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Do you live in Texas and love to take a nice vacation at South Padre Island? If you answered yes, then you’ll also want to plan where you’ll go to eat lunch and dinner. We have gathered a list of the 15 best South Padre Island restaurants for you to check out.
Keep reading to learn about all the different restaurants you can check out on South Padre Island.
The 15 Best South Padre Island Restaurants
Do you like tacos and Mexican food? Or do you prefer fresh seafood? Would you like to have a beachfront brunch? Then you’ll love all the options of South Padre Island restaurants below. Some of the potential choices include:
- Cafe on the Beach
- Ceviche Ceviche
- Gabriella’s
- Yummies Bistro
- Sea Ranch Restaurant & Bar
- Pier 19
- Tom and Jerry’s
Padre Island Brewing Co
3400 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
Padre Island Brewing Co is a gem of a restaurant and truly a local favorite. If you want a locally brewed craft beer served nice and cold, then this is the place for you!
There are at least five house brews available at any point in time. You can choose burgers, fried calamari, or pizza to munch on alongside the tasty beer. You can also enjoy seafood here like crabcakes and Gulf oysters.
Cafe on the Beach
3616 Gulf Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
If you’re spending a day relaxing beachside, you likely want to grab lunch somewhere nearby, especially somewhere you can still wear your swimsuit with a pair of shorts or a t-shirt.
Cafe on the Beach has gorgeous views of the bay, and you can enjoy sitting on the gazebo-like deck.
The food is seafood-focused, but the restaurant also serves breakfast if you want to get up early to spend a day at the beach. You’ll love their stack of buttermilk pancakes!
Painted Marlin Grille
202 W Whiting St
South Padre Island, TX 78597
Now, this restaurant has a fun quirk that you won’t find elsewhere. You will find a colorfully painted Marlin sculpture hanging off the ceiling in this eatery. You can watch the gorgeous views of Laguna Madre here.
It’s incredibly wonderful at sunset. Enjoy eating seafood like shrimp po’boys, blackened mahi-mahi, or fish and chips. You can drink it down with some delicious margaritas that include lime juice.
You will love dining at the Painted Marlin Grille with your friends and family.
Chilitto Pikin
3305 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
Do you love fish and shrimp tacos and other fresh seafood? If so, then you’ll need to check out the Chilitto Pikin restaurant. You will also enjoy dining on enchiladas, refried beans, and Mexican rice. They will even serve you handmade flour tortillas.
And if you’re starving, you can order the “monster” size of this restaurant’s signature tacos. If you can finish this gigantic portion all on your own in one sitting, you won’t have to pay for it!
Cap’n Roy’s
1313 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
If you love fresh Gulf oysters, fresh seafood, and bacon-wrapped shrimp, you will need to visit Cap’n Roy’s restaurant. You can also enjoy enchilada platters here.
You’ll see fishing trophies across the walls of this restaurant. It’s not hard to find out that the theme of this eatery is ship-based and nautical.
The charter boat captain Lee Roy Summerlin owns this restaurant and has been running this place for more than 20 years.
Ceviche Ceviche
1004 Padre Blvd H1
South Padre Island, TX 78597
At the Ceviche Ceviche restaurant, you can customize your meal by choosing a classic tomato dish, avocado, red onion, or cilantro. You can also select quality fish and shrimp dishes here.
Yet, only a few tables are available at this restaurant, so you might be better off ordering take-out from Ceviche Ceviche.
This treasure of a restaurant is highly rated, and you’ll find many locals raving about how delicious the food is here.
Yummies Bistro
700 Padre Blvd Ste J
South Padre Island, TX 78597
If you’re interested in sipping on a fancy hot chocolate or a hot cup of coffee, then Yummies Bistro is an excellent place to check out. The creamy drinks here almost look like milkshakes instead of coffee, but you won’t regret coming here.
Best of all, this place serves gigantic breakfasts and delicious lunches. Do you love grapefruit and giant Belgian waffles? How about salmon and lox or gorgeous eggs Benedict?
And for lunch, you can enjoy giant club sandwiches. Drink it down with a tasty latte and ask the staff to drizzle in their impressive chocolate designs.
Gabriella’s
700 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
At Gabriella’s, you can enjoy the music over the loudspeakers and sit at tables with red-and-white checkered covers. The second you enter this place, you’ll smell and almost taste the garlic. If you love Italian food, this is definitely the place for you!
You can order pizza or handmade pasta as well as yummy classics like shrimp scampi or chicken alfredo. To finish off your meal, order some limoncello.
Sea Ranch Restaurant & Bar
1 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
The Sea Ranch Restaurant & Bar is positioned right in front of the ocean, so you’ll get gorgeous bay views at this eatery. It’s right in front of the marina, so you’ll see plenty of sailboats too.
Best of all, it offers a white tablecloth service so that you can come here for any major celebration. If you’ve got a birthday coming up or even if you want to propose to your significant other, this is the perfect place to celebrate.
You can enjoy fresh seafood as well as steak and pasta. The surf and turf item might be your best bet to get a taste of the general menu.
Dirty Al’s
33396 State Park Rd 100
South Padre Island, TX 78597
Dirty Al’s is named after the Gulf coast shrimp boat captain Alfonzo Salazar. Here, you can enjoy blackened redfish, large shrimp, king crab, oysters, and more.
If you like a mix of fresh seafood and tacos, then be sure to order the fish tacos. You can also get fried shrimp with french fries.
Pier 19
1 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
If you want a relaxed environment for your entire family, then Pier 19 might be a great diner to check out. It’s a very family-friendly place serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. You can get some yummy strawberry-pecan waffles or coconut shrimp and fried fish.
The chefs here can even cook whatever fresh fish you’ve caught at the bay. Try out their garnished cocktails for a nice drink to go with your meal.
El Chilango Taqueria
1912 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
The food and service at El Chilango Taqueria are excellent, and you really shouldn’t miss out on this restaurant if you’re visiting South Padre Island. Here, you can get breakfast tacos and huevos rancheros. So if you’re into Mexican food, El Chilango Taqueria is a perfect spot to check out.
Tom and Jerry’s
3212 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
Tom and Jerry’s is a great place for either a big dinner out or a late-night bite to eat. Here, you can get a variety of seafood along with chicken or rib-eye steak.
If you like Mexican food, they serve tacos and quesadillas as well. And don’t forget to check out their fancy margaritas and cocktails!
Laguna Bob’s
2401 Laguna Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
If you’re looking for a night out on the town and a bar to visit, Laguna Bob’s is a good choice. You’ll get good food and great service here. The drinks are affordable too.
It’s a casual place with a lovely outdoor patio—order one of their delicious fish sandwiches and some mixed drinks for an enjoyable night out.
Su Casa Cafe
6200 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
If you’re looking for a family restaurant, Su Casa Cafe may be the right place for you and your kids. Try ordering the steak tacos or their breakfast items of huevos y chorizo or huevos rancheros. You can also order an omelet or their breakfast special of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
Conclusion
Now that you know the top places to visit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in South Padre Island, you’ll also need to figure out where to stay on your vacation.
You can find some tremendous short-term rentals or vacation rentals on South Padre Island by clicking here. Book a stay for your next trip!
Header image photo credit: Cheri Alguire
