Willie G's Galveston

We had to go to Galveston for a homework assignment.

Luckily, right next door is a good lunch spot. 

Since my kid won't do the fish restaurant, we went to Willlie G's.

I got a mocktail version of whiskey sour.  Let me tell you, whatever brand that is of the zero proof whiskey was not tasty.  So maybe try something else. 

The salad, however was spot on.  I got the steak salad, the steak is good. Besides base lettuce, it has eggs, avocado, red onion, radish, tomato.  I asked for the vinaigrette on the side, but it worked out nicely.  There's a lot of protein here, so it was super filling.  But no complaints from me because we got the view of the harbor. 

The mood is definitely nothing like its Uptown counter-part.  No extra eyelashes needed to come here.  The mood at this place is spiffy island living. Nice, casual and decent food and service.  This is located at Pier 21, past the cruise ship terminal.  You can get free parking there for 3 hours, just let your server know but be sure to know your license plate.  The Tall Ship Elissa is between the 2 restaurants here.  So you might as well park there and then walk around.  The Tall Ship has alot of history and their museum also give you a glimpse of early immigrants and how they land and survive once they arrived at Galveston. 

Willie G's - Galveston

2100 Harborside

Galveston, TX 77550

409-762-3030

https://www.williegs.com/location/willie-gs-galveston/

 

Sugar & Rye

Another cute brunch place in Galveston, thanks Yelp!

is Sugar & Rye.  Lots of review and we have to go check that out. 

They were so busy that we asked to be squeezed into a smaller table so we get seated faster.  They do not take reservations for party of 8 or less.  

But that wasn't going to stop us!  Got our beverages...

Had Fried Green Tomato to start.  It's interesting, the tomato itself fell apart a little, usually the slices are pretty hardy.  But they drizzled the Jalapeño Ranch on top and have corn bread at the bottom.  Altogether one bite was very delicious, that combo worked!

For entree, I got the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.  There's enough chicken but I felt not enough sausage.  Also their roux is actually spicy.  You don't taste it in the first few bites, but once you get going, I feel it.  It's not bad, but wish there were more meat. 

The place is cute, decor is neat.  They have patio seating at the front (street side) and their back patio.  Inside has 2 dining rooms.  But for brunch, getting there early is wise.  Parking is street parking only, so keep your eyes peeled, we were lucky 2 cars were leaving and we were able to park with ease. 

Sugar & Rye

2401 Church Street

Galveston, TX 77550

409-539-5318

https://www.sugarandryegalveston.com/

 

The Sunflower Cafe

By recommendation, we went down to the Sunflower Cafe for brunch.

We caught the tail end of brunch really, but it was crowded for families coming here for breakfast. 

We got the Bread Pudding French Toast topped with fresh fruit.  Definitely the table's favorite.

Challah French Toast, which was a tad dryer than the Bread Pudding one. 

This is the Barbacoa Omelete, 3 eggs with brisket inside.  YUM!

Slice of Spinach Quiche with a side of fruit, that is also a crowd favorite. 

On the other side of the shop, is their bakery.  Talk about pies galore.  The one that stands out the most here is the Pecan Chocolate pie, which is a slice of Pecan pie dipped in chocolate very unique.

They also have regular meringue and chocolate meringue too, puffs and individual size pies.

Or breakfast pastries.  P.s. their Banana loaf was great. 

All in all, it's a cute mom & pop type diner/breakfast joint.  It's very homey and you can tell they are not pretentious about their food despite how successful at this business. 

We were super lucky, when we pulled up someone was leaving and got an excellent parking spot.  They do have a few parking at the front of the shop, a small lot next to the building, but you can do street parking.  Should you do that, please pay attention to the signs. 

The Sunflower Cafe

512 14th street

Galveston, TX 77550

409-763-5500

https://thesunflowerbakeryandcafe.com/

 

Trattoria La Vigna

We came to dinner for our group. 

The place is quaint, it's small but expanded piece by piece in the old buildings in the area.  Keep in mind, even though there's a huge parking lot next door, they are not related to the restaurant, so park at your own risk.  Or! Take advantage of the Trolley in the area. 

Funny thing, when we sat down, the menu was 90% wine list and 10% food list.... 

Luckily, we got the Blue Crab Ravioli - It was delicious and has lots of crab meat inside the ravioli.  The sauce was divine. 

Now with that said, the whole experience was a tad weird.  First off, they only have 2 restroom for a huge space, and one of which was not working.  When we informed our server, she told us to tell someone else.  we weren't sure if she was joking or actually meant it.  And while taking our order, it was definitely not a warm experience.  We're not asking you to chit-chat with us, or upsell us on dishes or wine, but at the same time, the sentiment felt like we interrupted her evening by coming to dine there.  All the while, the owner person is playing gambling game online on her laptop.  

The two dining rooms were full of guests, but it's kinda weird that the owner is playing a game so openly.  Meanwhile, I'm eyeing the tables around us, who are getting better service and friendlier staff attending to them.  Sigh.... 

Trattoria La Vigna

412 20th Street

Galveston, TX 77550

409-497-4927

https://trattorialavignagalveston.com/

 

Pineapple Parlor

This week will be featuring Galveston's eateries....

I saw on IG that there's a speakeasy, thought we'd go check it out.  The place is super duper small, so if you have a party between 5-8 people, make a reservation.  

What we had learned is that, even if you had a reservation, you did not get 'the code'. 

Welp, because you need the code to open the gate.  Psst, the trick is to subscribe to their newsletter and you'll get the updated code as they change them periodically. 

Once you open the gate, there's a hostess stand to greet you and get you seated. 

For this Tiki themed speakeasy, there sure have alot of pineapple paraphernalia.  Which also reminds us the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song. 

So how it works here is that you order a drink and food pairing comes along with it.  Here's our challenge, we were here for happy hour then dinner after.  So food at this hour wasn't really needed. 

Didn't take pics of the drinks because it was too dark anyhow, so here's the food.  (Clockwise) There's Spam Musubi - it was like a sushi roll cut in half.  It's not bad, but nothing outstanding.  Then there's Crab Rangoon Nacho - that one actually was very delicious.  I wouldn't mind having more of that. 

Then we have Pineapple Macaroni Salad, which was meh.  Then Chicken Skewers. 

You can also order food on top of what they offer with the pairing.  So I ordered the Mango Sticky Rice, sadly that tasted like old rice with whip cream and chunks of mango.  That was super disappointing. 

If you wonder if you got the right place.  The bar upfront has pineapple wallpaper, you can always grab a drink there if you didn't get in or have a reservation.  The bar has decent amount of seating at the bar, but now that weather is getting nicer, they have plenty of tables in their back patio for all to enjoy.

Pineapple Parlor

2701 Market St

Galveston, TX

409-497-2760

https://pineapple-parlor.com/

 

Moody Garden - Cafe in the Park

Rise and Shine from Galveston!

The Sunrise and Sunset from their hotel room offers a beautiful view.  

I ordered Corned Beef Hash.  Since I was ordering off menu, the order took longer than usual.

I promise, there are meat underneath the eggs.  Doesn't the potato looks like funky hair do?

I ordered a side of bacon for my kiddo.  It was a lot of food for sure.  By comparison, the price for ordering off menu versus buffet, which is what Cafe in the Park is known for, is about the same.  The buffet has a great spread, with waffle bar and omelette bar, but since I'm on a diet, I'm very limited in what I can eat.  That said, I've been able to eat whatever, just need to do it in moderation.

Cafe in the Park

insides the Moody Garden Hotel 

7 Hope Blvd

Galveston, TX 77554

888-388-8484

https://www.moodygardenshotel.com/dining