Rudy & Paco

My wife and I had a wonderful meal served by Juan. It was no problem to ask for a more suitable table. Grouper was superb and the in-​season sea bass prepared perfectly. «Scalloped» potatoes were served like hash browns and should be avoided at all costs. The pecan ice cream ball would have been better with walnuts. All-​in-​all very enjoyable dining experience.

From the minute we walked into Rudy & Paco’s restaurant the customer service was impeccable. We got seated without reservations and we were lucky to get Jordan as our waitress. She was awesome! Then we were pleasantly surprised and we got to meet Paco. We found out that Paco knew the Cortez family who own some of our favorite restaurants in San Antonio. Appetizers were delicious which consisted of ceviche and the empanadas. Red snapper with cilantro sauce was excellent as was the red snapper Freddy. We will be back!

Sopa De Chile Poblano and Sopa De Crab Bisque were possibly some of the best I’ve tried. I wanted to order that for entrées and dessert as well — sooooo good. I had Filete De Pargo Simpatico and my wife had Pollo Empanizado — both were very good. My favorite between the two had to be Filete De Pargo Simpatico. The raspberry chipotle complimented the plantain-​encrusted Gulf Red Snapper well. The topped sautéed jumbo lump crab meat was tender and creamy.
We were surprised with dessert for our anniversary celebration, which was a very nice touch. By then however, we were so full from all the delicacies, that we vowed to come back and start from dessert and work our way backwards :-)
We had the opportunity to chat with Paco and have a picture taken with him. An excellent host and a gentleman.
We will definitely be back!

Where do you begin?! The food of course is OVER THE TOP and incredible. The service outstanding and if you go to this jewel regularly, they’ll remember your name. Paco himself is a chef, host and local philanthropist extrodinaire! Go go go!
Best food on Galveston Island barre none!

Always enjoy my experience at Rudy and Paco’s. See lots of local people, and of course Paco, every time. Perfect service. Lovely food. The lunch special tostada is to die for. The raspberry vinaigrette is mouth watering. Definitely a place to take your sweetheart or to celebrate a special event. I like to just celebrate it being «Friday» there!

Rudy and Paco’s is my favorite restaurant I have ever visited anywhere… ever. I can tell you before you read this review that I am not going to have a negative thing to say about this place!
On Tuesday, January 12, 2016 I joined coworkers for a special dinner. We found this venue on the Restaurant Week list and while a couple of us had heard of it, none of us had been inside. We read reviews and decided we would try to get a reservation. We had two options on seating and chose the 6:30 PM arrival time. My coworker LS was wearing Jeans and I had on a Jean skirt. After reading some of the reviews we were not sure how we might be treated in our current attire but we didn’t have time, or want to change clothes so we decided to go with what we had on.
We found parking on the street about a block away. I believe Valet parking is available for those that wish to utilize this type of service. As we approached the front door, a finely dressed doorman opened the door. We were greeted at the hostess desk by Paco himself, though we did not yet know this :). He looked for our reservation but did not find it in the system. LS was able to pull the reservation up on her phone and by this time the hostess had joined us. She and Paco chose a table for us and we were seated in a matter of a minute or two. They have a dress policy and by the quick once over I received by the hostess I am certain she was checking out my jean skirt to be sure I was not wearing shorts. She did this very discreetly. If I had not been looking right at her I would have never known she had checked me out. Having been there now, I wouldn’t wear jeans or a jean skirt next time… and there will be a next time.
Our server was very attentive, very polite and told us a little about the restaurant and stated Paco was the gentleman making the rounds at the tables visiting with the customers. When we decided to take pictures, Paco immediately came to the table and joined us for a photo op!!! He treated us like long lost family. When our drinks were delivered multiple servers appeared and sat the drinks in front of us in unison. That was cool, they had our attention. Bread and butter was sat on the table and then our orders were taken. I had a salad, the Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes and veggies followed by Tres Leches Cheesecake. When the first course arrived the multiple servers appeared, again placing our dishes down simultaneously. This staff is like a finely tuned dance troupe. The plates continued to be placed and removed in unison, throughout our meal. My filet was small but plenty and probably the best steak I’ve ever had. It melted in my mouth like butter! The carrots were equally delicious. My mashed potatoes were slightly under stated but I think that was on purpose, not to take away from the steak. The juices from the meat flavored both the potatoes and veggies. My plate also included asparagus, which I opted to leave behind. Paco visited the table several times. He is charming and funny. He was welcoming without being intrusive. Before dessert was delivered he commented on the different desserts. Our table chose Bread Pudding and Tres Leches, both of which were real works of art. Beautiful on the plate and more beautiful on the tongue.
This restaurant is upscale without being uptight! I can’t wait to visit again with family and friends.

Sat at the bar as I was traveling solo and the service was great, people were wonderful, and food was delicious! Also got a mojito which was awesome and very large for an upscale bar as well.

I had the ravioli with artichokes in a basil cream sauce. It was delicious!!! Also, the bread pudding was ridiculously tasty.
The restaurant was clean and the service was perfect.
Con: it’s a bit pricey

If you want the best food Galveston has to offer, this is it. I’ve been to dozens of restaurants on the island and not one of them comes close to R&P in regards to food quality and service. Some may argue it’s pricey, but you defiantly get more than you pay for. The caesar salad was spot on. I had the tuna with jalapeño sauce and it was just wonderful. The bread pudding… to die for. The owner’s son, Juan, was friendly and really cared about the service and food his father’s restaurant was providing. Reservations are required most nights, but I was able to secure an early spot at the bar on a Tuesday. I’m excited to go back for lunch soon.

Amazing staff service and food. I had the red snapper entrée and it was fabulous! But, when the dessert arrived, wow! If you are in Galveston it is worth the money.

Food was delicious and service was amazing. Great prices for an upscale restaurant. We had a large group, but the speed of service was as if we only had a table of two.

I went with a large group of coworkers and had the Filet de Presidente cooked medium rare it came with Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Potatoes. This was one of the most tender and flavorful filets I’ve ever had. Our waitress Ashlee was always there with refills and requests. For dessert please see attached photo.

The food and service is amazing. I really enjoyed the crab bisque and the filet was cooked just right. The staff was attentive and brought anything you needed without having to ask.

Fabulous food — Pargo Simpatico was so good! The raspberry chipotle sauce was the perfect compliment to the red snapper! Wonderful quaint atmosphere! The service was outstanding!

Absolutely delicious! I had the red snapper, my coworker had the filet, & both were phenomenal. What really made them 5 stars was the service. We had a large group & they were so kind, attentive, & helpful! Can’t say enough great things about the staff. I will definitely return… oh, & ladies, you need to go into the large stall in the restroom, #SpecialTreat ;-D

Had the red snapper with crab meat. The flavor was amazing. The service was really good as well. They were very attentive to our table and quick with refills and service. We were with a large group.(26) and we were well taken care of.
After hearing from others in our group that the bathrooms had pornography displayed, it left a very poor taste in my mouth. Very disappointed that something like this took away from an otherwise pleasant experience.

Rudy and Paco! Yall have shown us a wonderful time!
Hubby and I made 6pm reservations for this place on our 1 year anniversary. Paco, the owner, greeted us immediately. He was warm and friendly. You get two complimentary appetizers once seated, fried plantain chips with two dips and some sourdough bread and butter.
My husband ordered a tortilla crusted red snapper dish and I got calamari, shrimp, and crab with a side of pasta.
The portions are a little on the smaller side… but the hubby and I could stand to lose a few. His fish was amazing and fresh. I so wish I had ordered his… not that mine was bad, it was just somewhat on the bland side… my seafood was fresh and cooked to perfection. If you’re on budget… don’t come here! Lol
For 2 entrees and one alcoholic beverage our bill was exactly $ 99!
I would not trade this experience for the world. Paco made us feel at home and like we were the only couple dining that night. They even surprised us with an anniversary dessert which consisted of chocolate cake with mousse on top. Light, delicate, and fluffy. We will definitely return. What an awesome experience!

Went here on the recommendation of multiple people living in the Galveston area. Was not disappointed. Went for lunch and got their signature Red Snapper. Normally, I am not a fish man. I love seafood (crab, mussels, lobster, shrimp, etc.), but fish is just meh to me. But wow this was the best fish dish I’ve ever had. And that’s to say nothing of their amazing fried plantain’s with amazing salsas. Way better than any complimentary bread. Oh and I’m forgetting the service. This place is known for amazing service and they delivered.
Well done Rudy and Paco. Well done. If I lived there, and had a lot more money, I would be a regular.

This is my second time here. I had to go to this place by accident and I was in shorts. So the hostess lady asks us to sit at the bar instead of seating us at the table because of the dress code. I bet they would not do it for a regular. I was with a group so had to go home and change and return. It was no big deal but kind of started in a negative tone. Coming to the food. .food is good but very expensive. Portions are small as usual for these restaurants but I guess you are supposed to pay a 100 bucks for one person by ordering Apetizer, Main course and you really have to spend a lot on one person to fill your stomach.
Good thing is they serve your food for all people at the table at one time and remove plates at exactly one time. Synchronized thing like all high end places. One thing I did not like is that they tried to remove our plates even when we were working on our dessert. A friend in our group who had waited tables and now works in the food industry told that it was an old technique to turn the table and make us leave politely. But it was rude. and there are still few tables open at that time too. It did not feel right even after they apologize which I was again told was a common practice. Not good on that part
But they should have let us know about their dress code when our friend made reservation. They act like we need them. anyway. it is an island and tourist place. Who gives a damn.

I am very picky about awarding five star reviews. You have to deliver customer service that’s above and beyond. Today we got that.
We ventured to Rudy & Paco’s after hearing about it for years. I went to law school with the owner’s son so he said always go down and visit. Eight years later we went. Made lunch reservations via open table a few days ago.
Entered and seated quickly. Greeted by our amazing waiter Richard who has been in service for over 15 years. It shows as he has been voted best server on Galveston Island for years. For drinks just water and their specialty tea with mango and other juices. So good, light and worth it. Started with plantain chips and fresh salsa. Awesome. Ordered the empanadas and jumbo lump crab cake. So fresh and good. The cilantro cream sauce with the empanadas was epic. We also had to have an order of the onion rings.
For entrée I had the friend shrimp with green beans and rice. Delicious. Finished off with the award winning bread pudding. Overall an amazing experience. Delicious clean food done right with epic customer service. Paco came out to say hello to everyone who walked through those doors and thanked them for their patronage. Good stuff!