Gilhooley's Restaurant and Oyster Bar 18+

I had an amazing experience at Gilhooley’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar! I ordered the grilled oysters with shrimp, and they were absolutely delicious — perfectly seasoned, fresh, and full of flavor. The oysters had that signature smoky, buttery taste that makes this place so special. The local staff were warm, attentive, and made me feel right at home. You can tell they take pride in their food and their community. The laid-back coastal atmosphere and friendly service make Gilhooley’s a perfect spot to relax and enjoy a true Gulf Coast meal. Highly recommend for anyone who loves fresh seafood and authentic local charm!

Coming back for a 2nd time review update! It's still awesome and honestly, it's so perfect, I kinda don't want to tell you guys! 😄 Original review: It was our first time tonight! We both have heard great things, and it definitely lived up to its reputation! The food was delicious, the service was great, and the atmosphere was perfect for an adults-only Friday night! We drive up from La Marque. We'll be back!

We stopped by for lunch on a Friday after fishing, mainly because we had seen this spot on TikTok and we were close by. The atmosphere is really inviting and laid-back—you can seat yourself either inside or outside on the spacious patio. Since the weather was nice, we chose to sit outside, and it was a plus that every table had its own fan. Another thing we appreciated was that it’s a 21+ establishment. Parking was easy and there was plenty available. For food, we started with the oysters, which were on special. Unfortunately, they were small and served warm, which was a bit disappointing. For entrées, we ordered the shrimp po’boy and the chicken fried steak. The po’boy wasn’t what we expected—just five shrimp served on a hot dog bun, which felt underwhelming. On the other hand, the chicken fried steak was excellent. The batter was crispy, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. Definitely the highlight of the meal. Service was friendly and attentive—our waitress was very nice. My only wish is that she would’ve mentioned how small the po’boy was before we ordered. Overall, despite some misses with the food, the atmosphere and the chicken fried steak stood out. We’d give it another try and would be willing to go back.

We loved it here! The service was awesome first of all. Our waitress was super sweet, food came out fast and super hot and fresh. Drinks were strong. Everything is so reasonably priced. Everything we ordered was delicious. Definitely would return here when we’re in the area again. Also loved the sign about not allowing kids lol

Absolutely love the oysters here. The fried catfish is magnificent. Ive never had anything here I didn't like. The servers are always very kind.

Gilhooley’s never disappoints. The food is outstanding, especially the oysters—always fresh, perfectly prepared, and the reason we keep coming back. The prices are very reasonable for the quality you get, which makes the experience even better. The service is consistently great, and this last visit was no exception thanks to Kimbra. She was attentive, friendly, and very personable, making us feel genuinely welcome the entire time. Kimbra is a big reason we’ll be returning again as soon as possible, hope she’ll be there. Highly recommend Gilhooley’s for great food, great value, and top-notch service.

Great atmosphere. Sat outside with a group of 5. The service was super. The food was wonderful. I recommend the oyster sampler if you want to try something new.

This place is great! 1st time here, but we will be back! Great vibe and incredible food!

Atmosphere is great, good music, good people. Food is amazing. Oysters are large and very good. Service is on point, our waitress was very nice and helpful. They have other good food here but if you're an oyster person, you DEFINITELY need to give this place a try. I'm not sure of the days or times of this special, but I stumbled into a "50 Cent Oyster Night" last night and for the size and taste, this is an AWESOME DEAL.

Food - 4 Service - 4 Atmosphere - 4.5 (because I like divey places) Dive bar/restaurant with decent food and service. They have live music on Saturday nights (subject to change) with both an inside and outside bar area. We had the fried shrimp, oysters on the half shell, and oysters Gilhooley (broiled with garlic, butter, and parmesan). All were good, though "not off the chain". Beer was good and cold. Would definitely return.

March 7, 2024 Came in from Galveston for .50 cent each for raw oysters; special running thru March 31st. Good taste and texture... this batch was from Matagorda TX Great tasting bloody Mary's too!

Gilhooley's... What feels like the Houston area's last standing budget friendly Oyster house. Prices are pretty fair across the board outside of oysters, but based on the fact they're selling raw oysters on a half-shell (quite carefully shucked and presented) at 50 cents a piece during happy hour and sometimes seasonally, all day--and they're generously sized gulf oysters--this alone should probably push them to a 5-star rating. Alas, in my experience there are some shortcomings. Service has been good but spotty at times. I've been two nights in a row, thanks to their January special of serving raw oysters at a mind blowing fraction of the cost for Monday and Tuesday. These are gulf oysters afterall, so they actually can get you quite full. The server made a great suggestion to try them with Pico de Gallo, it really does give it sort of a great Fresca vibe. I often prefer mine with horse raddish, lemon, salt, pepper, and tobasco; so this was a very nice switch up. The server also gave some recommendations on their most popular entrées which included chicken fried steak and fried catfish. We've also ordered chicken tenders and other fried foods. Considering all their fried foods didn't share similar batters and tasted strangely familiar, I was suspicious that a lot of their items are frozen, processed goods or not made in house. I did enjoy a couple sides, the first being the hush puppies. I thought their collard greens were salty, but I could taste potential. All in all, I would not recommend anything other than getting gulf oysters here. They're supposedly known for their cooked house style oysters. I'd love to come back to try it one day. For this, I give them a 3.5-stars and hesitantly round up because their price tag and quality on oysters is high value. Nicely shucked, good presentation, not shy with any condements.

I'd driven by and thought this place looked so fun, and had it on my list for years... I finally got here and was not disappointed! The oysters are enormous... in size and in flavour. The garlic parm and crab/shrimp baked oysters were by far my favourite out of the sampler platter. Our servers were great and very friendly. Super relaxed vibe. It's the good kind of divey! Had the pink bikini cocktail and it was not only delicious but strong too. 5th star is earned for it being 21+. I can't begin to describe how much I f-ing love this. Wish we had far more bars and restaurants with that rule!

I had yet another fantastic experience at Gilhooley's, definitely one of my favorite places for seafood. I finally tried the Shrimphooley oysters which have a ridiculous name but holy cow are they good - the cheese, butter, oyster and shrimp may be a bit of a stretch (literally) to fit in a bit but it is SOOOO GOOOOD. My mouth is literally watering as I write this! We also got the shrimp kabob with fried cabbage and shrimp slaw. The kabobs themselves were phenomenal, I love the savoriness without being super heavy of the shrimp. The sides were honestly really well made, but we had far too much food so it was tough to give them much attention. 100% I'll keep coming back, I love taking out of towners here too since its much more rural from where I live, the decor is rustic, staff are very friendly, and its just a neat experience overall. Love ya Gilhooley's!!

Not amazing, yet decent. We met friends here for dinner. If you're an oyster lover, this is probably the place for you. They have oysters many ways. My wife and started by sharing a dozen Grilled Gilhooley style oysters. They were decent. And their were 14 of them :) My wife had the stuffed Shrimp that were huge. The actual shrimp were large but the stuffing around the Shrimp was huge. It wasn't what she expected but it was decent. Her side of beans were average. I had the Chicken Fried Chicken. It was really good! Crispy, yet tender and juicy. And it was 2 breasts. The onion rings were decent. The fried cabbage was not. Took one bite only.

I'm sorry, I know their oysters are awesome but I can't bring myself to give them a good review because the staff are always so rude. I went here on my birthday after having surgery because I legit just craved raw oysters. I had a fairly large group and the staff were less than accommodating. Brought food out late and incorrect drink orders. The first initial waitress left and never came back and when I asked about her, I was told she had other things to do. And anytime I've called ordered visited prior to, same thing...rude staff. It's such a drive outward, I'd rather go to Tommy's or Rouxpour or just keep driving to Pier 6...

Another fantastic Sunday Funday Seafood day in San Leon at Gilhooley's. A gorgeous warm weather day for February sitting outside. Great playlist playing. Our group enjoyed friendly fast service by Klorissa. Our taste buds were delighted with a wide array of menu choices. Lucious juicy boiled crawfish perfectly seasoned and pretty good mixed sizes for this early in season. Opted to just have potato side. Hubby enjoyed corn and potato side. Pictured is my 3 lb serving. Parents enjoyed 1/2 dozen Gilhooley's grilled oysters along with huge portion grilled shrimp salad. Very well seasoned large dozen shrimp for only $12.99 . Bloody Mary's were a Sunday Funday fav. We will definitely continue coming back to get the freshest seafood near the bay

Great service is always pleasant and the food is worth the drive. I drove in from Galveston after checking on a job in Galveston Island it's a little out of the way off of 146 but worth the detour. Enjoyed the Shrimphooleys

We tried the crawfish, spicy, and it was amazing flavor. Obviously we had to try the oysters, alllll of them were amazing. Fresh. Sat at the bar, bartender was very funny and friendly. Great experience!!

I have given this place a few benefits of doubt since the new owners took over....and it has not gotten any better!!! Service and food is horrible...I don't understand how they stay so busy!! Just went this past Friday...waitress was very rude...BLT WAS SO GREASY WE HAD TO SEND IT BACK!! I don't recommend this place at all!!!

So the shrimp and grits are probably the prettiest and best I've seen. Super creamy and flavorful. The oysters were smoky and perfectly grilled. Boudin balls were a bit bready. Love the atmosphere and the staff. Service was great.

Wait Staff- 9/10: I didn't get her name but it was a blond lady that waited on us on the patio on the side of the enternece. She was very friendly and funny! Fried Mushrooms- 6/10: Too much batter and I prefer whole mushrooms as opposed to the sliced mushrooms they served us. Grilled Oyster Platter- 7/10: I think I just prefer fresh oysters. The oyster flavor gets lost in all the cheese and toppings. Still very tasty and it was fun to taste them all. Everybody Gumbo- 12/10: Pretty spicy but probably some of the best gumbo I've ever had!! Huge chunks of chicken, lots of sausage, and huge oysters!! It didn't have that burnt taste that sometimes gumbo can have. This was super flavorful and would definitely order this again and again!

Always a good experience here. Wife loves the oysters and I love the burgers. They also have much more on the menu. Nice bar as well. NO kids allowed. This is something I love! Our server today was very nice!

Hadn't been here in quite some time because it's a bit of a drive but boy was it worth it. The food and drinks were all delicious and they had great service too. Gena was so friendly and hospitable.

This was my first time. I will definitely be back. Oyster Sampler: Amazing! Crawfish: Amazing! Blackened mahi-mahi tacos: Amazing! Staff: Excellent!

Food is excellent. Love that it is 18+ since we have no kids. Home cooking with a bar ambiance but no smoking which is fabulous. Service is excellent.

I can't wait to get back. The chargrilled oysters were fantastic definitely some of the best I've ever had. My wife and I had several dozen

Just ate here Saturday afternoon and had some excellent oysters. A dozen for 6$ bucks! Our server was Ally and she was exceptional. Witty, warm, and had excellent recommendations. Will be coming back for sure.

My second time going here I must say they have the best oysters in town! There is outside tables and plenty of tables inside. There's also a bar area as well. I love the historical wall decor and the Texas Gulf coast vibe! The mermaid water has alcohol in it and it's really good! It does have a extra kick and worth the value! As for the raw oysters.... it reminds me a little of home with being born and raise in the coast of texas! You can't get the oysters any fresher than this unless you are in the oyster boat and harvesting while eating them lol! The oysters are juicy and so freaking good that I ordered a second dozen! The shrimp and everything gumbo here is amazing! The spicy and seasoning level is right amount serve along with rice. I definitely recommend the raw oysters, gumbo (shrimp and/or everything gumbo), and mermaid water. It's a relaxing environment and our waitress was attentive and friendly. I will most definitely stop by here when we come here to vacation! The best seafood restaurant! The food portion is generous which is fair with price! As for the chicken liver... I usually love chicken liver but I was not a fan of these and likely won't order these again. It was crispy but the batter was missing salt so the chicken liver was flat one note. The proportion of the chicken liver appetizer is really large and you can share with 5-6 people. The fried catfish and shrimp plate here is good too! I tried that on our first time dining here. Overall, would I recommend this place? With the raw oysters and gumbo alone I absolutely do! It's a must try if you are in the area! It's a low key place where the locals like to go! :)

Absolutely the best food quality The service provided by Kat was top shelf They currently offer a steak that was very nicely prepared Yes beef at a fish house For the past 15 years they were cash only But No Longer they accepted my credit card faster than my x wife... bur at Gillhooley's I got my money's worth Big Richard from Waxahachie, Texas

My fiance and I decided to eat here for his first father's day together. Waitress was sweet and timely. However, the food I have to say will keep me away from this place and the time it had taken for our food to arrive at the table Our appetizers arrived at the same time as our entrees rather than before. Fried mushrooms soggy. Our grilled rockahooleys cold and cheese stiff. Our gumbo is thick like a paste. My fiance had the fish poboy, which was okay and somewhat filling. However, my shrimp poboy came with four small shrimps that had no flavor what so ever but I ate it because I came to the restaurant with an appetite hoping the food would be great with as many stars that they have. Waitress tried to make up for it, but why ?! After I'm done eating, just to bring out two more small shrimps. lol. That didn't make any sense. The ambiance of the place is nice for a small social gathering with friends or family. They do, however, have a side that had more lighting than the other if that is something that you're looking for.

Great oysters! Fun, energetic atmosphere. Definitely a place for regulars and people who love good food and affordable drinks.

Great service, Gina's the best!! Cold beer, food was delicious, came out quick & fresh!! Love the George's!

In 1 month.... I have been there 3 times. I live 40 minutes away but it's worth the drive for their fabulous chargrilled oysters! And the drinks... woah...I'll be a pirate!

No complaints! If you're looking for a relaxing atmosphere, tasty grub, and cold drinks, pay Gilhooley's a visit. Inside. Outside. Pick your poison. Oysters? You bet.

Great place for fresh oysters. The bartender Kat was really on the ball. Although she was really busy. Her service was on point. Food came out hot and beer was cold. Always plenty here.

Finally accrued enough PTO to take a day off, so I had the urge for oysters. Took that 40 minute drive to Gilhooleys and it was totally worth it. The raw oysters were nice and plump and shucked real well. The broiled oysters were fantastic and not over cooked. The fried oysters were also great. Service was attentive and met all of our needs. Overall a great place that I wished was closer.

Amazing...the oysters have a real smoke flavor that is unparalleled. The oysters are always large and in charge. Used to go somewhere down the street, but this is our newly rediscovered absolute favorite!!! Service is always good as well.

Best seafood I have tried that shit was delicious amazing food I highly recommend the red snapper

Great atmosphere and margaritas. Inside or outside, patio or outside bar. Love the oysters. Start with artichoke cran dip. Then, jump into a bowl of gumbo. My personal favorites are the shrimpahooley oysters, or oysters picante or rockahooley. Lots of fun.

The food was delicious! Oysters (cooked) were amazing! The service was outstanding; very friendly, and the ambiance was back-in-the-day relaxed. Going back soon!

Ate at Gilhooley's last night. It has been a while since we have been here. The wait staff was good and worked well together to get drinks and food delivered to a fairly full restaurant (both inside and out). However, the food was not consistent... We ordered the grill oysters, boudin balls, stuffed jalapenos, and a boiled platter of shrimp and snow crab. One thing Gilhooleys gets right, time after time, is the grilled oysters. They have been great in the past, and they were great last night. We got a sampler and a dozen of the Oyster Gilhooley. On the appetizers- The seafood stuff jalapeno's were good. Nice bit of heat. The boudin balls were another story. No flavor to the boudin. In fact, it tasted like raw flour. They were cooked. No cold spots in the center, but unseasoned. Ah... we found the seasoning... it was in teh boiled seafood. The shrimp and snow crab was extremely salty- WAY too much salt. The wait staff never asked how our food was, so we did not tell them. Probably should have sent the boil back but ate it anyway. The next table got the stuffed flounder and the men devoured every bit. We will be back and hope for a better experience.

Stop by for a kid free meal. Great food, excellent bartender and wonderful atmosphere. 10/10 would recommend

You must be 18 or over, no kids. The food is great! Larger variety of menu items to choose from; seafood, pork chops, burgers and even soups. Service has always been excellent. Evening are very busy but plenty of staff working.

We love trying new places and this one we had been planning to try but just didn't. Today out the blue it was hibachi or Gilhooleys. I must let you all know we are from Tomball!!! The hour and 10 minute drive was all worth it... we had the famous oysters both ways and also you can top them with bacon REAL bacon. The best part of visit was our waitress Kate. She was well knowledge with the menu and gave us her honest opinion on certain choices I was trying to decide from. She even bring me a sample of the gumbo and slaw ..... All in all she was one great waitress great personality Me and my fiancé will visit again Thank you for good food and service

We enjoyed our early dinner at Gilhooleys mostly. Outdoor seating is nice in the spring and our little table under the bar awning was shaded. Perhaps bc we were in the bar the bartender who was very busy was also our waitress. Wait times between items was a bit long. Shrimp was spicy and flavorful, corn a bit scrawny, and sausage dry but tasty. Drinks were good and and potent. Live country music sounded good.

This is my second time here, and both times I was highly impressed. I am pleased with the food, the prices are reasonable and the indoor/outdoor patio is great seating for a social atmosphere. Best part is only people of age 18+ allowed so this place is the perfect geteway.

Great food Great oysters Great atmosphere Best oyster bar in the Houston area! Great hangout!

This dive is in the heart of San Leon in an out of the way location. The place itself looks like a place from a seaside movie. The decor of primitive masks, license plates and TVs on the wall creates the scene. Rolls of paper towels, baskets of saltines and empty 6 pack cartons complete the table settings. Our waitress was super nice!! She greeted us and told us about the special and how great the food was. She was also manning the bar as people streamed in. The clientele is a mix of businessmen and blue collar workers. It's not tourist season, so I am positive this place is packed during peak season! Now to the food. We ordered the calamari with marinara sauce and the grilled platter. The calamari came first. It was underwhelming and looked like popcorn calamari. The fried pieces were small and pretty tough. However, the marinara sauce that came with it was superb!!! It looked like they put cream in marinara sauce and it was delicious!! I would suggest, perhaps, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and serve with a few slices of lemon. But, it lacked salt, too. Our grill platter came and it was HUGE. The 2 pieces grilled catfish were huge!! They were very tasty. The shrimp skewer was also tasty. We ordered fried cabbage and cheesy potatoes as our sides. We also ordered the shrimp slaw to try it out. The fried cabbage was good. It was cooked perfectly and had slices of red onion. It, again, lacked salt. The cheesy potatoes were served in a bowl and the serving was very large! There were at least 3 large red potatoes cut in half. They were served with pickled jalapeño peppers. They were really good, but I would've like to have had some butter with them. The shrimp slaw was package coleslaw with little cooked shrimp added along with spicy seasoning. I really didn't care for it that much. We shared the platter and I am glad we did! It was a lot of food! Total price was close to $50. It was a little pricey and I've had better. We are always willing to try a place a second time and order something completely different. There's a lot of variety to choose from which is a great thing! The waitress said the hamburgers are delicious. Perhaps next time, we will try the burger or have a bowl of veggie soup.

We got the Shrimpgilhouleys..the oysters were dime size, way too small to be on the menu. They had entertainment??? 5 guitars and a mandelin player. The singer could not carry a tune in a ten gallon hat.. Don't get me wrong I have been going here since 1988. loved the food and atmosphere. But they need biger oysters or remove them from the menu.

Arrived late on a Sunday to stay for the week and needed a bite to eat. Friendly staff, but food was sub-par. My wife couldn't eat the soup she ordered - said it was awful and they made no adjustment on our bill what so ever

Always good! The food was fresh and tasty as ever. I actually prefer the original Oysters Gilhooley, don't need the shrimp. Our waitress was awesome. We had a group of ten and she handled everything well. She was very accommodating and was always making sure we had our drinks filled. Not our first time there and not our last. The price of oysters has gone up a couple dollars since the remodel but that's to be expected. Great oysters!

We've been coming to to eat here for a long time. The improvements to the facility are great. It's no longer a dive. BUT, the taste of the oysters and the price were terrible. Two people to eat was $100!! With two beers! Ridiculous. Oysters were small and I have had stomach issues since we went. I'm sorry to say I'd be hard pressed to return!!! Sad in Seabrook

A friend and I met here for lunch a few months ago, enjoyed the food and atmosphere so much that we have meet there several times for lunch. I had the 1/2 dz Shrimphooley and fried mushrooms, the mushrooms were actually sliced, I was pleased with both my choices. Second time I went I had same thing but also ordered the stuffed jalapeños, everything was great !!! We hung out at the bar both times, were they do allow smoking. Totally recommend this place !!!

They are known for diff variety of oysters. I went with a dozen raw oysters. They were okay but not the best. Presentation was lacking ten crackers, one lemon, and ice stuck the the actual oysters. The shrimp gumbo was great

Great place to food and greats Fish bits are the best Shrimp os off the chain Bloody marries are to die for

Meh. Great boudain balls and hushpuppies. Shrimp in cocktail was not fresh. Really good catfish.

You can never go wrong with an oyster at Gilhooleys. Ceviche is excellent Great food