Tremont Café

I stopped by the Tremont café on the way out of Galveston to grab a quick bite, and while I had a good experience, I do have a word of advice for others in my situation.
The good part was that the food was tasty and seemed freshly made, the building itself was nice, the employees were friendly and prices were reasonable. Lastly, the portions were very generous, all three dishes were hearty and no one left hungry.
The bad was the wait– given that it’s a café I was expecting to be in and out much faster than I was able to because we waited approx. 30 minutes for our food. It probably didn’t help that we were hungry, and should have gotten some of their soup to tide us over, as well as somewhat in a rush, but most cafes can serve you in half that time given that the food options tend to be limited and simple!
So I would go again in the future if I was looking for a casual «quick» meal in the sense of it not being a full sit down experience, but not if I was in a rush.

Staying at the Tremont House for a week or so. Breakfast is served here. This morning we had panini and rancheros with Starbucks coffee. Comes with fruits. Food is quite nice.

Good for breakfast, lunch or a casual dinner. It isn’t inexpensive but portions are good so the value is there. Everything I’ve tried has been tasty.

This is the coffee house you wish you knew about when your sitting at the noisy, over crowded, and worst of all, slowed Internet, of other coffee houses near by. The food is fresh and made hot to order with affordable prices. I ordered the Roasted chicken panini with a side of cuscus for $ 11 which was very good. They also have the convenience of serving all our favorite coffees from Starbucks. The internet is fast and the atmosphere is so calm and relaxing that I could literally write a book here with how effortlessly focused I feel when I am here. Not that I ever had the desire to write a book, but I often wondered how could J.K. Rowling write such an accomplished series as Harry Potter in a coffee house, but I imagine she found a place just like this. They say, ‘Your best work requires the perfect environment’ and with the peaceful atmosphere, friendly and meticulous staff and spacious seating arrangement, the Tremont Café is the perfect oasis.

Normally we come here for breakfast and it’s pretty tasty and a good portion. Lately we have been noticing that the quality of the food isn’t what it used to be. We went for dinner and ordered a spicy chicken wrap, Thai flatbread, and a soup and sandwich combo (tomato basil and Roasted chicken). The spicy chicken wrap wasn’t spicy and didn’t indicate that the chicken was breaded and fried. It ended up being more breading than chicken and the chicken tasted like it was from a package. The potato salad that came with it was doused in mayonnaise. The Thai flatbread had a weird peanut sauce on it but the veggies were fresh and the bread was tasty. The soup and salad combo was disappointing too. The soup was tomato basil and it tasted like marinara sauce. It was extremely chunky and there was little basil. The roasted chicken sandwich came between two pieces of ginormous focaccia-​too much to really enjoy the sandwich. The saddest part of it all was the dessert. We got the apple tart and the crème brûlée. The apple tart was all dough but the ice cream was delicious. The crème brûlée came out with granules of sugar on top were a few were melted together in an attempt to create the topping but I ended up eating just granules of burnt sugar and cold crème. The only reason I even gave it three stars is because the breakfast is pretty good most of the time.

My wife and I really enjoyed the Tremont Café tonight. We wandered in and found a jazz quintet playing in the lobby… they were amazing! The Café is just off the lobby with a full view of the quintet, so we enjoyed their music as we ate.
As for the café itself, the ambience here is very nice for a «café». You order at the counter and they bring your food to your table after it is prepared. I enjoyed the Asian Chicken Salad. A nice Asian dressing, white and dark meat chicken, lettuce, carrots, and chow mien noodles. This was a very light and refreshing dish on a hot evening in Galveston. The portion was generous as well.
My wife ordered the Barbecue Chicken Flatbread which was also very good. Cooked in a brick oven, the crust was thin and crispy, plenty of chicken, and very tasty.
One caution, the menu lists the ingredients for each item, but we found both of our dishes had either added or missing ingredients compared to the menu. If you are particular about an ingredient or have an allergy, you should ask the staff before ordering.

The restaurant is nicely designed and the food was good. But there is no waiter service at table so you must stand in line to order. I had a Fritatta with ham and Swiss cheese with lots of fresh vegetable. It took 20 min to prepare, and it came with really nice fresh fruit. The menu options are unfortunately very limited (no cereal or toast offered at breakfast!) and they ask you to pay AND TIP when you order. The place offers Starbucks coffee and it operates more like a Starbucks than a real restaurant.

The café is inside the hotel, just walk through the front doors up the stairs and toward the lounge and it’s on the right. It’s a beautiful modern setting with high ceilings and skylights.
I’ve tried probably half the menu and while everything is really great I’m completely obsessed with their tomato & mozzarella panini, chicken pot pie, and potato salad. Healthy, right? I also love their tomato basil soup– super fresh and healthy. They also have a good selection of salads and flatbreads that I’ve had my eye on for my next few visits.
They serve breakfast lunch and dinner everyday I believe, and the staff is amazing. And even though it’s not on the menu, you can substitute a side of fruit for their regular sides. Definitely one of my favorite downtown spots!
UPDATE
The flatbreads are personal size and run about $ 13. I’ve tried the chicken pesto flatbread and it had a little too many overwhelming flavors going on. It was okay but I wouldn’t get it again.

This seems to be an undiscovered lunch spot in Galveston. They have a nice selection of salads, soup, sandwiches, and flat breads. You pay when you place your order, so you don’t have to wait for the check or worry about splitting the check for a group. The prices are a little high relative to other nearby choices, but he quality is very good and the atmosphere

What a respite from the casual Galveston scene! I love this tucked-​away upscale spot in the hotel, but open to beach bums like me.
Woody Allen said «I wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would have me as a member». So, in such a beautiful place (see pics
), why would they let me in with my shorts and old Hawaiian shirt? Maybe they need the customers in off season. There were only four other customers at 2:00 pm. That’s good for me. I was seeking a peaceful lunch.
Menu:
They offer an upscale menu of a few salads, sandwiches/​paninis and plates… menu items you might expect at this classy hotel and café.
The coffees are Starbucks.
I had the spinach salad for $ 8 or so (
). It’s a plentiful portion of spinach, and comes with cranberries, feta cheese and walnuts. It was very good, although a bit too much raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
Wi-​fi and two booths with hidden computer with large wall-​mounted LCDs are available (
). Very nice. I think the wall-​mount is to give lingerers a crick in the neck.
Overall, a very classy, quiet place with good food.
P. S. The waitress seemed uneasy with Unilocal left on the screen, so I closed the window.