Gaidos Seafood Restaurant

Reviews 3

PA

Paul L

Gaidos has been in Galveston since 1911. I have dined there twice. Once in 1998 and again this year (2015). 1998 was pre-Hurricane Ike and pre-remodel. I wasnt impressed by the food or atmosphere then. This year, I decided to give it another try, since they remodeled after the hurricane. The atmosphere was much more enjoyable. However, that came with a significant increase in price. They now aim at a more high-end consumer, which is fine with me. But, their food does not fit the new decor and it especially doesnt fit the price. Basically, it acts like a fine dining mid- to upper class restaurant, but doesnt provide the quality of one. I dined with one other person. We arrived on a Tuesday evening. The restaurant was full. The wait time was not quoted, but we werent in a hurry, nor did we wait long. We ordered a drink while we waited and it arrived promptly. After we were seated, our waitress greeted us and attempted to take a drink order. She was very eager, had a good attitude, and her effort was not in question. However, it shouldnt take 4 tries and two trips back to the table to get a drink order correct. A lack of training was obvious throughout the meal. Each waiter in our section only had two tables at a time, so they werent overwhelmed, by any means. The waiter next to us, Elyse, did seem much more professional and on point. Again, I had no problem with our waitress attitude or effort. I appreciated both. It is the responsibility of the restaurant to properly train their wait staff. We also had two appetizers brought to our table by mistake by two different food runners. This goes back to training. Learning table numbers is not rocket science. Enough about the waitress. (I waited tables for 6 years) The food was my next disappointment. I had a cup of gumbo for an appetizer. It was very underwhelming. All the ingredients were fresh, but it lacked flavor. It also seemed to be thickened with something other than a roux. My companion ordered the crab claws, which were fresh, and probably the highlight of the meal. But, still not something I would consider "very good". For our entrees, I had the Combination Platter with Snapper, Scallops, and Shrimp. The shrimp were fresh, but the seasoning was only average. The scallops were slightly over-cooked. The snapper was supposed to be "blackened". Im used to blackened fish having a crust, but this did not. It merely had "blackened" powdered seasoning on it that tasted like it was out of a shaker from a grocery store. My friend had the Snapper Michael. His plates presentation was... stark. A white plate. A fillet of snapper. Some steak fries.... thats it. Not exactly out of "Fine Dining Magazine". For $35 youd think it would at least look appetizing. His snapper was encrusted with parmesan (no other breading or crust, just parmesan). There is an old mantra that you should never put cheese on seafood. I dont know if I agree with that 100% of the time with 100% of all seafood, but a fillet of fish should definitely fall into this category. The strong parmesan flavor completely masked the flavor of the mild snapper. It wasnt "bad", it was just a bad idea... I would probably give them 3 stars, if it werent so expensive. But, for the price you pay, you are not getting anywhere near the quality or flavor you should expect. PROS: - Freshness - All the food was fresh. - Professionalism - The staff was courteous and professional - The bar - The drinks were good CONS: - Flavor - Most of the food was under-seasoned. When it wasnt, the seasoning wasnt very good. - Cost - The prices arent outrageous, but they are steep. Especially considering what you get for it. - Wait staff training - Inability to get a drink order. Please, lets stop this "I can remember your whole order without writing it down" fad. I dont care if you write it down. I care if I get what I ordered and I get it promptly. Food runners wandering around asking 4 to 5 tables if they ordered the food while it gets colder and colder is not good.

A

A Private User

Terrible, terrible experience. 1. The place smells so bad you will lose your apatite when you walk in if you have a sense of smell. I tried to leave but my girl sat down before I could get her out of there. 2. The waitress didnt know anything about the menu and kept rushing me to order. Her answer was" it smells good, its the best thing ive ever smelt" when asking about something on the menu. 3. I wanted some good crabs so we decided to try the place because it has a huge crab outside and locals say its the best seafood on the Island. What the hell are they eating? I ordered the crab clusters because for some reason they dont have actual crabs. OMG! Tasted like sewage run off from Huston! No joke. Worst thing I have ever put in my mouth. No crab flavor at all and I almost got sick on the table from one bite. 4. When I put the plate on the side of the table and told the waitress that I couldnt even eat a bite it was so bad her response was that I didnt like seafood. I love seafood why would I be at a seafood restaurant. She still charged me 20+$ for it. I didnt ask for the manager because I just wanted to get out of there and put it all behind me. 5. The fired catfish was ok and the $7 little side salad was good but way over priced, like the rest of the menu. The prices are fine dining prices but the service and food is poor at best. What a bad experience. Enough to ruin your vacation. You have been warned ! Eat at your own risk! I mean it, thats what the menu says. Joes Crab shack is 100 times better, so what does that say?

CA

Carol Williams

First, we loved our waiter, "Mr Bill" who has been there 38 years. He knew that menu inside out. If you said you were thinking about crabs, he would tell you about all the crab dishes and make suggestions. Since they didnt have crab claws, he suggested crab fingers, the biggest meatiest part of the crab claw, and it could be sauteed, fried, or grilled. My daughter chose sauteed and it came in a wonderful rich sauce and grilled asparagus. Since I had never had them, I tried and loved the soft shell crab. It also came with asparagus. Mr Bill was wonderful with my 2 1/2 year old grandson. He spoke to the child and included him when serving everything from the bread to his dinner. Mr Bill even brought out some butter for the child thinking he would like that better than the oil normally served. He brought the childs meal a few minutes before ours to give the child time to get settled and eating before our meals arrived. This was the most attentive waiter I have ever had that was not overbearing. I would go back again just to interact and visit with Mr Bill. Thanks to him, we had a great tasting nice and quiet meal. As if our night wasnt perfect enough, Mr Bill presented my grandson with a real starfish for being so good! That was enough to kick the grandsons best manners into action, shaking Mr Bills hand and telling him it was nice to meet him! BTW, Mr Bill is often referred to as Uncle Bill. He made out night and served us a wonderful meal. Go see him!!