Bit of a wait, buffet if you are hungry. Crab legs, shrimp and prime rib...good experience for me. Service was good for my table.

Decent food, poor service! Overpriced, need to replace broken dishes! Nice view of sunset, live music is good addition read more

Louie's Backyard - Sports Bars Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

If I could give this a 0 star rating, I would. My friends and I got in around 9pm to celebrate our friends birthday. Before even stepping in, we specifically asked if there was a cover to enter when the person at the front said "oh yes there's covers upstairs." We said "no, do you have a cover charge?" And they responded back "no." My friend group and I then decided to hang out a bit and see what this spot was all about. We ordered multiple drinks and even ordered food, just enjoying ourselves upstairs. We were there prior to the DJ setting up so once he started playing music, we were dancing and having a really great time!! All of a sudden, 2 security guards (who had been upstairs for about 45 minutes plus before even speaking to us) finally decided to approach us where they had stated we needed to go downstairs to get a wrist band before 10pm... when it was already after 10, closer to 10:20pm. Confused but not wanting to cause a scene, we decided to go downstairs to get our "wristband". Once downstairs, we were approached by who I assume would be the manager- scrawny, gray-haired older man- who was already obviously annoyed of our group for some reason. He made us show our ID AND get a hand stamp before "re-entering". We asked why this was suddenly an issue and all he could come up with was "the stamp is to allow you entry coming in and out." Again, not wanting to start a scene or be a problem, we still got the wristband and hand stamp- which is very weird might I add. I have never been to a bar where I get in before the cover charge and then is hunted to get a wristband to prove I was in the bar before 10 or I'll be forced to pay for the cover. My friend group and I are young, but of course over 21, so I'm unsure what this whole issue was about. The older man who practically forced us to get these wristbands well after the fact of being there left such a bad taste in our mouths that we decided to leave. Beware of this place if coming in before the cover charge! Again, not sure what the reasoning was for all this. We tried asking out of curiosity but was told to "not give attitude or we'll be thrown out." Consider spending your money somewhere else that is more worthwhile. read more

We were excited to try Louie's Backyard during our visit to South Padre Island, but unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing dining experiences we've had. We started with the ceviche, and it was incredibly dry with very little sauce or flavor. My husband politely asked our waitress (Rosalba) if she could bring some Valentina hot sauce, and instead of simply saying yes or no, she rolled her eyes at him. That immediately set the tone for the rest of our meal. We initially ordered waters while we looked over the drink menu, expecting the waitress to come back and ask if we'd like cocktails. She never did. We were never given the opportunity to order drinks, which made us feel completely overlooked. My daughter chose the buffet because she specifically wanted the king crab. While the crab itself was decent, the drawn butter wasn't even properly hot for dipping. The macaroni and cheese was also disappointing--it had a curdled cheese sauce that was unappetizing. My husband had originally ordered the fried shrimp platter, but after the waitress's poor attitude, he canceled it. Looking at the plate that came out for another order, we were glad he did. For $27, the shrimp platter was a very small portion and looked like a poor value. The fries were average at best, and the overall presentation was underwhelming. Between the inattentive service, the rude attitude, and food that didn't come close to matching the prices, this restaurant fell well below expectations. Sadly, we won't be returning and cannot recommend Louie's Backyard based on our experience. read more

Louie's Backyard - Fries that are part of the Platter. - Sports Bars Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

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Ok so let me start by saying this, the vibes were good. If you choose to sit outside the seating area overlooks the ocean while you enjoy your meal. The only problem is the meal was so unenjoyable it kind of killed the vibes. The food was horrific, I got the buffet and it didn't have many options. The options that they did have weren't good at all. They do have crab legs but somehow they figured out how to make fresh crab legs taste like imitation crab. My daughter ordered the make your own pasta and it took about an hour for it to come out. When it did the shrimp taste burnt and the pasta was overcooked. Our service was mid at best but to be honest they had like 3 people serving the entire restaurant. On top of that the food is extremely overpriced. If I had to do it all over again I would save my money and get some roller glizzy's and a 40oz drink from the gas station and call it a night. read more

We went on a Friday in early April (no spring breakers). They had live music and the patio is perfect for drinks and lounging. The drinks are average.....don't expect to call any top shelf liquors. It was a Thursday and they have a special on ribs. The ribs were excellent and a pleasant surprise. There were several servers are solid and they were friendly. read more

Louie's Backyard - View from the lower patio - Sports Bars Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

Just ok. Crab legs good, but everything else is nothing to write home about. Had to bus our own table in between plates which was really annoying read more

Food was good. I feel that our server was overwhelmed because it was the 4th of July and he had too many people to help. He did the best he could. We sat out on the pier. Had some moisture dripping of the roof down on the table. They had a band inside and a band playing outside. We were in the middle of them so we heard them both playing at the same time. I think it could have been better. The kids and myself got our food pretty quick. The wife had to wait about 15 minutes to get her food. She was not happy. But said the food was good. Our cups were empty several times again because the waiter was taking care of too many people at once. All I can say is it could have been better. read more

I wanted to like this place, but seeing how many tables I could see where this was going For starters, a 25 dollar margarita? Really? My scallops brochette had 5 bay scallops that were actually good, The skewer of zuchinni, bell pepper and onion were raw with a singe of color from the grill. in some confusion my daughter didn't get her pork chop and my wife had a file minion which was not a file. They're just making money in turnover without a real care about to food or drink read more

DO NOT COME HERE. Worst experience ever. EXTREMELY overpriced. $37 per person for the buffet access only... also to pay a $10 cover just to get in at 10:30pm on a Friday night. We made our way to the buffet area thinking we already paid (the $10 cover) so we started filling our plates up. We found a table and couldn't find any silverware so we asked an employee and they told us to grab silverware from what looked like a dirty dishes basket... a waitress finally came up to our table and gave us silverware. We asked her what the cover was for and she seemed confused and said "I don't know what you guys paid for, I'm gonna bring your check at the end" we then asked what time they closed and she said "oh we're already closed" and then we never saw her again until we waved her down to bring us our check. It's a miracle they're still in business read more

We were there last week. Myself husband and 2 kids. My husband and myself ordered buffet and the kids had regular menu items. Ordered a few cocktails too. Watched the fireworks. It was great! But Imagine my utter shock and embarrassment when your waitress comes running after us full force yelling these words exactly " did you plan on paying your tab?!?!" In front of everyone outside in the parking lot After I spent 10mins searching for her to pay the tab and couldn't find her. So when I realized I had the ticket on the table I simply asked the female security guard at the front door who I could pay since I couldn't find my waitress and was ready to leave. She pointed me to a gentleman behind the bar where I not only paid my $200 tab but also left the waitress a tip despite the fact that at this point it was no longer busy and the fireworks crowd had already cleared out, she had ignored my inquiry completely about a bunch of weird black stuff in the bottom of my cup, and continuously was no where to be found. Then when I respond with "girl, I paid it already and left you a tip, you need to get out of my face being loud, wrong and embarrassing.... and if you don't stop yelling at me I might have to smack you in the mouth." (Wrong I know, however I was incredibly embarrassed and had just dropped a decent amount of $) so she responds with "my dad's the manager! Do you want to talk to him?!?!" Still yelling. Girl, YES! YES I do want to talk to your father the manager so I can tell him how much he fucking failed with you and your training. I can understand a waitress freaking out for a second, but the words used were embarrassing and unprofessional asf considering I had indeed paid my entire bill plus tip. Someone teach that girl that "excuse me maam, I assume you handled your tab?" Is way better than screaming publicly whether I intended to pay something I had already paid. read more

Good service. All you can eat salad bar and mushrooms. The baked potato and mushrooms are huge. Looking forward to sals bar. Crab legs looked good. read more

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Only 1 star because I can't put 0 stars. Ordered the southwest chicken with salad bar, garlic potatoes (which was actually a twice baked potato) and veggies. Family ordered tasteless rice pilaf. Flies all over the salad buffet, chicken very dry with no salt (only strong spice rub), twice baked garlic potato was baked a lot more than 2 times because it was very dried out, rice pilaf was basic white rice with no flavor, definitely not rice pilaf. Never again. Edit: manager was sincerely apologetic about the entire experience. read more

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We were really excited to check out this restaurant, but ended up having mixed feelings about the service and the food.. First for the service, while we didn't have a reservation, we were told we would be called in 15 minutes so we waited around near the bar, as they told us to wait there..they never came to get us so we checked in multiple times with the hostess and were finally seated after almost an hour of waiting.. As for the food, it was alright..a bit overpriced because you are more so paying for the atmosphere. The steak was a little dry and had minimal seasoning..the garlic potato was good though! read more

Louie's Backyard - 6 oz Steak with Garlic Potatoes - Sports Bars Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

it wasn't a bad buffet, but you definitely have to time it to get crab legs right as they come out. everything else was extremely mid. fried shrimp was good, and mac and cheese was good but i wouldn't go again for the price. read more

Went very recently. Was able to make reservations outside. Group of 7. Looking forward to the Tuesday night fireworks. Got there at 8 and was promptly seated. Waitress was pleasant. She advised that it would take 45 minutes to an hour to get food so we were better off getting the buffet. There's an outside buffet and an inside buffet. The outdoor buffet was a bit limited and had flies. The indoor buffet had more items, but was set up in the most awkward way that it took forever to get through the line. It's cafeteria style, so you do not get to put your own food on your plate for the most part. I don't know who's doing the cooking or where the food is coming from but the food was the lowest quality and tasting food I may have ever eaten in the last 15 to 20 years. Every single person at the table agreed. then came the fireworks. All of a sudden some really crazy loud music came on and fireworks Started popping for about five whole minutes. That was the whole firework show. They could've done without the music as that ruined every bit of the evening. Only silver lining I can find is that we got to watch the sunset. You're better off getting a ticket to a party boat and watching the sunset than going back to this place. For the amount of money we spent nobody got a decent meal. read more

The food is awful and cold! The wait staff and buffet servers do not speak any English at all! They guard the food at the buffet and serve it to you bits at a time, like they're afraid you're going to get some! Then when you do get some, you certainly don't go back for more because it's inedible! Seriously we paid for nothing! $75 for 2 ppl. We hated every bit of it! Its that bad! The place is filthy dirty and old as can be. I have photos this place needs some serious help. read more

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Very surprised that this place is open! VERY overpriced for the food that was served. Buffet is offered, however the food looked like it had been sitting out for hours and staff gave strange looks after every time we served our selves. The fried food was bland and tasteless. Pasta was unseasoned. Choose this restaurant to eat at for a beach front view, however the moldy/fishy smell that fills the air is crazy! Both the hostess ladies and the server need to change their facial expressions when communicating and serving clients. If I could I would give this place no stars I would. read more

Terrible! Went with our family and two of the meals had hairs in them, my rice had a long white string in it, chicken and burgers were all over cooked, and they don't de-vein the shrimp! Server was nice, as was the manager. But it took a VERY long time for them to decide how to handle it- they removed some of the items from our bill. The bathrooms were disgusting, couldn't even change the baby in there, too nasty, in the men's- hair net sitting out, and just very dirty conditions. Very disappointed- it's such a great location with a gorgeous view! read more

Louie's Backyard - Dirty bathroom with a hair net from staff on hand towel dispenser - Sports Bars Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

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Horrible. Long wait, several tables available at the water front, even though I asked they were not available. Hostess was rude as well. For the price I would go somewhere else. read more

I wouldn't recommend this place because although the views are nice it's really smelly, the buffet tasted like overpriced cafeteria food. For the price I was extremely disappointed . read more

Food. Ambiance. Fireworks! With family for New Year's Jan 2026. It's a little chilly for TX read more

Ok where can I start? We went for the fireworks but tried to stay for the food. We decided to go for the fish tacos so had to go up to the bar.. weird.!! My husband ordered fish tacos that were decent and he actually liked them. I ordered wings since I figured it's the easiest thing to order. Well we waited over an hour.. for only one other table there, that seems alittle too long. We had to ask how much longer on our food. Which doesn't make sense since again we were the only other table there. When my good finally came my fries were stale and cold which was disappointing cause we were really hungry at this point. My wings were Sweet Chili which was ok but the wings were dry and didn't taste fresh. And was that ranch?? Who even knows. The bar area wasn't bad as we did get to watch the fireworks and also the World Cup games. It was loud downstairs but seems like they also had an event going on. I just don't think for the price.... It wasn't worth the visit. Definitely a bust!!! Ok and what's up with the feathers on my chicken wings??? read more

THIS WAS ONE OF THE WORST EXPERIENCES I Have had at a restaurant in SPI. The service was bad, food was worse, cold baked potato not cooked correctly, served practically cold and tasteless, minimal amounts of butter and sour cream. ONLINE MENU INCORRECT, The only good thing was the view. Different menus offered for separate areas of dining. FOOD WAS BAD, SERVICE WAS BAD PASS ON THIS ONE! read more

Very pleased with the service and food. My last review indicated the enormous presence of Waterbugs. They did away with the wood tables! No more Waterbugs! The live music was good, the food was great! I'll be back to your Backyard. read more

The buffet is great. All you can eat crab every night. They have great music every afternoon so give them a try!

You come here for two things and two things only.... All you can eat crab legs and the sunset views. The buffet food isn't the best. We keep coming back when we crave crab legs. The servers always come to our tables to pick up our dirty plates filled with empty crab leg shells. The indoor section always feels a little cramped. However they do offer plenty of outdoor seating. read more

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Great ambiance with sunset views and live bands!! Not dog friendly but a wonderful place to eat or just drink and enjoy the music. Shrimp cocktail was outstanding and mahi tacos were bueno!!! read more

My fillet was amazing cooked just like I like it, with this huge baked potato and fresh salad bar was included! Happy hour margarita wasn't the best but for $4 bucks what can you expect. Services was kind and my food came out quickly. The outside seating was amazing also! I'm shall return read more

Louie's Backyard - Sports Bars Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

Hungry for seafood? All you can eat seems to be the winner here! $35 scallops, shrimp crab boil, filet mignon too. Salmon was my winner winner. Cooked perfect. Blackened. Be Hungry! Worth it read more

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terrible service waited and hour and a half and they got our order wrong also the waiter was rude an the manager wouldn't talk to us

We were there for an hr and 20 minutes before I finally gave up on getting my plate. My daughter's order was wrong and I told them right away, but they just left it on the table, presumably to go back and get the correct burger. This didn't happen. It wasn't taken back until my other kids were nearly done eating. More than 30 minutes after I initially told them my daughter's order was wrong, she finally got her burger, but it was that same one that had been sitting on the table for far too long. They just scraped off the cheese and put the right stuff on it and gave it back to her. Meanwhile, I still had not gotten my food. Tables sat after us were at this point had eaten and starting clearing out. By the time my daughter was nearly done eating her dry burger, I still had gotten nothing and told them I no longer wanted it. The server should have brought this to the managers attention and did not. I gave her the money on my way out and told her the experience was awful. I still tipped but it really pissed me off. Thank you for nothing. read more

Food was wonderful. Love the view of the bay. We go every summer. They have a great buffet. read more

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We came here on Sunday 11-30-25 to watch our team (Seattle Seahawks) just crush their opponent 26-0. Not only was the game great, but the food, service and all the tvs made it a great experience. I had the club sandwich and my wife had the rib plate special. We both loved it and will definitely be watching future games there when we come down to visit. read more

Terrible service. We were there an hour before being waited on. Waited another hour and was informed that our order had never gone in. Got up and left. Food looked good if we could have got some! read more

Wait time to get a table was fine. Food was okay at best. Line for the buffet was too long, they could have it set a lot better. Service was ok, had to ask for refill of water. Atmosphere was nice, got to see the fireworks across the water. read more

Louie's Backyard - Me and my girl - Sports Bars Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

Food service was good and the security guard in the front I believe his name was Apango 10/10 very respectful and needs a raise! Thank you for keeping the community safe ! read more

Would not return. Went for dinner and ended up getting the buffet. Wish I would have looked at the offerings because I let the waitress recommend it. Food was warm at best, not many options. Fish had no flavor, the potatoes were hard, the ribs were rough in general. Was pretty disappointed read more

Came in on a super sunny day and half of our table was in the sun even though there were plenty of shaded tables around. When we asked to move to a different location we were no and the hostess walked off. So, we moved our table to be out of the sun. Our waitress was nice but took awhile to come to our table as she spent most of her time talking to her friends working the bar. We ordered our drinks, and food, because it took her awhile to wait for our drinks, she had to come back and ask us what we ordered. read more

Louies, Excellent food, service and plenty of ambiance with a huge seating areas on deck to enjoy the beaty of the SPI bay laguna side of the island. Take a break from the wind and sand with the light breeze. Great live evening singer. Fresh nice choices on the salad bar! Enjoyed the mexican shrimp cocktail and salmon too got a photo of my own custom salad but so buzy gobbling it up and forgot to take photos of the rest....oh yeah try the passion fruit margarita on the rocks w salt, fantastic! read more

Louie's Backyard - Salad bar yummiest - Sports Bars Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas