Haven't been in Houston for a while. Where would be a good place for some oysters, fish, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

Truluck's and Goode Co. Fish Camp

Skip Landry's

Trulucks

I'm a fan of Babin's personally.

Woodlands resident here. Haven't been super impressed with any of the seafood options really.

Same here. You wouldn't think being only about an hour inland would make a difference, but it does.

About the only thing I'll spend money on is the boiled shrimp at HEB on the weekends, but I think that's done for the season.

Bluewater Seafood has a good reputation. Not in The Woodlands but there are locations on 2920 and 1960 in Spring.

The answer here might be David Beard's Catfish King in Livingston.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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The answer here might be David Beard's Catfish King in Livingston.

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Truluck's, Babins are both damn good no matter what the "I have to say it isn't great just because" crowd say.

Goode Company Cantina has a damn good redfish on the half shell even though it is a Mexican joint.

Schilleci's New Orleans Kitchen looks pretty solid, but have never been there.

You can't go wrong with Pappadeaux and if Goode Co Fish Camp is comparable to Goode Co Seafood, it's legit as well.

Try Schilleci's. I've been 3 times with different people each time and everyone has really liked it.

I would agree that Schilleci's and Pappadeaux's aren't bad and have some good options in the menu.

It's not the kind of "fresh off the boat" seafood that I prefer, but if you really want seafood and have to eat out, those are good choices. My grandfather was a charter boat captain, so I admit to being a snob about this type of food.

Heard on here that the fish tacos from Uli's Kitchen are so good that you might go missing for a few days.

Thanks for the advice.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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The answer here might be David Beard's Catfish King in Livingston.

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i that the best in Livingston? Have a friend couple staying there next weekend to pick up their boy from a summer camp. I know they plan to also try the Wet Deck.

Schilleci's at Market Street is very good in my opinion. The blackened salmon at Pappadeaux is one of my favorite healthy meals around.

You can't go wrong at the catfish king's.

TXTransplant said:

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Same here. You wouldn't think being only about an hour inland would make a difference, but it does.

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The Woodlands is 25 minutes to Galveston, tops.

I'm still down with Pappadeaux's. I don't care what anyone says.

rangerdanger said:

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Heard on here that the fish tacos from Uli's Kitchen are so good that you might go missing for a few days.

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Disappointed this doesn't have more stars

Reload8098 said:

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Haven't been in Houston for a while. Where would be a good place for some oysters, fish, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

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I hear Trader Joes has good frozen fish sticks but watch your cornhole.

We did dinner at Babin's the other day because we had a Landry's gift card. I am NOT a fan of Landry's Seafood House so I didn't have high hopes.

I had a broiled piece of Ling (which surprised the hell out of me that it was even on the menu), with a creamy lemon sauce with lump crab and capers. It was fabulous. Had a nice Greek salad that wasn't elaborate but tasted good and was fresh. Red beans and rice were mid-tier. I won't order them again. The rest of the table had damn good looking seafood too.

Not on par with Trulucks but my dinner was $30 and it was great. We'll be back.

BohunkAg said:

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I'm still down with Pappadeaux's. I don't care what anyone says.

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Pappadeaux's is delicious. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

TXTransplant said:

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I would agree that Schilleci's and Pappadeaux's aren't bad and have some good options in the menu.

It's not the kind of "fresh off the boat" seafood that I prefer, but if you really want seafood and have to eat out, those are good choices. My grandfather was a charter boat captain, so I admit to being a snob about this type of food.

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Here's a hint:

Unless you are going to a place that will cook the catch you bring, almost every bit of the seafood - even in restaurants right on the water - is frozen and not "fresh off of the boat". It's not cost effective to rely on 100% straight off the boat for any restaurant, and seafood can be frozen and still advertised as "fresh" legally.

Even when you go into a legit fish market (around here anyway because we don't have the cool kind like you see at Fisherman's Wharf on the west coast, etc.) the seafood is almost always not right off the boat fresh unless you just happen to get there at the right moment at the right market. It's frozen oir semi-frozen and thawed out and put on the bed of ice every morning for the most part.

Dude. Stop. You're just going to provoke her into a five paragraph dissertation on why she knows more about fresh seafood than you.

Trust me... I'm from the coast as well just like TXTransplant. We know this already. We just grew up on super fresh seafood so we're snobs and we'll readily admit that.

texasaggie2015 said:

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Trust me... I'm from the coast as well just like TXTransplant. We know this already. We just grew up on super fresh seafood so we're snobs and we'll readily admit that.

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Yeah my wife's family is from the Abbeville/Delcombre area of Louisiana and they're the same way. It's just what they're used to. Crab especially.

I Am A Critic said:

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Dude. Stop. You're just going to provoke her into a five paragraph dissertation on why she knows more about fresh seafood than you.

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I'm interested in this dissertation. Maybe it will liven the day up.

I also used to work at a market that had its own boat back in the day and had contracts with other local captains. Those were the good old days, we were just too young to know it at the time. Wish we still had that market aroud here, but a good true fish market is hard to come by anymore, and it sucks.

Yep.. and just because seafood might not be technically "fresh" doesn't mean it's not good! It's just not quite the same as what we grew up on.

That said, I still haven't found a place here in the Woodlands that I love for seafood. Good suggestions here though. I'll give some of them a shot.

Some of the best oysters I've had were at a place in Denver.....

Some of the best seafood you can buy is through online markets where it's vacuum sealed and frozen almost immediately after being caught....

htxag09 said:

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Some of the best oysters I've had were at a place in Denver.....

Some of the best seafood you can buy is through online markets where it's vacuum sealed and frozen almost immediately after being caught....

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That's actually really funny you say that. I used to be in radio and interviewed Joe West one day (MLB umpire for many decades). He told me he was eating oysters at a place in Denver and it was some of his favorite he's ever had. I always thought he was crazy. It has to be the same spot, right?

Haha assume so. Jax Fish House is the spot I'm talking about. They fly oysters in daily.

Disclaimer, this was at least 7 years ago....

That rings a bell. And it's in LoDo not far from Coors Field. That's so damn funny and random.

DiskoTroop said:

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texasaggie2015 said:

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Trust me... I'm from the coast as well just like TXTransplant. We know this already. We just grew up on super fresh seafood so we're snobs and we'll readily admit that.

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Yeah my wife's family is from the Abbeville/Delcombre area of Louisiana and they're the same way. It's just what they're used to. Crab especially.

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This. I'm well aware that most "fresh off the boat" seafood is frozen, even if for a short period of time. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone called me out on this. Frankly, I'm surprised it took this many posts.

As the posts above allude to, "fresh off the boat" also refers to the preparation style we grew up with. I don't want my seafood coated in a heavy batter and deep-fried (unless it's soft shell crab) or drowned in heavy sauces. I don't want it served with pasta or dirty rice or Alfredo or cocktail sauce.

I prefer fresh crabmeat straight out of the container it was packed in and fish (snapper or redfish, lightly sauteed) and shrimp (grilled or boiled) with not much more than a light lemon butter sauce. Oysters aren't my favorite, but I do enjoy them broiled with a little bacon or Parmesan cheese on top. My idea of heaven is an all you can eat buffet of boiled Gulf shrimp. Catfish is trash.

Admittedly, this type of preparation is hard to find, and for my family it typically requires a trip to the seafood store and we do it ourselves. So, I can't really recommend any restaurants in The Woodlands that match those expectations, if that's what the OP was looking for.

The restaurants mentioned above, which I admit have some tasty dishes, tend to be deep fried and/or sauce heavy. Personally, I consider Schilleci's and Pappadeaux's to be cajun/New Orleans style restaurants more so than true seafood restaurants. But that's just my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own taste (pun intended) and no one commenting here is an expert, since it's all personal preference.

There. Explained with a five paragraph dissertation, because I would hate to disappoint anyone.

Maybe it's just me....But if somebody doesn't like a restaurant because they prefer "fresh off the boat", I'm sure as hell not thinking they're talking about a preparation style....