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The Gumbo Diner

4.0 (1.5k reviews)
Open • 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Updated a few days ago
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THE GUMBO DINER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Classy
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - The Gumbo Diner

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Fried Shrimp Special
Sheila L.

While in Galveston for a cruise, we finally tried The Gumbo Diner on a friend's recommendation, and we were not disappointed! The space is small but cute, and the food is packed with flavor. The manager greeted us at the door and got us seated right away. We started with the Jacked Up Jalapeños. Extra-large golden fried jalapeños stuffed with crab, shrimp, and crawfish. Absolutely yummy. My husband ordered the seafood gumbo and said it was some of the best he's ever had. Fair warning: portions are generous, so come hungry, you're definitely getting your money's worth! I went with the fried shrimp daily special, and the shrimp were fried to perfection. The fries were crispy outside, soft inside, and the coleslaw was delicious. Their cocktail and tartar sauces were a great finishing touch too. No review would be complete without mentioning the service. Caleb was extremely attentive, and the manager made frequent rounds checking in on customers. We're not sure what took us so long to try this place, but we're so glad we finally did. We'll definitely be back next time we're in town! Note on some of the pics...the hubs started to dig in before I could get good clean shots

Gumbo Burger
Kara W.

This is the best diner in Galveston. Every meal is good here, but my favorites are the Bourbon Street platter and the po'boys. The burgers are also huge. The shrimp here is gulf coast shrimp, and it's BIG shrimp. I got the shrimp special recently and it was 10 massive fried shrimp with French fries and Cole slaw for $15. Also about any time of day you can come in here and it smells like pancakes. Who doesn't love that?!

Seafood Platter
Abigail R.

Absolutely loved this place. Everything we got was delicious! The service was amazing. All the guys that work here are college students visiting their church ministries for the summer. Great group of solid good, respectful kids working. The restaurant is small diner vibe and only has one restroom for each gender. I want to come back and try other menu items as there was so much. My favs - bacon wrapped shrimp, gumbo, and the french fries are my favorite. I want to try breakfast next.

Inside
Jazlyn R.

Quick trip to this establishment during non peak hours and it was still busy! Love to see a Galveston institution succeeding in business. We also brought along a 2 month old which is harder than it looks. Iykyk. Staff was very helpful and let us sit where she was out of the way. The food was good and the serving size was larger than expected. The restaurant was clean and bathrooms were as well. We will be back!

Outside; Sign
Camilla M.

Locatiom: acroas the Seawall Parking: very little Food: fresh/good Service: "Daniel" very attentive. They freet you at the door. Cleanliness: clean. Price: average. Paid $32 for Mimosa, breakfast, add on toast and grits. The Pancakes are enough to share if you aren't a big Eater. This is super small quaint restaurant.

Bourbon Street Platter
Bec S.

Amazing food and service. The perfect meal after a long day at the beach. The crawfish étouffée is better here than little daddy's

Suelynn N.

I came here with three of my friends for lunch on a Friday afternoon. We were able to get seated very quickly . We ordered the fried seafood platter the grilled fish platter, shrimp and grits with extra grits and a small salad. This was enough for a four of us. They had the best shrimp and grits I've ever had. It was topped with some kind of gravy and cheese. The shrimp was decent sized. The fish was well cooked and flaky. The ones that were fried were battered evenly and well. Some of the french fries were a bit soggy. I'm not a big spicy person, but their jacked up jalapeño was a good appetizer. It was battered well and didn't break apart when you cut it. Since we were doing family style, our waitress brought us as some extra sauces and plates and utensils . She was very sweet, very quick and have checked on us several times amazing service. The tables and chairs were stable and there's free parking out front . You could also see the ocean right across the street from the restaurant. It's a really good spot on the shore. Keep in mind they do not take reservation, but they can post events here . So if you plan to come and be a walk-in, I would expect this place to be busy on evenings and weekends.

Not sure what this is call but it's a pepper filled with seafood and it's good
Lindsay S.

Love this place and love the service. It the last stop we make before heading home . The servers are always so happy to see people walk through the door. I've only ever had the shrimp and grits here and it's so good that's the only thing I'll get here. I e tried it at other places in Galveston and they don't compare. I also have found anything as good back home. I look forward to this dish every year!

Christopher S.

+Customer service was excellent. +Food portions are huge. +The hash browns were crunchy and crispy, just how I like them. -Both, the seafood gumbo as well as the chicken and sausage gumbo, tasted very similar. Hard to describe, but a strong herb flavor at the end that lingers. -The pancakes were a bit too dense and doughy. Thick and fluffy would've been the perfect meal. What we ordered: Kids Cheese Omelette $5.99 Seafood Gumbo $14.99 Chicken and Sausage Gumbo $14.29 All Day Pancakes (3) $11.59 Total: $50.73 post-tax plus tip

Crawfish Étouffee
Jason F.

I stopped by here a couple of days ago with my wife for dinner. We happened to be on the beach nearby when looking for a place to eat and my wife found The Gumbo Diner. When she called in the order they told us it would be ready in 5 to 10 minutes, which I thought was super fast. We arrived at the restaurant about 30 minutes later and the food was waiting to be picked up. Since I was only inside for a moment, I can't say I paid too much attention to the surroundings, but it did remind me of a classic diner. For dinner on this day, I decided to go with the crawfish etouffee. The menu described it as a traditional Cajun delight served with white rice. It was packaged into multiple containers, one for the etouffee, one for the rice, and one for the bread. I appreciated that, since it kept the bread from getting soggy and the rice from soaking up all the etouffee before we got home. After adding it all to a plate, I tried it and thought it was pretty good. The etouffee had plenty of crawfish meat, and the gravy had a nice flavor with a little bit of spice. Both my wife and my mother-in-law thought the shrimp and grits they had were pretty good as well. The bottom line for me is that I would head back here again in the future. I enjoyed my crawfish etouffee and thought the prices were reasonable too.

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16 days ago

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23 days ago

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14 days ago

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2 months ago

Had the sausage and chicken gumbo. Roux was just a tad too dark for my taste but still was good. I'll be back.

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5 months ago

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8 days ago

The Food and Service were great when we stopped in for breakfast before we jumped on a cruise ship.

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4 months ago

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2 months ago

SIGNATURE DISH!! THE GUMBO!!! YUUUUMMMY! Full of seafood and meats, wonderful flavor, staff are very kind.

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1 year ago

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Page 1 of 37

Ask the Community - The Gumbo Diner

Do you need to make a reservation?

No, first come, first served

Do they serve oysters on the half shell?

Yep!

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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I'm always reluctant to leave a negative review for a local business because I genuinely want to…read moresee local businesses succeed and thrive. That's especially true with MAC-IES on Broadway. When they first opened, I was excited to see them get their own space, and my early experiences were great--the service was fast, the food was good, and I was happy to support them. Unfortunately, something seems to have changed. On multiple recent visits for takeout, I've found myself waiting as long as 25 minutes for what should have been a relatively simple order, while customers who ordered after me and were dining in received their food much sooner. Unfortunately, the bigger issue is that when I finally get home, the order has frequently been wrong. I also typically order a chocolate shake with my meal. The shake is usually prepared almost immediately, which sounds great--except that by the time my food is ready, the shake has been sitting long enough to be completely melted. At that point, I usually just take the order and leave because I don't want to make a scene over something that should be easily avoidable. I've also used DoorDash to order from MAC-IES twice, and both times my order was incorrect. I've continued giving MAC-IES chances because I genuinely want to see them succeed. I believe in supporting local businesses, and I'd much rather leave a five-star review than a negative one. But after repeated problems with wait times, order accuracy, and overall consistency, I've reached the point where I have to be honest about my experience. Lesson learned: I'll be spending my money elsewhere. I sincerely hope MAC-IES can get these issues addressed because I'd like to see them succeed. But for me, enough is enough. I won't be returning to the Broadway location.

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The Gumbo Diner - seafood - Updated October 2026

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