This Creole restaurant is a hidden gem with a little bit of everything, from good ol’ Cajun seafood pasta and gumbo to shrimp and grits. For the full experience, order the “combeaux,” which comes with crab, jumbo shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes. And before you leave, be sure to grab a bite of the key lime pie or banana pudding.

A New Orleans–themed staple, BB’s is perfect for anyone looking for a midnight snack thanks to its late-night locations. In colder weather, enjoy a nice bowl of gumbo with a po’boy on the side, and when crawfish season comes around, gather your friends for a Cajun-style boil. Or spice things up with the El Tejaneaux, which comes with three empanadas, one boudin flauta with verde cream sauce, red beans, rice, and your choice of one side.

This Austin-based concept opened its first Houston location in 2023 in the former Montrose Car Care—which is why the exterior design isn’t what you'd expect from a restaurant. Clark’s used the auto shop’s structure to its advantage, turning the carport area into beautiful patio seating. Start your visit off with oysters (duh, it’s in the name), then order the crudo plate with wasabi and lemon vinaigrette for a light bite before indulging in your main course. Whether you go for the lobster roll, crispy snapper, or shells and cheese with lump crab, be sure to share with the table. Find the perfect pairing for your meal among the restaurant’s extensive wine options or one of its six specialty martinis (we love the Bond’s Vesper).

When Danton’s Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen had to leave its home, owner Kyle Teas moved the restaurant across the neighborhood and recreated its surf-and-turf magic with Eugene’s, named after his father. Here you’ll find redfish stuffed with crab meat, Texas catfish, and Gulf shrimp and oysters, which can be grilled, fried, pan-broiled, or blackened. Or maybe you want oysters sautéed in lemon garlic butter sauce—that’s oysters Kyle, one of Danton’s staples that also made the move to Eugene’s. Sometimes it’s best to keep things just the way they were.

This casual restaurant in a converted bungalow serves dishes made with locally sourced ingredients, with an emphasis on the Gulf. Order the Sloppy Tides: cornmeal-crusted cod with coleslaw, chipotle anchovy aioli, onion, pickles, and a fried egg, served with fries. Or treat yourself with some scallops or redfish. Visit during happy hour from 3pm to 6pm Mondays through Fridays for the best deal on oysters. And if you find yourself with a free weekend, be sure to stop by for brunch to enjoy some crab toast or shrimp and grits.

Pitmaster Greg Gatlin of Gatlin’s BBQ opened his second restaurant, dedicated to seafood and poultry, in summer 2022. Start with the gumbo, oysters, and the shrimp and crab campechana. If you have room, order the fried catfish and shrimp combo, but whatever you do, don’t leave without ordering the H-Town Hot Sandwich with fried fish smothered in Viet-Cajun sauce.

Welcome to the Margaritaville of oyster bars. Gilhooley’s, which has served Galveston Bay oysters by the boatful since 1988, has a big ol’ outdoor area with picnic tables, plenty of inexpensive beer (by the bucket, too, if you’d like), and a staunch no-kids policy. So, get wasted away with raw and grilled oysters headlined by—naturally—oysters Gilhooley, which are cooked in garlic butter and parmesan. Throw in some fresh Gulf shrimp cocktail, too.

First things first: the campechano. This Mexican seafood cocktail with a spicy mix of shrimp and crab, diced avocado, Anaheim peppers, and pico de gallo is the embodiment of Jim Goode’s seafood restaurant, a tribute to his childhood on the Gulf. Of course, the smoked redfish dip, raw and grilled Gulf oysters, seared tuna with Creole mustard sauce, fried fish platters, and stuffed crab also make Goode Co. a necessary visit for any seafood fix.

The Big Vibe Group, which also owns Coppa Osteria and Flora, is to thank for this new seafood favorite. The restaurant focuses on coastal flavors from Mexico, the Big Sur region, and the Mediterranean. You’ll find menu options such as crispy calamari, charred octopus, crab and shrimp fried rice, and linguine alle vongole. Stop by on a weekend to get a taste of the restaurant’s brunch, which is served alongside the all-day menu offerings. We love the Royale—a hash brown cake with crème fraîche, smoked salmon, poached eggs, Choron sauce, smoked paprika, smoked trout roe, and shallots.

Specializing in Gulf Coast cuisine, Josephine’s generated a lot of buzz when it opened in the summer of 2023. The menu is full of decadent takes on Gulf favorites. We particularly love the smoked redfish dip, served with lemon remoulade and ranch saltines, and the addictive blue crab rice bowl, made with Carolina gold rice and tossed in crab-fat aioli and scallions. If you’re in the mood for a boil, Josephine’s offers shrimp, snow crab, and blue crab. Have room for dessert? The peanut pie made with Barq’s root beer is a must-order.

This Ford Fry restaurant features Gulf oysters on the half shell from Alabama, Florida, and Texas; seafood specialties; and one of the best frozen margaritas you’ll find in the city. With so many options, here’s a little word of advice: For the best experience, take your closest friends and order multiple menu items to share among your group. Be sure to order the restaurant’s shrimp and pork dumplings, crispy shrimp tacos, grilled Gulf shrimp, blue crab chowder fries, and the blackened snapper collars.

From oysters to sushi and sashimi, Liberty Kitchen has it all when it comes to seafood. Share an order of the deviled eggs, which come with fried oyster, bacon jam, and dill pickle, then snack on the avocado and lump crab cocktail until you make your decision on what entrée to order. And with options such as lobster stuffed shells, linguine pescatore, Scottish salmon, Texas redfish on the half shell, and Maine lobster, you might end up wanting to scarf down the whole menu.

The Pappas empire may be known for its chain restaurants with dozens of locations nationwide, but in May 2023, the company opened its first new and unique concept in a long while. Little’s Oyster Bar replaced the Little Pappas Seafood House on South Shepherd that had kicked the bucket during the pandemic, and is a significantly more grown-up (read: upscale) version of its predecessor. Start with an assortment of oysters and Gulf shrimp from the raw bar, then move onto the crab croquettes swimming in an heirloom tomato gazpacho. The mains change seasonally, with classic offerings like salmon, redfish, snapper, and grouper. While the menu’s sensibilities are overwhelmingly French and Cajun, you’ll find hints of Houston’s global flair, like a side of crispy eggplant tossed in nuoc cham.

Chef Aaron Bludorn’s second restaurant in Houston replicates the same great hospitality and flavors as his namesake spot in Fourth Ward, but this time with a focus on seafood. We’re obsessed with the smoked mahi mahi dip with pineapple chow-chow and potato chips—and yes, you absolutely should add trout roe to that. The blackened red snapper in ají amarillo sauce is a hit, but if we’re coming here to have lunch at the bar after a day of shopping in the village, we’re more likely to dig into the grouper sandwich.

A classic sit-down seafood spot for date night, Pier 6 in the Bay Area is a fine counterbalance to Gilhooley’s buckets of beer. Former Brennan’s executive chef Joe Cervantez runs the show here, sourcing seafood from local waters, including from the restaurant owner’s own oyster distributor, Prestige Oysters. The raw bivalves are top-notch, as are the oysters Rockefeller and Bienville. Outstanding entrées include pan-seared grouper with charred tomato and coconut sauce and cornmeal-crusted snapper with shrimp étouffée.