Wishing I could give this place 6 stars. It's that amazing! The servers are very knowledgeable about the menu as they let you know every single detail about how your fish is prepared. You feel like royalty as they leave you with warm lemon water to cleanse your hands after your meal. The only thing missing from this entire experience was a gurney to roll me out of the restaurant for eating too much food! Well worth the $$$! Highly recommend! read more

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Tbh, the only thing truly memorable about Gaidos is the crab spinach dip. Just imaging a creamy spinach dip with copious amounts of crab and a warm loaf of soft cheesy bread to enjoy it with. Too yummy- I still dream about it. The rest of the seafood was good, but nothing too special. I feel like some of the seafood was over salted, but it was still an enjoyable meal. They have yummy margs and cocktails too! read more

Gaido's - Crab Dip - Seafood Near Me - Galveston, Texas

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One of the best meals I've ever had! Got the fresh oysters, complimentary bread, lobster spinach dip, the red snapper Michael, and very good cocktails. I would recommend this spot to anyone visiting Galveston! Just don't eat here before your cruise if that's what you're in town for! The cruise food will never outdo this. The red snapper with chunks of blue crab meat on the fish, was so succulent and fresh it was unbelievable. Service was great as well. 5/5 spot and a great history / location read more

It's a very classic American experience and that's awesome! You feel part of the legacy Ambiance is amazing Service is great Food could improve slightly read more

Talk about your perfect meals! I ordered the Wedge salad and the buttered Crab. In all my travels around this globe, I've never tasted a more uncious and perfect blue cheese than on this perfect salad. I shared it around the table , all felt the same. The crab meat here is simply perfect. Full stop. Thank you Gaidos for the perfect meal, excellent service, along with an ocean view. Order the crab.. you'll thank me! read more

Gaido's - Pre-cruise feast! Cheers to you Gaidos!! - Seafood Near Me - Galveston, Texas

I've eaten here 10 times over the last 30 years, but never again. Checked in 30 minutes prior to reservation and STILL had to wait 15 minutes after reservation (in an empty restaurant) for the table to be set once our full party arrived. A fire alarm went off before we were seated, and the volume damaged my hearing, hopefully not permanently. Still hearing ringing the next day. REALLY LOUD! Waited 15 minutes AFTER seated with no waiter. After we ask management, a waiter is assigned to our table. Then, said waiter was disrespectful to my father, antagonizing him for wanting to order his meal. Food was good, but not good enough to go deaf, sit around waiting for a table/service or to withstand the negative commentary from our waiter. Good bye Guido's. read more

My boyfriend and I went tonight for our anniversary. We were not greeted until 15 minutes after we were seated, and i waited more than 20 minutes to get a water refill. The food took awhile but that was to be expected, it was decent food but I was a little disappointed since everyone on the island raves about this place. They did give us a free dessert that said "happy anniversary" on it which was very nice. I felt like it could've been a good experience on a different night, it's just sad because I probably won't be coming back. read more

I REALLY wish my friends and I had checked the Yelp reviews before eating at Gaido's. (NOTE: I am only giving Gaido's 3 stars because the staff/service was friendly and fairly efficient.) We called and made a reservation while we were driving to Galveston from Houston for Easter Sunday. I was surprised they had availability on such short notice. Now I know why! This place is HUGE! Our server was very nice, but kind of slow. Not much of a multi-tasker. There were times when I was thankful for people who at least refill water glasses. I also ordered the classic margarite. VERY good! I am particular about margaritas. I made sure to order another! My two friends and I all three ordered from the "classic seafood" portion of the menu. I had the crab stuffed shrimp with parmesan tomatoes and a side salad with the house dressing (honey pecan vinaigrette). The crab stuffed shrimp and parmesan tomatoes were....eh. Not sure if it's worth $30. The house dressing is really yummy. One of my friends ordered the deep sea scallops with asparagus. Once again, the scallops were....okay. Not worth $30. My other friend ordered the famous fried platter. The seasonal seafood was oysters. Since it's the famous FRIED platter, the oysters were fried. Well, kind of. The outside was clearly fried. The oysters......were SO SLIMY. Don't get me wrong, I eat raw oysters. I love fresh, raw oysters. But, when I eat fried oysters I expect them to be cooked. These oysters were NOT. Not only did the oysters not have any flavor, neither did the batter. The stuffing balls were good. When we were leaving, I saw the chef at the buffet on his cell phone.....with his gloves on.....GROSS. Why is this place so popular? It must be nostalgia. I love to support local businesses; family owned businesses. The atmosphere, the decor and the ambience are amazing. I enjoyed looking around at all the antiques and photos and articles. I really wanted to love it. However, I definitely will not be returning. read more

Gaido's - Crab stuffed shrimp with parmesan tomatoes - Seafood Near Me - Galveston, Texas

So yummy! Good service and good food. The sister restaurant Nicks is also very good. I recommend both.

We went to Gaido's on South Main in Houston several times a year when I was growing up. It was an "oilfield hangout" in the 70's and 80's. When it closed we went to the Galveston location a couple of times every summer until about 20 years ago when it went down hill, way down hill. Huge disappointment for my aging and ailing mother-in-law. Have heard good things about it lately and as my cancer seems to be in remission we drove down for lunch. It is better than it was 20 years ago but no where near what it once was. Service and management need training, lots of training! read more

This ages old family owned restaurant is not resting on its laurels. Excellent service and memorable food! Complimentary bread is wonderful. We ordered the blackened combination platter and the American Red Snapper Michael with Blue Crab, both with asparagus as sides. Every bite perfectly cooked and seasoned. Happy Guests, here. read more

Wowwwwww. First of all the angel food cake is now my all time favorite dessert any time I go to Galveston I will be going to gaidos for a great meal and a even better dessert the shrimp peques was my fav entree so amazing everything was 10/10 read more

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Went for thanksgiving. Food was delicious and the service was top notch. I wish the desserts had been on the buffet so we could have tried both choices. read more

Gaidos has been around since 1911and remained a family business. They try to maintain the old world classic feel using white table cloths, silver plates for the bread, well dressed waitstaff & the lemon infused warm water in a silver cup to wash your fingers after the meal. Although the overall decor could use an uplift anytime soon. On with the food..... We tried their Thanksgiving buffet at around $65 per person. Highlights are: fresh oysters in a half shell sweet potato dish. So so are: Mahi- mahi fish dish Turkey Baked oysters breaded shrimps Pecan pie Lowlights are: Pumpkin pie Cocktail Shrimp Did not try the turkey soup, salad. read more

Five stars forever The service is unreal (in the best way), they accommodated my families slightly difficult requests above and beyond, and the food has been consistently good my entire life. My whole family tree has been coming here since 1911. read more

Dinner took 3 to 3 1/2 hours. There was seven of us one ended up leaving because the service was so bad and then we had issue after issue with orders not getting our drinks. We ordered the steak and it had literally no flavor they gave us for free dessert. It was really weird because they had said that three were for birthdays before the service was bad and then they only gave us one that was free so didn't really accommodate for how Long the service was.. would only go back if manger did anything read more

Salad was ok but not worth the $6 Service started out great but went south when after an hour we still hadn't received our entrees. Decided to leave after talking with the manager. Ambiance is lovely, but it's ashamed the service no longer lives up to the legend of Gaido's of years past. Will we return...that is to be determined, but certainly not this trip!! Very disappointing!! read more

Over salty. Blackened seafood tasted powdered. Manager tried to correct the order but it was still not good.

Lived up to the hype. Shrimp and blue crab claws were fabulous. Service was on point. Highly suggest!

Gaido's is supposed to be the #1 seafood restaurant in Galveston. We showed up 1 night and there were no reservations available, so we made reservations for another night. We arrived and were promptly seated. Our waiter came to greet us and he was kinda creepy and made us uncomfortable. He couldn't remember things as he was telling us the menu and would have awkward pauses. The fresh bread was delicious. The garlic bread, which we ordered, really needed MUCH more garlic. There was no garlic flavor at all. My scallops were good, my husband's shrimp was a bit dry. My son ordered red snapper and it was not even a pretty cut and it was under seasoned. My daughter's mahi mahi was very nice and the vegetables were delicious. It was good, but not great. This was a higher priced restaurant that should have felt relaxed, but we felt rushed and not able to really enjoy our meal. read more

The food was great and so was our waiter however when we got our bill and noticed the suggested tip amounts were showing the dollar value double what the percentage was. Our bill was $93.63 and it said a 20% tip would be $38.90?!? That's over a 40% tip. That just ruined my whole experience. Very shady business practice. read more

Gaido's - Receipt showing suggested tip amounts way over the % showing. - Seafood Near Me - Galveston, Texas

Place has decent food, decent service. Don't go if you're looking for a good time with a great atmosphere- they don't have it and they you for it.. read more

It has been years since I visited Gaido's Restaurant. And it is still delicious. I had the Seafood Pasta. Would highly recommend it. White table cloths and comfortable clothing...sign me up. Erik was a great waiter and the friendly greeting made me feel welcome from the very beginning. read more

Gaido's - Seafood Pasta - Seafood Near Me - Galveston, Texas

Diego did a great job. Wonderful food. Amazing service. Staple of Galveston. I would 100% come back here again

This is a very professional restaurant. Service and food are some of the best I've had. We had the Oysters Deluxe Combination that included: Asiago, Bienville, (our favorites) Fried, Baked , Monterey, Ponzini & Rockefeller. All were great. The Al a Gratin potatoes were fabulous. This the third time I have eaten at Gaido's and have not been disappointed. It's on the pricey side but to me it's well worth it. Next time in Galveston I will be back. read more

Gaido's - Oysters Combination Platter - Seafood Near Me - Galveston, Texas

We came here recently for lunch with a large family group and it was a great time! The waitstaff were very helpful and accommodated the group, and knowledgeable on gluten free and dirty restrictions. The food was delicious with fresh seafood, we ordered many different appetizers and entrees and all left very satisfied and full! read more

This place has been here since 1911 The finest dining on Seawall blvd in my opinion. Don't let the giant blue crab on the bldg scare you It's a must-visit establishment if it's your first time in Galveston Great classic seafood dishes We had one of the most inventive appetizers I've ever had Savory crab cheesecake Definitely something you'll want to share - it's so rich.. but SOOOO delicious The crab avocado was a lighter appetizer option that we enjoyed as well The fried seafood platter was gigantic The crab at gratin was delectable but heavy Thank goodness we shared it The truffle fries were great The service was impeccable Huge wine list Full bar with a cute lounge area for when there is a long table wait time Old school steakhouse/seafood restaurant type of atmosphere Nice gift shop in the front You have to come here at least once read more

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Best service and best food in town! Always a great place to visit. Highly recommend. Ask for Justin!

At the end of a conference in Houston, I rode to Galveston with a group to have dinner at Gaidos. Gaidos is a wonderful seafood restaurant that has been owned by the same family for 100 years. Linen tablecloths, a spacious dining room, formally-dressed waiters and excellent service make it apparent that guests are in a top notch restaurant. I enjoyed their Signature Gumbo which was filled with large shrimp as a terrific starter. Then came my wonderful main course...Lump Crab Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp, with Parmesan baked Tomatoes. So very delightful! Make an advance rrservation; Gaidos is popular. If you are in the Galveston area, you must not miss Gaidos. It is exceptional! read more

Amazing food, atmosphere, and service. Our server was Melissa. She was awesome. Would give 10 stars if possible.

I felt the food was just OK and they are living off their reputation. Maybe if I would have paid for all the add on's I would have thought differently. The rest of my group seemed to enjoy it more than I did, but they talked mainly about what the place was like 30'years ago. read more

This is the Absolute One Place to dine in Galveston if you only had one choice, period! My family has been dining here since the early 1960's and we are so thankful for the scrumptious food, awesome staff and giant Blue Crab on the roof!!! Thank you guys for a lifetime of fond memories. read more

They get 1 star for ambience. Though we were seated next to a man dressed in Captain America sweats or pajamas. Not sure which. Disappointing on all counts. There was not one thing that would compel us to return. I wanted for 40 years to get to eat at this place. All we got was food poisoning and a mouthy waiter. I'm sure the food was great in time past, but in 2023, we wish we had taken a pass and gone somewhere else. read more

An upscale restaurant known for going for special occasions. Our case was our wedding anniversary. Service was absolutely fantastic and we got a free dessert due to our occasion. We both had that evening's special which had a little bit of everything starting with the primary entree of grilled salmon. Ambiance and service are first class. It is pricey at dinner time but I understand lunch is much more reasonable. I would very much like to go again. read more

Was very pleased with service atmosphere and food! We had our small wedding party dinner there and were most happy with our choice of restaurants! L read more

We made a reservation for 10 at 730 for my birthday. We arrived on time and we're seated, drink orders were taken along with two appetizer orders. The place wasnt packed as it was a Thursday evening. Our waiter advised it would be him and another woman taking care of us, but we never saw her. We waited 45 minutes and asked the waiter where our drinks were. Enrique advised the bar was on the other side of the restaurant so he would go get them shortly. We waited another 15 minutes and asked him again as he was walking by our table. Enrique advised again they were coming. Several of us ordered teas however Enrique advised the teas come from the bar also. My sister went and spoke to a manager who acted surprised and said he would be over but never showed either. Our food order was never even taken. We got up and left after waiting ten more minutes. So, we waited over an hour and never received even a tea. Horrible service, thankfully Saltgrass didn't mind taking us at 845 when they close at 9. read more

Absolute HUGE disappointment.....no thank you Texas Bucket List! I 100% don't mind paying for great food and service, but this is not it. Pretty much every aspect of our visit was not good. From the greeting at the bar from the pissy bartender (she clearly wanted to only serve dinner, not drinks) to the absolute poor food. $85 for a seafood tower.....12 small oysters, warm crab salad, some shrimp and "blue crab claws" smaller than my finder-nail (see pic).... And we kept trying with salmon and the soft shell crab - mediocre at best. This is a hard no / OVERRATED read more

Gaido's - Blue crab claws - Seafood Near Me - Galveston, Texas

I have never cried in my car after "eating" at a restaurant before, but there I was in the Gaido's parking lot at 10:15pm after not even being able to eat my meal. My boyfriend and I made a reservation through OpenTable for 8:15 PM during our Anniversary trip to Galveston for the weekend. We were seated promptly, and everything went downhill quickly. We waited 15 minutes after being seated, until I found the manager and asked why not a single person had came to our table to greet us or even fill up our water cups. He apologized, asked where we were seated and came over to give us water and explain the menu. We told him we had never been to this restaurant before, and we were celebrating our anniversary. He talked up the food, said dessert of our choice would be on the house. 10 minutes later, he returns and takes our food order. So by now we had already been seated for 45 minutes. Our "server" comes over and apologizes about the delay in her taking care of us, but assured us that our entrées would be out shortly. I ordered the $48 Wahoo Fish Special, my boyfriend the fried catfish. Food came out and it looked great. Unfortunately, the rice on my dish was completely undercooked to the point of it being crunchy and inedible. Server is MIA again, we are sitting in a completely empty room with bussers clearing tables and other oblivious servers resetting tables. So once again, I have to get up from my table to find the manager or server to address yet another major issue. 10 minutes later we finally get someone to come to our table, ask what I would like to be done. I ask for the whole dish to be remade, and they say that's not possible because it'll be the same batch of rice. So apparently I am the only person who noticed the undercooked rice and everyone else must have said "Why this rice has such a good crunchy texture! Fantastic" So they bring me out a new plate, 15-20 later. My boyfriend has already finished his dinner. At this point I was so upset about this experience I had completely lost my appetite and just wanted to leave. We go find the manager again, because not a single person in this restaurant seems to give a damn about our experience. I find him and the server speaking together in a corner and explain that I am severely disappointed, and we are going to leave so if we could just get the check. He pleaded to us to take the "on the house" dessert, like that was going to fix a single issue that arose during this visit. The audacity to still try and charge us for the food was beyond me, so I left to go sit in the car while my boyfriend paid. Of course they don't give unsatisfied customers the "comment cards", so I wasn't even able to address the issue directly to someone above the manager who was on duty tonight (9/15/2023) The cherry on top was checking my email when I left the restaurant to see they cancelled my OpenTable reservation an hour and a half after we had already been seated so I am unable to leave feedback on that platform. We eventually left around 10:15PM, and by that time the only other food options were fast food. So I get to go to bed hungry, on a special day. Completely, and utterly disgusting service. I have never had such a horrid experience at a restaurant in all of my life. read more

We walked in without a reservation and were immediately seated. Service was attentive and food was tasty. A bit expensive but worthwhile.

Per my 7 year old grandson. This place was already 5 star, but now it is infinite stars. (After the ice cream). However, I had the pecan crusted red snapper special and it was out of this world. read more