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Aquarium
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Touristy, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
33 reviews for Aquarium
Review Highlights
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"...we shared the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream." In 4 reviews -
"...the grilled red snapper with lump crab & avocado pico." In 2 reviews -
"This is/was a really fun place to eat." In 4 reviews
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33 reviews in English
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Review from Jen R.
2/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
For my first visit at Kemah Boardwalk, my family and I wanted to kill some time and perhaps visit an attraction before lunch. After circling the perimeters of the boardwalk, this place struck our eyes with curiosity as we became interested in taking a gander through this establishment.
As we entered, there were huge floor to ceiling fish tanks everywhere! It certainly caught our eyes, however not only was it an "attraction", it also served as a restaurant upstairs! This was perfect! Arriving just in time for lunch, we all decided to grab a bite here as we all became enamored over all the beautiful array of salt water fishes that surrounded us. We did not have to wait long to be seated as we were whisked away to a round table near the center aquarium and the backdoor to the patio.
Our server was cordial and very clear with the description of items on the menu. For appetizers we started off with the Bruschetta that consisted of Roma Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella Cheese dressed with Balsamic Reduction, Olive Oil and Fresh Basil, served with Toasted Baguettes. This item was punched with flavor and the perfect amount to split amongst our party of four. Along with that, I ordered a cocktail as our server mentioned that if you buy a drink, you get to keep the glass which I was all in favor for. My Dad is not much of a cocktail drinker, but he thought the idea was cool and decided to also order one for himself. I went with the Sunset Mai Tai and he went with the Mango Mojito. Both drinks are 21oz. and pretty good too! When you're done, they give you a new separate glass in a box to keep as a souvenir! Pretty sweet for a good deal!
Now onto my main meal...A meal that's certainly memorable as it tasted so good! This main course that I ordered was their Asian White Fish. Packed with flavor, this White Fish was crusted with Japanese Bread Crumbs & Cheese, topped with Sauteed Scallops and Shrimp in a Pineapple Pico Buerre Blanc served with Season Vegetables mmmmm!!! My plate was colorful and big! I was seriously excited that my plate came in a big portion, however for the price of $21.99, that's exactly what I would expect. Most plates elsewhere at that price would only come with one piece of fish, but this had more piled on top of each other! Yes, it was sure worth it! My family was very impressed with their food and establishment!
After checking out their website, I was excited to see that they have one in Downtown Houston with even more attractions such as its own Diving Bell Ferris Wheel, Lighthouse Dive, Aquatic Carousel, a White Tiger, and a Shark Voyage on a Train, say whaaat?!?! Plus seven exhibits, sounds like a fun adventure!! I'm totally there next week!!! -
Review from Chikting c.
Houston, TX
3/20/2012
Let me tell you why this place deserves ONE star ( negative stars if i could give it)..
AWFUL service NASTY atmosphere, DISGUSTING gumbo.
The entire restaurant was dark with the ugly blue things on the window. Well, our server was pretty nice when we got seated. He was so attentive to recommend us alcoholic drinks and appetizers, but all we got was coke, and we skipped appetizer, bc my bf and I always tended to order too much food. However, our server totally turned to a d*ck , bc we didn't order any alcoholic drinks and appetizer????? We had been waiting for the bread, but our server seemed like he was not gonna give us some bread, so we asked him for some after waiting for 25 minutes. I didn't even know who my server was btw, bc a different server refilled drinks for us. Got the gumbo, tasted like toilet water!!!!
waiting.......waiting.........waiting...........st ill hadn't got our food after waiting for 45 minutes! Our server disappeared again. we decided to leave this place, so my bf went to the host stand to talk to the manager, and the manager said'' do you want to talk to your friends in the table first?'' and said he would be right back. what he did was trying to trick us , bc while my bf was waiting for him at the host stand, the manager brought us our food, and asked me and my bf's brother'' are you guys leaving or....?'' WTF!!
So we just paid for the gumbo and drinks ($17 W/ $0 tips ) and left. I am not trying to be cheap, but the restaurant shouldn't have let the customers to pay when you deliver such awful service like that.
Worst thing is they charged me 160extra dollars on my debit card. Hope this place will be shut down one day SOON. -
Review from Ty O.
1/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
We ate here for lunch while visiting the Kemah Boardwalk on New Years Eve. We were seated without a wait which surprised me as I was expecting there to be a line. As an "aquarium" themed restaurant this place certainly offers novelty for children and adults alike. Our kids spent much of our lunch visit standing before the massive floor to ceiling cylindrical aquarium at the center of the second floor of the restaurant. It certainly is an impressive sight with fish, sharks, and a Moray eel. The Moray eel was as ugly as it was impressive. That was quite a sight to take in. The windows are tinted blue and the ceilings are painted a pale blue so it very much feels like you are underwater yourself. The dim lighting and bluish hue actually reminded me of my experience inside a submarine tour my wife and I took in the Caribbean on our honeymoon years ago.
The food was good but not remarkable. I've certainly had better seafood. It's a little overpriced at $20 to $25 per plate for lunch but I guess that is to be expected in a tourist trap. The service was better than average but not remarkable either. We were a large party (4 adults and 4 children) and they handled us well. When you get past the actual aquarium there really isn't much to write about for the restaurant itself. The dining experienced here is doomed to play second fiddle to the live fish! It's one of those places worth visiting once but not regularly. Three stars is a quite appropriate rating for our experience here. -
Review from Jennifer C.
Highland Village, TX
10/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Although my parents and I came here frequently when the Kemah Boardwalk was still just a collection of restaurants and didn't have many of the attractions it does now, I don't think I really came to appreciate the Aquarium (and its actual aquariums) until we took my 15 month old niece here today.
I love my niece. She is a cutie pie toddler who loves to sing to herself and shake things. Unfortunately, she can also be quite a handful and sing/talk a little too loudly in public places. On a day when my mother and I had to babysit her, we decided to come here for lunch. Brilliant idea.
We asked to be seated next to the main aquarium on the 2nd floor. My niece was completely transfixed the entire time, as she would gaze and point at the different fish swimming around the tank. She ate her meal quietly and obediently sat still, just staring at the aquarium.
Again, this might only work with younger toddlers, but at least it worked with ours! We will definitely be back on babysitting afternoons since the main aquarium works as a better babysitter than I could ever be. The food itself is satisfactory; think Red Lobster or a seafood version of TGIFriday's. I do think the quality has improved slightly since its early days, though. The service is always top-notch. (On a separate visit, we ordered margaritas in their decorative glasses. They advertise on their menus that you can keep the glasses as a souvenir, but our server was nice enough to bring out new, boxed glasses so that we didn't have to take home a sticky cocktail glass.) A solid 3.5 - 4 stars. -
Review from David R.
8/16/2011
The view is a lot better than the food, although on our last visit it was a big improvement. Still, it is not worth of the prices that they charge.
Service is decent, but not consistent. -
Review from Kelly S.
Berkeley, CA
4/5/2011
Great family restaurant as the centerpiece is the giant aquarium in the middle of the dining room. We hit the Kemah Boardwalk after a day at Johnson Space Center. My kids and I are visiting family in the area and they thought the kiddos would enjoy feeding the stingrays and eating while watching fish swim by. They were totally right. We walked the boardwalk for a bit and played a couple of very overpriced games. The place was eerily empty until I realized it was Tuesday.
The food was generally decent. We ordered the giant appetizer combo platter(mozarella sticks, calamari, crab and shrimp dip and bruschetta) and shared the shrimp embrouchette (shrimp and jalapeño wrapped in bacon), the Captain's Fried Platter (stuffed crab, fried fish, fried shrimp, fried oyster and stuffed something else) and the gumbo soup.
The bruschetta was absolutely perfect. Have to say it was the best I've had in a long time. The calamari and dip were also pretty good and definitely got me excited about what was to come. Perhaps it was because I'm not a huge fan of shrimp or perhaps it was because everything was fried but dinner, while enjoyable, was not fantastic. I didn't try any of the shrimp but everybody at the table rolled their eyes in delight after tasting the shrimp embrouchette. In retrospect, though, the food was actually better than I expected for a touristy restaurant. Two entrees and a cup of soup was perfect for four adults to share. My kids shared an order of calamari and cleaned the plate. For dessert, we shared the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. I could have eaten the whole thing by myself.
I don't think I'd ever have the opportunity to o back but for where and what it is, it was a nice way to end our first day of a family vacation in Houston -
Review from Betty E.
Dallas, TX
The good: Nice view! Great location(Kemah Boardwalk)! The crab, avocado & ranch salad was actually really light tasting and yummy! Perfect for a HOT day! The many aquariums throughout the building with lots of fish was an added bonus! My kids LOVED walking around and looking at them all!
The not so good: Strange ambiance from blue tint on the windows which made everything look blue....us, the food, etc. The prices were pretty high! For my yummy light salad at LUNCH was $17.99! That did not include my drink either!
I guess you pay for the experience in the Kemah area and all the cool fish & aquariums throughout the restaurant. It was neat to experience at least once or while on vacation!! -
Review from Daniel L.
10/28/2011
The aquarium is definitely cool to look at. That is why you come here. Do not expect gourmet, awesome food or super friendly waitresses though. If you come here - just be aware it is a tourist trap with overinflated food prices, food quality more befitting a junior high cafeteria, and a waitress that will likely not care enough to refill anyone's water until you hail another waitress down like a taxi and ask her for a refill.
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Review from Jenna L.
Houston, TX
7/18/2011
The Kemah Boardwalk is made up of all Landry's restaurants. This one is an interesting spot with the giant aquariums that surround you as you eat. There are huge fish and sharks in the center tank, and other tanks scattered around the walls.
We were greeted by a friendly hostess who described the idea of the restaurant and the main attraction fish/ sharks. You can see the large tank from just about anywhere in the restaurant.
We started with specialty drinks that come in a keepsake glass - touristy to say the least, but delicious drinks!
We had a friendly waiter who answered all kinds of questions. Our party of 5 had the following:
Grilled shrimp
Tempura shrimp and mahi mahi
Bacon wrapped shrimp stuffed w/ jalapeno (forgot the name)(shrimp enbrochette?)
we also had the app sampler w/ calamari, crab dip, mozz sticks and crab? bruchetta?
The food was really good. Everything was cooked just right. My fave was the tempura shrimp/ mahi mahi w/ jasmine rice. Prices were a little high, but we got points for our Landry's card!
We HAD to order the Shark Bite dessert which was a choc lava cake w/ a huge shark sugar cookie on top and vanilla ice cream. We polished it off!
Their dessert tray is amazing. Creme brulee, key lime pie, brownie sundae, and a few others. SHARE the dessert, they are huge.
This is really a neat place to bring visitors and have a good meal. -
Review from David B.
9/13/2011
Stopped by the Aquarium for lunch on our visit to the Kemah boardwalk. Luckily there was no wait and we were seated right away. Love the giant aquarium that spans the restaurants 3 levels. My daughter could have stayed there looking at it for hours. It did take a while for us to be waited on, but the place was very crowded. I had a Mai Tai in their take home glass and it was very good. Went right along with the tropical feel of this restaurant. Food was also very good. Recommend any of their grilled entrees. Price is a bit high, but worth it for the view and ambiance of this place. Recommend this to anyone on the boardwalk for a good meal.
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Review from John M.
Cypress, TX
4/8/2012
This is the second time we have been here and both have been disappointments. The only reason we came was for the Grandkids to see the fish, we would have been better off going to a regular aquarium. The food is overpriced and low quality. In Kemah, at a Fish restaurant, in season this is the second time they didn't have any raw oysters. Instead I got a bowl of very mediocre gumbo. My daughter got the "special" coconut shrimp which tasted like they went from the freezer to the frier, my son-in-law a very average wrap and for our grandson some way overpriced mac & cheese. The restaurant wasn't crowded but the service was lousy, we asked for some extra marinara sauce for our appetizer platter which arrived after we were done with the appetizers. My son-in-law ordered a salad which arrived after his main course. They did take the salad off the bill but the prices were still way to high for very mediocre food. The only thing they have going for them is that the kids love the fish tanks.
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Review from Meg G.
11/17/2009
On my recent trip back home, I visited Kemah for some post-hurricane adventures. I saw that my Original Crab House was long gone; and, in a desperate (almost pathetic) way of searching for some snow crab legs, I wound up at the Aquarium.
I thought the target group for this place was kids... however, I found myself "ooh-ing and aah-ing" at the stingrays; while rambling off bits of facts to my younger (and not very interested) sister from my ichthyology and comparative anatomy classes.
Let me just say that there is one shark in that tank who looks like he/she needs to be put out of its misery... It's huge, and just sits there in a sloth-like manner while the other younger creatures float and scamper about. Congrats to the owners for replacing the sea animals after the original bunch were lost to the hurricane.
As far as the food is concerned, I was pleased. I ordered this bayou shrimp pasta with andouille sausage, shrimp and creamy mushroom sauce. Nice little Cajun spin to it.... I also tasted the shrimp enbrochette, which is always a treat. For an appetizer, we settled on the shrimp & crab dip - it was excellent with the garlic bread.
If you're on the Boardwalk (which is now a brick walk, due to the damage from - you guessed it... the hurricane), stop by for good food and great times. The staff's service is excellent, by the way. -
Review from Eddie S.
My family and I decided on this being the restaurant that we would make our visit on Labor Day. It was unusually uncrowded it being a type of "holiday" we expected for the usual nominal wait but was seated promptly on a large round table in the back. It took about 10 minutes for a server to come to the table and but this did not bother us a bit since we were immensed in our conversation. The manager on duty I believe her name is Susan came over and apologized for the wait to get a drink order from us. She was very apologetic and offered for us to be her guest in the Stingray Aquarium downstairs for the wait which we gladly accepted but was not expecting.
Bo came over and introduced himself and was also apolgetic for the delay but there was not one disturbed soul at our 3 adult 2 children clan. We ordered our drinks and our food and continued on with our conversation. I was surprised at all the energy and how upbeat the staff seemed to be and felt comfortable with any needs that we requested would be fulfilled. Our food came to the table. I ordered the ribeye medium hoping that there would be no blood but "pink" but was fallen about a minute or two shy of staying on the grill. I informed Bo of this and he took it back for me and got it done up a little more. It came back perfect. I do not blame the kitchen on this since sometimes it is hard to judge on the meat being cooked without slicing it open and surely I did not want my juices of the steak already pouring out before it got to the table. My wife ordered the Asian White Fish. She was not fond of it since she seemed to feel that it was made with a little too much butter but the rest of us at the table enjoyed it while we shared what was on our plates to her. Other than that, especially my Ribeye was very good in the flavoring and was very tender as well (also partially because of the marble content and the high quality beef that they use). I have seen many hit and miss reviews about the Landry restaurants and in fact have worked at one of his Babin locations and must admit that they seemed to have revamped or restructured how they prepare their menu items because I have been to this location before and really have not had any bad food or big variance in the quality of it. I might have a different opinion if I were probably to try any of the fried foods but I usually always stick to the grill.
Bo our waiter was also very well rehearsed/coached in informing us of the information to all of the aquariums and species of fish that were inside which made it a plus to our enjoyment and wonder. After our meal and after refusing to take anything from the dessert tray Susan had us escorted downstairs by Brad to the Stingray Aquarium and were given some small trays of small feed fish for the fish. I was very surprised at how neat things were inside in which I did not expect. We must have spent a good hour in that place and was very glad we were given the chance to see what was in there.
In all this could have been a disaster in the making when we walked in but the recovery and how genuine everbody seemed turned everything around and have me not thinking twice about ever coming back to visit here and hoping the same upbeat and sincere attitude from the Hostesses to the waitstaff and maanger has shown us. I would give this rating a 4 1/2 star but there is not an option for that.
Again, thank you Bo, Susan, Brad and the Hostess for making the $120 tab worth every penny of it. -
Review from J. B.
Houston, TX
10/24/2011
Overpriced, not worth it. I thought taking my parents to the boardwalk would be nice to celebrate my mom's birthday. I haven't been to Kemah for a few years but remembered that the Aquarium was really cool and thought my parents would enjoy a night out.
I made a reservation and the hostess asked if it was a special occasion, I told her it was a birthday. When we checked in at the restaurant I was asked again if it was a birthday and again said yes. We were seated at a mediocre table and the restaurant was about 30% full. I didn't want to say anything because my parents never go out to eat so I didn't want them to think this was a bad place.
Our server was being trained and immediately jumped on us to order appetizers before she took our drink order or give us a chance to look at any drinks. She also kept reaching across my face to show stuff on the menu to my husband seated next to me.
We ordered our food and for $23+ entrees, they don't even come with salad. We ordered salads anyway, they were $5.95. The manager, Julian, came around during our salads to ask if everything was ok and it was...until we sat with our finished plates for 10-15 minutes when our entrees came out and instead of clearing the plates the server (the trainer) started asking who had what. Umm, he was there when we ordered...he should have remembered who had what, there were only 4 of us and the restaurant was less than 30% full. And when my husband asked if he could clear the plates first he server rudely responded, "Well, yes" and made a face...I was looking right at him. Once everyone had their food and tasted it the servers did come around again to ask if we needed anything else, but once we were done eating and needed to-go boxes we were left sitting there again for 10-15 minutes. Still sitting there with our entrees when asked if we wanted desserts. I said yes it is my mom's birthday. The server left to get the dessert tray and we selected 2 desserts with our entrees still in front of us. Finally, the food was boxed up and I watched the trainer tell the trainee to use a knife from someone else's plate, at our table, to scrape the food of another's into a to-box. Really? Did they think someone wasn't watching? They were next to the table. I didn't care that much since it was family but I really don't think that should have happened.
We got our desserts with no happy birthday anything. No candle, no happy birthday written on a plate...NADA.
I stopped at the hostess station to ask if they did anything for birthdays and they conveniently responded that they were told a week ago they were not going to do anything for birthdays anymore. Hmmm, then why ask why we are dining with them? Then I was asked if the server knew it was a birthday because they at least write happy birthday on the dessert. I told them yes but isn't it the hostess's job since she asked me when we arrived? Didn't see the manager anywhere either.
Paid $7 to park and we couldn't get out of there fast enough. TOURIST TRAP!
I normally have good experiences at Landry's restaurants but I will definitely not return. -
Review from Greg D.
College Station, TX
2/17/2009 2 photos
This is/was a really fun place to eat. I've eaten here at least 10 times with the whole family, took our Grandma once, even held business meetings here several times. In fact this is one of the first places I ate dinner with my now wife, during her first week in the United States. So I guess you could say, I am a fan. No let me correct that, I was.
Kids love this place, and the aquarium is quite impressive. If you get lucky you'll be able to see a human diver come down in the aquarium and feed the fish. You'll find sting rays to sharks in there. At one point they were helping a large turtle named "Stumpy" to recover and be released back out into the gulf, after losing a leg in a fishing net. A shrimp boat brought him there after that accident and while the Aquarium was intending to release him, they were working with the State to determine if they could keep him.
The food is okay and you do get a lot of it. You will not be able to finish a combo seafood platter. And at $15 you can split one of those with your spouse / partner / friend. While the food is not world class only the most picky eaters (like me) would think of mentioning that it's not. As most people that eat here, I would venture to say over half are families enjoying the Kemah experience, are probably not 5 star diners, I suspect most everyone is pleased with the food. So I won't knock it... :)
However, here is why I am not longer a fan and why this only gets three stars. In some grand and brilliant (idiotic) idea someone in a position of management (or ownership) whom obviously does not have any degree or qualification in architecture or design decided that "Wahh Wahh" (baby crying sound), the sun is too bright. See, this place had the best view of anywhere in Kemah where you could sit and watch the boats coming in and out. I mean a really nice view. So what does some brainiac decide to do? Cover ALL of the windows with a dark blue tint. The result is that it's now dark inside, the view of the gulf and boats is distorted, the food now looks weird and in fact it is so gloomy it made me feel notious. And forget being able to see outside at night anymore. Pure stupidity.
When I explained this to the manager he didn't seem to really care. So I called back a few times over the period of a year and asked if they ever took the dark tint off the windows and the last time I was told they were not going to. How can a business do something that stupid? -
Review from kevin c.
Pasadena, CA
8/27/2010
My experience with Aquarium is very limited, and going to the Kemah location was my first time. I was very happy to be here with my family, but the food quality wasn't anything special. I understand Kemah is a tourist attraction and cool place to be during summer time, but food quality shouldn't be so watered down. We had our sandwiches, seafood platers and chicken wraps, but they taste exactly like the food I can get in HEB or cheap restaurants. I do appreciate the helpfulness of the servers, but I just hope the overall food quality can increase. We are here to eat and to have a good time, not here to be trapped by crappy food and extravagant prices.
We did requested to have 1 more bastket of bread and it never came.
The server also seemed to be a little dismayed when we said "water please." -
Review from Bobbi B.
Webster, TX
7/29/2007
The fish tanks are cool, service is slow and its a tourist trap.
Food is over priced and not the best in the area.
But do go, try it and watch the fish. -
Review from Catherine M.
League City, TX
7/2/2009
Compared to other Laundry's restaurants, the aquarium has fantastic food. The calamari is soft and fresh, the seafood ,in my experience, has been very well done.
Much like Rainforest cafe, the Aquarium is very gimmicky--but much more in place with a trip to Galveston Bay. It is decorated from ocean carpeted floor to coral reef ceiling with ocean decor that will delight your mermaid/nemo loving kids and will impress your Mom and Grandma. The aquarium tanks are very big and clean and add a mellowing ambience to the always busy dining room.
I very much agree that the blue tinted windows, while water-like- disturb the view and give everyone and the food a sickly greenish hue. But, I got used to it.
The kids desserts (only 2.50--a serious bargain in Kemah) are really cool. There's a make your own sundae which comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and 4 ramekins of hot fudge, sprinkles, chocolate chips and m&ms. Another cool one is a rice crispy treat shark that comes on an artist's palette plate with red, blue and yellow icing and a paint brush. One word of warning though--these desserts take a long time to create and eat--so they are best ordered when Mom and Dad want to linger over drinks or talk awhile--not for the hurried.
If you come, I highly recommend petting and feeding the stingrays downstairs..they are so sweet and tame--like puppies-- I miss them already. -
Review from Wendy B.
Conroe, TX
5/30/2011
Pricey - but very good - I've been 5-6 times & today was the very best! Had the bacon-tomato bisque & the grilled red snapper with lump crab & avocado pico. Seriously awesome. The fried foods are average, the specialty drinks are great. Don't go for the mojito - not even 1 star. But true seafood - yes!!!
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Review from e l.
Indianapolis, IN
7/24/2011
Great place to escape the heat and hustle of the boardwalk and chill with a martini (I recommend the citrus). A variety of fish tanks provide for interesting visuals on site. Seafood is so fresh the tanked fish grieve each plate being served. The staff is accommodating and friendly to out of towners.
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Review from Christy O.
Grapevine, TX
5/2/2010
This is a great place to visit with out of town guests (me), as the ambiance is great, the fish tank is mesmerizing and the atmosphere is family friendly. There were some huge fish swimming around and the sting rays were cool too.
The food is another story. It is your typical tourist trap and you don't go for really good seafood here, at least I wouldn't. The crab and shrimp dip was too spicy and watery and would have been better with chips rather than soggy garlic bread. The tarter sauce wasn't anything to write home about either. We had a calamari appetizer which was good except there were too many "squid like" creatures amongst the calamari rounds. Our waiter appeared hard of hearing and didn't understand anything we said. I asked for straws and he thought I was asking for shiraz. -
Review from Que P.
Houston, TX
9/1/2009
I liked the atmosphere, especially the first floor. The second was a little too roomy. Surprisingly, it wasn't ruined by yelling kids or loud music. The menu was decent, advertising the standard two star seafood selection. I did not look at the wine list, but I am not a drinker, so I wouldn't know a champagne from a Zima.
The crab cake sandwich I had was about what I expected, I would have eaten it all if it wasn't so large. My dining companion had the shrimp salad and finished it all, and claimed it to be good. The dessert list was packed with intricate desserts that I wouldn't eat even if I hadn't been stuffed.
All in all, I would only travel the hour it takes to get there if invited by someone special. -
Review from Julie W.
League City, TX
6/16/2011
Went on 6/8/2011. Didn't have to wait for seating. The last time we visited the Aquarium the food was mediocre. Way overpriced. But, they must have gotten a new chef or something because this time the food was wonderful. I ordered crab cakes which was delicious. It wasn't too bready or dry. My husband order the Tempura something (it had shrimp and fish). That was absolutely delicious! I had the macadamia crusted mahi mahi which came with chopped mango/pineapple sauce and asparagus. That was ok. Our server was very nice, although he seemed very nervous. The reason why I gave it only 4 stars out of 5 is because the price. I still think it's way overpriced, but the large aquarium made it a bit better.
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Review from Jacob S.
Houston, TX
6/16/2008
The Aquarium is a good place to eat. My son loves seeing all of the fish. The only downside is that he found a tank that had clown fish. That led to him asking me to let him see "Nemo" throughout the meal.
The bruschetta was good and had an original twist. -
Review from Jason Y.
Houston, TX
6/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
The wife and I ordered 2 nice fish dishes - Seared Gulf Snapper with lump crab/avocado pico de gallo and a stuffed flounder. Fish were both well prepared, nothing fancy, but portion size was good. Prices are on the high side but it's expected for the nice surroundings and busy touristy area. Went on Saturday night and it was pretty full, lots of families and kids running around gawking at the fish. Finished off the meal with the "Shark Attack" dessert - chocolate molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream and a huge shark-shaped cracker...mm mm good - ask for an extra scoop of ice cream!
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Review from Scott M.
Los Angeles, CA
10/9/2007
The fish tanks are fun for kids but the rest of the decor is cheap and cheesy. Chain restaurant quality food that is over-priced and mediocre at best. I'd give it a higher rating if the prices were about half of what they are. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it. On a side note, I believe the same people own Rain Forest Cafe and previously owned Joe's Crab Shack...just so you know what you are getting into here.
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Review from Carl O.
8/17/2011
The atmosphere here is very unique with tables set around a 60,000 gallon aquarium, floor to ceiling. The rest of the restaurant has rough coral-like textured walls and overall it's a nice place to eat. Atmosphere gets a 5, food gets a 2-1/2. You are paying for the atmosphere. The food is really mediocre. That's not to say, I've been here a handful of times. Sometimes you do want a cool and unique atmosphere to eat in. In fact we had our rehearsal dinner here years ago. Still the food is so-so. I've only been really irritated with them once when we had an occasion with really poor service. I tip according to the quality of the service. Poor service = poor tip to varying degrees. Good service to great can get more than 15%. So anyway, I knocked off a dollar for some crappy service. Really should have knocked off more. Anyway, days later I notice my bank account shows that the total that went through was a dollar more than what my final total was -- the waitress apparently added her dollar back on. I was a bit pissed!!! Didn't call to argue over a dollar, but we didn't go back for years. We have since recently ventured back a few times. The kids nearly wet themselves they get so excited watching the fish in the large tank and it's really hard to keep them in their seats. The restaurant seating area is on the second floor and it has a nice stairway leading up. Definitely a place to try but don't go in expecting the world in flavor. Eat with your eyes.
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Review from Elizabeth M.
Houston, TX
3/3/2011
The food is absolutely terrible (I would rather eat at Denny's). Save your money.
The ambience is great - place to have drinks and maybe appetizers. -
Review from Yan Biao B.
East Palo Alto, CA
12/29/2007
I was wondering around the Kemah Boardwalk when I chanced upon this restaurant. I didn't know it was a chain and decided to dine here after seeing that it was quite crowded. I mean, crowds generally mean the food doesn't suck right? Well, the food didn't and our waiter was very nice to us. When I'm in a new restaurant I tend to stick to their recommended choices and so I got the Seafood platter and the shrimp pasta (I don't know if those are the actual dish names but I'm working from memory so don't sue me). The food was so much I pretty much busted my gut. Thanks for making me fat, Aquarium.
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Review from Christopher P.
Mt Laurel, NJ
8/2/2010
This is one of my favorite spots to dine at in Houston. Absolutely love the environment. You would think this place would be all show and the food would suck but the dining room is beautiful and the food is excellent. It really is moderately priced for such an exotic place to eat. When I was there last, they had white tigers below and you could see all kinds of different animals below. They also have a Ferris wheel and a few carnival games to play. Just a very well put together restaurant. Wonderful for taking a date or to take the wife and kids.
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Review from J M.
Houston, TX
7/1/2010
When the Aquarium first opened they had an extensive menu, pretty good food and service. I was very disappointed with my last visit. Went on a Monday around 1:00, not full at all. Service was SO SLOW. Took forever to place our order, took forever to get our food. Wanted to order a bottle of wine, however was informed they only had it by the glass. Now, if you offer it by the glass, doesn't it mean it comes from a bottle. So of course they brought us the higher priced bottle. I HATE it when restaurants do this. I should has returned it, but didn't. Also presented a coupon for kids meal prior to ordered, when check arrived the bill was wrong. Had to wait again, forever, to get this corrected. Won't be back until company forces me.....
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Review from Julie M.
San Antonio, TX
8/21/2006
A little pricy, but the most wonderful crab cakes! And I am picky. All food is good here and the scenery is worth remembering! I'd bring my closest ones here.
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Review from Janet C.
Houston, TX
5/11/2008
We made reservations for Aquarium for Mother's Day and our visit got off to a very rocky start. We arrived at the restaurant and encountered a long line at the restaurant's front desk. The employee working there was completely clueless about how to interact with a crowd. She avoided eye contact with waiting customers, gave no verbal instructions to anyone, and generally acted completely helpless and overwhelmed, all the while incessantly talking on a walkie talkie. A second employee walked by and we asked her if we needed to wait in line if we had reservations. She said, "Yes." So we waited some more. Several minutes passed and the line wasn't moving so we interrupted the first employee's walkie talkie conversation to ask AGAIN if we could go directly to be seated if we had reservations. She replied, "The restaurant is open." Uh, OK. So we maneuvered our way through the crowd to a staircase and found yet another employee on a walkie talkie. Mass chaos was occurring and waiting customers were all getting grumpy...it honestly seemed like the staff at Aquarium have never seen customers before. After another long wait, seating FINALLY began. Our server, Allison, was terrific. She and my children's fascination with the fish tanks were the best parts about this dining experience. My husband and I both ordered fish and chips. I thought it was quite tasty...my husband, however, thought the fish tasted previously frozen and "fishy." My children enjoyed their meals, which were typical kiddie fare. All-in-all, I'm glad that we visited this restaurant because it was a fun touristy thing to do but I'm not sure we would ever go back because the novelty of the aquarium and the quality of the food isn't sufficient to draw us back again.
