Concept redesign · not the live site · Aug 2026
Gaido’s 3828 Seawall Blvd · Galveston, Texas
Gaido’s

On the seawall since 1911.

Gulf shrimp peeled, Galveston bay oysters shucked and fish filleted — by hand, the way S. G. Gaido did it.

Address

3828 Seawall Blvd
Galveston, Texas 77550

Hours

Sun – Thu 11 – 9
Fri – Sat 11 – 10

Telephone

409 761 5500

Recognition

James Beard Foundation
America’s Classics, 2025

The Coastal Classic

IBy handThree operations

Three things have not changed in a hundred and fifteen years.

Peel

Gulf shrimp.

By hand

Shuck

Galveston bay oysters.

By hand

Fillet

Fresh fish.

By hand

A plated dish with diced pepper and courgette relish on a white plate.
01The only colour on this page is the food. Photograph from the restaurant’s own site.
Pecans on a small white plate, lit against a dark ground.
02Sauces, seasonings, salad dressings and desserts are made in the house, from family recipes.
II1911San Giacinto Gaido

He opened the doors the same year air conditioning was invented.

San Giacinto Gaido first opened to the beach-going public in 1911, on a Gulf then teeming with fish. What grew from it was a reputation as the freshest fish house on the Gulf — built, as the family tells it, on an unwavering commitment to serve only the best.

Portrait of S. G. Gaido, the restaurant's founder, in a suit.

The founder

S. G. Gaido

Portrait from the restaurant’s archive.

Archive photograph of a crowded Galveston beach in front of a large timber bathhouse pavilion.
03The Galveston beachfront. Archive photograph held on the restaurant’s site.
Archive photograph of four men in suits seated at a restaurant table in bentwood chairs.
04A table, mid-century. From the same archive.
IIIThe kitchenThree cultures

Southern frying, Southwest fire, Creole seasoning.

Over the decades the house folded the cooking of its surroundings into its own: traditional southern deep-frying, Southwest open-flame grilling, and rich Creole flavours. The result is a menu that belongs to one island and no other.

The tables are always set. The service is personal. That, and nothing more elaborate, is what the family means by The Coastal Classic.

IVAmerica’s ClassicsJames Beard Foundation

2025

James Beard Foundation
America’s Classics Award

The award goes to locally owned restaurants with quality food, timeless appeal and a character that belongs to their community.

  • Locally owned
  • Quality food with timeless appeal
  • At least ten years in existence
  • Reflects the character of its community

Gaido’s, Galveston, Texas — 1911

VThe roomWho has sat here

Presidents, entertainers, athletes, and Alfred Hitchcock.

And, the family is quicker to say, thousands of birthdays, anniversaries and retirement parties that come back year after year. Being woven into that many family traditions is the tradition they are proudest of.

Archive photograph of a long bar with bottles on the back shelves and a vase of flowers on the counter.
05Archive photograph held on the restaurant’s site.
VIVisitGalveston Island

3828 Seawall Boulevard.

Address

Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant
3828 Seawall Blvd
Galveston, Texas 77550

Telephone

409 761 5500

Hours

Sunday – Thursday · 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday – Saturday · 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Founded

1911, by S. G. Gaido