Visiting from Austin for the week, this was the only restaurant we ate at in Matagorda. Service: seated quick and our server was attentive, though not particularly friendly. Ambience: minimal lighting, tables grouped closely together. Food: absolutely horrendous and egregiously priced. Most menu items come with a salad. Here's their salad stacking system: they place about a dozen filled salad plates on the counter. Then the servers stack the plates, where the bottom of each plate squishes down on each salad directly below it, and then they distribute to the tables. I unfortunately had already eaten my three salvageable bites of wilted dirty-counter salad before I saw this. So gross. Complimentary bread was just basic warmed dinner rolls with those little airplane butter packets in a basket on the table. You pay for more bread if you want it. We ordered the $21.95 crab rolls, the $13.95 gumbo, and a $6.00 baked potato. The crab rolls, we expected crab on rolls (bread). They were actually deep-fried crab... dumplings?... where the fried breading on the outside was also present and undercooked on the inside. The strangest thing we've ordered in a long time, and I acknowledge we could've asked about it first, but again... we thought we knew what a crab roll was. The gumbo was a mess of soggy sad veggies (mostly celery) and what looked like minute rice. There were minimal chunks of what could've been shrimp? If Campbells soup made a gumbo in a can, it would taste exactly like what I was served. I thought it was a safe order, I was wrong. The dry baked potato came with those nuclear red fake-bacon bits on the side, sour cream and shredded cheese. No green onions, no butter to spruce it up at all. I thought a $6 baked potato would have more pizazz. Our favorite thing was the fries that came with the abomination that was the crab rolls. They were crispy. Who don't like crispy fries? So anyway, I highly recommend not ordering anything we tried if you want to have a better experience here. We ourselves will not be back, ever. read more

Waterfront - Gumbo, baked potato, part of a "crab roll" next to the potato - Seafood Near Me - Matagorda, Texas

Good was alright , service sucked the girl that was our waitress was more interested in talking to her friends that taking care of our table. The food wasn't the best but honestly there aren't many choices in the place not gonna like food wasn't that bad . The place look good and the vibes okay read more

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Amazing! Fresh food, wonderful service, What a great surprise in a small fishing town! We will definitely be back. Also there's a nice view of a marina while you eat. read more

Cute little two-story building you get to see a panoramic view of the bay and bridge and water. Would be a great place to take a date for a sunset dinner. The waitstaff is very helpful and attentive. She made the swirl margarita sound amazing and if I wasn't riding my bike back to Tomball I would have had one. The flounder was really good I enjoyed it but my husband didn't enjoy his shrimp porboy unfortunately and hes not picky like me so that was unfortunate. Our friend that was with us his food was cold. We still had a good time and we'd come back. read more

Waterfront - Stuffed flounder - Seafood Near Me - Matagorda, Texas

The woman who sat us was super friendly and very nice. She however wasn't our waitress. While our waitress wasn't rude, it was like we were a bother. Didn't ask if we wanted dessert or another drink, just gave us the check. We were one of 2 tables so wasn't like they were busy. When we left she was at a table with 3 other women chatting while the friendly hostess was working and thanked us for coming. That being said - view is great! Prices are reasonable! Food was very good. I'd go back, maybe it was an off night. Everyone is entitled to a bad day, we're human. read more

Waterfront - Seafood Near Me - Matagorda, Texas

Great spot to eat when visiting the Gulf shores south of Houston. Brandi is a gracious owner and runs a tight ship. That means great, friendly service, food and drinks. Yes, the drinks they have are reason enough to go! I got the fried Flounder and highly recommend it. read more

Enjoyed the cozy little waterfront restaurant! Great potato fixins...very old school, which I love! Stuffed shrimp were good and different than most I've had! The coconut shrimp with mango were delicious!! read more

About the only place in town! Tried another restaurant but it is padlocked! This place is a bit pricey, but the food is decent, and the staff is friendly. He had the shrimp and fish platter with onion rings, all good! I had the coconut shrimp with a baked potato....all good. The food was fine, but not notably amazing. Since it's one of the only places in town, well, it will do. read more

Probably one of the most disappointing meals we've had for a while. We had a large group of 7 and came after fishing in Matagorda. Interior seems dated and the menu was a bit lazy. Everything that came out tasted frozen and from a grocery store. The waitress said their best dish was chicken fried steak... at a seafood restaurant by the water... we left after briefly eating and trying our entrees. Prices are premium for the area but the quality of food was not. There are better culinary options in nearby Bay City. read more

Waterfront - a menu for a restaurant on a table - Seafood Near Me - Matagorda, Texas

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Frozen to fried with $7 premium in cost for view. Coconut shrimp sweet not savory and grease of one fills a napkin. Crab ball wad of bread. Salad limp. Paid 22 for a meal that would be 15 anywhere else. Waitress too busy. Went there 2 years ago wasn't this bad. read more

We visited the Waterfront in Matagorda, Texas during a family road trip. The restaurant is easy to find and has plenty of parking. There are both stairs and a ramp for those that are not able to navigate stairs which was super helpful for our party. The staff is very welcoming and attentive. They provided a table with an amazing view. The food came out quickly. We dined on: - Dinner Salad - Fried Seafood platter (Shrimp, fish, crab rolls & oysters) - Stuffed flounder with a baked potato - Fried fish with a baked potato - Chicken fingers - Key lime pie If we are in Matagorda in the future, we are likely to visit this restaurant again. I hope you have enjoy your visit if you decide to dine in. read more

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Love love love this seafood restaurant in Matagorda County! Food is excellent service is great! A big bonus is that you can see the water and all of the boats and barge is coming through. read more

Felt very unwelcome at this restaurant. Food was lacking spices. Over priced for mostly frozen food. Will Not return.

Food was okay... a bit over battered. Service was good but I had to call over the waitress a couple of times. Nice view of the marina

There was a variety of choices grilled, broiled and fried of most offerings. Drinks were excellent. View of the harbor and quick service. We will be back. read more

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This is the only restaurant on the harbor. All you have to do is just make use of the plentiful amount of fresh seafood available. The reason I say this is because when I asked our waitress what was the best thing on the menu the answer was "chicken fried steak". Steak was a thick cut, but it only served to make it extremely chewy. I wouldn't recommend it or anything else fried here either. All the apps are fried something or other, all equally as bland as the next. Even the grilled flounder, which is considered to be some of the best most tender fish in the Texas coast area, was flayed in into squares and tough. The salads aren't even worth getting along with the meals, the are proportioned (not a crime in itself) little plates of wilted bagged salad mix. Our group instantly regretted eating here. Granted we aren't locals, and are used to a more competitive food community, that's no excuse for the lack of effort seemingly. read more

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Came here while on vacation the food was good with a nice view of the river. I got the burger for lunch and it was one of the best I've had.

Waterfront was recommended by a friend while we were camping in Matagorda. A great recommendation! I had the fried everything plate with the coleslaw and baked potatoes. My husband had the shrimp po boy. Everything tasted great. Nice, cozy marina atmosphere. The waitress was friendly and funny! We enjoyed our dinner! The baked potato toppings were awesome! read more

Waterfront - Fried everything (I can't remember what the plate is called) and the shrimp po boy. - Seafood Near Me - Matagorda, Texas

Local place really needing an update. Worn out carpet on a beach environment is probably as moldy as it gets The staff is friendly but they are totally disregarding COVID and no wearing any masks or gloves , which is really disappointing. food is ok. Shrimps are frozen, you can tell by the taste, really sad considering they are in the bay Chicken fingers are also frozen, dry and full of breading Baked potato meh... bacon bits from a container Overall really disappointing visit, starting with the lack of COVID guidelines read more

Waterfront - Main room - Seafood Near Me - Matagorda, Texas

Nice view over looking the harbor,but the food was plain and lacked flavor and seasoning. I got the stuff flounder and one of my sons had chicken tenders and the other had frog legs and wife got a burger all was lacking flavor. The service was ok. read more

This is a locally owned business and provides a much needed service in Matagorda. The owners are hard working, honest, and try their very best to give their customers an enjoyable experience. The wait staff are friendly and work hard to please the customers. The food is also very good. The flat iron steak is always cooked perfectly. If you've had a long day on the water fishing or at the beach with friends and family and don't feel like cooking, this is an excellent place to take your group, be it large or small. read more

Food here is quite good. Prices are high unless you get a burger or tenders but is as expected in a touristy beach town. Staff is friendly service is good. Food came out wuick nothing to complain about. Nice little pit stop read more

We have eaten here before, but it's been years. It still smells great and the view of Matagorda Harbor is amazing. Watching the barges go by in the inter coastal canal is always fun. Just seeing all the shrimp boats is refreshing. I already had barbecue for dinner, so tonight I'm having the shrimp po' boy. read more

We had a large party and came in close to closing. Our server was great and very attentive. Food was definitely worth it!

Always my go to restaurant when in Matagorda. Good food,friendly service. I usually get the fried flounder !! Must get the chocolate eruption cake , it's more of a cheese cake, but it is amazing. read more

Despite the earlier reviews, we can here for the view of the harbor and to get fresh oysters on the half shell. Both were very satisfying. This place was a perfect Sunday afternoon late lunch, early dinner meal. We had a cold beer and a dozen oysters, but that wasn't enough because we go a half dozen more. Then we ordered Ahi Tuna Steak and Broiled Flounder nothing accompanied with baked potatoes. Everything can put in perfect timing and was appealing to look at. We each had to share a bite of the others because it was scrumptious. The tuna was grilled perfectly pink center. The Flounder was broiled with perfect skin and still juicy. This is a clean place and the waitress was very attentive to our every need. We will come back here again and again. read more

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Everything but the plate is fried. Friendly service and the food is good! Just know what you're getting into.

The food was so-so. Most of the seafood was frozen & not local. The waitress was friendly & pleasant. For the price they could at least have a place for your purse in the ladies bathroom. Would not recommend. read more

Definitely will be visiting again! The margaritas and the food was amazing! Great atmosphere. read more

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The wait was about 45 minutes to get a table Saturday evening, but the food and the staff made up for it. The stuffed jalapeño appetizer was delish. I also had the stuffed shrimp which were great too! I'll definitely be back. read more

When in Matagprda, we always eat here. You just can't beat the harbour view and the delicious fresh gulf seafood, prepared simply and served up hot and with attentive service. We started with an order of raw oysters, which came out on lettuce instead of on shells - that means they came from a bucket and were not shucked to order. No worries though - the oysters were fat, fresh, and delicious (we also got more than a dozen). For the meal I had the fried oyster Po boy, which came with 5 large oysters fried in a crispy seasoned cornmeal on a buttered and grilled bun. The Po boy was very good, but after the generous hand with the raw oysters, I wished I had a few more in my Po boy. One companion also the oyster Po boy, while the other had the fried shrimp platter. Her shrimp were also dredged in seasoned cornmeal and fried up perfectly. French fries rounded out her meal. In all, we enjoyed our meal very much, but the bucket oysters and light hand with the Po boy makes us think this is a 4 star place. 4 solid stars read more

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We have been coming to Waterfront for years. It never disappoints. Love the coconut Shrimp. The chicken fried chicken and chicken fried steak are always good. Salad is simple but always fresh and delicious! Ask for their fresh baked bread you will love it ! New owners have now made it even better. Highly recommend if your in the area ! read more

Always yummy and the staff is always friendly and the sea food is always fresh and the view is fabulous. It is worth the drive all the way from Lake Conroe to come eat. read more

We really enjoyed this restaurant. The waitress was very friendly and kind. The service was quick. The food was good. I had the fried oysters and they were some of the best Ive ever had. My husband had the coconut shrimp which was wonderful with the pineapple dipping sauce. The fried pickles were ok, onion rings were good, grilled vegetables were very good. My daughters had crab rolls and baked crab. They weren't impressed but I think that was just their preference, not how it was cooked. It was expensive, but most restaurants are these days. Overall, I do recommend this restaurant, and we will be back next time we are in Matagorda. read more

I have had some less than perfect dining experiences before but I have to hand it to the Waterfront for the worst experience without even dining. My wife and I arrived at the restaurant. The dining room was about 75% full. We were told to be seated where ever we like. We picked a table. We noticed there were plenty of wait staff. At least 2 different ladies serving the other tables around us. I noticed a woman sitting alone in the corner drinking wine. The reason I noticed her was because for some reason she was the center of attention for 2 of the waitresses. Each spend a solid 10 mins each just lingering and chatting with this woman. Like old friends. The hustle and bustle was completely tuned out for them. They were comfortably lingering, one leg on the floor and one knee on a chair, half sitting. Meanwhile waitresses walked by us and almost seemed as if we were intentionally being ignored. they literally turned their head away as they walked by. We couldn't get their attention. Is this some kind of private club we mistakenly thought was a public business? Unfortunately that is a question we never got to ask as we never got a menu, or checked on by anyone. After over 25 mins of being ignored we left. Again as we walked out not a single staff member acknowledged our existence. We have travelled the country from coast to coast, northern border to southern and have never had an experience like this one. I almost felt like I was a ghost... I wish there was a negative rating because that would be 5 stars. The photo is of the second waitress holding court with the lady drinking wine. Congratulations Wine lady, you seemed to have had a 5 star experience. Bit at what cost. I truly hope you aren't the owner... read more

Waterfront - Waitress holding court with the wine lady. - Seafood Near Me - Matagorda, Texas

Note: Address given by Yelp is incorrect. This restaurant is located in the Matagorda Harbor just over the levee. It is worth a stop, check it out. After a long morning of non-productive fishing, I decided seafood was in order for lunch. At my cousin's recommendation who lives in Matagorda, I stopped by the Waterfront restaurant in the Matagorda Harbor. Nice view of the harbor from inside. The decor is simple Matagorda fishing everything with a touch of touristy junk here and there. The wait staff were friendly and the service nice. I ordered a fried flounder. Be sure to look up my pictures of the flounder, woof! It was the real deal people, about as good as it gets. They simply take a whole flounder, score the meatiest side, and lightly bread it in a cornmeal based breading. Then drop the whole thing in the fryer and walla! It was delicious and most enjoyable. I can't say enough good about it. I'm sure it came with side of something, I think I recall a simple lunch salad served. But I was so focused on the flounder nothing else had stayed with me. I would have given them a 5 star, but I wanted a cup of gumbo. They do serve gumbo. They make a fatal error that is unacceptable where roux based gumbo is concerned, in my humble (not-so-humble) opinion. They add stinking slimy nasty fuzzy soggy gross okra to their gumbo. When I heard that, I decided to not violate my spiritual being with such impurities. Can you tell I don't care for okra in gumbo? Total mystery to me. I bet if you like such things, their offering of okra with some gumbo would be delicious. All in all, nice modern clean place to get a simple well done plate of Matagorda seafood. Don't come here to save money, come here to eat fresh seafood. Recommended (except the okra part) read more

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Great food and wonderful service We love having a glass of wine and watching the boats come in

Excellent service, the waitress was super friendly and very helpful. But for the price that we paid they at least could have fresh seafood. Only the shrimp was "fresh". So my advice is to go somewhere else for real seafood not frozen. read more

The service was definitely five star worthy with our attentive, personable waitress Madison! The food was by no means bad, tasted great just not quite 5 star worthy. However the hush puppies are a must to try and we will be back to try out more options sooner than later! read more

Very good! Mom and I came here and split the seafood platter. Came with fried: oysters, fish, crab roll, and 2 shrimps. Comes with fries and a salad. Also with the meal fresh bread and butter which was amazing. The fish was so good, next time I'll stick with just shrimp and fish. That was the highlight of the dish. The kids split onion rings which were awesome. I'll get those next time too. read more