Tried the restaurant since we are staying here. Food is ok, but the service is the worst. I was seated facing the sun on my face, I don’t think the host has been shown how to choose s table. Only 2 other tables were occupied, there were shaded ones to choose from. I did not get the food I ordered, but it took so long to arrive I didn’t want to start over. While waiting a long time for the check a manager asked how the food was. I said good but it was not what I ordered if she could check the bill. Didn’t happen, got charged for the food I ordered but didn’t get. Whatever, out of there. Wouldn’t go back
Bryan B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Carencro, LA
One of the best desserts ever which is the buttermilk pecan pie that I have ever eaten. The 8 ounce filet was probably one of the best cuts of meat that you can never eat
Nicole Y.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Marcos, TX
I’ll start by saying what was right: Beautiful and classy atmosphere. Great salads. Bacon. Wrapped. Shrimp.(game-changers) If this review were based on food quality alone, it would be 4 stars. Sadly, the service was so bad, it ruined the experience for us. Though there were servers just standing around, we had empty water glasses the entire meal. We ordered dessert, waited 15 minutes before the waiter came and said they were out of said dessert, then waited 25 more minutes to get the dessert and it wasn’t super special. A customer at a different table had water spilled on them, another table was complaining about cold food, and another still had broken glass on their table. YIKES. For a bill of $ 200+ for our party of 4, we needed it to be better.
Stewart M.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Houston, TX
Make sure to request a table next to a window if your reservation is for two. Service was mediocre at best. Had to get my own silver ware from waiter station. Food was pretty good. Mimosas were terrible.
C W.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Addison, TX
Stayed at The Galvez and thought we would try the restaurant downstairs, it’s really very nicely decorated and has a lot of cool Old World charm. However, on that Friday night at 8:00 there were only people at 4 tables in the place. Uh oh. Shoulda thought twice. Fried shrimp plate was completely tasteless and the batter was as bland as a Mormon soda cracker. Cocktail sauce tasted like ketchup with a little diced celery in it. Folks we’re sitting right on the gulf! Come on! The ceviche was a huge glob of guacamole with some pico de gallo mixed in and a few lonely bits of shrimp buried at the bottom of a soda fountain glass. The French onion soup had no onion, no cheese and no type of bread in it, French or otherwise. Huh? I would say that you are better off eating at one of the restaurants down in the harbor area if you want a nice dinner. If you crave shrimp or seafood then go where the bartender at The Galvez bar whispered to me to go. «Shrimp and Stuff» she said, looking around so as not to be heard. «The original one» PS — the bar area is nice with a combo playing cocktail music.
Chris K.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Waco, TX
This place is great! We decided to come eat to celebrate my mothers birthday. Unfortunately we didn’t realize the restaurant doesn’t open till dinner service which was still 2 hours later. We were a little disappointed. However to accommodate my mom for her birthday, they let us order from the full menu and really went the extra mile to make my moms birthday special. We were the only ones in the whole restaurant! Also the food was great! I’m not a big cornbread; however, this cornbread was wonderful. I would def come here again! My only complaint were a little annoying; however, considering how they really went above and beyond the call of duty, it was def easy to overlook. Come here to celebrate a birthday dinner!
Susan H.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Boerne, TX
Went with my mom-in-law and wife for dinner on Saturday during Mother’s Day weekend. MIL and I selected the fresh Red Snapper special. Big mistake!!! While well-seasoned, the fish was dry and over cooked. When I notified the waiter he brought tartar sauce to fix the dryness. Wow. What a poorly trained waiter. This is a reflection on hotel leadership. I should have asked for the person in charge. My wife hates when I do that so I didn’t. Mistake. Can’t really complain if you don’t get management involved. Then again I shouldn’t even be in that position in a 4 star restaurant.
Jean B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Houston, TX
The Sunday Brunch at the Galvez is something to make time for if you are in Galveston for the weekend. The spread so incredible — omelette station, pasta station, prime rib, seafood bar, gumbo, waffles, eggs Benedict, your normal breakfast items, and a full dessert table. We attempted to try everything that was offered and what we tried was good. Exceptional items that I would focus on: waffles, smoked salmon, shrimp cocktail, and omelette station. Other items were tasty but there is so much to choose from that you have to narrow it down. My reasoning behind 4 stars instead of 5 was due to the service. Our waiter was not attentive and acted as if we were a bother. For the price you are paying, I think there should be a stronger focus on service and friendliness. Go for the great spread, make sure to make reservations ahead of time!
Marilyn O.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Houston, TX
Went for a nice dinner for Valentine’s. Showed early for reservation and only had to wait about 10 minutes to be seated. Ordered a drink in the bar and had to have it brought to the table. They had a choice of a special 4 course dinner or regular menu. I thought it was overpriced compared to similar menu items, so I passed. I ordered filet with a house salad. Husband ordered red fish special. They arrived and we placed unceremoniously on the table wherever. I cut in to my steak, but the waitress had already walked off. My steak was raw. It was supposed to be medium rare. I had to wait a while before my waitress(Or any other) came by to check on us. She took it away to cook it. I finished my salad. My salad was pleasant, but nothing special. Husband said while his fish was good, it was also not special. Crab topping was more sauce than crab. My steak came back and it was mostly cooked to medium rare now. I still pushed off 4 pieces(about an ounce of of 6oz steak) because it was still raw. The veggies were tasty, but the potatoes were bland. They were cheesy scalloped potatoes, but they needed a lot of salt and pepper to taste like anything. Steak also had some sort of A-1 type sauce on it that I didn’t care for. It wasn’t bad, but when your steak is good, you don’t need A-1. So, overall I was underwhelmed with The Gálvez. I realize it is a hotel restaurant, but it is a very nice hotel. It looks beautiful inside and out and I felt that the service should be elevated. Dine in service there should feel like you are eating in the grand hotel that is presented.
Marjorie S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Galveston, TX
Named one of the Top 100 brunch restaurants in the US and I can see why. The staff is friendly and courteous especially our server Levi, she was super sweet and kept our bottomless mimosas and water topped off. The food/chef stations were great. Sunday brunch was fabulous! From the fresh fruit, assorted bread, lox and bagels, cheese and crackers, cocktail shrimps, oysters on a half shelf, crab legs, salads, yummy omelette and waffle station, pasta station, bacon, eggs Benedict to the carving station with prime rib and ham. They also have New Orleans themed food because we went during Mardi Gras, they had seafood gumbo, boudin balls to name a few. Last but not least was the desserts: they have an entire room full of desserts! Talk about food porn! Definitely noms!
Deidra B.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Hitchcock, TX
Had our Thanksgiving dinner here with friends 11 people total. We were all looking forward to this dinner and it was a real let down. Our seating was 6pm so it was early for dinner. Service was good other than a slow order on cocktails, but the food was the worst I have ever had at a nicer buffet. I tried the butternut squash soup, the texture was just awful possibly from sitting all day. The boiled shrimp were soggy. The salad was limp. Everything was picked over and it looked as if they just didn’t care. The pumpkin risotto was literally crispy and dried out. All of our table were disappointed. They usually do a Good Brunch, not sure if this was the first time they did a Thanksgiving«Brunch» style dinner, if you can’t do it with the high quality we all expected don’t do it.
Joe C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Lahaina, HI
Stopped by here after running the Moody Gardens Half Marathon for brunch with 3 others, and was pleasantly surprised. There really wasn’t a bad dish. Atmosphere is elegant; a pianist was playing a grand piano in the lounge – great music. I had bagels & lox with all the usual toppings – the smoked salmon was very good… the best I’ve ever had I think. Also had the made-to-order pasta, eggs Benedict(good hollandaise sauce), thick-sliced bacon, roasted prime rib with a nice creamy horseradish sauce, among a slew of other entrees. Also had a cheese blintz with almond crème anglaise – delicious. Had mimosas(which are included in the price of brunch), which were good. For dessert, I had a mini pumpkin pie(good), some kind of dark chocolate/espresso«pot,» pecan pie(too sweet), crème brûlée(too sweet), bread pudding(good), and a few others I forgot. Also had a double espresso(good). I definitely recommend this for brunch; the best I’ve had for as many quality selections they offered.
Thomas B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oakland, NJ
So last time I was here the food was great, but there was no quality beer left and service was lacking. Tonight Carol waited on me and she was perfect! I hope she hears this commendation. She was sweet, not intrusive and was able to offer opinions on the menu items. I started with cornbread and house-made jalapeño jelly. Got me feeling warm and fuzzy. Next, I had the Gálvez salad. Fresh greens, candied pecans, and thinly sliced cheddar and apples. Perfect start. I have been coming once a year, every year for about seven years. I always get the prawns and polenta. The polenta has got some jalapeño heat… nice! Shrimp grilled to the perfect firmness. Ah and the ancho cream is so rich and tasty and ties it all together evoking comparison to The Dude’ rug. I’d like to see more hand-crafted beer on the menu but they did have a St. Arnold. I love the bread pudding but skipped w dinner. May grab as a late night snack later. Definitely and highly recommended! –Tom NJ’s Best Wedding photographers
Larry B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Springfield, MO
Very good food and even better service. If you can try the Sunday brunch, it’s over the top and amazing!
Bruce H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Hewitt, TX
The dated bar was historically correct, but we found a new twist. The tables are cork screw 3 leg industrial grade-could have helped raise the Galvez 8 feet after the Hurricane of 1900.
Jeff M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Langwood, Houston, TX
All of the food on the menu is delicious. The service is wonderful and friendly, and the atmosphere is classic. I highly recommend the Hotel Gálvez and restaurant. This Sunday breakfast brunch is out of this world.
Aldo D.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Houston, TX
I wouldn’t really call this a restaurant but more of a lobby bar type. It seems kinda cut off, and night vibe is pretty much desultory. The menu is rather run-of-the mill and the vibe is not helped by the sadness lurking from the piano player in front of the bar. The music repertoire could put you to sleep. With that in mind and the fact that there are mainly fried items on the menu, which doesn’t exude huge confidence in the qualities of the chef, I’d have to say the food was fresh and the service was beyond excellent. We hear they have a great buffet but that happens on weekends. We ate the fish sample platter which was ample for two, with a ceasar salad and a few imported beers. The food was much better than at Landry’s but when I am at a seaside resort I honestly prefer to eat fresh seafood, preferably local, which the menu sadly lacked. So does Landry’s, so the only place that I recommend is Gaido’s which is also closed in, no outside patio, and rather stuffy. As far as restaurants are concerned, this one is pretty much empty and if they wish to get more patrons they should rather use one of the pavilions for a restaurant, which by the looks of them don’t get as much use. The restaurant can definitely use an outside terrace or at least some garden seating which could be done in the pavilion close to the pool as there is a garden behind it. Apparently, back in the days it was much bigger and had open air windows from the outside. I think one of the pavilions could easily be used for dining on nights when there are no functions, as they have outside terraces that face towards the sea.
Kimberly R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Galleria/Uptown, Houston, TX
Best breakfast on the island !!! Amazing coffee and the American breakfast has all you need !! Crispy bacon, great potatoes and eggs your way. The service is always very good too. During the summer they offer buffet breakfast but I always order off the menu. As a bonus the hotel offers a private parking lot for those who are just dining.
Kirk D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Missouri City, TX
I love the 12.00 American breakfast. May I just say the coffee served here is amazing. I love the atmosphere, service and the view. I’ve not tried the big Sunday brunch but I’ve had the Saturday buffet and it’s pretty good. My wife and I love to come here for a romantic morning getaway(as long as the visiting kids don’t ruin it)
Mili K.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Dallas, TX
The mecca of all brunches! I probably come to the Hotel Galvez 1 – 2 times/year for Sunday brunch as it is gluttony at its finest. I absolutely love the atmosphere and the food is fabulous-fresh and delicious! Definitely a luxury as it is $ 39.99/person for the buffet. This is a place where you definitely splurge. unlimited mimosas, a separate dessert buffet, build your own omelet and pasta bar, bagels and various other breads/muffins, eggs benedict, chautecerie board, a carving station, various other hot entrees, and warm waffles with whip cream, chocolate chips, and fruit toppings. The back room has fabulous views of the ocean, the service is wonderful, and it truly feels like a Sunday Funday! I tend to spend at least a few hours here, eating a few rounds of food and sipping on mimosas! I feel like I’m on vacation! Added plus is complimentary valet if you’re eating at the restaurant. Main cons are the price of the buffet, as it is definitely not possible to eat the shear amount you are paying for, however this is definitely a place worth going to at least once if you’re in the area!