Looking for some good Galveston Texas restaurants? You know… a few places that offer good good and good value?

You’re in Galveston for a day or three and you’re likely to have a great time there. Afterall, there is the beach, Moody Gardens, Schlitterbahn, and more to do in Galveston.

So it would be nice to top off your vacation with some good food!

Here are 5 Galveston restaurants that offer scrumptious meals… 

Cafe Michael Burger

Cafe Michael Burger is right on the beachfront, so you get to enjoy your meal while also enjoying the scenic view.

They offer a variety of burgers and other sandwiches, as well as a handful of German meals, including one of my favorites, the Wienerschnitzel.

The burgers and sandwiches are typically under $10 and the German meals are just a little over $10.

ShyKatZ Deli

The ShyKatZ Deli is a great place to go for breakfast, in particular!

Their many breakfast options are all $10 or less, and are absolutely delicious.

They also have a wide variety of excellent hot and cold sandwiches and wraps, as well as burgers, all for $10 or less.

Their Philly Cheesesteak sandwich is amazing! Give them a try!

Mosquito Cafe

The Mosquito Cafe is another great Galveston restaurant.

They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are also very good at it. (The Mosquito Cafe has a few awards to prove it!)

They have some interesting appetizers, like warm goat cheese medallions. The Thai chicken salad is great too.

The Mosquito Cafe’s motto is, “one bite is all it takes”, and that is probably quite true!

Saltwater Grill

The Saltwater Grill is a little more expensive than the Galveston restaurants mentioned above, but it is nevertheless an excellent restaurant.

Their steaks are very good. So is the gumbo. The service is excellent too.

The Saltwater Grill can get very busy on weekends due to its popularity, so keep that in mind.

Mario’s Seawall Italian Restaurant

The fifth restaurant on our list of good Galveston restaurants is Mario’s Seawall Italian Restaurant.

Mario’s makes excellent pizza. This isn’t your typical pizza-joint pizza, but proper wood-fired oven pizza.

They also make some great calzones, a variety of subs, and a range of tasty pastas for dinner. Their desserts include old-time favorites, like tiramisu, chocolate-covered cannoli, and key-lime pie.

That’s our round-up for now. There are of course several more good Galveston Texas restaurants. If you would like to see more of them, you can see them here.

There are many Galveston hotels to choose from.

Afterall, Galveston is an island that relies on vacationers for a big part of its income!

Galveston is not a very big island. Much of what you will do there will be fairly close to each other.

That includes hotels and our favorite things to do in Galveston.

Here are some excellent Galveston hotels for you to consider… 

Galveston Hotels

Harbor House

The Harbor House is a good choice. It is located on the channel side of the island, at Pier 21. From here you can easily walk to downtown Galveston and The Strand.

This location also makes it very convenient for access to cruise ships.

They also have boat slips available for rental if you decide to visit Galveston by boat.

The hotel itself is beautiful, with a lot of character, and very nicely furnished. Their staff are very friendly too.

 Casa Del Mar Beachfront Suites

If you would like an ocean view, try the Casa Del Mar Beachfront Suites, located on Seawall Blvd. You walk across the road and you’re on the beach!

The rooms are really nice and come with a kitchenette, which is handy for families who have kid-tummies to keep full.

The Casa Del Mar also has a nice pool for when you feel like cooling off, but don’t want to go to the beach. The staff are friendly and helpful.

It is also very close to a Golden Corral restaurant, which has always been a favorite with my family!

The Casa Del Mar costs a little more, but the location is great and I think it is worth it.

Quality Inn & Suites

Just a short distance away from the Casa Del Mar, is The Quality Inn & Suites, also on Seawall Blvd and also just across the road from the beach.

The Quality Inn has an indoor pool and hot tub. It also has free breakfast and internet access.

The rooms are big and comfortable. The staff are also very friendly and helpful.

The price for the Quality Inn is very reasonable too. I think the Quality Inn is worth checking out.

There are of course several other good Galveston hotels. These are only three of our favorites. If you would like to look at a few more hotels, check out this list of hotels in Galveston to find other options.

Why would there be fun things to do in Galveston Texas? Well, it’s an island in the Gulf of Mexico, and that spells FUN!

Galveston has nice beaches, a theme park, a water park, a museum, a nice shopping area, several restaurants, and plenty of hotels.

I like it that most of the fun things to do in Galveston Texas are also located close to one another.

That means you don’t have to do endless driving to get from one thing to another. 

Things To Do In Galveston

Beaches

My kids love to swim. They just don’t seem to get tired of it. So if Galveston only had beaches, I think we’ll still have a good time there.

Galveston has a few miles of public beaches along Seawall Blvd. The water is a comfortable 80°F through the whole summer. Just in case the sun gets too much, we usually get one of the umbrellas that are readily available. We also like to take a few beach toys along.

Stewart Beach

Stewart Beach is really nice. It’s a family beach that has many family activities, like sandcastle competitions, bumper boats, and a mini golf course. It also has a nice playground.

Stewart Beach is a State park. There’s an entrance fee per car, but it’s worth the money.

Poretto Beach

Poretto Beach is another favorite beach in Galveston. You have to pay a few dollars to park for the day. On the beach are chairs and umbrellas already set up that can be rented for the day. There are also floats available to rent, and plenty of food and drinks available.

A great source of information on safety at Galveston’s beaches is the Galveston Beach Patrol.

Moody Gardens

I think Moody Gardens is one of the coolest things to do in Galveston Texas. They have several attractions to visit, like a rainforest inside a huge glass pyramid, aquarium, a science exhibition (discovery pyramid), a collection of lagoons and waterfalls (Palm Beach), and an IMAX theater.

It can become quite costly to visit everything (around $40 per person), so I would suggest you pick one or two to visit. I like the rainforest and the aquarium the best.

Here’s an article about Moody Gardens that I wrote for Vacation Home Rentals – Why You Should Not Miss Moody Gardens In Galveston.

Schlitterbahn Galveston

My kids will tell you that a day at Schlitterbahn water park is one of the funnest things to do in Galveston Texas.

If you’ve ever been to the Shlitterbahn in New Braunfels, you know what Schlitterbahn is all about. If not, and my kids will confirm this, Schlitterbahn is a fantastic waterpark, with water rides for young and old. One of the water slides even goes upwards!

Part of Schlitterbahn Galveston is indoors, which is very nice when everyone gets a little sunned-out, but want to continue having fun.

The Schlitterbahn in Galveston is relatively new. It is smaller, but it is nevertheless a lot of fun. It is located next to Moody Gardens.

Galveston Shopping – The Strand

The Strand in Galveston is an interesting shopping and dining area that has a unique charm to it. There is a wide variety of stores and restaurants to choose from in The Strand. My kids love the horse and carriage rides!

There are several other attractions within walking distance of The Strand. We like to park at The Strand and then explore the area on foot.

Texas Seaport Museum

If everyone needs a break from the sun and would like a little Galveston history, a visit to the Texas Seaport Museum is a good option. It won’t break the bank either.

Among the exhibits at the Texas Seaport Museum is Elissa, a working sailing ship built in 1877.

The Seaport Museum is close to The Strand and Stewart Beach.

These are our favorite things to do in Galveston Texas and we always have a great time!

PS. Also see our pages on Galveston hotels and restaurants.

There’s no doubt about it — RV camping fans love the Lone Star State!

There are many great places to go RV camping in Texas!

Here are ten great reasons to pack up the RV and take a family vacation to Texas: 

1. RV Camping to Abilene – This north Texas town played a big part in frontier days, and it offers visitors the chance to experience the Lone Star State during the days of cowboys and cattle drives. Be sure to visit Frontier Texas, where multimedia experiences will teach your kids about the people and places that contributed to the development of Texas.

2. Austin for RVers – Looking for an urban destination with plenty of place to play outdoors? Go no further than Austin, where a string of lakes along the Colorado River march right into the middle of town. Fish, camp and hike at Lake Austin, Lake Travis or any of the four other lakes within easy driving distance of the city.

3. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area – A pink granite dome in the heart of Texas? That’s right — Enchanted Rock State Natural Area boasts a four-hundred foot granite dome that’s perfect for hiking and rock climbing. A day use area, this park doesn’t have RV camping facilities, but nearby facilities such as Fredericksburg RV Park offer comfortable camping.

4. Galveston Family RV Vacation – With fantastically fun places like Moody Gardens waiting to entertain your family, it’s time for an RV road trip to Galveston. Don’t miss the Battleship TEXAS, the Seaport Museum and the great RV campground at Galveston Island State Park.

5. Goliad State Park and Historic Sites – Park your RV at this state park northwest of Corpus Christi and then immerse yourself in Texas history. Ruins of an 18th century mission, the birthplace of General Zaragoza and the Mission Espiritu Santo State Historic Site are just three of the fascinating places to visit near the Victorian town of Goliad.

6. Lake Mineral Wells State Park – In an area once known for its healing mineral waters, this state park is popular with hikers, bikers and equestrians, thanks to a scenic twenty mile trailway. Just forty five minutes from downtown Fort Worth, the park welcomes RV campers with full-service campsites and nice amenities.

7. Port Isabel – Right across the Queen Isabella Causeway from Padre Island, the city of Port Isabel is an historic treasure. Port Isabel Lighthouse can be explored and photographed to your heart’s content, and the Treasures of the Gulf Museum and Port Isabel Historic Museum are a short walk away.

8. San Antonio for RV Campers – The City of San Antonio, TX is filled with cultural, historic and just plain fun attractions for the entire family. Why not park your RV at one of the many area campgrounds and then spend your vacation enjoying the city’s Paseo del Rio Riverwalk, historic treasures like The Alamo and a walk on the wild side at the San Antonio Zoo?

9. Seminole Canyon State Historic Park – An incredibly rugged setting near the US/Mexico border is home to some of the best preserved pictographs in the world. Take a guided tour into the canyon to explore ancient cave art, and take advantage of convenient RV camping on-site.

10. Toledo Bend Reservoir/Lake Sam Rayburn – Two top bass fishing lakes sit side-by-side on the Texas/Louisiana border. Toledo Bend Reservoir is surrounded by the unspoiled beauty of the Sabine National Forest and Lake Sam Rayburn cuts right through the middle of Angelina National Forest. If you’re looking for a spot to make an extended fishing and RV camping trip to Texas, these two lakes fill the bill!

We recently made a trip to Crystal Beach near Galveston and discovered a wonderful restaurant…

When I was a kid my parents, sister, and I went to Galveston every year. We did all the normal tourist attractions, except for Schlitterbahn only because it wasn’t there then. We always had the best time and some of my best memories are from there.

So after growing up, getting married and having four children of my own, we always take a summer vacation of some type. Our first vacation, after we decided the kids were all old enough to travel the 12 hours from home and be gone a week, was of course Galveston.

The kids had never seen the ocean and were extremely excited. We did everything and they especially enjoyed Moody Gardens and the realistic steam riverboat ride that departs from there, which was a blast. We also went on a dolphin spotting adventure that leaves from the Seaport Museum area.

But the highlight of our trip, and every trip that we had when I was young, was the Texas D.O.T. ferry that leaves from Galveston and goes to Crystal Beach or Port Bolivar (I believe its called). While on the “drive aboard” ferry, bring a loaf of bread and walk to the rear and feed sea gulls and see an old ship wreck off in the distance.

When you dock, drive approx. 12 miles on the highway and there is a restaurant called the “Stingaree”. It has the best seafood and steaks I have ever ate. Although the restaurant is not in Galveston, incorporate it with the ferry ride and the huge light house on Crystal Beach that has a neat history, and you have a very romantic evening with your spouse and a great family fun experience.

We always save this little trip to Crystal Beach and the Stingaree for our last night before returning home and can’t wait to go back.