Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Waterman's Restaurant

    3.2 (485 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood, Steakhouses
    Closed 4:00 pm - 8:30 PM

    Order Waterman's Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

    Waterman's Restaurant Photos

    WATERMAN'S RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    More like Waterman's Restaurant

    Recommended Reviews - Waterman's Restaurant

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Cheeseburger and fries which were very good!
    Tammie B.

    The food was very good! The Red Drum was very fresh. The patio area is nice on a sunny afternoon. Our waitress was fast and friendly. Waterman's is a little off the main road but it's worth it to enjoy some yummy food.

    View from the patio.
    Mar O.

    3.75 stars The food was really good. We got a seat on the patio with a beautiful view. Once the sun goes down the mosquitoes come out of nowhere. If you're coming after sundown - sit inside. Service was really slow. But I think it's because they're a bit understaffed. I'm coming on offseason (October). So that's understandable. Despite service being slow - staff was very kind. The inside of the restaurant had a really nice ambience as well. We'll be back again.

    Martini
    Melanie K.

    Seated immediately on a Sunday evening at 7:45. Sat outside but the wind came up and we were easily seated in doors. Nice waitress that allowed us to divide the check easily. I had the crab cakes, salad, and crawfish Mac and cheese. Food was nice and hot and we were able to finish up right before closing. Got easy to go containers. It was Father's Day and my dad's 85 birthday. My dad fell down the stairs onto my sister and two employees quickly came to his aide and help him up. Of course that's when we saw the elevator!! Nice place

    View from our table
    Elise M.

    Underwhelming experience. We came back to Waterman's during happy hour and were told they were not doing happy hour during spring break. Doesn't make a lot of sense when they were completely empty and over staffed but ok. Maybe use some of that staff to put that information on your website so that people know not to come here. They were also out of a number of menu items. Despite being one of the only tables, service was slow. Food was nothing special. The best part of Waterman's is the atmosphere and views. Otherwise, go somewhere else for good food and happy hour.

    Salmon and shrimp Alfredo
    Chris G.

    The food is a little overpriced but decent. Typical Galveston prices for the summer season. Service was slow at first but they picked up the slack. Inside is very casual but you over look the bay and the sunset is amazing!

    Blackened Red Snapper with green beans and cheesy jalapeño grits
    Mark G.

    This is our second visit to Waterman's in 30 days. We had such a good experience the first visit that we were drawn back when visiting Galveston again. For starters, the ambiance is fishing lodge nice. Nothing stuffy since it is at a marina. Lots of wood and space. The views are great and we saw a gorgeous sunset on our first visit. Regrettably there were too many clouds on our second visit. No fault of Waterman's. The service is generally attentive and knows when to leave you to your conversation or drop by to take your order. Overall, the food is good. I had redfish for my first visit that was cooked properly with good seasoning. My second visit I had the Seafood Treasure Chest which is angel hair pasta with a lemon caper sauce and topped with shrimp, scallops and lump crab meat. Lots of food and no skimping on the seafood. Other guests had the grilled shrimp with cilantro rice and vegetable of the day (green beans). Appetizers were a small miss and I might just skip them next time. Wine list is sufficient with good prices. We will return and hopefully get the sunset we saw the first visit.

    Ahí tuna appetizer
    JoAnna D.

    The food, atmosphere, and service were all fantastic. The crab cake appetizer was absolutely incredible - the best crab cake I've ever had! We also really enjoyed the ahi tuna appetizer and the filet mignon with crab topping, lobster ravioli, and pecan crusted red snapper with lump crab topping entrees. Everything was delicious!

    Lauri B.

    This place is big! A great spot for live music, water views and a comfortable atmosphere. We sat downstairs in the main dining area. They were setting up for a wedding, so I couldn't see the top floor. At the entrance, they have an outdoor side bar area which I would assume is for overflow on busy days. I was surprised how much space they have at the place! The service was a little slow, especially for not being busy. It seems like it was more in coordination with the drink orders. It took way too long to get a wine, a beer, and a Bloody Mary to our table. I would have ordered a third drink, but it was seriously getting on my nerves that it took so long. I gave her 2 tries, but it seems there was an issue of some sort. She looked to be very young, so maybe it was a generational thing. The food was great. I had the coconut shrimp, one friend had the fish and chips and the other friend had the regular shrimp. We all enjoyed our meals. Everything was delivered promptly to our table. Big portions, hot and fresh. Their fries are extremely good! Best fries I've had in a long time! The water view is fantastic! The downstairs is completely shaded, so you don't get too hot. I was very happy with the ambiance. The live music was awesome. Don't forget to tip your entertainment! Ryan Guidry was on point with a great mix of songs with an excellent voice. Thoroughly enjoyed his music. They have a tiny t-shirt shop at the main entrance, a small marina, rocking chairs in the shade near the dock, and multiple dining spaces. People launch their boats here, and if you catch fish you want cooked, they will prepare it for you for a cost (don't recall the price; I just remember seeing it noted on the menu.) For all 3 of us, with 5 drinks total, our bill was $109.51. I thought that was pretty good for the view, live music, and good food. Side note: they are dog friendly. I saw one person with their pooch. Love dog friendly places. They are family/friends too!

    Me and my son.
    Mike C.

    Great place for some afternoon snacks and cold beverages. Came by boat on a beautiful summer day. Live music is really good. Service is very attentive and friendly. Coming back for a nice dinner soon!

    Grilled shrimp

    See all

    7 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Miranda R.
    35
    35
    100

    28 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    9 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Pleasant dining outside. Good food the kids liked watching boats while waiting to eat

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mar O.
    0
    153
    72

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Jeff E.

    Jeff E.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Excellent bisque and Shrimp and Grits! Great service. Perfect place to sit and relax!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Jeff E.

    Jeff E.

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 3
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Jeff E.

    Jeff E.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Best seafood in Galveston! Service was top notch and we loved the outdoor seating. We will definitely be back.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ann O.
    31
    7
    1

    1 year ago

    Best food on the island! Excellent service, highly recommend for enjoyable evening. Mix drinks were awesome.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jackie S.
    112
    109
    75

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bill K.
    118
    104
    113

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Expensive den a mf. 50 bucks for a small ass fillet of red snapper and some lil spinach leafs and mac n cheese. Go somewhere else.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Linz C.
    0
    131
    24

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of S S.
    0
    11
    6

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Elisha C.
    51
    144
    84

    1 year ago

    food is meh, the service is pretty good if your not in a big hurry. but the perfect place to sit and have drinks and watch the sunset.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Jeff E.

    Jeff E.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Jeff E.

    Jeff E.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of S F.
    0
    69
    26

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 13

    Ask the Community - Waterman's Restaurant

    You might also consider

    Cooper’s Landing - Seafood Gumbo

    Cooper’s Landing

    4.0(277 reviews)
    4.9 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.

    Photos
    Cooper’s Landing - Dining room

    Dining room

    Cooper’s Landing - Gulf Coast Crab Cakes

    Gulf Coast Crab Cakes

    Cooper’s Landing - Dry martini during social hour

    See all

    Dry martini during social hour

    Jimmy's on the Pier - Fish Tacos

    Jimmy's on the Pier

    3.5(1.2k reviews)
    6.5 mi
    $$

    I wanted to eat on the water, and there aren't that many places to do that, enter Jimmy's…read more You go through the gift shop and upstairs, where the atmosphere changes. You're up in the breeze, ten degrees cooler than the stagnant, oven heat below. The place is nothing fancy, but you're there for the breeze and the water view and that's what you get I got blackened a fish taco and a chicken fajita taco, both good. The slaw on the taco could have been much better with more lime, less mayo? Not sure what was in it honestly, but citrus would have made it even better. I had a couple of bites of the burger, it was good. The wings were a special, not usually on the menu, wouldn't recommend those, there was an odd flavor. The pretzel bites weren't a big hit either. The service was friendly and attentive. I would come back here for a drink and an appetizer to enjoy the view.

    Entirely mediocre. Nothing tasted especially fresh, but nothing tasted especially bad either…read more Service was incredibly slow. I have the fish and chips. I ordered a house salad appetizer. The salad was wilted. It's clear they make them earlier and leave them laying about. The fish was squishy. It tasted good, oddly given how squishy it was, but the texture was just not pleasant. The chips, French fries, were sad. It was a bed of those kind of breaded french fries but they too weren't fresh. The server was nice, but it took forever for the food. The only thing this restaurant has going for it is the ambiance. On a reasonably cool breezy evening, it's a nice view of the beach.

    Photos
    Jimmy's on the Pier - Ocean views with margarita

    Ocean views with margarita

    Jimmy's on the Pier - Beet salad

    Beet salad

    Jimmy's on the Pier - Jimmy's

    See all

    Jimmy's

    Venados Cantina - Enchilada Combo Plate!

    Venados Cantina

    4.0(160 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    Food: The food is always amazing! I've tried something different every time, and this time I got…read morethe tacos, which were delicious. The portions are generous, so we always leave stuffed! If you like a sweeter margarita, the blueberry margarita is to die for and a must-try. Service: We live about five minutes away, and this has officially become our weekly date night spot. They can get pretty busy later in the evening, so we usually go a little earlier, and the service has always been fantastic, friendly, quick, and attentive! Ambiance: We love going earlier when it's a little less crowded. It makes for a relaxed, enjoyable date night atmosphere while still feeling lively. Definitely one of our new favorite local spots!

    After listening to some great music from Ryan Guidry at the Tipsy Turtle, we headed to Venados…read more Since I hadn't had anything to eat all day beyond a few French fries, I was seriously hungry, like almost woozy hungry. Venados turned out to be an excellent place to fix my food deprivation. Both salsas that accompanied the chips were very full flavored and delicious. The chips were fine taste wise, but there were more broken pieces than in tact chips. No biggie but a little odd. We had queso and it was more than adequate. I ate a lot from my small plate, sans chips, with my fork. Sort of when you know a queso is good. My entree was old school crispy tacos with shredded chicken and traditional fixings. No complaints! We all had margaritas. Yum. Very good and way better than they had to be for the price! My takeaway: if you're on the west end of the Island and need to eat, go here. The vibe is good, the food is tasty, and the service is efficient and friendly.

    Photos
    Venados Cantina
    Venados Cantina - Chips and salsa

    Chips and salsa

    Venados Cantina - Crazy Messy Nachos w/Chicken Fajita!

    See all

    Crazy Messy Nachos w/Chicken Fajita!

    Basin Bistro

    Basin Bistro

    4.4(59 reviews)
    6.0 mi
    $$

    We happened to find this gem, and it was incredible. The food was delicious, and the ambiance is…read moreperfect, with an outdoor seating area overlooking a pond. I highly recommend this place!

    Basin Bistro is a pretty neat looking place located in the casual and upper end of island. Located…read morein a rather "Plantation by the seaside" inspired neighborhood, Basin Bistro is situated right in the middle of a fun commons area. Don't let the physical stuff throw you off, the food and my experience wasn't great. I ordered the Poke bowl since I was in the mood for some seafood and something light. It came out with the usual fare of greens, edamame, tuna, and other typical items. However the tuna has a noticeable fishy scent, stronger than my usual poke bowl experiences elsewhere, perhaps temperature/handling was not the best or they acquired lower quality fish. Either way, the unpleasantness was definitely noticed. They also had a dressing that was obviously italian mixed with soy sauce. I guess poke bowl is like a salad... and to make it "asian" add soy sauce to it? Perhaps. Powdered eggs - give me a break. My baby ordered eggs, hash brows, biscuit and sausage. The eggs was definitely made from big batch mix of eggs, not fresh like one would anticipate from a location like this. You would think they can afford actual fresh eggs, but going with a premixed factory bought batch of egg mix for an institution like that made me upset. That breakfast plate was not much better than a hotel continental breakfast. However the hashbrowns weren't bad. They had one toilet to the restaurant for both male/female. The entire restaurant uses ONE TOILET. There was constantly a line waiting to use the toilet. Half my table was out waiting in line and not enjoying a meal. SMH I had higher expectations for this restaurant, but between waiting in line for the restroom, cheap egg product and fishy tuna, my experience was nothing to brag home about. I'll find another spot to eat breakfast next time.

    Photos
    Basin Bistro
    Basin Bistro - Yum!

    Yum!

    Basin Bistro - Back patio area

    See all

    Back patio area

    Waterman's Restaurant - seafood - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...