Blue Ocean Restaurant

Cute place! One of the best Shrimp Poor Boys I've had in Texas. Shrimp was perfectly cooked and seasoned well. Too many places overcook their shrimp and make them rubber, but not here! Definitely helps that their shrimp is fresh. The roll is perfectly proportioned and toasted perfectly, no massive boring hoagie roll overpowering the shrimp flavor here! Price was reasonable for the portion size. Atmosphere is cozy beach vibes. Update: we need to talk about the Mushroom Swiss burger. The incredibly gooey, cheesy, mushroomy perfectly cooked burger with cheese stretch to the moon and flavor galore. I can't even give this enough words to describe. If you love Mushroom Swiss burgers, look at this picture of it. Look! Yet another update! I've never updated a review as many times as I have here. The waitress told me "if you like our shrimp poor boy, come back when we get our oyster delivery" so I did. Found out when the boat was coming in and man was it worth the wait. Juicy, crispy, fresh and tasty fried oyster in that great roll with the perfect balance of sauce and fresh veggies. Absolute perfection. I would rate another star if Google allowed me to. Highly recommended!

Great little hole in the wall place for seafood! We had the snapper and flounder and they were both awesome. The hushpuppies were the so good. Staff was wonderful.

Oh man, I love finding these small shacks around that have fantastic food! I will absolutely make it a point to return here! Always looking for great seafood, I am, and here it be! We had the grilled flounder, the fried flounder, and fried shrimp. I usually try the flounder or redfish at a new place first. And now I can't wait to get back there and try my favorite: SNAPPER! I will also try many other things here as well. It seems to me it's getting harder to find hushpuppies that are golden brown anymore. They are always dark brown and overcooked. I was excited when I saw these! But alas, they were too sweet for me. But they sure were purty. Also, I felt the prices were quite reasonable for fresh seafood.

I went in for lunch and had the lunch special which was 2 fish, 3 shrimp and oysters plus fires plus you have a choice of coleslaw or salad. I got the salad with ranch dressing. I also ordered a cup of the seafood gumbo. First off the fish and shrimp were pretty good the salad would have been better if it didn’t have a brown chunk of lettuce in it. The worst was the seafood gumbo it tasted like it was expired, I informed the waitress and asked her if maybe it was a spice in the soup but she didn’t know what spices they used in it so I just didn’t eat it but still got charged for it. It seems like they are only there to make money and they don’t have a passion for making food delicious and appetizing.

Small little hole in the wall place. All the food we had here was great. It tasted excellent and very fresh. There was only one waitress manning the tables and she was great. Service was a little slow but expected given there was only one waitress and they got busy soon after we arrived. Overall definitely recommend this place.

Fresh food and cute atmosphere with friendly staff! I ordered the platter with fish and oysters. I think it came with 6 or so oysters. I had fried catfish and grilled oysters. Just fyi, when you get the oysters grilled, they come out looking fried. The chef said something about putting flour on them so they wouldn't burn. And, since they bread everything there, I asked the chef if he could putt mustard on the fish before the breading and fry it crispy. I also got a baked potato as a side. It also came with hush puppies. Just an fyi, their credit card machine is having issues sometimes so you may want to bring cash. I had plenty of leftovers with the dinner order.

This place is the definition of underrated. Not from the area but.. this place right here makes me wanna sell my house and live right next to it. Don’t sleep on it if y’all haven’t tried it. Didn’t take a pic but the stuffed jalapeños are slap.

Well I thought I was going get some good tasting shrimp, but it started out bad had to wait a while to be waited on they was taking care of everyone but me, about to go then someone came and ask me can they help me, then I started looking around well didn't want to use but maybe cause I am black man and only black in there the shrimp 🦐 was mashed so flat didn't have a taste never had shrimp that bad I said my e they did that so I want come back and it work have not been back, they didn't show me good service. I was told they had good food. so what happens to my good food? I guess I should have taken it back . Hoping I was wrong about them. To make it right remake my shrimp 🦐 and fries 🍟 salad 🥗

Cute place! One of the best Shrimp Poor Boys I've had in Texas. Shrimp was perfectly cooked and seasoned well. Too many places overcook their shrimp and make them rubber, but not here! Definitely helps that their shrimp is obviously fresh. The roll is perfectly proportioned and toasted perfectly, no massive boring hoagie roll overpowering the shrimp flavor here! The waitress told me "if you like our shrimp poor boy, come back when we get our oyster delivery" so I did. Found out when the boat was coming in and man was it worth the wait. Juicy, crispy, fresh and tasty fried oyster in that great roll with the perfect balance of sauce and fresh veggies. Absolute perfection. Finally, we need to talk about the Mushroom Swiss burger. The incredibly gooey, cheesy, mushroomy perfectly cooked burger with cheese stretch to the moon and flavor galore. I can't even give this enough words to describe. If you love Mushroom Swiss burgers, look at this picture of it. Look! Price is reasonable for the portion size and quality. Atmosphere is cozy beach vibes.

This is probably the first one-star review I've written in my entire life, and I genuinely hate having to write it. I understand how much heart and soul goes into running a restaurant. I've worked in the industry for 15 years and I know it's not easy. But I also feel like we were completely bamboozled by the glowing reviews and what we experienced was nowhere near acceptable. We came in on a slow Wednesday night. The place was empty, but the waitress was kind and took our drink orders right away. We ordered kids' meals, shrimp and fish for our daughters, along with a fruit punch and water. Their food came quickly, which was nice. But the sweet tea my husband and I ordered tasted incredibly sour, like it had been sitting out for far too long. We switched to sodas (Pepsi products), but even those had an off flavor which was possibly from the fountain water. We both ordered seafood platters. They were out of oysters, so we substituted. My husband got extra shrimp and I got a crabcake. I started with a simple iceberg salad with ranch. As I was eating, a baby roach crawled across the table. I quietly killed it and didn't say anything to my family, hoping it was just a fluke. Then our entrees came out and they were truly awful. My crabcake was borderline inedible. It tasted like hush puppy batter mixed with crab juice and fried in ancient oil. The snapper didn't taste like snapper at all and had a strong metallic aftertaste. My husband's blackened shrimp were mushy and mealy, like they'd been sitting in defrosted liquid for days. Nothing and I mean nothing tasted fresh. The iodine flavor in the shrimp was unmistakable, and the entire meal left me with a pit in my stomach. What hurts most is that I even let my daughters eat their food before ours came out. After tasting everything, I genuinely felt concerned. I truly believe the quality of the food we were served could make someone sick. I don't know if we caught this place on a really bad night, or if something deeper is going on but based on our experience, I can't recommend this place to anyone. We had high hopes for a fun seafood place with eccentric decor, but this was not it.

The fried pickles were the crispiest I've ever had, the "famous" hush puppies were unique and delicious, and the shrimp poboy was very good despite the lackluster bread. I asked for extra crispy fries and this is the first place that has ever nailed it. Recommendation awarded!

The BEST hole in the wall you could ever stumble into! Great nautical decor! The seafood is amazing! The staff was super attentive & had several suggestions for our picky eater!

Great Seafood! !! stuffed shrimp and grilled shrimp soooo good most excellent! Seafood Gumbo was off the charts...Hush puppies to die for. Lol well be back luv the place

Blue Ocean Seafood is an absolute gem! From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with a warm, friendly atmosphere and the tantalizing aroma of fresh seafood. The staff is incredibly attentive and knowledgeable, always ready with excellent recommendations. I had the pleasure of trying their grilled snapper, and it was cooked to perfection--juicy, flavorful, and accompanied by a delightful medley of seasonal vegetables. The gumbo was also a standout; rich, creamy, and brimming with tender meat. The ambiance is cozy yet sophisticated, making it perfect for both casual dining and special occasions. Plus, their ocean view adds an extra layer of charm to the whole experience. If you're a seafood lover, Blue Ocean Seafood is a must-visit. Exceptional food, top-notch service, and a welcoming environment--what more could you ask for?

They tried to add a roach in my food. They kept using profanity to me. They also were talking about me in my face like I wasn't there. The food was awful and there was mold on the cheese and butter.

Such a quaint little place. The food was good. Gumbo was great. The atmosphere was great. It was full of organized clutter that added a special touch to the mood. The service was very slow, but friendly

In town on business. Came in for dinner and ordered the Bun Bun Snapper. The sauce was rich and a little spicy. Very delicious. The decor is a little tacky, but that adds to the experience. Great food, great service. I'll be going back again.

I love to go here for a quiet place it's always good young girls sometimes forget to come check on customers. But it's a great place for good oysters , blacken shrimp and veggies with a glass of pino!!!

It's ok. Very small. Only about 10 little tables. A lot of decor! Too much in my opinion. It makes it look dark and crowded. The food is ok. The fried snapper is good, nice crispy batter but a little bit of heat. The fries are just average fries. The hush puppies are really good! The fried shrimp is great! Steamed veggies are just frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots but nice buttery flavor. The homemade ranch taste like it has a lot of dill in it. Not my favorite and I am very disappointed in the crab cakes. Way too many jalapeños! And too thick for my liking. The center didn't taste done and the pickled taste from the jarred jalapeños ruined the flavor of the crab. The gumbo was less than average. Nothing special. It has an apple cider vinegar smell. Weird. Anyway we wanted to give the place a try but I personally won't return.

Best blackened catfish I've ever had. Very spicy -- tasty! My husband enjoyed his dish as well. The next time we drive to Matagorda we will make a point to stop by Blue Ocean Seafood restaurant in Bay City for lunch. Very good and reasonably priced -- highly recommend!

The seafood is still good, but I'm so bummed! My favorite thing for years about this restaurant has changed--they now sell "house" wines, so you can no longer bring your own bottle in. I'm no wine snob, but I don't like the least expensive available, so this was literally the best feature; you could enjoy a decent glass of wine with your seafood. It wasn't a welcome surprise on our latest visit, especially when this revelation was followed by the fact that they were also completely out of oysters. Then the "salad" was a plate of iceberg lettuce. Not joking. The only addition was one, single grape tomato, and a pile of grated cheese, but I don't want cheese on my salad. The fish was still delicious. I'm just not thrilled about the other changes on this visit. Also I see in my old review I stated that the entrees were under $15, but the snapper entrees are now $19.99.

Great food but bring an appetite because the plates are big. Highly recommend! Don't be in a hurry

Amazing Food and very cute little place. Love their hush puppies. great buffalo chicken po-boy

Wow, great job. We walked in from a long day on the beach and instantly filled the restaurant to capacity with our small family of 14. The owners were in the kitchen and serving us and took really good care of us. The food was excellent!!! I had a cup of gumbo, blackened red snapper, fried shrimp, and the yummiest stuffed shrimp. All the adults loves their dishes and the kids cleaned their plates fast Service was excellent despite the fact that we were a huge party. The decor and atmosphere was very warm and welcoming.

This place is gorgeous. I just love the way it looks inside, interesting with all the things on the walls and a little bit romantic with the creative lighting. The menu is confusing. I couldn't tell what the meals came with, what the options were, and what was a substitute for what. Is it an up charge to sub salad for fries, or is the up charge for subbing fries for a salad? Makes it very hard to try to tailor a meal towards dietary restrictions. The fried shrimp seemed to be breaded with panko, which makes for a really good fried shrimp, it was seasoned well, and the hushpuppies were very good (I'm a sucker for sweet hushpuppies), but the coleslaw was unforgivable; it tasted like kimchi was used as the base. I don't like kimchi. The server for whatever reason was slow and not very responsive. Maybe she has too much to do in the kitchen? I don't know.

We drove past here around lunchtime. The parking lot was full. We figured this might be a good place to eat after a day at the beach. I checked the Yelp reviews, everything looked good. We stopped in for dinner. Appetizers came out quick. Hush puppies were bland and needed some kind of sauce. Shrimp and sausage gumbo was terrible. Roux was burned. Shrimp were not deveined. Sausage should have been andouille, but tasted like Hillshire farms. Shrimp po-boys came out. Garlic bread was good shrimp were ok, but not properly butterflied. We had to pull out the veins (some say it's poop, I like to think it veins). Whatever the case may be, no one likes to see it. Po-boy had mayonnaise on it which is ok, but it really needs remoulade sauce. Everything tasted off. The napkins smelled like marijuana. Don't know what that's about. If you really have the munchies, you might love this place.

Stopped in for late lunch. Had combo lunch plate. Reviews made it sound like a great lunch was going to occur. Well the food was all overly salty and undercooked. Server was friendly, bathroom was disgusting. We were very happy...to leave.

Ate here for lunch today with my wife. We both had the fried shrimp which were excellent. French fries were good but a little too salty for my taste. Hush puppies were very good. I did not like the coleslaw as the dressing had a very lemony flavor. I would eat here again but have salad rather than coleslaw.

What a great dinner my wife and I had this evening at Blue Ocean. The cole slaw was fresh with just enough tang, the hush puppies were good enough to be a dessert, the fried flounder and gulf shrimp were fresh and deliciously breaded - no oily taste or residue - honestly some of the best we've ever had. The restaurant itself was spotlessly clean, nicely decorated with casual fun wall hangings, and checkered table cloths. Service was prompt and efficient. Really can't say enough good about this place. What a gem in Bay City!

We drove from Palacios for a hamburger and a po-boy. We ordered to go. When we opened the bag in the car looked liked two hamburgers. They had made my Shrimp po-boy on a hamburger bun not a with the traditional baguette. I called and asked if this is the way you make them now and she said no they made it that way because they were out of baguettes!! I asked why she didn't tell me when we ordered, no response. I tried a couple of bites, it just tasted nothing like a po-boy, so I brought it back in giving them a chance to offer me something else. When I brought it in the whole family was eating at a table. I told them the situation and they all just looked at me like I was from outer space. No apologies or let us make something else for you. We were extremely disappointed and will not be back!

We love this place!!! Clean, attentive service, fresh food. What more could you ask for! I will definitely be back...again and again

I have never been to a place with better seafood than blue ocean, very friendly and great food.

Best shrimp poboy I've had since living in New Orleans! I was really surprised how well dressed the sandwich was, with medium-sized locally derived shrimp fried to perfection. It came with tartar sauce which is typically not a poboy sauce, but still really well flavored. We also ordered a side of beignets and boy, these babies are delicious! They're about half the size of a regular doughnut - i.e. much larger than regular beignets bit have that special batter and fully covered in confectioner's sugar. I'd consider rerouting a trip just to hit this place, it was that good!

I've reviewed Blue Ocean in the past and it was very good. We ate there again recently and it was still very delicious! The food is fresh and the ranch is homemade. I would still highly recommend Blue Ocean.

Oyster PoBoy was very good as was the coleslaw. Atmosphere of the place is very nice with the lighting and the sound of rushing water from the fish tank was really relaxing. Service was friendly and quick.

This place was pretty good. I would definitely recommend it if your looking for some seafood in the area with decent prices. Its a small little hole in the wall that doesn't sell beer that I saw. My husband had fried shrimp and snapper with a salad and I had fried shrimp and oysters with a baked potato and a salad. I was disappointed in the salad and fixing they served me. My lettuce was red and half rotten and they serve your fixings in a serving container which was leftover from the day before. The green onions were rotten and the sour cream was already half used with food on the side. And the cheese was even hard and old. But the main dish was an A+

This place has great taste in their food! Super small hole in the wall type of spot but great quality of food. Shrimp cocktail was a lot of ketchup for my liking but everything else was on point! Waiter was nice but seemed unhappy or something, would 100% come back!

The food was awful and expensive. I ordered grilled flounder. It wasn't flounder. Didn't look recognizable but looked like frozen Sysco tilapia. My son had chicken fried steak. Was barely edible and tasted slightly rotten. What a total disappointment. No fresh seafood right near the bay. They should be ashamed charging $15 meals that were barely edible at best. They should not be in business. Sorry not sorry. Total truth. Don't eat here.

I was very surprised upon arriving at this restaurant, i was the only person in the parking lot at 5pm. I know it's a small town. I was pleased though as all of the food was delicious and very good portions for the price. The decor is very nice as it is a tiny restaurant but they do have take out. I ordered the blue ocean snapperand i also had the stuffed jalapenos. The meal started off with a very fresh salad topped with homemade ranch. The stuffed jalapenos were served hot and tasty also. I didn't care for the potato fritters they were very dry. I'm glad I didn't turn around when I found the empty parking lot. Very tasty meal and big portions made this a win dinner for me.

Very good food. They give you enough for leftovers! The hush puppies were devine, coleslaw was a very good recipe. I had the fish and shrimp combo and they actually ask you whether you want catfish, Snapper or Flounder, oh my gosh that's the best thing. Not wanting too much fried food I got steamed vegetables and they were perfect for me.

Definitely an interesting place! Went on a week night, no one was there, which wasn't a problem. It was one of the only places I could find on our way back from the beach and I was excited to try the food. The restaurant itself isn't really appealing, neither is the decor. They had WAY too much stuff crammed inside that little room....however, I have to give them high praise on their food. That was probably one of the best seafood dinners I'd ever eaten. I got the blue crab and it was incredible! The cooks made amazing food for everyone at our table and he/she should be cooking for a fancy restaurant in Houston. However, the food was really expensive, we paid $130 for a table of six....not ideal. However, we were hungry, we hadn't eaten all day. So over all I really like this place, I suggest if you are in the area try it...if you have money to spend haha.

Shrimp po-boy was delightful. Cheeseburger was yummy. Gumbo was very good. Service was quick and very pleasant. Place was clean and very cute!

It's a small place but clean and good service. The shrimp was good. Hush puppies were good, but I'd prefer a bit of jalapeño in them.

So delicious!!! The fried pickles, Shrimp alfrado, fried flounder...it was all so very good! The service was great too. So glad we stumbled upon this place. We will be back!

Really fresh and delicious seafood at very good prices. My son had the fried shrimp and oyster dinner - $11. He opted for the side of fries and coleslaw. Both were very good. The coleslaw had a hint of lemon juice. I ordered the Captain's Seafood Platter - $15. Portion of fried snapper, 3 fried shrimp, 2 fried oysters and 1 fried stuffed shrimp. All had great flavor. I had the baked potato (comes with all the fixings) and cup of gumbo. Very flavorful.

Pleasantly surprised. Everything was fresh and delicious! We had the stuffed jalapeños, the blackened snapper, and the crab cakes. The crab cakes are 2.99 so we were kind of skeptical but they were a good size and had a lot of crab! I've paid 3 times the amount for less. Definitely will be back.

Oh my goodness!!! Excellent!!! We had the Blue Ocean Snapper plate with a cream shrimp and crab sauce on top and the Seafood platter. Everything was wonderful!!!! If you're in the area and wanting seafood---don't miss this quaint little stop!!!

I got the ocean blue snapper specialty and it was delicious! And the po boys were super good with the bread not being hard at all! Let's not forget the gumbo! I felt everything we got was very delicious. We will be back when we are in town!!

You know the second you step foot in this joint that you're about to get some damn good seafood. They did not disappoint. Don't forget to pop in the dollar general across the street and grab yourself a sixer as this joint doesn't sell alcohol

Very nice cozy atmosphere. Incredible decoration inside the restaurant. Food was delicious with great prices especially for seafood. Customer service was great. If you've never eaten from here you definitely need to try it. Also have great lunch prices! Great place!

Hidden treasure must go and check out this excellent menu and good service. Quiet place to meet for lunch or dinner.

FYI this place is BYOB, no alcohol here but you are welcome to bring in your own. The food is good and great pricing

So disappointed with this place. Food wasn't seasoned at all. Ranch tasted like blue cheese that's been left out. The portions were laughable and the prices sucked. Way too many options for a small ass place.

Blue Ocean is our go to place for great food, served with a smile at a great price! 6 Stars!!

Food was good, but they're not prepared to take on a party larger than 4. We came in with 14 and food took over an hour to get to receive.

Amazing wonderful and delicious. The Shrimp Po boy is out of this world. Their tartar sauce is home made and fantastic. The Po boy is over flowing with shrimp. Wow. The shrimp is tender and cooked correctly. Fresh from the kitchen and piping hot. You must come here to eat.

The asparagus crab appetizer was out of this world. Great service and ambient music. We loved this place!