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    The Gumbo Diner

    4.0 (1.5k reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 11:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order The Gumbo Diner Takeout or Delivery

    The Gumbo Diner Photos

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    THE GUMBO DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Classy
    Good for kids

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    Bourbon Street Platter
    Bec S.

    Amazing food and service. The perfect meal after a long day at the beach. The crawfish étouffée is better here than little daddy's

    Seafood Platter
    Abigail R.

    Absolutely loved this place. Everything we got was delicious! The service was amazing. All the guys that work here are college students visiting their church ministries for the summer. Great group of solid good, respectful kids working. The restaurant is small diner vibe and only has one restroom for each gender. I want to come back and try other menu items as there was so much. My favs - bacon wrapped shrimp, gumbo, and the french fries are my favorite. I want to try breakfast next.

    Inside
    Jazlyn R.

    Quick trip to this establishment during non peak hours and it was still busy! Love to see a Galveston institution succeeding in business. We also brought along a 2 month old which is harder than it looks. Iykyk. Staff was very helpful and let us sit where she was out of the way. The food was good and the serving size was larger than expected. The restaurant was clean and bathrooms were as well. We will be back!

    Suelynn N.

    I came here with three of my friends for lunch on a Friday afternoon. We were able to get seated very quickly . We ordered the fried seafood platter the grilled fish platter, shrimp and grits with extra grits and a small salad. This was enough for a four of us. They had the best shrimp and grits I've ever had. It was topped with some kind of gravy and cheese. The shrimp was decent sized. The fish was well cooked and flaky. The ones that were fried were battered evenly and well. Some of the french fries were a bit soggy. I'm not a big spicy person, but their jacked up jalapeño was a good appetizer. It was battered well and didn't break apart when you cut it. Since we were doing family style, our waitress brought us as some extra sauces and plates and utensils . She was very sweet, very quick and have checked on us several times amazing service. The tables and chairs were stable and there's free parking out front . You could also see the ocean right across the street from the restaurant. It's a really good spot on the shore. Keep in mind they do not take reservation, but they can post events here . So if you plan to come and be a walk-in, I would expect this place to be busy on evenings and weekends.

    Not sure what this is call but it's a pepper filled with seafood and it's good
    Lindsay S.

    Love this place and love the service. It the last stop we make before heading home . The servers are always so happy to see people walk through the door. I've only ever had the shrimp and grits here and it's so good that's the only thing I'll get here. I e tried it at other places in Galveston and they don't compare. I also have found anything as good back home. I look forward to this dish every year!

    Christopher S.

    +Customer service was excellent. +Food portions are huge. +The hash browns were crunchy and crispy, just how I like them. -Both, the seafood gumbo as well as the chicken and sausage gumbo, tasted very similar. Hard to describe, but a strong herb flavor at the end that lingers. -The pancakes were a bit too dense and doughy. Thick and fluffy would've been the perfect meal. What we ordered: Kids Cheese Omelette $5.99 Seafood Gumbo $14.99 Chicken and Sausage Gumbo $14.29 All Day Pancakes (3) $11.59 Total: $50.73 post-tax plus tip

    Crawfish Étouffee
    Jason F.

    I stopped by here a couple of days ago with my wife for dinner. We happened to be on the beach nearby when looking for a place to eat and my wife found The Gumbo Diner. When she called in the order they told us it would be ready in 5 to 10 minutes, which I thought was super fast. We arrived at the restaurant about 30 minutes later and the food was waiting to be picked up. Since I was only inside for a moment, I can't say I paid too much attention to the surroundings, but it did remind me of a classic diner. For dinner on this day, I decided to go with the crawfish etouffee. The menu described it as a traditional Cajun delight served with white rice. It was packaged into multiple containers, one for the etouffee, one for the rice, and one for the bread. I appreciated that, since it kept the bread from getting soggy and the rice from soaking up all the etouffee before we got home. After adding it all to a plate, I tried it and thought it was pretty good. The etouffee had plenty of crawfish meat, and the gravy had a nice flavor with a little bit of spice. Both my wife and my mother-in-law thought the shrimp and grits they had were pretty good as well. The bottom line for me is that I would head back here again in the future. I enjoyed my crawfish etouffee and thought the prices were reasonable too.

    Elizabeth M.

    This quaint little place tucked on the seawall was worth the drive. The jalepeno poppers stuffed with crawfish, crab were delicious. The shrimp and cheesy grits were very tasty. Very well seasoned. I couldn't finish it. And the gumbo, I thought I ordered a small bowl But their small is enough for two I could only taste it. The gumbo Roux was a little too thick for my liking, It had a lot of chicken & sausage and an adequate portion of rice. I only had a little taste too full to eat it, the sweet waitress Ms Yvonne packed it for me to go. His breakfast was a good hearty meal, a huge pancake (had to wait a bit for it), eggs over easy; said it was delicious. The coffee hot, fresh and delicious. When on the island give them a try

    3 piece Beignets Lil Daddy Chicken & Sausage Gumbo Hangover Burger Mac & Cheese

    I had came here for the gumbo and it was so amazing our waiter was very sweet and very quick to get us refills. I would definitely recommend this place and come again!

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    2 months ago

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    16 days ago

    Had the sausage and chicken gumbo. Roux was just a tad too dark for my taste but still was good. I'll be back.

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    8 months ago

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    21 days ago

    SIGNATURE DISH!! THE GUMBO!!! YUUUUMMMY! Full of seafood and meats, wonderful flavor, staff are very kind.

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    Christy L.

    Awesome to hear that! Thanks! Come back soon for another amazing meal.

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    2 months ago

    Took our two grandchildren for breakfast during their visit. Great menu selections. Great staff. Food portions were large and great tasting.

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    2 years ago

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    Page 1 of 37

    Ask the Community - The Gumbo Diner

    Do you need to make a reservation?

    No, first come, first served

    Do they serve oysters on the half shell?

    Yep!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    4.5(1.3k reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    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

    It has taken me a little while to write this review purely because I am so torn on the rating. Some…read moreareas of our visit warrant a 3-star rating, and some a 4-star. I decided to lean more toward the 4-star side, so here we are. While in Galveston for a quick weekend getaway, we wanted to go out for dinner. Katie's was my first choice, but the wait was too long, so I pulled up Yelp to see what else was recommended. Shark Shack had great reviews, and when we arrived there was zero wait, so we went for it. The one area where I docked a star was the service. We were seated immediately but waited quite a while for our server to appear, and then even longer to get our drinks. I was so excited for a margarita, but when it arrived in a plastic cup, I was immediately disappointed. Plastic cups are for the beach and nightclubs, not a restaurant with a bar. And that's not where the awful drink experience ended -- it was so weak and just not good at all. Our server seemed so disinterested in everything: taking our order, answering questions, and when it came time to pay, we had to wait ages to see him and wave him down. The food was decent with no major complaints. It wasn't "blow your mind" amazing, but it was good. The owner -- well, I assume he was the owner -- came and spoke to us when he found out my husband was military, and he was really nice, friendly, and very supportive of the military community, offering a very generous military discount. That definitely raises the rating and is much appreciated, so thank you. Overall, the big fixes for me would be the service and the drink situation. I can't say we would rush to come back just because we love Katie's for the service, food, and drinks..

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    Shuck’s Tavern & Oyster Bar - Bluepoint Oysters

    Shuck’s Tavern & Oyster Bar

    4.7(223 reviews)
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    We had an early lunch here. The place isn't huge, so…read moreseating did fill up pretty quickly after we got here. Our waiter was super friendly and knowledgeable about the dishes and oysters. I always appreciate when staff is excited about specific plates. The trip was dynamite. The sauce was TOO GOOD. Like, we wanted to drink what was left. 5 stars just for that. My wife loved the oysters. The lobster roll had quite a bit of lobster in it. Super buttery and filling. Solid fries. This was a very pleasant stop on our trip.

    It's been more than a day or two since we've been to Shucks. Not because we don't like them, but…read morebecause the costs of living, eating, and breathing in our town, and I expect all over this land, seem to be going one way, and that is up. Our lunch was absolutely delicious. Here's the rundown: 1 appetizer of ahi tuna won-ton, 2 raw oyster samplers, 2 Galveston Island Brewing blondes, 1 dirty gin martini with blue cheese stuffed olives, and one to-go bottle of Cat Five hot sauce. I am not a huge fan of tuna, but this ahi/poke style of tuna with actual umami flavor elevates a mild sushi gateway fish to something yummy. The oysters were a delight. Shucks has a color coded system in place to help you identify which oysters are which, but my tired old eyes can't seem to make their system work. I did have two favorite kinds but could not tell you what they were. No matter, they were all superior - and small like east coast/ Canadian bivalves are. Dan's beer was tasty and swillable and my martini was appropriately dirty. We got the hot sauce because you can never have enough condiments and cats were referenced in its name. Our server was friendly and efficient. Interesting to me, I was mildly making fun of their music selection and soon after it changed. Coincidence? Dunno, but I appreciated the change to Motown! Bottom line. So, so enjoyable and something we don't do too often these days. It was an expensive meal, but worth the splurge.

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    Shrimp N Stuff

    Shrimp N Stuff

    3.9(1.7k reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    This is a must stop location for us in Galveston, and usually the first stop as well. I don't know…read morehow common this is but whenever I go to Galveston and approach the causeway I start to feel some weight lift off my shoulders and relax. Shrimp N Stuff goes well with that feeling. We split a 12 count fried shrimp dinner with fries. The shrimp has good breading and nice size. The fries are very good as well and it also comes with some hush puppies that are nice. It's a place that you order and they give you a buzzer and you pick it up when it goes off. The staff is nice and helpful and if you notice from the picture they are definitely going to give you enough tartar and cocktail sauce.

    Shrimp N Stuff is always near the top of every "Where Locals Eat in Galveston" list. It's a small…read moreneighborhood place with mostly fried seafood in the menu. No fancy dishes, new takes on old dishes, signature chef creations or molecular gastronomy froufrou. The tables and decor is simple and no nonsense. At Shrimp N Stuff you order at the counter and they buzz the ticker when your food is ready. You pick up the food, find a place to sit and eat. I got the Create A Platter with stuffed shrimp and fried catfish with fries and boiled potatoes. It also comes with three hush puppies. The food is good. The stuffed shrimp was the best. The stuffing was packed with flavor but I could still taste the shrimp. The catfish was fried to a golden crisp and it came out hot! The potatoes were surprisingly good. I wanted the bean relish but my wife nixed that idea. The hush puppies were okay. They were dense and flavorful but just a little too small and crispy for my taste. The fries were limp but they were alright. Overall, I'd go back to Shrimp N Stuff for a quick bite to eat. It's not somewhere to go for a fancy date, maybe the third or fourth date. I'm on thirty years of marriage so it's great for us.

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    Fish Company Taco - Grilled fish Vietnamese Flavors

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    Why 5 stars? Because this might be my new favorite restaurant in Galveston…read more --- --- --- We had been in Galveston for a couple of days, and while we had some solid meals, we were feeling kind of gross and overstuffed. Fish Company Taco proved to be like finding water in the desert. A lot of Galveston eateries are very similar, in that there's an ample amount of fried seafood on the menu, which is not exactly what you're looking for when you're in the bloated, but wanting to eat *something* state that we were in. My thought was: fish tacos are relatively light and we can walk there from our hotel - how do you beat that? What I didn't realize is that this place probably belongs more in the Heights than Galveston. And I mean that in a good way. The menu is very hipster-coded. And the food matches with hipster quality. It's hard to say what my favorite item even was. The one thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the fish dip - it was just okay. Everything else ranged from good to great. We tried... The burger: FYI, it's more like a double stacked slider than a burger, but delicious. 3 Tacos: Dirty South, Empire and Korean Flavors. I really liked the empire and the korean flavors, but thought the dirty south had a little too much going on with the pimento cheese and chips. Sticky Shrimp: I don't even know how to describe this, but it was delicious. I thought it as more like bang bang shrimp, but it was more fried that I expected. But not hardcore fried - they almost had the airy texture of fried pork skins, but were much tastier. Chili marinated Cucumbers and corn ribs: Simple, refreshing and addicting. But I liked the cucumbers a bit more. They also had some fresh juices and we enjoyed both the mango and the coconut lime concoctions. An easy 5-stars for me and a place I will definitely recommend to anyone visiting Galveston.

    The food was decent, but the service was good. I tried the Captain Johnny it was crispy and…read moresatisfying, especially with a side of fries. The Vietnamese taco stood out the most for me, while the Baja and Korean flavors were just okay, not really my favorites. Overall, it's a chill spot with a relaxed vibe and not too crowded. I'd recommend coming during happy hour to get the best experience.

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    The Gumbo Diner - seafood - Updated September 2026

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