Their seafood gumbo and side salad is my favorite. So yummy. I drop in for lunch as often as I can when in the area.

Tasted zero garlic in the scampi sauce (more like lemon butter with emphasis on the lemon). My husband got a fried platter and being this close to the coast we expected fresh seafood, not frozen. Catfish was barely edible, so much of the nasty fat was left. Saw that someone else sent their food back, we probably should have done the same before even trying it. They may have been good 50 years ago, but they seem to be lacking now. On the plus side, the drinks were good even though I couldn't taste the cucumber in mine. They must just REALLY love lemon. Which makes sense because lemon is often used to mask fishy tastes. read more

If you want great seafood at reasonable prices then this place is it. It has stood the test of time and is still here. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The dining area is uniquely decorated to fit the restaurant. read more

Schooner was good at one time, they have gone down hill. I ordered a fried shrimp plate middle size. The shrimp was not cooked fresh. No taste and it was like rubber. Most likely their saving food from other days. It was room temp. No heat at all. The flounder was under cooked showing transparency. The green beans was ok except for the heard twig of the vine in it. I hate to see such an classic resturant go bad. I don't expect it to last long. What a shame. read more

Absolutely the best seafood and steak in southeast Texas Family owned and operated for well over 50 years. You have to give them a try

We're here in Nederland and came here for lunch. The place started in 1947 and my wife and her family all came here as they grew up. Even at this age, the place holds up pretty well and the extensive menu is heavy on local shellfish and fish. She had grilled flounder with Dirty Rice and the taste of both items was great, a real treat! My Shrimp Po Boy was amusing (!) and delicious! Even though it looked like one, it didn't taste like crab! If you're in the area, give it a try. The service was efficient and friendly and ambiance takes you back in time, in a nice way. read more

The Schooner Restaurant - Shrimp Po Boy with character! - Seafood Near Me - Nederland, Texas

Situated in Nederland (between Beaumont and Port Arthur), this mostly-locals restaurant was recommended to us by a Port Arthur resident. The place has been here forever, and is still old school. The food quality and selection is more than awesome (especially the seafood), and the staff are very warm and friendly. The ambiance is relaxed and the locals seem happy to welcome visitors. read more

The Schooner Restaurant - Seafood Gumbo and "BBQ" crabs. I'm in Heaven. - Seafood Near Me - Nederland, Texas

First time back in over 20 years! My wife and I came in today since it's been years since we've been here. It's still the same great place for Seafood!!! She wanted to try the Schooner Appetizer Platter with 4 Cheese Sticks, 4 Boudain Balls, 4 Fried Crab Balls, and 4 Crab meat stuffed Jalapenos. We just picked at this and took most of it home. I also ordered a dozen Oysters on the half shell that were delicious!! For her main meal she ordered the Seafood Platter Broiled, but she had them swap out the Tilapia for Catfish. It also had Shrimp, Scallops, Stuffed Crab, one side of your choice, and a side salad. I had the fried shrimp and oyster platter with a side of fries and a side salad. I had sweet tea with mine and she had just water. Everything was awesome! The Ambience is still as charming as ever! And our young waitress was super helpful, very friendly and attentive. Her name was Sherlyn, so next time you go in ask for her! read more

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I have been coming to this restaurant for over 50 years. This time was terrible. The service was great. The food was bad. When I say bad I mean spoiled. Spoiled rotten barbecue crabs. I sent the crab back and the manager never came out to apologize or offer another crab. Poor management. Its a shame they have been in business for over 75 years. I truly believe it won't be in business for long unless management is changed. read more

Old school seafood restaurant. Dark walls, carts to deliver food. Food is good. I love their crab fingers particularly. Their fried fish & shrimp are crispy and tasty. Don't miss the twice baked potatoes. read more

The Schooner Restaurant - Crab fingers (to go) - Seafood Near Me - Nederland, Texas

Boy meets girl. Boy: "Would you like to go on a date?" Girl: "Yes." Boy: "Good, let's meet at the coffee shop near the mall in Port Arthur." Girl: "You're kidding, right? I don't date broke men." Boy: "Okay, okay, how about The Schooner?" Girl: "Welllllll . . . " Yelp told me "This review is looking pretty epic!" The Schooner Restaurant is not quite epic, but it should satisfy even princesses who want to use a man for free food. As of this writing, The Schooner has been serving seafood and steaks for 78 years. To celebrate, they had a shrimp & catfish deal for $12.95. So while the girl was spending time with the grandparents, the Hunny & I took a trip to this historic place that we'd seen often but never went into. The decor reminds one of life on the water, whether the bayou, Sabine Lake, or the "Guff". The wall has fishing poles, boats, statues of fish, and a brass crab looking down at my wife. The wall in the bar area is full of these decorations. A medium-sized room, and a smaller room when you first walk in. Comfortable, not fancy-pants. Good service with Christi, what more can I write? Okay, the grub. The shrimp & catfish did not stand out as exceptional, but they were done well. The catfish tastes even better with Tabasco sauce. The coleslaw was decidedly bland, almost like a green salad with no dressing, down 1 star. The Hunny loves seafood, and she loved The Schooner's seafood. Overall, pretty good. Eating at The Schooner is like a time warp back to 1964, with its old-timey decor and easy listening music. In a way, it's like my many times eating at Nate 'N Al's in Beverly Hills. Both are old school, deliberately not updating much. Both could raise their prices, and chose not to. Both serve good food for the money. Just don't get the coleslaw, and you should be fine, whether for a lunch with your coworkers, a family outing, or a date with a snooty princess who told you that she's a 10. read more

I had blackened shrimp and catfish. Everything was delicious and great service! I love the au gratin potatoes too.

The Schooner has been part of my dining experience since I was a very young child. I've NEVER had a bad experience there. The food is delicious every time and the service is friendly and efficient. I have nothing but good things to say about Schooner! read more

My family ordered four ribeyes, and to our absolute disbelief, three of them showed up as nothing more than slabs of fat. There was barely any actual meat on them at all. When we brought this to the manager's attention, he only half-apologized and then immediately tried to justify it by claiming that all their ribeyes were "the same," as if serving cooked chunks of fat somehow qualified as a proper steak. He refused to remake the meals and told us we could "order something else" if we didn't like it, which was unbelievably dismissive and unprofessional. It honestly felt like they were hoping we wouldn't complain and would just accept being served subpar food. The only redeeming part of the entire visit was our waitress, who was incredibly kind, patient, and clearly doing her best despite the nonsense coming from management. read more

The Schooner Restaurant - ribeye - Seafood Near Me - Nederland, Texas

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OMG !!! First timer but not a last timer !!! Extensive menu choices make it hard on what to choose. Great atmosphere, service, and food !!! A must try if you're in the area !!! read more

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I want to give a 5 star review to Mr Matt & Miss Marely. I only had 20 dollars or less due to traveling and bills expenses. I was not ashame to let them know & they accepted me for who i was with no judgement at all and stopped everything they was doing to help me ... This is exactly the best southern hospitality ive recieved in a long time especially from a five star resturant read more

The food was delicious and the service was excellent. I enjoyed the family type atmosphere. We will be back.

The food was nasty. We had multiple dishes with our party of 30, and the fish tasted old. The potatoes gratin were crusty. The salad was wilted. There was hair in the gumbo, and the rue was so dark it was like gasoline. There was a fake fingernail wrapped in the silverware. The wait staff was kind, but only one person was taking care of 30 people. Everything took a long time. The decor and low quality food showed this is an old establishment, but not in a good way. read more

Food has always been exceptional. My family has been eating there for over 40 years. My favorite is the grilled flounder filet. Always great. Their gumbo is excellent. read more

Looked like a nice restaurant with history and great decor, however was not impressed with the food or wait staff. Very limited beer selection and unknowledgeable wait staff about the beer selections. Asked the waitress where the local land mark "Welkom Nederland" sign was and had no clue. Neither offered to ask. Waitress did not smile and seemed very disinterest and not enjoying her job. My Pontchartrain sauce did not look appealing. It was a yolk yellow and did not taste like any Pontchartrain I have ever tasted. The oyster Po boy was good, but did need a sauce. Asked for tarter sauce for on the sandwich. read more

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Service was good and salad fresh. Fried shrimp was not good. In my opinion it almost tasted as if it was refried. Tartar sauce was good. Was working in the area and just gave it a try. read more

Ma'am...this is the bomb here!!! The food the drinks the bartender omg!!! This and the Pompano are the only good places to eat around Beaumont. Fresh oh so fresh!!! Listen, don't let the sign fool ya it's good!! read more

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The shrimp & grits- DELISH Everything we ordered tasted like true Cajun cooking We can't wait to go back read more

Normally I have a great experience with dinner here, not tonight. I took my family out for steaks and out of the 4, 3 Ribeye steaks were 90% fat and completely inedible. When we alerted a manager he was immediately offended saying his father personally cut the meat and that they would not be remaking our meals as they would turn out the exact same (which has never been the case any time we've been here previously). The only saving grace is our waitress was so sweet and understanding, she handled the situation very well. read more

The Schooner is a nice seafood restaurant in Port Arthur. It's fancy but not overly so. As much as it pains me to say this, as I am from Louisiana, it turns out that Louisiana does not have a monopoly on mixing flour and oil. The Schooner's shrimp & crab gumbo was fantastic. Easily in my top 5 favorite gumbos. I also had the fried crab claws with tartar sauce and those were great as well. For a long time I've referred to this combo as my death row meal and if it came from The Schooner that'd be fine by me. Oh the grand margarita was great also. read more

The Schooner Restaurant - Shrimp & crab gumbo. Phenomenal. - Seafood Near Me - Nederland, Texas

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Horrible experience I order the 1855 wagyu steak and bake potato, husband ordered T-bone steak and jambalaya. Appetizer we got the schooner sampler. The stuffed jalapeños were not cooked all the way. My wagyu steak I wasnt unable to chew it the closer I got to the middle and the bake potato was dry. Came to the table cold with topping on the side. The tbone was greasy and well done on one side and medium rare on the other. We never got our salad, soda was flat manager was rude most definitely wasn't expecting for a discount cause we were just going as first timers. I guess since we looked younger than the usual crowd he was expecting for us to request a discount! But the manager came to the table telling us how many bite we took. Seem like a senior citizen type of restaurant so understandable that's why a refund wasn't expected but for him to come to the table and not take to criticism openly show how undermining and unprofessional this manager is. Will never return but may may not be missed again this restaurant is for a older crowd read more

The Schooner Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Nederland, Texas

I went here for a quick company lunch, and was I disappointed. As an avid fan of seafood, I was looking forward to it. I ordered the lunch blacked catfish that came with a salad and a side. The catfish was VERY bland and the food was just not good. The salad was only good because I drowned it with the thousand island dressing, which I'll admit the dressing was good, if it was made in house (which I doubt). The potato salad was enormous, and honestly the only thing that gave this review two stars. It had chunks of potatoes in it, which if you can tell from my previous reviews that I love texture. All in all, although, my co-workers seemed to enjoy the atmosphere for the most part, the food was mediocre at best and the service was subpar. read more

The Schooner Restaurant - Lunch blackened catfish - Seafood Near Me - Nederland, Texas

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Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. A senior citizen group of 28 from Houston, Texas had lunch at Schooner. Talk to Steve one of the owner several time and made reservation. Never told him that it was a banquet. After arriving at Schooner we were given a sheet of paper with several dishes we were told we had to order from. A banquet meal is specific food that is selected by for a group and you have a choice of selection that is paid for. We were told we could not order from the regular menu. There were not a price on any of the dishes. After inquiring about the price, we were not told that it included a soda with meal. There were senior citizens from age 55 to 90. We were put into a room with 1 waiter to wait on 29 people it was 35 minutes before we even got water to drink. Only got bread with our meal which was 1 hours after getting there. Several seniors complained to I was told George who is also the owner. When he called (me) the organize a liar to 5 of the senior citizens talking to him and said that she knew that they were going to have to select from a banquet menu. He's the liar, Steve never told me that, and when I called the morning of at 10:30 and spoke with George he never said that we could not order off the regular menu. Steve nor George ever came to check on the group. i called and spoke with George and he called me a liar. I told him that I would most definitely let the others group coming from Houston know not to eat there. We were treated like we were getting a free meal. The waiter did a good job waiting on us by himself hats off to him. SC..W George and Steve, will never eat there again. read more

This place has been a staple in my family even before I was born. Amazing seafood and great people that work there!!!

A friend has been telling me for years how good is this restaurant's food. So we finally drove there from The Woodlands for lunch. The bbq crabs (really fried not bbq) were fantastic as was the seafood gumbo. Also had the lunch plate of fried shrimp and catfish, which also was excellent. Service was friendly and attentive. read more

Really enjoyed my meal here last night. Loved how this was an authentic Texas seafood restaurant that has been in business for so long. Food quality was high and the drinks tasted great! Our server was also very friendly and attentive. read more

Husband got steak and shrimp it was good. I got a chopped sirloin not good it was an unbreaded salsbury steak waitress failed to inform us .. The drink was good oysters good ambiance good. We had to ask for A1 sauce. Crackers instead of being asked did we need. read more

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Ambiance great spotless rest rooms great prices great service wonderful food I had a salad with house dressing catfish fried shrimp and au gratin potatoes all excellent.Well worth the drive from League City read more

Not much for ambiance but our visit to The Schooner was delicious. The wait staff was cheerful, friendly, and helpful despite the fact that our visit was near closing time. We had oysters as an appetizer-delicious! I had a large bowl of shrimp and crab gumbo which was well seasoned. My husband had the seafood platter. His only complaint was that the shrimp was over cooked. We will give it another try next time we are in the area. read more

The service was good, but my husband got food poisoning from the stuffed mushroom appetizer. We probably won't go again.

The food is terrible it was my first time here and I found a bug in my salad wouldn't recommend there's so many better places in the area to go to the fish was undercooked and still frozen from the freezer no quality control from the kitchen the cooks should be ashamed of themselves read more

I have to say I was disappointed in my dining here, especially for the price point. We ordered a variety. I had the fried platter, wife had the fried shrimp, kids had blackened catfish and a grilled chicken salad. The only thing fried well were the shrimp. All of my other fried items were very dark and hard on the outside and the hush puppies and stuffed shrimp and crab were still "wet" inside from not being cooked long enough. I figure their grease was too hot so items look done but aren't. The blackened catfish my daughter said had a strange flavor. The other didn't eat the grilled chicken just the salad. For almost $100 I think I'll spend it somewhere else. Unfortunately Touch of Cajun was closed this day. read more

Either 1 or 2 stars. The food is not good. The BBQ crab... it was ok. Looks better than it taste. The gumbo... tasted boxed. The crab balls, stuffed mushrooms and jalapeños were all prepackaged. Yuck. read more

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I will definitely recommend the Fried Crabs and Greek Salad I'm from Houston I haven't had any food like this in Houston read more

One of the oldest and still one of the best seafood restaurants in the area is The Schooner Restaurant located in Nederland. I had lunch with a friend not long ago and we were both pleased with everything from the service to each dish we pigged out on. Our waiter was Caleb. He made our visit enjoyable and was very knowledgeable and helpful with the menu. The Schooner is presently celebrating 75 Years in Texas. They have a special celebration menu offered Monday-Thursday only. Make sure you ask to see it. I will post a pic down below. For my entrée I ordered a regular bowl of seafood gumbo that was packed with shrimp, crab and crawfish for $9.50. The roux was dark and the flavor was bangin'. A perfect reminder that fall is around the corner. I will order the deluxe bowl next time which is larger for $10.50. My other entrée was two stuffed crab with a side of au gratin potatoes. These stuffed crabs are house-made daily, prepared, fried and are delicious and huge. I only ate one and brought the other one home for bae. The au gratin potatoes are legit, please order that for your side. My friend ordered the fish and shrimp and everything was fresh and filling. Do yourself a favor, save your gas from traveling across state line, we have excellent seafood here at an affordable price. I ordered a plate to go for hubby and my bill came to $38 plus change. A good price for three seafood entrées. Thank you again for supporting locals. This place is Best Bites approved. #bestbitesbest #bestbitesbest #betterinbeaumont #keepingmoneylocal The Schooner Restaurant Maria Megas Pate read more

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