Every time I've been to this place, you can always expect the same things: 1. Consistency in taste 2. Great waitstaff 3. Delicious food 4. Cheap! 5. If you're not Hispanic, prepared to be the only non-Hispanic in the entire restaurant I've been raving about Mambo's to my California-native husband since we've moved back in July. All I could think about is their fried rice!! When you think about it ("cheap Mexican seafood restaurant with the best Chinese fried rice"), it's kind of a weird concept. But when my husband and I couldn't figure out what to eat for dinner one night, he excitedly said, "Mambo's!" and off we went. This is a special treat for him because he absolutely loves seafood, but since I hate it, we never eat it at home. We sat down at a booth and our (female) server greeted us with a warm smile. She told us about the specials (in her broken English) and allowed me to sample their horchata (which is amaaazing!). Since I couldn't substitute the shrimp fried rice with chicken in my combo meal, I decided to get a #3 (2 pieces of deep fried fish) with a salad, and then order a separate "small" chicken fried rice for hubbs and me to share. He ordered a gumbo. Hubbs was still pretty skeptical, because how good could seafood be from a hole-in-the-wall, cheap Mexican restaurant? I think he was expecting food poisoning or at least some urgent bowel movement. Not long after, the food finally arrived. Ah, how I've missed the huge dome of fried rice, almost impossible to spoon onto your plate without casualty piles falling on the table. Hubbs immediately took a bite of the fried rice to see what the hype is about, and his eyes lit up. "MMMMMM!" he exclaimed. I gave him a piece of my freshly-fried, non-seafoody-tasting fish and he said, "Wow, this is really good. This is better than most seafood in California!" He was excited about his gumbo, too, saying how usually the seafood in gumbo is rubbery and overcooked because they keep it heated all day. Not so with Mambo's gumbo. "Every piece of seafood is perfectly cooked," he admired. "How many stars?" I asked my husband. "FIVE!" he immediately responded. Now, I'm elite, and I have to keep my credibility, so in all honesty, I have to give this place 4 stars. But it's a solid 4, and I'm sticking to my guns. Our waitress was super-friendly the entire time. And sure, maybe some waitresses lay it on thick just to receive a nice tip. And maybe that was her intention, too. But I say, she earned it. One time during the meal I was choking on some rice and she came by and started patted me on the back until I stopped. She was very attentive and was quick to clean up our dishes, always with a smile and warm comment. So she did a great job. Also, we were greeted by a manager twice during our meal, making sure everything was okay and that we were enjoying everything. What service. We're definitely coming back! read more

I ate here twice within a week. I haven't had Mambo's since 2009. Both times I went I ordered Gumbo for myself, Crawfish, Mambo Shrimp, and the Fried shrimp Platter and I would eat itball. The food price is quite affordable and the food portion is even better. You will get full and you can order quite a lot of food and only spend about 40 or 50 dollars. I enjoyed coming back to Mambo's and will probably constantly eat here. Also I love the Mambo rice. The staff are pretty nice also. read more

Mambo Seafood seems to be a hybrid Mexican-American restaurant like some have said below. It would resemble closes to Captain Tom's excluding their fried rice. This place looks like a typical mom and pop's Mexican restaurant. Note that most of the people working there dont speak English. I had a hard time trying to communicate with the waitress. She had seated me and asks me in Spanish what i wanted and i kindly replied in my horrid Spanish that i was waiting for my friends (esperando a mi amigos) . And she looks at me and goes, "you can speak to me in english"., to my surprise. So i go and tell her "oh okay, i am waiting for my friends". She gives me this blank look and goes "okay, what you want order?"... im puzzled and reply with the same thing... and she asks me again... so i reply to her in spanish again and still she gives me this blank look... at this point im just totally confused why shes hovering over me... she eventually walks away after we stared at each other for a good 5 minutes. Yea talk about weird encounter of the whatever kind. Anyways eventually my friends came and we ordered. On to the food, we (3 people total) ordered the chicken fried rice (regular) and boy it was pretty darn good for a place that doesnt seem like its forte is fried rice. The portion was so large that we couldnt even finish half of the fried rice. One of the more decent fried rice ive tasted and im Asian (stereotyping myself) !! We also got stuffed crab (what i was looking forward to) and it was decent but not great... i sitll enjoy the Captain Tom's crab more.. this one just seemed a bit um salty with no other flavor. The gumbo was a tiny bit below Captain Tom's as well but dont get me wrong i enjoyed it quite a bit. It had lots and lots of yummy stuff in it. Definitely will get again (i love gumbo!). The fish filet was not too bad nothing spectacular either but enjoyable like the crab. We ordered the Mambo Chelata to top it off and boy it felt good after a long days work. The prices are decent and not over the top and i will definitely come here again. Viva la Seafood! read more

Best seafood in houston, I believe for the price. Want something under 10bucks, fresh and quick? Come here! Language barrier (spanish mostly) but every thing works out for the best. The patio is my go to. The dinning room is a bit tiny and squished. Only complaint is that I hate places that use packaged tarter sauce. Yuck! read more

I absolutely love this place specially the micheladas and shrimp cocktail. I personally like my drinks spicy and a cold michelada does not disappoint. The cocktail is amazing wether is just shrimp or mix but I enjoy that it does not have a tomato favor but rather a home made little spicy . I have other items on the menu that are great like the rice. read more

Legit, decent seafood at a great price. I love their seafood ceviche, fish only (I have a weird thing about eating shrimp cooked by strangers, mostly bcs my mom makes it so good!) My husband always gets their #1: fried fish fillets w/shrimp and rice. Their homemade tartar is great. When it's our "winter" season, I get the oysters here too. With their turnaround I trust the freshness of the seafood. Always busy, so be prepared to wait and if someone in your party speaks Spanish it will be useful. Enjoy! read more

This is four stars if you are looking for value. I almost always get either the shrimp plate to really carb it up or the whole fried tilapia. The shrimp plate or shrimp and fish plate runs about six bucks but has fried rice, the main protein, a side of bread and a mild version of tartar sauce. I always ask for some cocktail sauce since it doesn't come standard. The tilapia is in the same price range and a decent size with nice crispy skin that you can squeeze a little lime on and enjoy as long as fried fish face doesn't scare you. read more

The food was awesome and the service was great. The waitress was very attentive and the food was reasonably priced. My favorite was the bacon wrapped shrimp! read more

I love seafood! And mambo knows how to do it!! Their fried shrimp rice is the best!!! I always get the combo that has fried shrimp and fish it's toooo good!! Pretty filling!! Their mangonadas are sooo good! Everytime I go eat here I can't get enough!! read more

I love the fried gar fish and the fried rice , the drinks are very good , very noise and packed at sometimes but worth it

After seeing so many positive reviews I decided to give this place a try and, beside, it's the only few seafood place that you don't pay fortune to dine in. Warning, if it's your first time to this place, prepare to embarrass yourself or feel very awkward once you step in because there's basically no instruction how you should order or be seated. When I got there all I saw was seafood counter on the right and cashier on the left so I assume I had to choose ingredients, tell them how to cook, pay the money and they will bring food to my table. Friendliness of their staffs was horrible. The cashier I talked to made a face like she just broke up with her ex or had a hard diarrhea and she was the one harshly chasing me to sit at any table and a waitress would come to get my order. The menu was a little confusing too. I was really craving for octopus and I looked at order-by-pound section and it said, "Cook it your own way". I was like "hmm grilled or boiled octopus sounds really good" but the waitress told me they can only sauté it. Disappointed. So in the end me and my girl ordered sauté octopus, shrimp scampi, and ceviche . The food was really good for the price. Octopus was a little soaky with oil but shrimp (and its fried rice) and ceviche was very fresh and well seasoned. Bad service + great food = 3 stars read more

I went here Saturday wanting some fried red snapper .. We waited for an hour to get our food and when I got my order the fish was over cooked ... read more

Great place for fresh Grilled fish. This is my second time at this restaurant and fish is awesome!

I live in this area so this place is really convenient. They are really clean. This place is a seafood restaurant and yet their place does not smell fishy or weird. They single handedly made the michelada my favorote drink and they have the best ones. read more

When we arrived they were packed, we for sure thought it would be at least a 30min wait. We were seated within 10 min and our waitress had our order and food out shortly. They where busy the whole time we where there, but they move fast with great quality food that is coming out at the same time. I had the Vuelve a la vida soup and it was great my girlfriend had the fried shrimp and it was also great. It's a must try when in Houston TX.. read more

This is a colorful, casual and loud Mexican seafood joint. We sat outside to enjoy a great Houston Spring night. The area around the patio is quite bright and busy, but again this is not a place for a quiet romantic dinner. Mambo is good for great seafood value. Two side notes: - A lot of people rave about the Mambo rice. It has a distinctly Asian flavor. It surprised me, but it is good. Still think it's just shrimp fried rice. - Very disappointed they don't serve wine. If you have a limited alcohol license this should be a must. I don't want a frozen wine-based margarita. read more

I am totally not expressed...I have had better seafood. I guess I love a little flavor and kick in my seafood. But the people are really nice in there. The food is just not for me. read more

Today was my first time trying this place and I was pretty excited. I placed an order for pick up but I wish I hadn't. I feel like the food has so much potential but my food was so burnt! I ordered the #10. Bacon wrapped shrimp, when I got back to work to eat the bacon was 80% black all around. Once I peeled off all the yucky stuff it was good. But who wants to do all that work when they're on a time schedule? I was pretty disappointed but I'd give them one more chance. They were pretty busy. read more

Mambo Seafood - Nice pile of burnt skin I had to peel off my shrimp. :( - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

We stopped in for a raw oyster fix. Really good preparation. We had a fried shrimp basket and fries. All we're great. I'm ready for more!

Nothing swanky but if you want tasty & inexpensive seafood it is a great place. The servers are knowledgable about their menu and attentive. I enjoyed the shrimp empanadas, very delicious snack or small meal. read more

I love it, good dine nothing fancy, the place is very busy, the fish tastes really good, i would come back.

Mambos is literally one of the best sea food spots I have ever been to. I went here and liked it so much I convinced my boyfriend to come back with me. He's a very picky eater and does not like trying new things but after we left he couldn't wait to come back. The prices are really good the food is really good and I definitely recommend the black bean empanada as an appetizer read more

Was having a craving for some shrimp. Being a good yelper I opened up my trusty Yelp app and saw mambo's listed and it wasn't far away. I called in and ordered the family order of shrimp and tilapia with French fries.. Phone service was handled professionally and friendly.: Food was good and reasonably priced. Place was reasonably priced. Highly recommend. read more

mmmmmm the fried rice is SPECTACULAR and its cheap all good with me read more

Excellent service! Food was great! Oysters took a lil long at the bar but overall a great experience!

Great seafood! Friendly staff. I've visited this location many times and they've never disappointed me.

These guys don't deserve 1 star the food was horrible. My shrimp was under cooked.the portions were small. The waitresses were rude.im never going back.eat at your own risk. You won't be satisfied. Doesn't hold to the standards of other mambos I've been to. read more

This place is the BEST. $6 for the two pieces of fish, six breaded shrimp, a roll, and a mountain of shrimp rice. You really can't beat this place for the price, taste, and the atmosphere on the deck is great! read more

The place is simple and packed, decorated with everything in Spanish. It feels like traveling to Mexico or a South American country (no passport needed!)- 99% of the people are Latinos, the music and TV are in Spanish and the food is the real thing, do not expect Tex-mex! The food is very tasty, nice portions and great prices! Service is very fast, continuous and courteous. It can be intense for some people ... Music, people walking, kids, soccer on TV,etc- you definitely come here for the great food, prices and service, not so much the place. Did I mention food is really fresh? Do t forget to ask for no spice in food if you don't like spices (chile)!!! AC is high, so take a shawl , read more

This is our first time here.it was a great experience food was really good,tasty and fair on the price, service was fast attentive and promptly to satisfy the customer we are planning to come back keep it up mambo! read more

Dozen oysters & combo #1. Both were excellent. Horchata was tasty too. Definitely recommend coming here.

Wow what a great service the food and the micheladas are so so good. Pront respond from my waiter Irina she is the best I love her customer service and her smile she is the best thank you for your hospitality you made my day. management please give her an increase read more

Horrible service they took more than 40 mins to served me a large order of rice.... horrible customer service

This place is good when you're hungry and that's about it. The fried seafood is overly battered; I peeled off the crust on one shrimp only to find a skinny little piece of crustacean. Not sure if it was even 100% shrimp. The large fried rice plate cost about $18 and can feed around 8-10 people. Good value there. It has shrimp, beef, onions, and a lot of oil. read more

Fried rice is sooooo yummy. I prefer their fried seafood. I tried the fish and shrimp in Mambo sauce and it was okay. Their ceviche was not a bad choice. The seafood soup is very tasty also. Try the Mango Lava drink. Sweet and spicy. read more

Man this place rock for lunch. I love going on Friday and getting their #4 which is fried shrimp and rice along with one good michelada..Its about $11 give or take without tip. My coworker get the #4 with a water and its $7 and its very filling. Its a cheap eat to me and if your close definitely stop by. read more

I love Mambo! I am a repeat customer! I love the mixed grill (grilled fish and shrimp), they have new gar special that I tried yesterday and it was yummy! I love the seafood soup, the shrimp empanadas, oh my! The seafood is always fresh. I love the casual atmosphere and the service! Yea it helps to speak a little Spanish but its ok if you don't. All of the ladies come and check on you and they always make us feel welcome :-) read more

Grill red snaper with fired rice is really good. Fresh fish. Love the seafood gumbo..but the food service is kind slow. I came around 10 pm. It wasn't busy and my foods came out 30 mins later. read more

The empanadas costeñas are sooo frickin great man. Like it's pure heaven to your tastebuds. The rest of the food is yet to be settled.

Oh Mambo's what more can I say? I up from up North and never had a michelada until I met you. I love them. Once it hits the lips, it's so good. Burns the lips. But in a good way . YEEHAW! It get mine with El Sol. I have bought your mix. I make them at home. Thank you thank you. Thank God I didn't know what these where when I was in college - would have never graduated. And the food. Yes, the food is great. I get the Ranchero Fish Fliets normally. Lightly breaded, but not heavy at all. And the ranchero sauce. Awesome. It's strange because there is kind of an Asian vibe to the food. The sauce is like a teriyaki sauce with green, red and jalapeno peppers. So its sweet and spicy. Any of the fish/shrimp cocktails are divine. Their famous Mambo rice is excellent. It's shrimp fried rice (see Asian theme). The place is CHEAP as well. You and your girl can have a ceviche cocktail, two dinners and two rounds micheladas for $40. Very good deal. Most dinners are under $10. What a great place. The ambiance at this location is crazy. go on a Friday night at 9 pm and its packed. Everyone eating, drinking and watching futbol. I'm normally the only white guy there. But the always treat me well. You will leave full and happy. I can't recommend this place any better! read more