South Padre Island Restaurants

Rovans is where the locals eat. An island tradition since 1969, some people would not consider a visit to South Padre complete without at least one meal at this "Mom and Pop" family restaurant. The southwestern decor features an authentic Wells Fargo stagecoach and model train which circles the front dining room. Back rooms have a bar, pool tables, and other games.

Favorite Dish: For us Rovans was where we enjoyed breakfast. Their signature dish is Migas with Cheese: Two jumbo eggs scrambled with sauteed onions, tomatoes, chili peppers, and Monterey Jack cheese, served with refried beans and chips.

Rovans also features their own in-house bakery where one can indulge in a variety of fresh pastries and cakes.

Our best sunset view on South Padre Island was enjoyed while we dined at Scampis. The restaurant was elegantly casual and in a slightly out-of-the-way location, right on Laguna Madre. The service was very good and the food was excellent.

Favorite Dish: We splurged on the special of the evening: Buffalo Steaks and Shrimp Scampi. It was fabulous - one of the best meals we had on our vacation.

Blackbeards has a great seafood (and non-seafood) menu that allows you to mix and match several seafood items to combine into a special platter just for you. The dark wood fixtures provide a cool break from the sun drenched streets and beaches.

Favorite Dish: Each person can choose his/her favorite dish. In my case, it was scallops and stuffed crab that literally melted in my mouth. The cole slaw was perfect, the rice pilaf was excellent, and the waitress was charming.

When we heard that Restaurant Hospitality Magazine had named Sea Ranch one of America's top 500 restaurants, for five years in a row, we decided that would be the place to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. We were not dissapointed. The view, the food, and the service were all excellent. The waterfront location allowed us to watch the boats coming and going from their docks on the Laguna Madra as we celebrated in style.

Favorite Dish: I ordered the grilled red snapper fillet while Karen enjoyed a special of four varieties of shrimp: fried, blackened, stuffed and scampi. Both dishes were flavorful and delectable. We told our waiter that it was our anniversary and he surprised us with a complimentary slice of cheezecake with a sparkler on top.

The Shrimp Haus is a self-contained restaurant located within the grounds of Schlitterbahn Waterpark - not yet open for the season when we were there. Outdoor and Indoor dining offers a great view of both the beach and the waterpark.

Favorite Dish: The restaurant advertises "101 ways to eat shrimp!" They also offer a variety of other dishes for landlubbers. Since we had decided to forget dieting for the duration of our vacation, I could not resist ordering the special: All the fried shrimp you can eat for $9.95. I consumed 22 of the tasty morsels, and was offered more. Karen had the Shrimp Scampi, which was better than my fried , but fewer in number. We both enjoyed our meals.

Let me first say that Ben and Jerry's was not worth our time. Food was average and so was the service. On the other hand. I would recommend Louie's backyard, Dirty Al's, Scampi's or Blackbeards. These three restaurants were great and service was excellent.
Dirty Al's is very reasonably priced. Just about everything on their menu was $6.99. Swrimp, orsters and fish were all great. Get their early or you will have to wait.
Scampi's on the other hand was a little more expensive, but go early because they have an early dinner menu. This menu will save you about 50%. It's between 4pm - 6:30pm.
Blackbeards was my favorite. They have the best Red Snapper.
Louie's backyard is another great place. If you can stand the heat, eat out doors. We all had their seafood buffet. For $18, well worth it. And don't forget to feed the fish. Throw your left-over bread to the fish - kids really enjoyed it.

The inside of this restaurant is very quaint- it resembles a courtyard of an old Mexican Colonial house. Very informal but excellent Tex-Mex food.

UPDATE: This Bigo's has closed and a different restaurant occupies the building which I haven't tried. The original Bigo's in Brownsville is still open in Brownsville at 464 Paredes Line Rd. The fajitas they serve make it worth the drive.

Favorite Dish: Several varieties of fajitas are the best choice- especially the ones covered with mushrooms and cheese!

Virtually every town in Texas has a Whataburger, and most towns of any size have several. Only a relative handful of Whataburger restaurants exist in a few neighboring states, so most people from outside the area are not familiar with them.

The Whataburger chain had its beginnings in South Texas in 1950. We felt it our duty while in Texas to do as the Texans have been doing for more than half a century and have a Whataburger.

Favorite Dish: We both ordered the medium #1 value meal: Whataburger, fries and drink. When I informed Sergio, the manager, that this was our first ever Whataburger experience, he told us to be seated and that he personally would make our sandwiches and bring them out to us. The burger was big and juicy and delicious. The fries and drink were typical. The service was the best I have ever had in a fast food restaurant. Sergio came by twice to check on us, offering us condiments and a refill on our drinks.