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    Mel's Blueplate Express

    4.6 (76 reviews)
    Closed • Closed
    Updated 3 months ago

    Mel's Blueplate Express Photos

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    MEL'S BLUEPLATE EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Well I deleted the burger picture by accident but it was huge! We both could not finish it! Here's the inside.
    bec s.

    After reading such good reviews here we tried it. My husband took one bite out of the cheeseburger and said "this is really good!" I thought the same. Loved the crinkle fries too. We were skeptical about eating in a gas station but turned out great. The ladies working super nice too. We went at 1:30. No crowd then.

    Drinks
    Rachel Macie H.

    A DIY Local Spot hidden inside a gas station you just know that screams what's good and let me say it totally was in just that way! So coming here in the evening I was kinda bummed because they were out of almost every thing I asked for but it wasn't their fault as this place gets slammed by the locals to the point of where the people working know them by name which just shows at that point how much of a locals spot this really is. With that said I went with the patty melt as they had it and I was just all for it at that point and let me say that was a good idea as this really was one one of the best patty melts I've ever had as the bread was perfectly crispy the meat was tasty the cheese was gooey the onions were scrumptious and that special sauce was the kicker to tie the whole thing together as it was just a really good burger like if I lived here I'm sure I'd be back to get that every so often! My fries were extra crispy just the way I like them they were also out of those onion rings but the fries definitely made up for it being seasoned and extra crispy! It's also a convenience store inside so they have all kinda Random things to buy so I got a Gatorade as well just because that sounded good and yeah let's just say this was a good choice to come here! Overall super yummy small little spot that's packing lots of good stuff into a gas station so do yourself a favor and come here to fill your tank you'll be happy you did!

    This food here is delicious and tastes home cooked. It's inside of a gas station so it's kind of interesting to be able to eat in the gas station itself. You can get drinks and other things from the cooler and shelves while you wait and it is worth the wait. We had the fried seafood basket and it was really good! Come here if you want a homestyle meal at a reasonable price!

    Mac and cheese, fries, cheeseburger with grilled pineapple and fried egg added
    Heather M.

    Amazing! I love any burger joint that has awesome add-on options and Mel's sure has them! It's so damn good. The mac and cheese is simple and delicious, and the seasoning on the fries is great. It was all ready right when I walked in to pick it up. Perfect timing. The staff is super sweet! It always makes me feel even better about supporting local when you see how genuinely appreciative the workers are. They're in the Valero gas station and prove once again that gas stations in Texas are not to be missed. Go give them a try!

    Cheese burger and onion rings
    Rachel F.

    This place was so great! The burger and onion rings were done so well and my husband loved his shrimp po boy! Love me a good hole in the wall gas station find and this one did not disappoint.

    Cheese burger
    Stephanie W.

    Have you ever eaten inside a gas station that wasn't buccees? Yea, neither had I but I will certainly be going back!! Mel's is hands down the absolute best burger on the island!! The patties are handmade so they're nice and thick and full of flavor, topped with sliced white onion, pickles, tomato, lettuce, mustard & mayo (chefs kiss!). Perfection! The onion rings sell out all the time so if you want them, call ahead and ask. They're hand-battered and sooooo good! Now the fries. Oh the fries. When they're seasoned they're divine!... but sometimes they don't season them so check the bag before you sit down to devour them.

    5-23-2025 menu

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    5 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Such a surprise . So good and friendly . We took out a delicious burger and the buffalo chicken sandwich. Great value and great food.

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    10 months ago

    The best burger on the island! Don't make any plans for afterwards, nap will be needed.

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    9 months ago

    Friendly service. Good food. Always pleasant times at Mel's. Burgers, chicken, shrimp, pork chops, fries, onion rings

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    9 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    It's in a gas station, but omg it was great! I would definitely recommend it to everyone that visits

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    8 months ago

    The staff was so friendly and helpful. Everything was hot and delicious. The onion rings were perfection.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food and friendly service. Don't let the fact that it's also a gas station fool you. Great food!

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    4 years ago

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    8 months ago

    Vibes? Immaculate!! Decor? Non existent. Service?1hundred (got called hunny ) Food? High key needed more salt.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The best little hidden gem the food is so delicious and always fresh! The staff are the sweetest and great customer service

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Mel's Blueplate Express

    Is this the same as Mel's Blue Plate Diner? My husband and I ate there 8 years ago and I'm headed back to Galveston and was looking to eat there again, but I don't remember it being in a gas station.

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    Shark Shack Beach Bar & Grill - Grilled Shrimp over Fettuccine Alfredo!

    Shark Shack Beach Bar & Grill

    4.5(1.3k reviews)
    4.2 mi
    •$$

    Shrimp tacos are the best. We have always had great service. Love its located right on the strand.read more

    Cutting across Texas to New Orleans, I knew we would be skimming the shore of the Gulf of Mexico…read more Shut up. My review, I can call it what I want. That being said, it had been some time since I've gotten some proper fish-n-chips. I had to remedy that. Especially since the BBQ fiasco the other day, I was going to go on a hunger strike, but once I made the sign, I got potato chip fingers on it and started to eat it. So, I decided to fight fire with fire, and figured I would eat myself happy again. Which I'm never mad about. Sometimes I make myself angry just so I can eat myself happy. And now, the rest of the story. I have learned that I enjoy Cod fish for my fish-n-chips. And I think also Haddock. I am not a fisher nor a fish. So it's hard for me to say. But I know Cod is one for sure. I also sometimes have baby mouth and am afraid of new things. I do know I love my fish battered and deep fried. I also know that Shark Shack had good reviews for their fish, so, that was all I needed to hear. Plus, it was a perfect little eatery with bar seating, table seating, and gifts! So you can bet your bottom dollar tomorrow I ordered the English fish-n-chips. Boy oh boy. Just like how Britain colonized all those countries back when it was the cool thing to do, these fish and chips colonized my taste buds. Respectfully. This plate came with FIVE logs of fish. FIVE! Maybe they were tubes of fish? Honestly, I don't care what shape they came in, they looked perfectly crunchy and perfectly brown and perfectly fish. The super cool extra bonus? These fish came with CRISPIES! I've only ever seen crisps with fish from Long John Silvers, whose fish is probably as far from Cod or Haddock as legally possible. I actually think one of my pieces of fish from there had shoelaces. Didn't matter. Still ate it. Respectfully. (If you aren't privileged enough to know what fish crispies are, there little batter pieces that fry or fall off the fish as they cook. Basically little crumblies. If you make a wish over a fork of them and get the forkful in your mouth without dropping any, your wish will come true). Homemade tartar sauce was good, but there was a certain flavor profile that I wasn't a fan of. It was still good to use on the fish rods, it just tasted a little too much out of the tartar sauce field for me. The meal was wrapped up nice and tight with lovely square-cut fries. Perfect doneness. Perfect Ketchup vessel. I could just stare at a pile of them all night. Mostly because I'm weird. Perfect Fish Capsules: 12/10 Ideal Fry Sticks: 12/10 Times I Would Re-visit: Infinite

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    ShyKatZ Cafe Deli & Bakery - Whoopie pie

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    4.5(1.1k reviews)
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    I cannot see how much my family and I absolutely love this place. We are from out of town and we're…read morelooking for a decent (and by decent, I mean edible not hotel) breakfast. We did not know that they made all of their food to order. We waited around 30 minutes to get our food, but well worth it! Please note that there is a sign warning you that because they are a small business, that when they are busy, wait times to get food can't take a while. If you do not feel like waiting and are in a rush, this is not the place for you. Please come back when you have time to enjoy the atmosphere and the amazing food. I was telling one of the servers to please pass along my compliments to the chef and the owners. I was having a rather rough morning on our first visit. The best way I can describe the deliciousness of the food was that I went from being a little bit meh, to a strong to feeling like I was having a warm hug. I ordered the biscuits and gravy my other half ordered the berries and cream cinnamon French toast, and my little ordered the Mickey Mouse pancake with cinnamon. We came back another day and all ordered the same thing again, and it was just as amazing as the first time. The inside of the building is quite rustic. Even though you are waiting a bit for your food, there is so much to look at that time just passes by. Even in the bathroom will keep you occupied, and not just with the normal activities . The staff was amazingly friendly. On the second day, the gentleman server did not know whether the Mickey Mouse pancake should have the cinnamon bun toppings on it (you know,...because kids might start bouncing off of the ceiling), or sprinkles and whipped cream. We requested the latter and he came over and put on a tiny show for my little. The gentleman made a fun little show of putting whipped cream on Mickey and let my little decorate his own pancake. Definitely a 10/10 experience and we will be returning when we are around these parts again.

    A true local treasure! This place is very well managed, and you can tell a lot of care goes into…read morecreating a great experience. I loved the concept, and everything came together perfectly good food, good vibes, and good times. I'd definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the area. It's the kind of place you'll want to come back to.

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    ShyKatZ Cafe Deli & Bakery - Full restaurant.  Husband in line for 25 minutes to order while I try to find a place to eat.

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    Cooper’s Landing - Seafood Gumbo

    Cooper’s Landing

    4.0(277 reviews)
    2.7 mi
    •$$

    May 16, 2026 I've…read moreordered here many times thru door dash and every time it's fantastic! Ahi tuna for the first time (fresh and tasty) and my usual, bang bang shrimp

    8.6.26 (Really should be ZERO STARS!)…read more My family came here for dinner. We "were" excited because it was close to where we were staying and the parking lot was packed several times when we drove by. When we drove up 2 employees were coming from under the building having a smoke break laughing and giggling. They walked upstairs and we never saw them again. When we walked in there were only 2 tables with customers, no bartender, no hostess at the stand, no employees anywhere so we just stood there waiting. After 5 minutes someone appears and sits us at a table 5 steps away from where we had been standing. (Also, you know when you walk into a restaurant you expect it to smell like good food or at least like food....well this place did not smell like any food at all) (This made me nervous) We needed to use the diaper changing station in the women's restroom well, it was in a bathroom stall and the door was locked. We did not know if someone was using the stall or if it was out of order. We knocked and knocked and no one answered. We came out and asked our server (who appeared after we had been sitting there for 15 minutes!) if it was out of order or what. She said she was not sure and had to go ask her manager. She disappear. Came back for our drink order and we asked what she found out what the restroom - oh she forgot to ask. She laughed and left again to go ask. W H A T! Also it was a Thursday evening and they are suppose to have some kind of steak special on Thursdays but we ask her what was the price and she said, "we don't really know the price", "It will be somewhere around $40-$50 or something like that." (Rolling my eyes) At this point we had been there for 25 minutes and no drinks, still waiting on the answer if the bathroom is out of order so we can use the changing station, no food has come out of the kitchen to the other customers or no real price for the steaks. I said we have to go, this place is a shipwreck and we did not want to go down with it without food! --------- I don't expect this place to be in business when we go back to Galveston.

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    Cooper’s Landing - Dining room

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    Gonzalo’s American Bistro - Vanilla ice cream with strawberries, balsamic reduction, and black pepper. Simple, but amazing

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    4.7(110 reviews)
    5.0 mi

    This place was cute. They helped me select the perfect dish and it was amazing…read more The food was fresh, flavorful and not oily. We ordered at the counter inside. Or you can pick the QR Code at the table. I enjoyed the entire experience.

    Birthday dinner at Gonzalo's! I can cheerfully report that we had the usual excellent food,…read moreservice, and ambiance this evening. We, like many other diners, ate outside - the window for eating al fresco is narrow so we do it while we comfortably can. We were tempted to get Roman artichokes for our appetizer knowing how delicious they are, but instead we ventured out and got the calamari puttanesca. Good decision? Absolutely! The squid was tender, the capers lent delightful brininess to the intense-in-a-good-way San Marzano tomato sauce. The only thing that would have improved the dish is if we'd had the smarts to order bread with it to sop everything up. Next time, next time... Dan being Dan had to have Greek salad. We shared it and I must say that I really appreciate their approach to this ubiquitous offering. It has feta, but its presence is not heavy handed. Don't get me wrong - I adore feta but sometimes it overtakes a salad. There were Persian cucumbers, small yellow tomatoes,thinly sliced onions, very fresh, crisp lettuce, and no pepperoncini! Now you might think the absence of peppers would be a bad thing but I beg to differ. Too often restaurants use them and they turn out to be tough and woody. For the record, of all brands we've bought, DeLallo is consistently the best. For mains, because I am just about incapable of not getting it, I got the boscaiola. If you haven't had it, get it! It's a stunningly well balanced dish of pappardelle, mushrooms, and confit chicken. It is perfection in a bowl. Dan got the rigatoni alla vodka with confit chicken. The rigatoni entree is what we saw on Facebook some time back that made both of us think that we really, really needed to give Gonzalo's a try. Pro move, y'all, pro move! Drinks: old fashioned for me and a whiskey sour for Dan and glasses of Pinot grigio. Did we have room for dessert? No, and that made me a little sad. But we'll be back! Dan has a birthday coming up...

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    Gonzalo’s American Bistro - Cute interior

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    Mel's Blueplate Express - seafood - Updated September 2026

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