Watermans Restaurant - Galveston (TX)

4 /5 texas tastes: We had a good meal here but it’s very expensive and the hostess, the older lady is so chaotic and overwhelmed. She runs back and forth a lot but doesn’t seem to really be doing anything. She told us there was no possible way we could get sat a table for 2 and sent us down to the way too noisy bar to eat, but I got in open table and snagged a reservation that started in 10 min so we went back up and told her we had a reservation and we got seated right away!!!! Like what!!!! Our server was very slow, nice and chatted a tiny bit but so slow to bring anything we requested, it was annoying. The cloth chairs are so dirty and unhygienic, they are covered in grease stains, grease, or wet so be careful. Beautiful sunset views, nice ambiance and mix of inside/outside, loud bar too if that’s your thing. The coconut shrimp are large and delicious! The rice it came with was good but that is all it comes with for $30! I bought a wedge salad which was ok, the bacon on it was burned and that shouldn’t happen at these prices. It ruined the salad. The fish and chips were greasy.

4 /5 Phillip Durbin: As you walk in, theres a sign to your left that says to go upstairs if youre to dine in. They do have an elevator for the elderly or handicapped so this is a plus. (Considering you might have to go back down to dine!) Going out the elevator upstairs you are somewhat behind the host station and have to swing around to confront them properly for a table. (This can easily become congested and problematic) No one is waiting for you, so it might take a minute. They do have memorabilia to glance over as you wait though at this counter as well as to your left when you enter the building. The kitchen area is in plain view upstairs. Its quite noisy. Service was ok. If you happen to have a boat they do have staff available to assist with docking and fueling at the immediate slips available behind the restaurant and a boat launch for your watercraft. Im unsure of the details. The upper deck has a scenic area to dine from and can walk out on thats caged off so small kids cant fall through and are able to dine at the end of as well. (Be cautious with your items on the main dining section of upper deck. Phones and paper menus can fall from the tables and slip out the bottom of the railing into the water below!) They do have a lunch menu upon request. The food itself was very good but the dipping sauces and condiments are presented in plastic ramekin containers and was unappealing and took away from the experience but were tasty. Do not order a beer during lunch time in a bottle as they probably restocked them that morning and will not be very cold at all. If someone is fueling a boat you can get a disturbing whiff of the fumes while eating outside depending on the wind.

5 /5 Josh Montgomery: Excellent views, especially at sunset. Food was exquisite. Service was good. The only thing we did not like was the bread pudding but overall it was great.

3 /5 Jonathan Lane: Watermans is a beautiful location to watch the sunset until the mosquitos invade. Our server was very accommodating by helping us get a table inside, but the restaurant was understaffed which hurt the overall service. As for the food, they didnt have several items on the menu which is irritating. The Cajun pasta was not bad but the wedge salad had burnt bacon which ruined the dish.

2 /5 Tim DiSanza: Was looking forward to this. Was advertised as a great place to see the sunset from their outdoor dining patio. We reserved an outdoor table just for this an arrived about 20 minutes before sunset. When it was time to order, I was a bit disappointed as both my appetizer (crab cakes) and entre (lobster ravioli) were not available. Took a bit longer to decide as other options were also not available which is not great because the menu is already a bit limited. Finally settled on no appetizer and the filet. As my wifes appetizer came (shrimp cocktail), the sun was starting to set. We were a bit disheartened that the view of the sunset was not as advertised as the majority of the sun was blocked by houses to the west. We were expecting an unobstructed view. I guess if you walked down the pier to could eventually see the sun set between houses but it certainly was not as advertised. Now we, and others after hearing conversations, selected patio seating for the sunset. What we were not told is how horrific the mosquitos were as soon as the sun dipped below the houses to the west. It upset others more than us, as some requested to move inside. Others got up and just left before ordering, and some got their food to go. Our food came just as another table got up and moved inside leaving just us and another table outside. Our waiter brought over some insect repellent so they obviously knew this would happen and if so, why werent we told this when we checked in for our reservation? My wife finally gave up and we went inside, grabbing our entres, drinks, and bread along with our silverware. We found the last available table, a table that seated 8, and sat down and finished our dinner. Overall, the food we ordered was good. My filet was undercooked in the center, nearly blue, but I ate around it but it was nowhere near the $78 (MKT Value) that it cost. Could have gotten a much better steak at Texas Roadhouse for much less. Should have sent it back but the event was already disastrous so I just let it go. We just wanted to get out of there. So if you are planing to eat here, do NOT accept outdoor seating if near sunset or later. During the day I hear its fine. You can always get up from your indoor seat and go outside to find the sunset between the houses if you wish. Overall about a 4 out of 10 experience. Maybe on a different day it might be better based on menu, time of day, and seating issues.