Dirty Al's

We spent 4 days in SPI and honestly, after trying multiple restaurants, we were let down every single time — until a local recommended Dirty Al’s. The first night we went around 8pm (their hours say open until 9), but we were turned away. To their credit, the manager gave us a free appetizer voucher to another spot nearby, which was a nice gesture. We decided to give it another shot the next day, this time around 6:30. We asked for outdoor seating but were told “no, I don’t think we have it,” which was odd since shortly after, another party was seated outside. That was a little frustrating, but once the food came out… it was worth it. The food was hands down the best we had during our entire trip. Everything tasted incredibly fresh. They don’t have a ton of non-seafood options, but there’s at least something for everyone. My husband ordered the whole red snapper — a bit pricey at $86, but honestly after all the disappointment elsewhere, it was worth every penny. Moral of the story: Go early so you don’t get turned away. Dirty Al’s ended up being the highlight of our dining experience in SPI!

We didn't enjoy our food. I ordered a blackened fish without realizing it would be a 2.3-pound giant, which ended up costing me $65 just for the fish😅 I hope next time they'll mention the size beforehand, so customers aren't surprised by what they get. The calamari was chewey as well. We didn't finish our meal. I feel like waste money for the foods we ordered. Sorry! I just being honest. Every person has different taste and thoughts. Everyone is not perfect i know but listening to a customer might help for a little change. Thank-you!

This is our second time at this restaurant. Last time was much better, but this time the food wasn't great, nor was the service. My friend ordered fried fish and they brought him fillets. Please don't say the whole fish. Explain honestly what the person is asking you. Last year's review: Excellent food, we loved the service, we were served by a very kind lady named Rosalia, always attentive to our table, we ate very fresh shrimp and fish. It was worth visiting this place. And the hot sauce they sell is excellent, I brought one home. We didn't see that there were tables outside, we would have loved to eat there.

It’s a locals “referred” favorite. I found it not so preferred. 1 fried snapper, 8 shrimp, 12 oysters, 2 Pacifico beers and a Mexican coke. $225 with tip. The oysters were pathetic. Stringy and not cut. A few were good. Snapper was tasty but it was $90. Shrimp with butter and garlic were very good. This would have been too much at half the cost. Seriously, go find a local Mexican joint. So much better and reasonable.

Visited Dirty Als and the food was excellent. Everything tasted fresh! The only minor downside was that it felt a bit crowded, which is typical around 7 to 10 p.m. especially during the summer. Overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s a cozy little spot with great food and great prices. You can’t beat it! I recommend the blackened fish with sautéed onions, pnion blossom and the starter boiled shrimp.

I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting much when we arrived. The decor along with the plastic tables and plastic silverware kinda put me off. But once we were seated we have a very attentive server who made great recommendations. He was very friendly and very patient. The food was good. The portion sizes were great for the money when I came to all the fried seafood baskets. My blackened fish was good they even brought the part with the bones in case I wanted to eat that. He definitely warned me though that there were bones in that tray of fish. I didn’t enjoy the salad as it was really a basic salad on the same plate as my fish. The snow crab was great, fresh and succulent. The margaritas were good and we even got to keep the cups. Overall, a good place to stop in if you’re coming back from a boat tour or leaving the Beach Waterpark. Very casual environment as expected in a beach town.

We had a very enjoyable experience here on a several visits. The food was very good and fresh. I don't drink alcohol, but the mocktail pina colada is like a dessert. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for authentic gulf shrimp or fish. It is expertly prepared and some of the best prices on the island.

I got the fried shrimp, oyster, and fish basket and it was very good! Out of the seafood, the fish was definitely the best!!! The fish was incredibly soft and flaky. The shrimp was also soft, but the oysters weren’t my favorite. I sat outside and got to watch the sunset.

Excellent place to eat fried seafood! The seafood canasta and the dirty als sampler are always good ideas

Great food and great service! We ordered ahead for pick ups and they were accurate, fast and let's not forget delicious. Great portion size for the seafood platter(ordered 2)! We took it back to the hotel and it fed 6 adults and 3 kids... and lots left over! Give them a try the take out young lady was very sweet and very attentive to our crazy order! I will dine there next visit! Enjoy!

Absolutely the best shrimp I or my wife have ever had, period! Our server was great. The Long Island Ice Tea was also a good one. I am definitely going back next tim I'm in SPI!

I think this place is under rated. The staff was great and the location is wonder looking out at the water. Its a family oriented setting, great for large families and if it's not too hot there's seating outside overlooking the water. The crab cakes were really good! They give you a massive amount of food. I am from New Orleans were we are used to getting massive seafood platters but I haven't had a massive platter of this size in Texas so we were very surprised. The shrimp is the best and you can even eat the fries. We all know in Texas a seafood platter consist of a massive amount of tasteless dried up fries that gets thrown in the trash. These fries were so good I took them home and air fried them and they were great the next day. If your looking for catfish, the platter doesn't consist of catfish. I believe it was swai which I am not a fan of but it was hot therefore it was good. The food came out so fast I don't think we have ever went to any place where the food was fast and freshly fried hot. The bread that came with the food was immaculate and Im not even a bread person but ate all that bread... lol.

The waitress was very helpful with what kind of fish to grill. Great service. My godmother and I went to this place for my birthday. I flew in from California to Austin and drove to Port Isabel and had lunch at this place.

Excellent restaurant. Ambiance was super fun. The service was fantastic. The stuffed jalapeños were great! The fish, shrimp, and oysters were exceptional. The Buffalo sauce and hot sauces were great. I can't wait to go back.

The name is VERY appropriate. The bathrooms are filthy. There was a massive floater clogging up one of the toilets. People we're still using the toilet despite of the toilets not working. No paper towels to wash dry your hands? Soap containers were practically empty. The food was bland. I ordered the grilled fish with salad. The fish was neither grilled or cooked, and you can't called chopped lettuce with two slices of tomatoes a "side salad". I'm giving this place one star. It's a health inspectors worse nightmare.

Had fish with mojo and fries. I wasn't impressed I feel I overpaid. I order the mojo on top of the fish so they gave me a tiny piece of fish and hid it under the mojo. Fish was bland but mojo was good just extremely too much mojo for the small piece of fish.

Great place to have meals by beach side, casual atmosphere, fresh seafood, friendly staff

The Bloomington onion was great. The black drum filet was outstanding. The vegetables were very good. The service was excellent and the server was great. The restaurant was alot nicer that I remembered since I hadn't been there for 5 or 6 years.

Very good food and convenience from where we stayed. Fast and friendly service , definitely recommend

We come to Dirty Al's every time we make a trip to the island! We always order the same thing, the botana teay which amid a massive portion of fried fish and shrimp, French fries and onion rings for everyone to share but me. I personally don't like cooked seafood, so I order the bacon cheeseburger and oysters on the half shell. (Yeah I said I don't like cooked seafood, but the raw stuff.....YUM!!!) I know, really weird. The fam always devours they fried seafood entree until there is none left. They say it's so fresh that they think it slept in the ocean last night. My bacon burger and raw oysters never seem to disappoint. I add the horseradish and cocktail sauce with a little of my hot sauce on it, and down the hatch they slither! Soooo good The drinks are always cold and the service is excellent! Frank our server was top notch!! He never let our drinks go below half way before he was refilling them. He was very attentive to all of our special requests and needs. I love the fact that they are right next to the ocean. The place is nicely decorated with an old fish house in mind. It's fairly noisy as you'd expect with the chattering of people bragging how good their dish is. I'll continue to come back as long as you're open Dirty Al's! Keep up the great work y'all!

I was happy that I ordered a hamburger and onion rings. I will give them both an 8 of I tried a breaded shrimp and it was a butterfly breaded shrimp thankfully, I broke it in half. I would write that a 0 out of it did not taste good whatsoever, and it took everything I had to not spit it out. There were 14 of us at the restaurant for dinner and my son-in-law had the same thing and would write it the same. He said it was awful. Pretty disappointing.

Service was fantastic, food hit the spot, and prices were reasonable. What I really liked about this place is that if you sit outside, you are right on the water but the porch is surrounded by netting so seagulls and bugs don't bother you while you eat.

Blooming onion was great! Now I love a great shrimp taco- their shrimp tacos are not so great. I do not recommended. They don't use cabbage and there's no sauce on the taco. Just tasted poor and very shrimpy

Service was good. Very attentive and our server/manager was very personable. Service was quick food came out pretty fast We ate outdoors, wasn't too bad maybe a little sturdier tables would be nice but overall manageable We had the new Orleans shrimp as appetizer, highly recommend. Very delicious My wife had the grill fish and I had the blacken fish, both with mojo de ajo. Overall it was ok, however they went a little overboard on the mojo de ajo. Couldn't really tell if the fish was blacken fish due to so much mojo de ajo. Kids had the shrimp tacos and burger. Shrimp taco was pretty big and the burger was the usual. Overall, pretty wowed by the new Orleans shrimp, great service, but everything else was ok

Here at South Padre island first time. Ate at Dirty Al's and oh hell naw. My hubs and son got a so called pound each of King Crab What the literal f' k!!! This is not worth $75 each! This is not a pound of King Crab! Rip off!! Never again

The food was good, seasoned and fresh. Service was attentive. The place has an old fishing camp vibe, don't let the curb view fool you! We will be back!

We came in for a bite to eat and started with an oyster Rockefeller. That was an honest mistake. We got to sit out on the deck outside so it was a nice view and the service was fair but honestly the appetizer taste was so "interesting" that we decided to tab out. Maybe we did not order to right things, I can't speak for the entrees or specialties. Based on the experience we had, it was fairly poor. I got sick shortly after. It was busy though, curious to know what is good there and may give it a try next trip, but just did not sit well with me.

Didn't dine, but ordered to go. Carry out staff was friendly and helpful. Food was delicious as usual once we got back to our place.

Not gonna lie! The reviews were not the best but this place is damn good! Got a Blackened fish sandwich and a blackened cheeseburger! And ya know what? They were delish! Just my own taste but this place is dope enough to hand out 5 stars!!!

Dirty Al... raw oysters were pre-shucked, and I assume, stacked on top of each other...they were the dirtiest, most crunchy, shell fragment oysters I've ever had (they came out in 2 minutes or less, 2 dozen, so I know they were pre-shucked) unacceptable for a raw oyster joint... we left for more quality food. Restaurant was not clean, staff unorganized, and old fish smell throughout. Do not recommend.

We came here because one of our family we were visiting recommended. He likes that it's affordable food. Anyway, got the grilled fish. Was good. Wife like her grilled fish with the mojo de ayo sauce. Just your average hole in the wall sea food restaurant.

The waiter was very people oriented and personable. We ordered the shrimp platter with fish and chicken and boy. Was it delicious everything from the french fries to the fish and the shrimp or delicious. Next time I'm ordering more shrimps and fish In place of the chicken.

Dirty Al's has always been a family favorite for many years!!! The shrimp and fish basket is my favorite dish. I always get it!! The service is always really attentive and fast! I definitely recommend if you want authentically good sea food!!!

The food here is out of this world. The grilled shrimp are huge and the best we have ever tasted. I had the Combination Po'Boy it had fried Fish, chicken, shrimp and oysters. I didn't care for the oysters but everything else was delicious. The fried mushrooms were phenomenal. Crispy golden with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The Server was fast, friendly and very efficient. She did a great job. The decor was fitting for a seafood restaurant, with an edgy tongue in cheek vibe. I would recommend this awesome place.

Always go 2-3 times when we are in South Padre. Great fried shrimp and oysters. We will certainly be back again and again!!

We are in South Padre Island and had dinner at Dirty Al's. When you first walk in, you are hit with the smell of raw, fresh seafood. I like this. It shows that it's fresh! We ordered drinks first. The Frozen Mango Chamoy was great! I ordered the red snapper Cuban Style. It's fried without breading. They brought me the fresh fish to let me see and select it. Then they take it back to cook it. It was absolutely delicious. I loved it! The fish is so white and flaky. It wasn't slimy at all. Perfectly done! It was a fun and great experience to pick the actual fish I was going to eat. We also got the Classic Botana Platter. Wow! There was so much food! The portions were huge! It was fried fish, shrimp and oysters. All were cooked well, hot and fresh. We were not disappointed! It was wonderful. Our server was also pleasant, attentive and helpful. We will definitely be back.

Great seafood. The service is consistently good. While I'm in town on vacation I stop by for lunch.

Long story short, it would be very difficult for me to be thinking about eating at another place other than this when I am in the area! But like all good food reviews, I would like to give a very honest, unbiased restaurant review. This dish was AMAZING! Two perfectly cooked pieces of fish blackened seasoned with soft bread that your teeth just rip through and doesn't give your jaw muscles a workout. With the traditional lettuce and sliced tomato just put the sandwich all together. The fries were golden, crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. Dirty Al's have their own homemade hot sauce (I didn't really get to try it.) But you could not go wrong with eating this Po-boy by itself. Upon walking in, it smells like you in a fish market. I love the smell. I would imagine not everybody would care for that fishy smell. Just something I observed. Service was great! Was seated almost immediately upon arriving to front desk/pew. Waiters were great! Ordered our food and was brought out in a relatively quick amount of time. The tables we were sat at were some that looked like they were bought at Walmart. That Rubbermaid brand. Not the most professional type of table, but the name makes it relative. All in all, great food being right off the bay!

Great jumbo fried shrimp. Fries were alright. Friendly faces. Very casual. Cool decorations.

It is what it is a hole in the wall bait and tackle shop that serves food (fried). Whatever comes out of the gulf they will bread and fry it up for you. There are options to have it blackened or grilled but the menu is a devotional to grease. The salads are laughable it's just taco topping, shredded iceberg, diced tomato and cheddar cheese.

Lots of fried food to choose from! So good! Our server was friendly & our food came out quick

Pretty good. Mostly fried food. Friendly service. Questionable bathrooms. Very large drinks that are nice when it's so hot in the summer.

We came here on a busy night Labor Day weekend. We were seated quickly. The inside could use some updates for sure. Our waitress was friendly. Now to the point of what went wrong. First I ordered the oysters on the half shell. The waitress who brought them out shove them onto the table causing one to halfway slide off of the shell. They put limes and cocktail sauce on the tray. No horseradish, when I asked for lemons and horseradish I was brought some more limes and the horseradish was basically a runny paste. No real silverware to be seen. Also, we ordered the crab legs, they brought out large kitchen scissors, no clamp or small fork available. The food was subpar for the price. The view is blocked of the marina by the tint on the windows.

Yesterday we were invited to join a couple of women at their table. We ordered appetizers and drinks. When we got the bill, it was all totaled together, the waitress assumed we were all together my friend told her that he was only paying for us four not the 2 women that we didn't know. The manager came to our table and said they couldn't do anything with the ticket right then but in 7 to 10 days he should get a refund. I don't know why he could do anything then cancel the 1st ticket and then separate it like we wanted.

Great place for giant shrimp! Definitely a place to visit if you are craving shrimp. Shrimp tacos were also very good.

Not a fancy place but more of a staple to South Padre Island....Glad to see this place is still as good as it was 25 years ago when my wife and I ate here during our honeymoon. Rockefeller oysters were fresh and tasted great with the house made hot sauce "dirty Al's Jalapeño sauce". Also had the "onion blossom" wish was tasty. Customer service was pretty good as well!

Lots of flare and creativity used when they designed the place! The waitress, Carolyn, was so busy and still managed to be so friendly and kind. She was attentive and the food came out very quickly. The food was ok. Blue Hawaiian cocktail rimmed by toasted coconut. Great!! Fish was fresh and tasty. The Texas Cheese Fries were too greasy for me, and the cheese added more grease.But the taste of the fries made me ignore the grease some. Nice seasoning, satisfying cruch. But overall, I reccomend coming for some refreshing drinks and fresh fish. Thanks For Reading!

We have been going to Dirty Al's padre island more than 20 years. Back when George was the manager there the food was excellent, but not anymore since George retired. The prices are higher, so you expect the best. The oysters on the half shell were the worst I've ever had and so tiny. it wasn't even a bite. The shrimp was overcooked. George always said no more than 60 seconds to fry shrimp. We won't go back ever.

Our waitress was Michelle,man was she awesome at her job she put me on to the special of the day and as I'm a picky guy I get the same thing everywhere she got me to try some blackened drum and it was awesome and my glass was never empty and everything I ordered was super hot and the flan is to die for you gotta get that as the desert!

Very good seafood, cooked perfectly. You get lots for your money. The oysters was so good, had a good waitress. Will go here a gain when I come back to texas

Food was ok. We were distracted by a disgusting guest who was snorting snot rockets while people were eating. Got fried seafood baskets. They were good Service was exceptional

Fries were great. Prices are a little high but in this part of Texas normal. I got a shrimp dinner, it was good but shrimp 7 were very small. Probably around 16.00 for the shrimp and fries, no extras like salad or bread just plain Jane shrimp and fries without tip. The frozen margaritas were the win for 8 bucks, too bad I can't drink my dinner! No complaints with them. I've been there twice got breaded zucchini the second time not very good don't bother, save your money very thin, very sloppy looking too. Cook sure gets a zero for presentation on them thing. There Twice and got the same server who isn't very good and she's very slow and not very attentive. When I walked in there the second time I saw her and thought to myself I hope I don't get her again. I don't have very good luck! She doesn't seem to understand very well I may be wrong but as I said she's very slow. Ugh. My margarita was good but not as good because it was not as frozen as the first time more liquid this time but still pretty good. I'll be back mostly for the margarita less for the food. I do want to try you baked fish see how that is maybe tomorrow. I could go everyday just for the margarita! Too bad you can't get one to go. You would get two sales alone for your margarita alone.

Fish batter was very salty, food came so fast it was clearly prepared in advance. Not my favorite place but the folks were friendly.

Great food, fresh fish yummy! Great location easy to find ! Go check it out next time u are on the island.

First time here, rustic fish restaurant. Service was quick and friendly. I had the large shrimp and fish fried basket with a "salad". The shrimp and fish were very good, but the portions were small. The "salad" was interesting. The price for the quantity was too high.

We went here yesterday and ordered the fish n shrimp basket for lunch...what a disappointment....I realize the price of food has gone up, but 14.99 for 5 small over fried shrimp and 4, what looked like fish sticks, with a few fries, is not what I consider worth 15.00... I also had to use the restroom and it was in bad shape .no AC, no paper towels and smelled like sewer... We prefer las tourtugas on PI...

One might drive by and see this Restaurant and may think naw let's go to another place well y'all blew it then.. Dirty Al's has the freshest seafood available and for a price that is very affordable for family on a budget plus they cater to kids as well. So if you are looking for the best seafood for everyone this place places second to none. Plus the Beer is rock cold & the Tea is sweet. Fried Fish, Fried Oysters, Grilled Fish Plates ..

The food was good. The server was attentive and polite. The blooming onion was good as well as the oysters Rockefeller. It is also good for groups.