Medicinal Purposes Bar & Grill

I am not the least bit surprised this place went out of business. The management was atrocious, quality of service was inconsistent, and the food was always mediocre at best.

I told them almost a year ago they were close and the owner was to ignorant to listen now is closed good for him

Bad news. Apparently they’ve closed down. Too bad because I loved my one meal there.

Went down to Galveston yesterday, swung by this place. It was closed, not just a seasonal closing, there was a for sale sign on the property.

Chill local place to grab a drink and some grub after a long day in clinic.

Only giving a review because I saw some reviews stating that the service was lacking. The service is great, drinks are strong and this is a good chill spot. If you need a good non pretentious spot to go to, try this place

Had a terrible experience our first time at this restaurant. First thing we ordered were the fried pickles and these were very good although only came with a small amount of ranch.
I then ordered a sandwich and substituted out the fries/​chips for grilled veggies. The sandwich was a beef sandwich and it was very tough and tasteless. The veggies were overcooked and had absolutely no seasoning on them at all.
The worst part about this restaurant was the service received. First of all, when I subbed in the veggies the waitress did not warn me of any extra charges what so ever, When the bill came, I was charged full price for the veggies. I brought it up with the waitress and she told us that is company policy. I told her if I am going to pay full price for veggies should I not at least get the fries or chips that came with it as well? She told me that was not how it works there so I spoke to the owner of the restaurant. His reasoning was that I am paying full price for the sandwich and the fries or chips are free. This is absolutely ludicrous. He made no attempt to make it right or seem like he even cared at all. I feel like I was duped at this restaurant.
My friends nor I will ever be back to this restaurant.

Really not sure what happened here… medicinal used to be one of my favorite spots on the island. The ribs were GREAT. Juicy, tender, fall-​off-​the-​bone PERFECT! I sent MULTIPLE customers their way and they all agreed and loved them as well.
Sadly, this is no longer the case. I’m pretty surprised that they would even offer what they are serving now. I have been embarrassed twice now for building them up to friends of mine just to completely destroy any cred I have. Both times… whatever meat was on the ribs was hard or as chewy as a damn bouncy ball. The rest was ALL fat or bone. BBQ sauce different as well.
All of this has been confirmed by the 6 or 7 people off the top of my head who WERE in live with this place and have recently been let down.
Hopefully, they will press reset on that one some day.
When they seem to have the same kind of love and attention detail to their food as they used to… I will change my review. Until then… I’ll keep hunting for good ribs elsewhere

Wow! First time here and it was excellent! Started out with the fried jalapeño shoe strings (6.99) and ranch (it was good ranch not the craptastic kind. My co-​diner and I split the lime chicken skewers with grilled vegetables over pasta, it was flavorful and amazing! This will definitely be our new go to place! So happy to have finally tried it, service was fast and efficient as well!

Very good food and great Texan Craft beer selection. Had the pork shank over home made sour kraugt Lived n West Germany for seven years and this would be at home

Mason is a fun guy to go with a fun bar. He knows the beers like the back of his hands & gave an excellent review on the plentiful beer selection. The layout is great & the atmosphere of the bar makes you feel right at home.

I have been twice now. There are many choices on the menu and you can tell the owner makes sure the chef prepares the dishes with flare and consistency.
Seems like more of a local spot.
My only complaint would be there happy hour. The is only the bud lights and millers of the world on special. I ordered a Saint Arnolds which is a domestic but i was charged for a premium. If that is their policy it needs to be communicated by the staff to the patrons more effectively.
I was there with my wife around 3:30 on a monday and was charged more then I should have for a domestic.
Great place for trivia and nicely done with the decore.

Good prices, great food, fun games, good music, and Mason took care of us! Highly recommend!

3.5 really but I’ll round up since all the signs were there for the things we were taken aback by.
It is most definitely a bar that sorta moonlights as a restaurant, so brace yourself for loud music punctuated by the cracking of billiard balls under low, dim lights. The ladies’ room was surprisingly bright and kinda cute as restrooms go – unexpected & uncharacteristic but totally appreciated.
The «Now Hiring» signs should have clued us in to the shortage of staff, which means seating ourselves, swiping a few nearby menus, and waiting interminably for our food. BUT amazing things come to those who wait here! Started with the frickles, which were the best fried pickles I’ve ever had! Hubs got the shrimp po’ boy with these homemade chips so thick and fresh, you could rebuild the potato if you wanted to… be an oddball. I got the fried fish tacos after seeing its picture on Unilocal and devoured it so quickly that I left no room for the potato wedges. (Hubs ate it for breakfast the next day.)
It was worth the wait, but next time, I’d probably just call for take-​out.

This place was very good! I was surprised at how big and nice it was inside for being in such a little hidden spot. The bartender was very nice and helpful.
I ordered the jambalaya which was very very spicy but still very delicious! Just be warned of that spice factor– my tongue was on fire at one point but I still wanted to keep eating.
We also ordered the frickles, which I highly recommend. Some places don’t do a good balance of fried and saltiness to their fried pickles, and this one was just right. I would go back for those alone
They also had a decent assortment of beers to try. Overall, this place was a chill place to eat, drink and hang out with friends. Not too loud and got more active towards the night (was a Tuesday which I think is trivia night). I think my friends and I stuck around for about 4 hours without noticing.

Apparently missed this place last year but it’s a great addition to the Galveston bar selection. Came in on a Friday afternoon and Shelly took care of us right away. Good bottled beer selection and solid liquor too.
Definitely a local place, so a nice break from the Professional Spring Breaker and fresh off the beach crowd.
Texas toothpicks for a spicy treat!

THANK YOU Unilocal and MPB for the FREE appetizer – we partaked in the fried jalapeño slices — [literally] never had a fried slice of this pepper [it’s always stuffed or raw] – it was great
shelly, the bartender… sweet, considerate – makes a very tasty bloody mary $ 6
lonestar bottle $ 3.75 —only in galveston! soo, note to self… must hit the happy hour daily from 3−6p [plus, they have theme cocktail specials like… margarita mondays, etc]
we ate a marinara meatball hoagie and a philly cheesesteak hoagie with homemade potato chips — all of it… really really good
this is one of MY top ten places to eat & be merry in galveston

Friendly staff and love the Bloody Mary special! We mainly came because we liked the name (in the mood for drinks), but I think if I lived in the area, I could see myself spending quite a bit of time here.
We got an order of fried pickles to go along with our drinks, and these were pretty good. I wish we’d tried a little more, but it was still a good mid-​afternoon break.
For the staff, they really were very nice. We played some music on the jukebox and everyone starting singing along — the staff, other patrons, and even us. I quite enjoyed the fun atmosphere.

Medicinal Purposes has potential, but they need to consider a few changes… I had lunch here on a Saturday with my wife. On a Saturday, early afternoon, we expected a few more patrons, but it was just my wife and I, plus one other couple. Walking in I was pleased by the décor, a nicely remodeled, open space with a bar and a few tables on the lower level, and additional seating on a mezzanine level a few feet above the main floor. There is also a small, dog-​friendly outdoor porch area. The ambiance is what I would call cajun chic’ (if there is such a thing), and it felt very comfortable.
I asked about their draft beer selections; they don’t have any draft beers, only bottled. Strike one. They do have a good variety of bottled beer, but St. Arnold’s was the only local (Houston area) beer. They do have Shiner and a few other craft beers, plus a good variety of national and imports. We were told they were still expanding their beer selection.
The menu has some interesting selections. I chose a more traditional pulled pork sandwich and the included side dish (potato chips). The pork sandwich was good quality pork and tasty barbecue sauce, on a fresh po’ boy bun. A pleasant surprise was that the potato chips were freshly cooked and hot, a nice touch!
My wife had the bratwurst, also on a nice, toasted and fresh po’ boy bun, with sauerkraut and a unique, tasty mustard on the side. She opted to upgrade to the homemade onion rings. The onion rings were made on site, were hot and fresh, but we agreed the breading missed the mark. It had a strange spice and was not crispy but surprisingly soft. Just not what I would expect in an onion ring.
The food is served in plastic baskets lined with paper and the mustard was served in a small plastic cup. The plastic baskets really seemed out of character for the nice décor and unique menu choices of this establishment. If the food had been served on real plates with the proper presentation it would have made a big difference in the overall experience. Strike two.
Bottom line, if you want decent food and a bottled beer, Medicinal Purposes is worth a try. They threw two strikes at me, but there is still a chance for a solid hit here. If the owners would make the investment to bring in some local/​craft draft beers and present the food more appropriately, MPs could be an outstanding and well-​needed neighborhood gathering spot in Galveston’s UTMB district.

Great little local place in the downtown area of Galveston. We came in for a late lunch and really enjoyed ourselves.
We sat at the bar and they have huge comfy bar-​stools. We were greeted right away and given paper menus that we could also take home. I noticed they have a large selection of bottled beer, so I ordered a Saint Arnold Summer Pils. Our bartender was friendly and conversed with us and told us what their specialty items were. I wasn’t really hungry so I just ordered a baked potato and a side salad. Both were delicious and satisfying. The blue cheese dressing tasted homemade and fresh.
I did not venture outside to check out the patio, but they do have one. They also have specials for every day of the week, as well as happy hour specials. We really liked the vibe of this place. The owner/​manager was actually there and that’s always a good sign of someone who cares about their business. We will be back.