Top 5 Seafood Restaurants in Houston 

When we entered the State of Grace, the array of animal skulls on the wall, the earth-toned decor, and the wooden furniture greeted us.

In our opinion, the place looks like a mix of a typical fine dining establishment and a classic Texan tavern. Although it has all the fancy elements, it still has a familiar at-home feel.

During our stay, we ordered the restaurant’s famous hush puppies and the hearth-roasted octopus. 

Regarding the service, we were a bit disappointed that the servers couldn’t be more attentive to our table due to the high volume of patrons during dinner. By the time the food arrived, we already finished our drinks.

Although the portions are small, the restaurant’s food tastes delicious, and its unique flavor profile surprised our taste buds.

The hush puppies have a crispy batter and melt-in-the-mouth filling. The briny taste of Texas blue crab mixes well with the sweet cane butter, making the fritters taste creamier when eaten.

We also love how the splash of Thai curry-infused vinaigrette brought out the smoky flavor of the roasted octopus. It’s especially spectacular when paired with a glass of Merlot.

If you want an affordable chow with your beer, State of Grace sells fresh, half-shelled oysters for $1.50 each during their oyster happy hour.

The 1751 Sea and Bar is the place to go if you’re craving seafood towers and gin.

When we visited this place, the first thing we noticed was the full wall of liquor behind their bar. Overall, the place has a casual ambiance perfect for dates with your significant other.

Do note that the restaurant only serves dinner, which is a shame because we would love to enjoy a platter of raw seafood while drinking cocktails during brunch.

We ordered their seafood tower with a cold glass of gin and tonic. While this dish and the drink are a bit expensive, the taste makes the money we spent worth it.

Included in the seafood tower is a tail of lobster, a glass of cocktail shrimp, king crab legs, fresh oysters, and several marinated chunks of raw tuna and salmon. 

We love how the uncooked seafood has a crisp flavor as if it’s caught moments before being served. The shrimp cocktail tastes alright, while the fish chunks are soft enough to melt in your mouth.

After the meal, we were craving something fried so we ordered a plate of calamari. 

We find this snack heavenly when dipped in garlic mayo sauce. The batter isn’t too greasy, providing a contrast to the firm texture of the squid.

To top it all off, the restaurant has more than 140 varieties to choose from. If this liquor is too strong for you, they also have a variety of cocktail, spirit, wine, and whiskey selections.

88 Boiling Crawfish & Seafood Restaurant is the go-to place for Houstonians who want to enjoy affordable seafood boils under $10.

First thing to note is that this hole-in-the-wall eatery is smaller than most restaurants in the area. It’s also difficult to find parking because the designated spot is tiny.

Despite the small space, we think you’ll get your money’s worth because the restaurant is generous when it comes to its servings of seafood and fixings.

The crawfish boil order is priced around $7 to $9 per pound depending on the market price of the seafood. When ordering, you could adjust the spice level of the Cajun boil sauce from mild to extra spicy if you want a little kick.

Since we’re feeling adventurous, we tried their extra spicy crawfish and crab leg boil. We also added several pieces of corn on the cob and potatoes to our order.

We were surprised with the size of the crab legs, which were longer than our hands. They’re also quite generous with the amount of sauce on the plate, coating every side of the seafood.

While the sauce is very flavorful, it doesn’t have the right amount of spiciness as we imagined. In our opinion, it doesn’t have the kick we’re looking for in an extra spicy seafood boil.

Despite that, their crawfish is meaty and a little sweet. We also struggled to finish the corn and potatoes because of the large serving size.

Connie’s Seafood Market & Restaurant combines the rich flavors of Asian and Mexican cuisines to create scrumptious seafood meals.

The restaurant has a simple interior with nautical motifs and wooden plank embellishments. According to the owner, their interior hasn’t changed a lot since its opening in 1979.

Here, we sampled the restaurant’s specialty Vuelve a la Vida soup, shrimp fried rice, and micheladas. Our orders took a while before it arrived because there were many customers at that time

For us, the star of the show in this restaurant is the Vuelve a la Vida soup. 

The soup is made with a mix of fish meat, octopus, oyster, and shrimp boiled until the sauce has a somewhat thick consistency. The broth is rich and best enjoyed during cold weather.

We also love the familiar sesame oil and soy sauce flavor of the shrimp fried rice. While the meal tasted divine, it would be better if there are more shrimp pieces in it.

As a palate cleanser, we drank micheladas, which is a type of beer-based cocktail flavored with lime, chili peppers, and a sprinkle of salt on the rim. Don’t be intimidated by the chili because the drink has a fizzy but bold tang in it.

Eugene’s Gulf Coast Cuisine is an upscale place serving hearty, delectable Louisiana dishes.

The black, brown, and gold color scheme combined with the metallic motif of the fixtures gives the place an air of extra elegance. Although the bar looks like the typical pub space with its chalkboard illustrations and smooth, wooden countertops.

When dining at this place, make sure that you have a reservation because they rarely take in walk-in customers. If there’s no booking, you may have to wait for several hours before you get a table

Even though the place looks fancy, their food looks like home-cooked ones with minimal frills. The servings are also plentiful just like at home.

When the waitstaff approached us, we ordered crab cakes,  blackened catfish enchiladas, and seafood gumbo.

We’re sad that the crab cakes are doughy with a minimal amount of crab meat. Even if the size is bigger than usual, most of it is veggies and fillers.

On the other hand, we enjoyed the soft tortillas of the blackened catfish enchiladas. The chewiness of the corn tortillas soaks in the juices of the catfish and chipotle cream is best eaten with black beans, rice, and a dollop of pico de gallo.

The seafood gumbo also has a thick, dark roux with lots of shrimp and oysters. Even though we were a bit full after the enchiladas, we managed to finish the whole bowl.