while. He also hovered a bit too much... with a sly, Norman Bates smile.

Oh well, we got a newbie waiter... but he was a good guy. He certainly wasn't an intimidating, know it all waiter. If he had been, we might have had more subdued smiles in our photo!

Gossip

​Carl may have been new, but he was able to answer lots of our questions.  He praised Casey Gaido who now runs the restaurant. The family did not just hand the restaurant over to this 4th generation family member. Casey graduated from The Culinary Institute of America and proved his worth with other restaurants, before taking over Gaido's. Carl said Casey was hands on in the kitchen and at the tables, working side by side at all levels. Sadly he was off that night.  

Don was brave enough to bring up the Fertitta family, another well-known Galveston family in the restaurant biz.  Galveston is small enough that there were probably Fertitta kids and Gaido kids in school together, bickering about which family made the best desserts.  I can only imagine the family gossip when Tilman Fertitta began buying big names businesses like Landry's and Golden Nugget Casinos. But Carl said Tilman occasionally dines at Gaido's.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear that.

​​Hurricane Ike
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I'm sure every family in Galveston could write a book on storm memories.  Whether it's a story of great grandma surviving the hurricane in 1900 that killed 6,000, or recent stories about how many feet of water they had in their house during Hurricane Ike.  

Carl may have been a new employee, but he knew all about the Ike devastation in 2008 and how the restaurant pulled the tables into the parking lot and fed all the first responders. Carl told us, "They even used tablecloths!"  I found that hard to believe, until I found this picture on the internet.

And the Food?
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​I guess I should mention the seafood. We chose pretty basic stuff, fried shrimp and scampi, but it was excellent. The batter was so light and the homemade sauces were tangy and creamy. 

The wedge salad with blue cheese was chunky and flavorful, without overpowering. The thousand island was fresh, on top of my mix of greens and veggies. A perfect Galveston meal.

One Last Thing

​We asked Carl one more question. "So where's the local business crowd.  We expected to see more regulars on a weeknight."  He reminded us that there was a Members Only Club. That got me curious. ​

So that's where the real regulars go, who don't want to see the flipflops and beach shirts. Can you blame them?

I wondered if I could sneak a peek at the Members Club, but Carl said no one was in the club that night, He admitted the members were aging out and that we might consider getting a membership. "It's not that expensive!"  That idea made me laugh. But it made me a little sad to think that Gaido's could possibly ever stop attracting customers. It made me appreciate that we could still enjoy a retro dining experience at the family run biz on Seawall Boulevard.

Update in May 2024

It's been over 10 years since Don and I dined at Gaido's.

Since 2013, we've had Hurricane Harvey and a pandemic.

But Don and I had a great lunch, from the scrumptious bread and dipping oil, to our Fried Shrimp and Pecan Battered Mahi Mahi. We ended our meal with a proper cleansing of finger tips in the finger bowl!

​Cheers to our waiter, Matt! He was another young one, but he was enthused about the history behind Gaido's and Galveston. We had a fun time chatting and feasting, once again!
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