Clary’s Seafood Restaurant

First night of family vacation and my wife wanted seafood. We saw some great reviews on this place; and even better, only two $$ !! Well let me warn u first, $ 25-​$ 30 entrees and $ 10 mixed drinks is not my idea of two $$… It was empty on the inside. The only full table was who I found out later was the owner and a couple friends. The hostess and waiter were super nice and the food was pretty okay, but the environment and quality is just not worth the cost. I had my heart set on a couple of different menu items, only to find out they weren’t available. There was a gross bug in my wife’s mixed drink. They replaced it without question but we still got charged for it. Not horrible, but didn’t leave feeling like I got my money’s worth and definitely won’t recommend to anyone. I hate writing bad reviews but still feel sick over the money spent compared to the product received.

Well just when I was ready to give up on Galveston seafood restaurants and go back to the mainland the wife and I decided to finally try Clarys.
By way of background we both grew up on the beach, Pam’s father was at one point a commercial fisherman, and I have been fishing and getting sand on my ever bare feet for the last 50 years. We have been known for traveling five, six hours to eat good seafood from Maine to Maryland to Seattle to Baja and everywhere in between.
In a Galveston restaurant scene dominated by Sysco supplied seafood and me too fried breading that quite frankly is crap disguised as seafood Clarys is a breath of fresh air! Sure it is dated. Sure it is old-​fashioned but quite frankly it adds to the charm!
Service is old-​fashioned professional by a staff that takes their job seriously.
Cloth table settings, nice glassware, my God even finger bowls after dinner– the only place in Galveston that is this elegant probably will require the equivalent of a mortgage payment aka Number 13 or Shearns.
Food freshly prepared and thanks for actually knowing what fish is going to be on the plate. Clarification? Yes, instead of the ridiculous catfish everyone else serves (people we are on salt water, stupid, why catfish? Is this Waco for Christ sake?) waiter promised grilled trout and guess what — it was– since I have caught my fair share of saltwater trout species I know. And before I forget the lanyap (forgive my misspelling of a New Orleans tradition) is boiled shrimp– only time outside of La I have seen that– bless you Mr Clary!
The stuffed crab was NOT the crappy Cisco 99 cent frozen nondescript mass served by everyone else in Galveston. Real crab, from the claw as promised by the knowledgeable waiter, with a minimum of breading. Excellent lyonnaise potatoes and tasty green beans.
Folks, the place is the way a good restaurant used to be, before the chains and before everyone bought the same crap from Cysco.
Please go and enjoy their hospitality. We will be back!!!

Always a Galveston classic. The atmosphere leaves some to be desired, but the service and food more than make up for it.

We were told about this restaurant by family and went to try it for ourselves. We weren’t sure what to expect but it was a pleasant surprise! We had great service and excellent food. Started with house salads and shared a Shrimp Platter (includes shrimp cooked four ways) and raw oysters. The platter was delicious and might have had the best stuffed shrimp we have had. Recommend to get raw oysters elsewhere and stick with their other food items. Highly recommended for a unique seafood dining experience and make sure to read the bio on the owner, Clary.

Awesome! Loved the food, view and most importantly… Clary! Diners tip — order the chocolate cake no matter how full you are.

Ok, prepare for the one of the weirdest experience! When you first walk in you are second guessing yourself because the entrance is not the most attractive sight. Not to worry the further you walk in, the more your confidence is sure to return. First you are greeted with a warm welcome, followed by some delicious cajun boiled shrimp which were very delightful. At this point you are now hooked for the adventure so dive in and enjoy what is one of Galveston’s hidden secrets. Everything we ordered was great! Will be back.

This restaurant used to be Sooo good and has fallen on hard times. The salad was wilted, the crab dish did not have real cheese, my baked shrimp was fried, and my broiled oysters were served over a piece of white bread??? Green beans were canned and potatoes cold,.bread was that Hawaiian bread you can buy at grocery store and sliced to disguise. Sooo disappointed and feel very ripped off.

Please don’t go to this super shady looking place.
Went here literally about an hour ago and the trip went like this:
Drove up and the exterior alone was shady enough to turn around. We decided to walk in and give it a chance anyway.
Walked in; it was dingy and dirty. Seriously should have walked away but again, I was optimistic and decided to try it anyway, despite the blue sparkley AstroTurf stapled to the walls.
Here is where it gets great, we sit down (with no menus) and wait about 5 – 10 minutes. Finally greeted and asked «what appetizer would you like?» Really guy? I don’t have a menu. Asked for a menu to see the apps and was instead rattled off what they had circa 1987 micro machine man style.
After 10 minutes we got our menus and teas. Decided pretty quickly on what we wanted but no waiter. Anywhere. Seriously.
Waited another 5 minutes and enough was enough. We walked out. (I left a couple bucks for teas). As we were walking out we literally walked by what I presume were managers, and even out waiter who was just leaning against a rail.
The décor is hideous inside and out. The service is dismal and non existent. You will serve yourself better at any Nathan’s hotdog stand.
Drive past this place. You’ll thank me many times over.

Interesting looking place. Right on the bay which is neat. First person to great us (server) was nice. Hostess? Mgr? Not sure was nice. I went by the Unilocal reviews… I should have investigated more. It’s an ok menu.
Our server was, well nice but I was uncomfortable with him. Just a vibe. Granted I recommended a group of 10 to the same rest, you would think he would have been thrilled…
Didn’t have tuna (told us), then I heard the server say we are completely out of shrimp (to another table) ummm most of your menu is shrimp…
You get warm peel and eat shrimp for the table… Not sure what it was in.
I was lucky to share my food which was good. The saralynn platter. I’m picky, the crab lump wasn’t bad but cool (guess it was supposed to be hot? gumbo was good.
I’m guessing from the other reviewers it’s a hit and miss kinda place…
Good luck

Dinner Disaster!
My family made a 6pm reservation for a special dinner. We arrive, and before we are seated, we’re informed that the credit card machine is down. Fair enough, things happen, a check will be fine? Great.
The dining room is basically empty with only two mother tables seated. We sit long enough without menus that I ask my mother if this is a fixed menu. She says ‘no’ and tells the baby as our waiter walks by that she’s sure he’ll bring menus any time. Prompted, he does.
We turn to the shrimp appetizers as we look over the menu, and find only half have been deveined! YUCK
Most everyone at the table orders steak and seafood combos as the horrible jazz rendition of ‘My Heart will Go On’ plays in the back ground. When asked what ‘lyonnaise’ is, the waiter simply corrects my husband’s pronunciation and fails to inform him WHAT the dish is.
A few minutes after ordering, our waiter returns to inform us that the kitchen is OUT of steak. (They do, however, have the chopped sirloin) Looking for surf and turf, we decided that it would be best to move on. Starving, 40 minutes after arrival, we’ve eaten only pre packages crackers.
With the reviews here, we expected something amazing. Maybe you have to actually get food to get it. Hopefully we will try again. Hopefully it will be better if we do.

We came here because of the high Unilocal rating. We were disappointed. The people are nice, but the food is subpar. You Unilocalers have poor taste, or Clary had an off night.
They bring about 4 boiled shrimp as a freebie, but they were overlooked and way too salty.
Crab balls (8) about an inch and a quarter diameter were so-​so, but not a good value.
Stuffed flounder was served in plate with water. Fish was not fishy but the seasoning was bad and the fish too watery. Taste not worth the money, not the portion size.
Bread was boring.
Dinner salad had slightly wilted greens.
I will not be back.

We came with a party of 10. I rarely give negative reviews. I tried most of the items recommended by other reviewers. The food was NOT good. The service was poor. Everything was WAY overpriced.
We were not given menus until AFTER we ordered appetizers. I think it’s because the appetizers they recommended were over $ 20 each.
The décor has a grimy, dated vibe. The place smelled kind of yucky too.

While vacationing in Galveston over the 4^th of July weekend our party of 8 people were famished and looking for a good meal. Most places along the seawall had extremely long waits, so I busted out my phone and found this place on Unilocal.We headed over after calling first to make sure they could seat us immediately. We were seated after waiting for about 10 minutes (reasonable) and our drink orders were taken quickly. However, we waited over 15 minutes to receive menus before someone in our party actually went up to go retrieve them herself and distribute them (ehh kind of unreasonable). Should have seen this as a bad sign looking back.
I agree with other Unilocalers about the price range, I was surprised to see hardly any entrees for less than $ 20 when the place has two dollar signs on Unilocal.The restaurant was disappointingly out of the stuffed shrimp and crab balls so we ordered the baked shrimp, fried scallops and t-​bone steak. We asked for bread since we were starving and the waiter said he’d bring some out right away. LIAR. We didn’t end up receiving it until after we were almost done with our entrees. Our salads came out after 17 minutes (yes, we actually had a bet going because it was apparent the service was slow) and although they were good they were DRENCHED in the house dressing. Everyone agreed that it was simply too much/​too bold/​just wrong.
Onto the main entrees… the baked shrimp was the silver lining of the experience. It was delicious and flavorful. However, both individuals who ordered the fried scallops were not pleased. One person actually spit his out into a napkin, it was actually THAT bad. They were bland and I’m not sure what else because I was too scared to even try them after that. The waiter agreed to take the dishes away no charge. Most people agreed the steaks were too salty and the waiter did not even bring the correct sides ordered. Instead of bringing people what they ordered he just brought fries, green beans and lyonnaise when at least one person in our party had ordered seasoned rice. The waiter then had the nerve to give us attitude when we asked for separate checks when TWO PEOPLE IN OUR PARTY WERE STILL STARVING BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED INEDIBLE ENTREES. I should mention that they did send over a tiny bowl of a cheesy crab mixture. While a few people thought it was good, everyone agreed that the crab didn’t taste fresh which is ridiculous when you are at a seafood restaurant near the water.
Basically to summarize: baked shrimp was amazing! But would I recommend this place? NO! The quality of the food is inconsistent and each entrée is hit or miss. Also, the service was incredibly slow and the staff was not very accommodating. Sadly, Unilocal let me down this time and we will definitely not be returning. Save yourself the trouble and go elsewhere!
OH and I forgot to mention that they charged us for three beers when we only ordered two! And put it on the wrong persons ticket…

Only two dollar signs for primarily $ 25 entrees? I must have a very different idea of what is considered two dollar signs! Food was decent but not really worth all the fuss.

So when we sat down, we were not given menus for 20mins while the older gentleman who is the host/​owner told us the specials in which we could not hear or understand. Food was mediocre, fried and covered in butter. All of it tasted the same. Please do yourself a favor and do not go here! Highly overpriced at $ 25 pet entrée. I felt robbed when I left and I am a pretty reasonable person with regards to restaurants: I have no problem paying $ 30+ for an entrée if it is worth it.

We’ve Been «Galveston Weekenders» for years and just found this place– boy we’ve been missing out! The restaurant outside looks like nothing, but the food and service proved differently. We had the Saralynn platter and Seafood platter, both were exceptional. I must say that when my mother took a bite of the succulent lump crab that was soaked in butter, chives, bacon, and topped with cheese, –she said «It’s so good I don’t want to swallow.»

Went there for the first time (surprise to me too) recently and it was an interesting experience. I want to break it down fairly so as not to do a disservice to the restaurant, which is clearly an institution.
From the outside, it doesn’t look like much, but the interior is nice and clean. It has an expensive vibe but the food is reasonable.
I’ll mention the reason for three stars first. The service. We made a reservation just to be on the safe side since it was Saturday. We got there and it was clear they were under staffed. We were asked to wait and sat for 10 minutes. When we got to the dining room, only about half the tables were seated, which left me wondering why we were asked to sit in the lobby.
Once we sat down, we immediately got their hot boiled shrimp they serve everyone, but no drinks. After a few minutes, the hostess asked if we wanted anything — we still had not gotten a menu. We ordered a couple glasses of wine without looking and it was at least another 10 minutes before she showed up with the wine. Still, no menus. Five minutes later, she asked if we were ready… no waiter had stopped to ask us anything. I don’t know if we were in no man’s land or what.
Finally after almost 25 minutes, a waiter approached and asked if we needed more time. Um… we were seriously about to walk out and just leave some money for the two glasses of wine.
Once we did get served, the food starting coming out and that is what made the night.
The salads weren’t anything special, but the entrees — we got mostly fried stuff because why not? — were superb. But, the best thing we had were the crab balls. Honestly, I can’t even describe how good they were. It may be one of the best single dishes of anything I’ve ever eaten in my life.
They were soft and perfectly seasoned without a hint of fishiness. I could have eaten them all night.
Honestly, had the service been even slightly better, it would easily be 4 stars for me. And if had been as good as so many others have attested, this would be a 5. I’ll be back for sure. Hope it goes better the next time, but even if it doesn’t, I’ll go for those damn crab balls.

Relaxed yet refined with exceptional seafood. This was our first visit since the post-​Ike re-​opening, and we were not disappointed. Looking around, there are some structural changes, but it still provides the same «old Galveston» ambiance. Clary’s is isolated from the big name chain restaurants where tourists usually are to be found.
Still warm steamed shrimp are brought to your table when you arrive, to help whet your appetite. Salads were dressed with a blue cheese vinaigrette and were tasty if not exceptional. We opted to split the crab stuffed grilled flounder, which was plenty of food. Warm chocolate cake with ice cream & coffees finished our meal and left us planning when we can return to Galveston & Clary’s. Only open for dinner at this time.

We loved this place. It was a flashback to a time when dining out was not a norm and people got dressed for dinner. You don’t have to dress up for Clary’s, though you can if you like, but the servers are still held to this higher standard.
Everything we ate was really wonderful, from the free shrimp cocktail appetizer to the final bites of amazing potatoes! Service was slow but steady, as I said… a throwback to a time when dinner unfolded gracefully instead of being a rushed addition to your day.
The owner, Clary himself, stopped to chat at the end of the night-​even though we came late and were the last group to leave. He was so nice and really invested in his restaurant.
The only thing I might recommend is an update on décor, but that takes time, money and when you’re damaged by hurricanes and fire and spending money to remodel for those reasons, it certainly comes second to quality of food and taste, which they have down pat. I did love the photos of famous people who ate here incorporated in the restaurant. Overall, you should come here, it’s worth it.

Our family (are kids are older: 11,14,17) visited on a Tuesday evening to find a mostly vacant restaurant. The place is a little run down, with a slight musty smell, which is likely a remnant from the 2008 hurricane, Ike. At any rate, the wait staff was really top notch. They went over and above — definitely the best service we received the whole trip to Galveston. We were eager to sample some fish from local waters, so my wife and I had flounder and red snapper. Both were very good (my wife’s stuffed flounder was better than my grilled snapper).
We passed on dessert as we didn’t save enough room for it. After the meal, they bring you out a little plastic bowl with warm water and a lemon slice to clean up your fingers (I suppose) with. We got a chuckle out of this. The combination of white linen table clothes, service, and the after-​dinner wash were something we are not accustomed to.
The prices were pretty reasonable, but at $ 33 per plate (incl tax & tip, but no alcohol), it is a little pricey — and should be a $$$ rating, not $$ in Unilocal.All in all, we were satisfied with our experience.