While you’re out enjoying your Port Aransas beach vacation, you’ll want to spend time at local attractions and enjoying the many activities the area has to offer. With all the fun and activity, you’re bound to hear your stomach rumble. Satisfy your hunger while taking your taste buds on a trip through Port A while you explore the town with these Port Aransas dining destinations.
Coffee Waves
Start your morning off right or grab a pick-me-up just about any time while you’re out enjoying a Port Aransas day. Every pot of their coffee starts with Nordaggio’s or Driftwood Coffee Co. roasters products, both of which specialize in small batch, specialty coffee. Choose from espresso drinks including macchiato, cappuccino, lattes, and more. Opt for any of a variety of blended drinks, from caffeinated blends like the CW frap in mocha, vanilla, or caramel. For something with less buzz, try decaffeinated Chai frap or fruit smoothies.
If you’re not in the mood for coffee, choose from various teas, hot chocolate, Mexican cocoa, or “London Fog.” Balance it all out with something to eat. Options include Boar’s Head baked goods or sandwiches, or desserts – including your choice of nearly 20 different flavors of gelato.
Hours are 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily at 1007 State Highway 361, in Port A. Call them at 361-749-0825 to find out if your favorites are available.
Crazy Cajun Seafood
Enjoy the mouthwatering tastes of BBQ and authentic Cajun dishes, right in Port A. Order the baby back ribs smothered with BBQ sauce and. Complete the meal with traditional sides like corn on the cob and new potatoes. Satisfy your hunger “by the pound” and order shrimp, snow crab, crawfish (when in season), or smoked sausage by the ½ pound or full pound – please note all seafood is priced at the current market rate.
Chow down on Cajun delights like gumbo with your choice of chicken, sausage, shrimp, or other seafood, or go for the red beans and rice. There are authentic rice dishes to choose from, as well as shrimp Creole, alongside their own “Crazy Cajun” spin on shrimp cocktail. If you just can’t decide, The Hungry Cajun dish combines just about everything on the menu, so you don’t have to choose.
They’re located at 303 East Beach Street in Port A. Hours are Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday 12-11 p.m., and Sunday 12-10 p.m. To place a to-go order, call 361-749-5069. There’s also live music to enjoy with the meal on Fridays and Saturdays!
Fins Grille & Icehouse
Kick off your meal off with starters like homemade seafood gumbo, crispy calamari, nachos, mozzarella sticks, and more. Take your taste buds to the Caribbean with their salad of the same name. It’s bursting with pineapple, craisins, goat cheese, and a variety of other fresh, local ingredients. Choose from an array of sandwiches including Po Boys and crab cake sliders or go for fish or shrimp tacos. Devour their famous burgers with tastes like mushroom Swiss, BBQ, and more.
If you can’t decide, take the advice of the staff. Choose from crab-stuffed fish, garlic fish, grilled Gulf fish, and more. Opt for “surf and turf,” or stay firmly on land with a grilled chicken breast.
Start your taste journey at 420 W Cotter Avenue Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., or Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Call in an order for pick up at 361-749-8646, or order online.
Irie’s Island Bakery
Enjoy morning classics like a cinnamon roll or try their unique “Cruffin” – a unique blend of a croissant and muffin in one. There are traditional croissants as well, along with pies, cakes, cupcakes, fruit tarts, homemade breads, and more. Come back a little later in the day for quick meal options like soups, salads, sandwiches, and a variety of specialty items.
Pick up your favorite bakery delights at 200 W. Avenue G in Port A. Call 361-749-6161 to see if your favorites are in stock or to place a special order. Stop by Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Lisa Bella’s Bistro & Java Bar
Prime your appetite and start out with some lighter fare like Texas Chevre – a blend of creamy goat cheese, fig, rosemary, and honey served with crostinis, or go for their fresh-baked garlic break with Parmesan reggiano. Try the soup of the day, or “Mermaid Soup.” It features a lobster coconut broth, shrimp, curry spices, and “secrets” only known to the staff that prepares it.
Select from an array of salads and pastas, or head straight for a main course. Seafood delights include sea scallops, wild jumbo Gulf shrimp, or seafood enchiladas. Enjoy a little surf and turf with their mixed grill – a six-ounce filet of beef tenderloin, grilled jumbo shrimp, a “duet of sauces,” golden Yukon mashed potatoes, and deliciously tender asparagus.
For dessert, satisfy your sweet tooth with “Hallelujah Chocolate Cake,” carrot ginger cake, or mouthwatering crème brûlée. Round out the meal with a featured cocktail, or the El Cafe Expres: a blend of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Kahlua coffee liqueur, and a shot of espresso served chilled and up.
They’re located at 5009 TX-361 in Port A. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 5:30-9 p.m. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Call 361-749-4222 for more information or to make reservations.
MacDaddy’s Family Kitchen
If you’re looking to add delicious BBQ to your ultimate Port A dining itinerary, make sure to stop in. Select starters including peel & eat shrimp, BBQ nachos, pulled pork, loaded sweet potato fries, and others. Create a BBQ plate with your choice of meats including sliced brisket, pork spare ribs, smoked char-grilled chicken, pulled pork, and more. Ask them to fire up the fryer for fried chicken or shrimp, or even a fried version of the catch of the day. Fill up with a ¼ pound specialty burger, cooked to your specifications.
If you’re looking for something on the lighter side, choose from their many seafood dishes. Items like lemon pepper, blackened, or Parmesan-crusted fish, and more are ready to satisfy any hunger. Finish the meal with a dessert like the cobbler flavor of the day, soft serve ice cream, pecan pie, or a Mexi-Cola or root beer float made with Mexi-Cola or root beer and soft service ice cream.
Find them at 118 Beach Street in Port A. Hours are Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Call 361-749-2271 or visit their website to make a to-go order.
Roosevelt’s at The Tarpon Inn
Whether it’s a special occasion or you’d like to sample the finer tastes of Port A, the fine dining atmosphere is a great place for your next evening meal. Start out with appetizers like jumbo lump crab cakes, Roosevelt’s signature bread, coconut shrimp, and more. Choose from a variety of salads with dressings. Enjoy various pastas or stick to a diet with vegetarian selections like their vegetarian grill, pean seared red snapper, or Parmesan crusted flounder. There are a variety of steak, lamb, poultry, and seafood entrees to choose from, too. Enjoy the Dijon encrusted rack of lamb, 14 oz ribeye or petit filet, grilled mahi-mahi, or even breast of duck. There are a variety of sauces, sides, and extras to make your dish as unique as your taste buds. Share a decadent dessert. Opt for delicious bites like crème brûlée, white chocolate bread pudding, chocolate mousse, or vanilla ice cream with caramel and strawberry drizzle.
Look for them open daily 5-9 p.m. at 224 E Cotter in Port A, behind the historic Tarpon Inn. Call 361-749-1540 or head to their website to make reservations.
Port Aransas Dining at the San Juan Restaurant
Enjoy your favorite south of the border dishes without leaving Port A. Breakfast selections feature a variety of egg dishes: ranchero-style, Mexican-style, or even cactus and eggs! Keep it simple with oatmeal and toast, fill up with pancakes, eggs, and meat, or spice it up with a Mexican omelette.
For lunch or dinner, come for a variety of gorditas, tortas, and soft tacos. Try a “plate” featuring taco salad, chicken fried steak, fajitas, and others. Wrap up the meal with the sweet taste of fried ice cream or a sopapilla bread!
Stop by 410 South Cut Off Road or call 361-749-6521 from 5 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily for delicious food any meal of the day.
Seafood & Spaghetti Works
Start out the meal with delicious seafood including calamari, crab cakes, and mussels, or keep your feet and your taste buds firmly on land with truffle fries, pizza sliders, and more. Enjoy seafood dishes like giant grilled shrimp, fried fish, oysters, and combo platters featuring your favorites. Choose from classic Italian dishes like spaghetti, fettuccine Alfredo, shrimp with angel hair, and a myriad of other choices.
Order up a specialty pizza or create your own from a list of delicious toppings. If you’re not in the mood for seafood or pasta, try their tacos, sandwiches, chicken and steak dishes, and even burgers. Cap the meal with a sweet selection like bread pudding, fudge cake, key lime cheesecake, Butterfinger cheesecake, and others.
Daily hours are 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. at 910 Hwy 361 in Port A. Call 361-749-5666 to ask about take out.
Tortuga’s Saltwater Grill
When you hear your stomach rumble, stop in for a delicious lunch or dinner full of seafood delight. Begin your saltwater taste bud journey and choose starters like crab cakes, poke nachos, or Boudin balls. Lighter fare includes “handhelds” like seafood Po Boys bursting with shrimp, fish, or oysters, or grab a cheeseburger, or a salad of blackened shrimp or grilled chicken.
Choose from a variety of poke bowls, or consider shrimp & grits, redfish Pontchartrain, or the charbroiled catch of the day. Landlovers can dig into steaks, chicken, beef tenderloin, or a variety of pastas.
Hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (brunch) and 3-9 p.m. (lunch and dinner). They are closed on Wednesdays. Find them at 429 N. Alister Street in Port A.
Trout Street Bar & Grill
Choose from a variety of seafood appetizers, salads, and soups to get your lunch or dinner off to a good start. Fill up with entrees including fresh snapper, redfish, or the catch of the day – fresh from Port A’s docks, a ribeye steak, and more. Satisfy your sweet tooth and wrap up the meal with bananas foster pie, carrot cake, a chocolate brownie with ice cream, or an of their other sweet selections.
Stop in at 104 W. Cotter Avenue in Port A. Hours are 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily. For those interested in the ‘dock and dine’ experience, the restaurant has one slip at the Trout Street Yacht Basin available daily on a first-come/first-serve basis. Call 361-749-2739 for more information.
Venetian Hot Plate
Enjoy a tour of Italy without leaving Port A. Start with antipasti like garlic bread, seafood appetizers, and a variety of salads. Choose beef tenderloin medallions, veal scaloppine, duck, pan-searched chicken breast for land lovers. There are various seafood dishes, too. Pastas include spaghetti, linguine, tortellini, lasagna, and fettucine tossed with things add-ons like shrimp, diver scallops, cherry tomatoes, grilled chicken breast and others. Satisfy your sweet tooth with Tahitian vanilla crème brûlée, flourless death by chocolate cake, traditional Italian tiramisu, or Tahitian vanilla bean gelato.
You can’t miss the eye-catching orange building at 232 Beach Avenue in Port A. Hours are Tuesday-Thursday 5-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5-10 p.m., and closed on Sunday and Monday. Call 361-749-7617 for reservations.
An Ultimate Dining Experience & An Ultimate Port A Stay
When you stay in a vacation rental in Port A provided by Sandcastle Condos, you’ll enjoy easy access to the beach and the crashing waves of the Gulf, many activities, attractions, shopping – and delicious local dining options. Experience ultimate Port A accommodations and an ultimate Port A dining experience when you book a vacation rental provided by Sandcastle Condos. We offer one-bedroom units for a solo or sweetheart retreat, all the way up to three bedrooms to treat more loved ones to the delicious local flavors of Port A.
Prepare your own version of something you tasted at your new favorite restaurant, or another favorite meal in the fully equipped kitchen. After the meal, spread out in an open living space for a movie or to relax. Enjoy the view from the private balcony or patio or spend some time around the beachfront community pool.
