by chris24342

ROWLETT, Texas

July 23, 2005

by SFPhotocraft

Altadena, California

April 12, 2005

Gaido's has been a part of the Galveston tradition since 1911. Many Texans have downed a few shrimp in these walls.

The bad news is that they do NOT do reservations, so be prepared for a wait. We were lucky we went early on a Friday night (about 5:45pm), and we got a table right away. However, on leaving, we heard the wait was over an hour. This night, a huge rehearsal dinner was also going on and took over one of the dining rooms. There are plenty of tables, as Gaido's is a maze of dining rooms. It seems that over the years, they have expanded and added on. The best tables are at the front, along the windows that look across to the beach. Tonight, we were sat further back and had no view.

Our waiter got to our table quickly and knew the menu like the back of his hand. He was a seasoned waiter and checked back often and was great with the kids. He had some good suggestions and told me which fish were fresh. The menu changes here all the time to accommodate only the freshest catches.

I started with local Gulf oysters. They were delicious and large. Then came the salad, and the house salad dressing here is worth the trip alone -- outstanding! I had the shrimp and scallop combo. Our waiter tried to steer me away from the popular combo into some more adventurous fish, but I knew what I wanted. I got the combo broiled, and it too was delicious and very fresh. Both the shrimp and scallops were large and local.

The kids stay clear of seafood, but the menu had plenty of good non-seafood items for them. We all got the popular house dessert. A huge scoop of local Blue Bell ice cream, slathered in syrup and then rolled in Texas pecans. It's outrageous and sinful and oh soooo good!

Gaido's is a tradition and deserved the crown for the king of the seafood places in Galveston; it sets the standard. A trip to Galveston would not be complete without a stop at Gaido's!

by mindless

highland village, Texas

June 7, 2004

by Corinth Linda

Corinth, Texas

May 31, 2004

The crab patties and shrimp are superb. The desserts have to be shared.

Lunch is a good time to go if you do not want to wait. The atmosphere is resort casual and you can get a great ocean view from various areas of the restaurant. The service is excellent.

by Retiree11

Cypress, Texas

March 12, 2004

by Lampman

Tigard, Oregon

October 29, 2003

by jlargent

null, Texas

July 22, 2003

by Lake Lover

Houston, Texas

June 21, 2003

by dennistravels

Huntsville, Alabama

May 12, 2003

At the time, we did not know that Gaido’s shares a building with its sister restaurant, Casey’s, but you can’t go wrong by choosing either one. Gaido’s is the more upscale of the two, although we didn’t seem to be too out of place in our tourist garb.

When S.J. Gaido opened the restaurant, he promised visitors the best in service and the finest in seafood. The family has definitely continued his promise as the service was outstanding and the seafood even better.

Gaido’s still does things the old fashioned way – like peeling shrimp, shucking oysters and fileting fish, along with making its own homemade sauces, salad dressings and desserts from old family recipes.

This is why the restaurant has been awarded the Best Seafood on the Gulf Coast Award by Southern Living magazine and was voted as the Best Restaurant in the State of Txas by readers of the Texas Highway Magazine.

We were seated at a table, complete with white tablecloth, by the window, where you can see the Gulf of Mexico, across the street.

Although we were late eating lunch that day, the restaurant still had quite a few customers.

The restaurant has quite an extensive menu, including daily specials, but being my first real meal on the Gulf Coast, I opted for the restaurant’s famous oyster platter, while my wife decided on a salad. We didn’t go wrong with either choice. My oysters were fried to perfection with a delicious batter, while my wife’s salad was more than enough.

I know I had enough that I did not have room to try one of the restaurants homemade desserts, but there is always next time.