South Padre Island is a barrier island off the southernmost tip of Texas, just a few miles from the border with Mexico. So it makes sense that many of the dishes at South Padre Island restaurants are Mexican-inspired, even dishes offered at the Italian eateries.
After a month spent exploring the laid-back Gulf Coast island and its culinary options, this is the list of the best restaurants we tried (some we visited more than once) and recommendations for what to order at each because eating is definitely one of the best things to do on South Padre Island!
SheBuysTravel Tip: This is Texas, so expect Texas-sized portions. If you don’t have a big appetite or a fridge in your South Padre Island resort, consider ordering one appetizer, one entree and one dessert to share. Also, it’s south Texas, so expect some heat. Even the Italian restaurants have menu items that feature jalapenos!
Read More: The best places to stay in South Padre Island
Padre Island Brewing Company
3400 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, Texas, 78597
This trendy spot was hopping every time we drove past, so we stopped in for a late lunch. The craft brewery offers a variety of beers (we liked the South Padre Island Blond, the lightest brew) and, some tasty burgers, along with seafood options.
What to order at South Padre Island Brewing Co.: The nachos starter. Go with the large. You can thank me later.
Yummies Bistro
700 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
This family-owned and family-friendly restaurant is the breakfast, brunch and lunch place the locals recommend. And with good reason! There were so many yummy-sounding entries on the Yummies menu that I kept changing my mind as I waited for the server to bring our coffee and take our order. I finally landed on the Yummie burrito (ham, peppers, onions, tomatoes, cheese and eggs all wrapped in a spinach tortilla) but the lemon poppyseed pancakes were a serious contender.
Hubby had the Texas-sized Spanish omelet with chorizo, peppers, onions, tomatoes and cheddar Jack cheese.
We washed it all down with a slice of grapefruit pie. That’s right. They make a pie from grapefruits and it’s delish. The balance of sweet and tart reminded us of strawberry rhubarb pie.
What to order at Yummies: Grapefruit pie. Really.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Yummies is only open for breakfast and lunch. But the owners are opening a second spot, Viva, for lunch and dinner. It will be on my list for my next visit to the island!
Mahi Nic
33384 State Park Road 100
South Padre Island, TX 78597
This throw-back outdoor restaurant has the feel of a hippie beach joint. But it serves some of the best seafood on the island.
My blackened mahi sandwich was a huge, lightly spiced mahi mahi filet nestled inside a sweet bread bun and topped with mayo, lettuce, tomato and red onion. It was accompanied by a small cup of the best cole slaw I have ever eaten (and I am a real cole slaw snob!) and the restaurant’s famous giant crinkle-cut fries. Hubby’s blackened shrimp was equally delictable.
The portons here are HUGE. We easily could have split a dinner and an appetizer of the meaty buffalo chicken wings. I didn’t try those, but my dining companions proclaimed them to be hot and flavorful but not so hot as to be unpleasant.
Wash everything down with a mango margarita as you watch the sunset over the yachts in the marina.
What to order at Mahi Nic: The French fries. They’re huge, crinkle cut and perfectly seasoned.
SheBuysTravel Tip: South Padre is a mecca for people who love to fish and just about any restaurant on the island will cook your catch.
Bar Louie
6700 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
This restaurant at the back of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel is a chain. It has the same high quality American bar food you’ll find at any Bar Louie — good burgers and sandwiches, an array of seafood choices and yummy specialty martinis.
But the Bar Louie I have frequented in the Chicago suburbs doesn’t have what the SPI Bar Louie has: a giant open-air beachfront restaurant overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. So you can listen to the waves lap the shoreline as you chow down.
What to order at Bar Louie: A burger. It’s huge and mouth watering.
The Meatball Cafe
2412 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
I’m still dreaming about the meatballs and sauce that came with my spaghetti and meatball dinner at The Meatball Cafe. Sadly, I don’t dream about the spaghetti that came with it. It was so overcooked that it was a mushy tasteless mess. Hubby’s Fettucini Alfredo with shrimp was delectable.
The bruschetta we shared as an appetizer was unlike any I’ve ever eaten at an Italian restaurant. The crustini was arranged around a bowl made from crispy parmesean cheese filled with chopped fresh tomatoes tossed with garlic olive oil, red wine vinegar and fresh basil. The result was a sort of “build your own” bruschetta that we gobbled up.
What to order at The Meatball Cafe: Meatballs. Skip the spaghetti, though.
Gabriella’s Italian Grill & Pizzeria
700 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
This Italian eatery does an OK pizza (according to the diners sitting next to us who had ordered a pizza). And it does an equally OK Italian dinner, as evidenced by my dinner of sausage and peppers in a spicy marinara sauce over penne pasta.
But, what it does really well is a Tex Mex-inspired talapia with jalapenos. The waiter recommended it and my husband ordered it. Delish.
What to order at Gabriella’s: Whatever the waiter recommends. In our case, the talapia with jalapenos.
Cafe on the Beach
3616 Gulf Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
This gem of a beachfront breakfast spot hides behind the unassuming The Palms Resort (it’s a lofty name for an old hotel). It serves the best pancakes I have ever tasted. The malt pancakes were richly flavored and came with real maple syrup. I’m not a big sweets-in-the-morning person so I ordered the Beachcomber Breakfast that comes with two eggs, two pieces of bacon, one piece of sausage and two of those delectable pancakes.
What to order at Cafe on the Beach: Malt pancakes.
SheBuysTravel Tip: The restaurant offers mostly outdoor seating, with more than half of that at picnic tables in the bright sunshine. Wear sunscreen and bring a hat for breakfast dining. The sun is low over the Gulf in the early hours of the day, so the beach umbrellas don’t offer much shade.
Blackbeards’ Restaurant
103 E Saturn Lane
South Padre Island, TX 78597
SPI’s iconic seafood restaurant is the place to go for fresh seafood platters. The Captain’s Bridge Shrimp 3 Ways dinner included three lightly breaded fried shrimp, three blakened shrimp and three charbroiled shrimp along with Mexican rice and perfectly seasoned grilled zucchini.
My friend ordered the crab cakes, which she loved. Her husband, not a seafood lover, nevertheless tried the Shrimp 3 Ways and raved about it. “I’m glad we didn’t come here earlier in the month,” he said. “If we had, I would have wanted to eat every meal here.”
What to order at Blackbeard’s: Seafood of any kind, but especially the shrimp.
LongBoard Bar & Grill
205 W Palm St.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
We found this outdoor restaurant overlooking the Laguna Madre by accident. We had planned to eat at Louie’s Backyard, but found the restaurant to be huge, confusing, a little smelly and not as clean as I like. (The live music venue is a big destination for college students on spring break who likely care more about the drink menu than the cleanliness of the joint.)
It turned out to be lucky for us. LongBoard, a few blocks down the street, is clean and inviting and just happened to have a really talented Johnny Cash tribute band playing that night.
The menu features some yummy-sounding taco options. We couldn’t choose just one, so we ordered them all! The Taco Sampler had carne asada fajita, fish tacos, lime chicken and pork tacos arranged in an ingenious taco serving dish. They all were tasty.
What to order at LongBoard: Carne asada fajita tacos. They were the best in our sampler.
Dirty Al’s
33396 State Park Road 100
South Padre Island, TX 78597
This is a another throw-back hippie-feeling bar and grill, similar to its neighbor, Mahi Nic. At Dirty Al’s, the fish is fresh and it’s mostly breaded and fried. It makes the fish tasty, but since I’m not used to that much fried food, I was feeling a little sluggish after the fried onion rings, fried shrimp and fried French fries. But the Blue Hawaiian I ordered (a Caribbeanesque rum drink with a hint of coconut) mellowed things out.
What to order at Dirty Al’s: Fried shrimp. It’s fresh and tasty.
Whataburger
3509 Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
A fast food institution in Texas, the Whataburger chain has an outpost on the main drag that runs through South Padre Island. And our traveling companions are big fans — they wouldn’t let me create a list of the best South Padre Island restaurants that didn’t include a mention of this restaurant with its distinctive orange and white roof.
The fast food chain does offer a decent burger and I love that once you order at the counter, someone delivers the fresh-made food to your table. But my favorite there is the chicken sandwich.
What to order at a Whataburger: You’ll probably want a burger (there are specialty options with unusual toppings such as guacamole and jalapenos), but try the chicken sandwich.
Fine Dining Choices
Sea Ranch Restaurant
33330 State Park Road 100
South Padre Island, TX 7859
Another restaurant I didn’t get to on this visit, Sea Ranch offers dining with a front row seat to the sunset over the Laguna Madre. On a previous visit, I tried and loved the blackened shrimp and red snapper seafood choices.
F&B
3109 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, Texas 78597
A dinner at the fine dining F&B is definitely worth the splurge. Although I did not visit on this trip, I was a guest of the restaurant on a previous visit when it was new to the island. Dining does not come with a view, but every meal served to our group was as pretty to look at it as it was delicious to eat. That goes for the cocktails too!
Liam’s Steak House & Oyster Bar
202 W Tarpon St.
South Padre Island, TX 78597
Our culinary plans had included a visit to Liam’s to sample the steak, but alas, our month on the island ended before we made it to this eatery that promises “a sensational SPI culinary experience.” Next year!
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