The Shore Thing
South Padre isn’t just a beach anymore: It’s a resort town with better food than Florida, cooler bars than the Carolinas, and more action than the Mexican Caribbean. A complete guide to the best summer vacation in Texas.
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Delivery
You have three options in the area, and they all have a common theme: D’Pizza Joint (761-7995), Beer and Pizza Barn (761-1368), and Piasano’s (761-6060).
Eating Out
The restaurant scene on South Padre has improved considerably in the past three years. Dining out is no longer a hit-or-miss proposition, but one loaded with choices, from crabcakes and cold beer to caviar and Château Lafite-Rothschild.
Splurges
Several places actually live up to their double-digit entrée prices. The Sea Ranch (761-1314) continues to be my favorite spot for red snapper, even though it has become so crowded that the service has suffered: On a weeknight in late February, it took almost three hours for my family to be greeted, seated, and fed. That slip-up made me appreciate how smoothly things run at South Padre’s most popular steak-and-fresh-seafood restaurant, Blackbeards’ (761-2962), and at Louie’s Backyard (761-6406), where the hordes hoard the nightly $17.95 prime-rib-and-seafood buffet.
For a really extravagant night out on the island—that is, for entrées approaching $20—it’s a toss-up between Joseph’s (761-4540), a spacious place next to the Holiday Inn, and the Pantry and Grill Room (761-9331), which is as cozy and intimate as a European bistro and which stocks the aforementioned caviar and Château Lafite. But for true quality and elegant ambiance, no place is better than the 69-year-old Yacht Club in Port Isabel (943-1301). The fish is fresh, the sauces are exceptional (if my flounder Monique in a garlic-tomato sauce was any indication), and the wine list is impressive.
Cheap Eats
If it’s value you’re after, look no further than the area’s bounty of specials. Some of my favorites are the $4.95 sampler lunch—four grilled shrimp, a small fish filet, four fried oysters, fries, and salad—at Jitterbug’s (761-5643); the seafood-heavy $5.95 early-bird menu and $3.45 children’s menu at the Gulf Coast Oyster Bar (761-7867); the $4.95 early-bird special, including shrimp ranchero, at Jesse’s (761-4500); the Thursday night $9.95 all-you-can-eat fried shrimp pig-out at the Sheraton Fiesta (761-6551); the $2.99-and-up lunches at Marcello’s Italian restaurant (943-7611) in Port Isabel; the $6.99 dinner buffet—including fajitas, linguini, shrimp, fish, and oysters—at Rossi’s (761-9361); and the lunch specials at Blackbeards’ (761-2962), which include chicken-fried steak for $5.50 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, shrimp ranchero for $5.50 on Wednesdays, and $5.25 Mexican plates on Fridays.
Seafood
As strange as it may sound, it used to be pretty hard to find seafood on the island that wasn’t frozen before it was fried. No more. I’ve sampled reasonably priced fresh shrimp, fish, oysters, and crab at the Gulf Coast Oyster Bar (761-7867), whose menu emphasizes New Orleans and cajun styles; Amberjack’s (761-6500), where you can either have your own catch cooked or eat off the adventurous Mexi-marine menu; La Jaiba (761-9878), where crab rules; Scampi’s (761-1755), where the house specialty is peanut butter shrimp; and Pirate’s Landing (943-3663) in Port Isabel, an informal place run by the owners of the Sea Ranch.
Mexican
The other native cuisine is well represented on the island. Manuel’s (761-9563) has the morning market cornered with taquitos (massive flour tortillas stuffed with picadillo, beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes), menudo, and barbacoa. The best lunches and dinners are at Peso’s Comida Fresh-Mex (761-7890); Jesse’s Cantina and Restaurant (761-4500), a Port Isabel eatery that recently moved across the causeway; and Tacos Al Pastor (761-6787), where the specialties are prepared Mexico City style—meaning the folded tortilla is stuffed with unlikely combinations of meats and veggies.
Breakfast
The Astrodome of South Padre breakfast places is the recently expanded Rovans (761-6972), which has quick, efficient service, an on-site bakery churning out fresh, tasty goods, and a set of toy trains chugging around the ceiling to keep everyone amused. For cappuccinos and other strong brews, try Sacred Grounds (761-9456), a genuine java joint with comfy furniture, plenty of reading material, and a full complement of pastries. The popular bagel-and-coffee wake up is $2.95. Fresh squeezed is the only kind of orange juice served at the Radisson (761-6511), the Wanna Wanna Beach Bar and Grill (761-7688) at the Island Inn, and Naturally’s health food cafe (761-5332), where juice and smoothies are two-for-one from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Sweets
The island doesn’t have a boardwalk like the New Jersey shore, but it does have the Fudge Factory (762-9555), where you can chew on that Jersey treat known as saltwater taffy, as well as fudge and doughnuts. For ice cream, try Yummies (761-4907), TCBY (761-2921), or Blue Rays Diner (761-7297), South Padre’s version of a Hard Rock Cafe, which serves great shakes and sodas and where the classic Harley-Davidson motorcycles on display are for sale.
Fast Food
The roster of everyone’s favorite franchises includes McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Whataburger, Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Denny’s.
Where to Drink
Between the salt and the sun, the desire to wet one’s whistle is somehow stronger on the coast. As such, the consumption of alcoholic beverages, especially drinks with little umbrellas, is a popular pastime. Several bars along the Laguna Boulevard waterfront compose what is known as the entertainment district. The linchpin is Louie’s Backyard (761-6406), which sells more booze during Spring Break than any other establishment in Texas. (Charlie’s Paradise, Louie’s main Spring Break competition, is open only in March and early April, during holidays, and for private parties.) Louie’s caters to the student clientele year-round with a carnival atmosphere defined by brightly painted shuttle buses, a bungee jump, a “Boing” catapult crane, and a house drink called a Whammie, which is an unspeakable conflagration of tropical liquors. During the summer, an older crowd hangs out at Louie’s tiered patio or leans on one of five bars, including one for “locals only.” Amberjack’s (761-6500) is a smaller version of Louie’s with better food and a porch overlooking the water. Also nearby—with less pretentious open-air decks—are Wahoo Saloon (761-5344), Tequila Sunset (761-6198), and Coconuts (761-4218).
Dirty Dave’s Deck (761-1314), at the Sea Ranch down by Isla Blanca Park, is great for watching the boats putter into the dock early in the evening; margaritas and bellinis are only $1.50 from 4 to 7 p.m. Another early evening hangout is the Dolphin Cove Oyster Bar (761-2850), which has an excellent view of Dolphin Cove in Brazos Santiago Pass. The beer is cheap (a glass of Busch or Lite is only $1), the short-order menu features burgers, u-peel-’em shrimp, and raw oysters, and the owner is a genuine island character: Joe Buck Camp, who writes orders on the bar in chalk while manning the register. Camp’s ’53 Chevy panel truck is perhaps the most distinctive motor vehicle on the island.
On the Gulf side, the best beach bars are the Wanna Wanna Beach Bar and Grill (761-7688) at the Island Inn and Boomerang Billy’s (761-2420) at the Surf Motel, where owner Gary Wages shares whatever he happens to be grilling on Wednesday nights.
Believe it or not, some bars actually eschew a nautical theme. The Little Bit of Heaven Irish Pub (761-7571) is a classic hole-in-the-wall with a pool table, dart boards, and Guinness and Bass ales on tap. Jake’s (761-5012) is a watering hole with local charm and a patio. The Padre Island Brewing Company, scheduled to open sometime this summer, will be the Valley’s first brew pub. The Third Coast (761-6192), the island’s premier kicker bar with live bands, has airbrushed figures doing the cotton-eyed Joe on the side of the building. For blues bands, check out Bandana Dan’s (761-5337). Babes By the Bay (761-9500) is South Padre’s first and only topless bar—although voyeurs are likely to see more (or less) on the beach.
When all is said and done, of course, the amusements are mere adjuncts. Without the sea and the sand, the island would be just another strip mall. But for all its baubles and sizzle, South Padre proves you can have your beach and the conveniences of back home too. It’s a delicate balance, but it works like nowhere else on this part of the coast. Come to think of it, South Padre today exceeds even my father’s expectations. It isn’t Miami Beach. It’s better.
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