Quality Seafood
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
72 Reviews for Quality Seafood
4.5 stars
Crowded as hell last night and it took a long while to get our food, but it was mighty fine. The etouffee was excellent, damn near perfect and almost as good as the best I've had in NO. The crab made my girlfriend giggle in delight. She's one crab-happy gal, though happily rarely crabby. Crab cakes (called "stuffed crab") were good value and yummy.
Lots of atmosphere, good little jazz trio, tons of happy people, and all that fresh fish! They know how to cook it as well as sell it. Staff were cool despite the mad rush. Feels a little like Aransas or Rockport in there.
Go in the off-hours.
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The "selling our sole six days a week" logo on the servers t-shirts gets your attention here at Quality Seafood and so does the food. Half price shrimp night ($7.99/pound) is the perfect opportunity to experience the fantastic service and delicious seafood. We met friends here on a Wednesday night and had an unexpectedly good time.
Fortunately for us, Jay, who doubles as the bartender, also services the two tall round tables next to the bar and we were at one of his tables. He quickly brought us menus and explained the peel-and-eat shrimp choices--spicy or citrus--mentioning that his favorite was the citrus. We learned that the citrus is cooked fresh unlike the spicy which is frozen first. Throughout our meal Jay was attentive and helpful, providing extra cocktail sauce and napkins, and bringing a fresh pitcher of beer whenever we blinked.
Four of us shared two pounds of tasty citrus peel-and-eat shrimp served with lemons, limes, crackers and zesty cocktail sauce along with a dozen raw oysters, ice tea and several pitchers of ice cold Shiner Bock. A trio played cover songs and put us in a mellow mood as we gobbled up the shrimp and oysters.
We ate so much that we had to loosen belts and unbutton buttons. On the way home, I could actually feel the shrimp rocking to sleep in their beer bath in my belly.
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really a 2 1/2, But my 3 1/2 gives it a 5
Fish Shop, Fish Shop! My kiddo yells this every time we drive by. It is one of her favorite places to go. She loves (1) the gumball machine as you walk in the door (2) the giant fish hanging from the rafters (3) it is so casual even a three year old fits in, but it is not a "kids place" (4) the fried cod.
If you are going to buy fish to cook at home, this is the place to go. The prices are unbelievable and this place sells to many of the upscale restaurants in town. The fish mongers know how to cut and clean, and they know their product.
The restaruant is a different story.
There is no service--you order at the register and take a number to your table. Someone may or may not bring to you what you ordered. We tip something because the kid leaves a gawdawful mess..
If you want shrimp or oysters, then this is a good bet--fresh, ehhhh...somewhat cheap--don't expect any frills. The entrees hit and miss. I can honestly say that I've had salmon better than Legal Seafood's in Boston at this place--I can also say that I've had items that are worse the LJSilvers--
Frankly, the sides are terrible. The corn on the cob is overcooked and dry--the salad is a sad little thing, I think because Lettuce misses all her other friends--occasionally a lonely cherry tomato will show--and perhaps a shred or two of cabbage or carrot. But not often. The caesar dressing is sometimes necessary to moisten any fish product, because they can be way overcooked. They do have a mac and cheese made with spaghetti noodles that reminds me of my elementary school cafeteria's. It isn't horrible. The rice is...
So why do I go back? Because when I"m not yelping my life is controlled by a 3 year old....
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We've lived in Austin for three years, and this little restaurant was a pleasant surprise.
When friends asked us to follow them to a local restaurant, we were a little hesitant to eat at --as the sign said-- a "seafood market". I expected a fishy smell to permeate the restaurant, but in a testament to the freshness of their seafood (we were told they supply restaurants throughout the city with fresh fish, clams, etc,), we were surprised at the sheer absence of any odor.
We ordered a black drum plate and both fresh and fried oysters and sampled some New England clam chowder. Everything was super. And a quick review of their fresh seafood in refridgerated cases beckons us back to purchase fish for our own cooking.
The only downside? A slow waiter who appeared high as a kite and moved accordingly. The quiet day should have had us in and out, but our stay was twice as long as it should have been.
A great and established seafood restaurant , extremely affordable, and worth the visit.
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So I decided last night when I went to this palce that from now on when I write a reveiw it will include a little spot on what to expect when walking into a new place.I hate going somewhere and walking in not knowing what to expect. I feel like everyone is watching me.
So when you walk into this palce the tables are on the right on the interior, the bar right in the middle and the actual fresh seafood on the left. Hang a left if you are planning on eating and passed the seafood counter is the menu board and the cashier. Order your fill, grab your number and find a seat. I was really confussed when I went in and finnally decided to follow some people that looked like they knew what they were doing.
So over all I liked the place but there are a few things that I didnt care for.
The Bueno:
The food was good. Not great.. But good.
The food came out fast. I read some reveiws that said they were slow but I was not disapointed in the time it took to get our food.
Tuesday night is $2 Taco and $2 Draft beers.. Can you beat that??
Wide selection of food made to order. I was impressed with the selection of food. And everything you order can be made grilled, blackened or fried so there are 3 times the possibilities.
Friendly and fast staff. They bussed the tables quickly (see
The Malo:
It was crowded. Im not talking about the number of patrons, but I feel like they have squeezed too many tables into too small a space.
Not enough tables. Now this sounds contradictory to what I jsut said but its true. I was luck enough to find a two top for my man and I but I saw three seperate parties in near squables over available seating. Some people had ordered and were standing waiting. I guess this speaks to the love of this establishment. It helps though that the staff bussed empty tables so quickly though.
I ordered two fried shrimp tacos, and an order of scallops, hush puppies, and pinto beans. All and all it was good ole fried seafood. Like I said it was good and satisfying but nothing like McCormick and Schmit's or anything. The Shiner tasted a little flat. I dont know if that was me or what but it was weird. I did enjoy the atmosphere. Another Austin original.
I would deffinatley go there again to eat or to take people from out of town. I am for sure going to go there and buy some fresh eats for the grill at home. Stay tuned for Quality Seafood Part Dos when I buy some seafood to cook.
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First, the Pros:
+ OYSTERS are CHEAP and also the best I've had in Austin. Granted, I like me some cheap, good oysters -- don't really eat them in fancy restaurants -- and they are $4.99 for 1/2 dozen, $8.99 for a dozen!
+ Wednesdays bring 25 cent peel 'n eat shrimp special ($10 worth of shrimp fed 2 people easy) - from 6 to 9 pm - can't beat it! Shrimp are big and well seasoned, too!
+ Casual atmosphere
+ Grilled fish and steamed veggies are a healthy option, and tasty!
The cons:
- Lots of fried options - not a lot to choose from in the "healthy" category
- The soups are "okay" - not great
Bottom Line:
Come here for raw oysters during oyster season, and/or on Wednesdays for cheap, tasty boiled shrimp!
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QS is getting a hard knock down.
A couple reasons, but namely becuase the last two times I've been there, the tacos have been *really* light. It used to be I could fill myself up on a taco and a couple bites of my hubby's plate. They came with a good couple ounces of fish. You couldn't wrap them as a taco and eat them...you had to eat the fish off the taco first. Not so much anymore. And I could let this slide if it were two dollar taco night, but its not: this is happening on other nights.
Also- we recently tried some of their fried dishes, and were much less impressed than we have been with their tacos, etoufee and crab legs.
Finally- at some point fame becomes a bad thing, I suppose- it is just nightmarishly crowded on the good nights (mondays and tuesdays). I might switch to another night.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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08/14/2007
Every once in a while, I visit a place- whether it be a restaurant, a park, an event or a venue-… Read more »
It's very hard to go wrong with $2 fish tacos, and quality seafood offers enough variations of sauces, types of fish, and how the fish is prepared that you can visit week after week and always try something new. I've only been here during their Tuesday happy hour from 6-9, with draft beers and fish tacos at $2 each, but I typically eat enough to fill my seafood quota for the rest of the week.
The lines here can get a bit long, and it can sometimes be difficult to find a table; especially during the school year when there are other students scrambling for cheap fish tacos. The place is large, and you can't really fault them for having popular food for cheap. The only fault I have with this place is that their draft beers taste slightly...off. They taste watered down, and I'm not the only one that came to this conclusion. So go for the $2 fish tacos, not for the $2 beer.
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I'm wondering if all the previous reviewers have ever had seafood before eating at this place because, well...um.....no. gross.
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I love this place, both for buying seafood and for eating there.
The store offers great seafood at a fair price.
The restaurant offers delicious, big portions of great food. I don't think I have been disappointed yet! I especially love their oysters (raw), which are clean and slurpilicous. I'm a big fan of their catfish beignets and their hush puppies.
Everyone there is nice and will answer all your questions. Food does take a while, but it's well worth it.
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Even exempting the fact that Quality Seafood is closer to a major highway than a major body of water, it's hard not to love this place. Unpretentious and teeming with good cheer and even better fish, they serve up a regularly rollicking good time of fresh ocean fare and beatitude. There is admittedly a different prevailing attitude at places like this one, and it's contagious: seriously, spend a little time in here and try not to smile. It's hard.
What's not hard is diving into a plate of something yummy, and from flounder to high end cuts to the sumptuous blackened catfish sub that saved me this week, it's easy to see why Quality Seafood would have scads of fans. It's the kind of place where they seem likely to recall exactly who you are as well as what you order, and to share the latest joke along the way. And if that doesn't feel pretty much like a sea breeze, I don't know what does.
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$2 taco Tuesdays? Whoot! I finally made it up here on Tuesday night and am so glad I did. Was expecting the standard walk-up and order market experience, but luckily there was a bar and Lisa A was able to grab us a couple of bar stools. According to the bartender, its much more fun to sit at the bar and order food, rather than standing in the line. He was so nice and funny. When we ordered our beers, he told us everything he had on tap, but the Bud Light was the only one "worth a damn", because that keg was so much colder.
Of course, we went in for the $2 tacos, which come grilled, fried, blackened; with your choice of 4 different sauces. I opted for the fried with creamy salsa verde. But after looking at the menu, we couldn't resist ordering some oysters on the half shell and a few hush-puppies.
We left there full and satisfied, and our total bill (for two) was $15!!!
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Definitely an interesting combination with the seafood market and restaurant. Luckily it doesn't smell fishy so the market doesn't overwhelm the eatery and when I walked in and saw two open spots at the bar I was sold. It's hard to beat cold $2 (the Tuesday night special) drafts, an overly friendly bartender, salty-dog regulars offering their suggestions on what to eat, the NBA playoffs on TV and a tiki-type bar that makes you feel like you were transported to Port A. The cherry on top was the food. Oysters on the half shell, fish tacos and some of the best hush puppies I've ever eaten (get 'em, you won't be sorry) and all for a low-low price. I'm interested in going back for their mussels and po-boys but it'll be hard to stray from the nightly specials. A simple, easy, low-maintence place to meet a friend for cold beer and good, cheap eats. Love it!
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When i first moved here i came for a shrimp poboy. Let's see, the actual sandwich was around $9, which is effing insane. When i got it, it was served on what seemed to be ciabatta bread, it was SIX! jumbo shrimp *which is completely unorthodox* and it just wasn't that good. They did have a menu where certain things seemed reasonably priced for what it was but, i didn't go back. i'm sure i may to buy fresh seafood but, probably never to eat again.
The restaurant part of Quality Seafood kind of makes me feel like I'm at the beach. As other Yelpers have noted, you really don't feel like you're in Austin when you're here. I've never been to the beach in Texas, but it totally reminds me of places on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Like these beachside seafood joints, the food at Quality Seafood is solidly OK. You get a fair amount of bang for your buck; my boyfriend and I ate for about $25 (without adult beverages). My cup of seafood gumbo was fairly disappointing; it was bland, and I'm starting to think that I prefer sausage gumbo anyway. I also had a grilled shrimp taco with mango/pineapple pico, which was yummy. I'd definitely come back for the tacos. We also got some peel and eat shrimp (the special for the night...$0.25 each), which were overcooked.
My boyfriend had a mess of fried goodness, including hush puppies. I have to say that the hush puppies (which he kindly shared with the homesick North Carolinian at the table) were the highlight of the meal for me. I think they have jalapenoes in them, so they have a bit of a kick.
My only real complaint is that the seafood market closes an hour before the restaurant does. Part of our motive for coming was to inquire about purchasing fairly large quantities of crawfish, and we couldn't ask because we got there a few minutes after 8.
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I'm gonna have to be the party pooper......
Sorry.
Quality Seafood offers what the name promises.... "quality seafood". But it falls short of amazing.
I visited on Tuesday Taco Night ready for some great fish tacos. They were decent.... but I didn't think they were that great and I certainly didn't see what all the fuss was about. Maybe they would have tasted better if:
a) They wern't served luke warm.... almost cold
b) It didn't take 30 minutes to deliver a taco.
c) I saw the menu and realized the mediocre tacos were usually 4.50! That means on a normal night you would pay twice as much?!?! I was kind of bugged I had to pay 2 dollars.
I might be a little harsh.... but I was really expecting some better seafood at this establishment. I originally was going to rate it 4 stars because I had a good time while there.... but I realized that was because of my company and not because of the food.
I'm going to try this place on another night when they aren't so busy and order something other than tacos. I'm hoping they can redeem themselves..... I really want to like this place.
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don't let it's exterior fool you; quality seafood is just that: quality seafood. i'm a big fan of the reel 'em dinners - blackened. they also have live music on mondays!
Love everything about this place. Casual fun lively atmosphere, reasonable prices, cold draft beer, seafood mural on the wall, fried clams in a little red basket just like when I was a kid, old timey monday night band with softshoe solos. It's the best.
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I used to try the restaurant, but now it's all about the seafood market.
The scallops are enormous. They cram five into a small plastic container (about $7). It's enough for two servings. Baskets at the register provide last-minute lemons and garlic.
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Welcome to my new obsession.
I've debated for the last couple of weeks whether or not to review this place. You see - even though I've only been going there a month and a half, I have had multiple nightmares about getting off work one Monday and driving all the way over to the Eastside only to find there's a 1-hour wait to get a table. So why do I review the place and release this secret for a bunch of people I don't know and probably wouldn't like if I did? I don't know. Maybe it's the heroin. I just don't know.
Of course it's not as if this place is unknown - it has 46 reviews as I write this. So where is it that all my Taco Tuesday brothers and sisters go wrong? They've shown up about 24 hours too late. Because on Monday nights, the Q to the S sells king crab legs with drawn butter for $10.99/pound. Can you appreciate how cheap this is? Go over to Whole Foods and the same stuff will cost you $24.99/pound. $14 more per pound and I also have to have that weird feeling you get when you're surrounded predominantly by well-off white people? No thanks.
Well there are no such problems at Quality Seafood. That's probably why I'm so confused when every Monday night I stop by (and it's getting to the point that I get a hollow feeling inside when I don't,) I'm shocked to find the place half empty. If this place were downtown, there'd be a line around the corner (Kyoto week-old-sushi happy hour, anyone?) But not $11/pound crab night - you can drop by anytime during the evening, walk up to the counter and order, and have steaming hot king crab legs in front of you within 15 minutes. And the oysters ain't bad either.
But the piece de resistance of the experience is the little New Orleans style (?) jazz band they bring in to play during the night. The music makes it feel like one of those oyster bars in the French Quarter, and the lead singer is great. Throughout the show, he says all this outlandish shit in a thick German accent, and I'm pretty sure he's not German. I would attempt to describe the performance, but it's pretty much something you have to experience to appreciate. Just trust me that it turns the already great experience of breaking open and eating the meat out of king crab leg shells into a truly special one. One that even the smell of your hands giving you flashbacks to the morning after prom can't put a dent in.
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$11 a pound King Crab induced coma. State of the Union Address. ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz.
Definitely try the crab here on a Monday.
As far as the State of the Union Address - I don't recommend it.
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"This doesn't smell like Austin?!" was the first thought that went through my mind as I walked into Quality Seafood on 2 for Tuesday or $2 Tuesdays or Rock and Roll Oldies Lunch Break Hour or whatever it's called.
Fellow (awesome) Yelpers, Tobi D., Angela R., and newbie Kris D. were gracious enough to include me in their Tuesday evening Quality Seafood Ritual. Angela told me the game plan as soon as I sat down. She had a clipboard, diagram of the restaurant, me represented on the diagram as an X, and a whistle around her neck. She gave me a swat on the bottom as I headed for the counter.
Okay, not really, but she did tell me this...tacos are $2.00 (they're normally $4.95 people) and drafts are $2.00.
Go up to the counter and choose your taco filling-shrimp, catfish, or snapper.
How you like it-grilled, fried, or blackened.
On-flour or corn tortillas.
With your choice of salsa-including mango, red tomato, pico, etc.
Take your number and the friendly staff will bring your order to your table.
My shrimp tacos and iced tea were delicious. Tasty, somewhat healthy, and a steal at a mere total of $5.73.
Oh yeah, the oysters on a half shell were yummy too.
Quality Seafood is also a fish market. If I get more adventurous than buying frozen tilapia I will buy my seafood here.
In the meantime, I plan on returning for 2 for Tuesdays Rock and Roll all Requests Tacos and Drafts night.
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Everything about this place just feels good. It's very casual, seems more like a place you would find in a sleepy beach/fishing town than something you would find in the middle of Austin. The seafood is exceptional, and the recipes don't overwhelm the wonderful flavor of fresh fish and shellfish. The blackened snapper tacos are probably my favorite, but QS is the kind of place that has good enough versions of everything that you can order something different every visit and be just as satisfied.
The atmosphere is very laid back, and the people that work there are all very nice - it feels like a true neighborhood place, the kind of place you want to support with your hard earned dollars.
Long live Quality Seafood!
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I used to frequent this place on a regular basis when I lived in Hyde Park to pick up crawfish or other seafood to cook at home. I used to always comment that they might as well have a restaurant since all the fresh seafood was already there.
Fast forward 5 years and the new owner has done just that. I had been meaning to go by since I heard about the restaurant and just hadn't had the chance until recently. Last week I stopped by and decided to sit at the oyster bar. I had a dozen oysters and the seafood gumbo. I thought it was great. The only complaint would be the service and lack of bouillabaisse or other great soups that could be made with all the in-house seafood.
For those complaining about the lack of creativity in the menu, I just don't get it. I mean this place is named "Quality Seafood." It's not Uchi. But that's not what they try or need to be. It's just a place with a NO type feel that has solid dishes using fresh seafood. And that's all it needs to be. There is nothing else that does that as good as Quality Seafood in town.
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I liked the setup of this place, it really feels like a lunch spot. Austin doesn't exactly strike me as a seafood town, but it's good at Quality Seafood. I had a blackened fish taco which was good, especially the verde cream sauce, but not blow-my-mind good. The shrimp salad was excellent...a little different from what I'm used to. I want to come back here when I have more time to get crab and crawfish.....
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I LOVE quality seafood. There are probably better places to eat seafood in Austin (albeit at 2-3x the price), but nothing beats walking into a strip mall on Airport Blvd and feeling like you've just walked off the beach into an authentic fishmarket.
The food itself is pretty standard fishmarket fare, very simply prepared, and biased toward greasy and fried. But it's inexpensive and the wonderful cross section of Austinites who congregate there make it worth the trip.
I'm writing this review, however, because of the fishmarket. It rocks. It generally has a great selection of fish at prices that are definitely a lot lower than Whole Foods or Central Market. A highlight of the past week has been purchasing a 100-count crate of truly exceptional oysters for $30 and shucking them at home.
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I haven't really checked out the fish counter and I have only had four different things off the menu but I don't care because of Tuesdays... the almighty $2 Tuesdays.
It has been mentioned in many other reviews but I am just reiterating. On Tuesdays between the hours of 6pm and 9pm, all drafts are $2 and all tacos are $2. The beer selection is slim but the way you can have your tacos is aplenty. Go. Enjoy. And don't forget to wave hello to me because I'm usually there.
I tried out the gumbo and I honestly can't remember it so that can't be a good thing. And the oysters on a half shell are fresh and shucked to order but skip them, they are pricey and a chain seafood restaurant down the street sells them at a considerably lower price and are just as yummy. So I stick to the $2 tacos! Go, you will thank me and everyone else who has prasied its goodness.
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This place rocks and the weekday deals they have going on can't be beat.
Crab boil anyone? If so, this place sales the highest quality seafood in town.
Quality seafood offers one-stop shopping for all of your seafood needs. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. One staff member suggested Swamp Fire to add to a crab boil or crawfish boil. Swamp fire is very hot and can only be used in an outdoor setting lest coughing is not an issue for you. (We tried cooking this stuff indoors once and immediately went into coughing fits and our eyes teared up!)
I highly reccommend purchasing seafood and andouille sausage here. Yum!~
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Favorite place to buy fish. Buy a Barramundi and bread it up and put some lemon on it and it's perfect. Don't forget to cook it.
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Quality seafood is a great place to go for a meal, and also to pick up so fresh or frozen fish to take home to cook. We first started going to there to find sushi grade fish to make sushi at home. After that trip, we were hooked. The guys that work the fish counter are really helpful - they'll give you recs on the fish they have that week, and they also will give you easy recipes and the best way to cook a fish. I also really enjoy the seafood bar - we go in some nights for the happy hours they do to have raw oysters, gumbo, fish tacos, crab legs, or whatever they have on special. Their food is always delicious. My only complaint is that the service can sometimes be pretty slow, especially with the oysters.
Oh, and one more note - they have a GREAT family-friendly Mardi Gras party every year, with lots of crawfish and a live band. We've been the last few years and enjoyed it very much.
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If you're a professional cook or a food snob, you'll hate this place. But if you or any of your relatives grew up in Beaumont... you'll love it.
Love it.
My idea of seafood is pulling up to a shack next to the ocean or a pass or some sort of brackish pond. The oyster shucker better be missing a finger or two and there'd better be a roll of paper towels on the table, a newspaper table cloth, and a trash can at each table. And I want it cheap. I don't want to pay some metro dude named Fabio or Serge $37.40 for two scallops and a piece of pretty parsley.
Bubba, bring me lots of seafood and NOW!!!
Fish tacos are awesome... raw oysters very good. Sure some stuff is up and some is down... but if you grew up on the coast, you'll love this place.
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Update: Tuesday nights 6-9, happy hour. $2 tacos, $2 beer on tap (I had Dos Equis). Buddy and I together had 4 fish tacos, 2 shrimp tacos, and 2 beers for $16. And it was AMAZING. Beaumont would be proud.
Update 2: My favorites are grilled catfish on corn tortillas with avocado pico salsa AND fried shimp on corn with the mango salsa.
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Amazing seafood and great prices! Not the best bar in town but the food really is great and I hear the oysters are yummy too.
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This is the first place that my wife and I ate out after we were married... because it is so great! We gett he Mates plate with scallops and shrimp or oysters, after a dozen oysters on the half shell and a few pints. I like hush puppies, she likes the fact that we can get fish scraps from the market side for our cats (if we remember to ask for them right when we get there so they can save the cuts for us when we are done). I love seafood and this is my favorite place next to The Captains and McCormick and Schmidts.
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I've never shopped the raw seafood counter at Quality Seafood, so this review is really all about the restaurant side of this establishment. I'm obviously way in the minority, here, but I just can't bring myself to love this place. It's good, but not GREAT, and given that fact, the prices seem high to me - especially when I consider the really casual decor. $8.99 for a po'boy without any sides. $6.99 for a bowl of gumbo. Granted, it is a big bowl of gumbo, but $6.99 just seems expensive to me for a bowl of soup, albeit hearty, seafood-filled soup.
The decor is about as un-fancy as it gets, and there is a distinct fishy smell in the air that kind of grosses me out.
After having read some of the other reviews here, I do think I might need to venture out here on a Tuesday night sometime - but my experiences this far (which have all been on Saturdays) haven't really sold me on the quality of Quality Seafood.
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Okay, so this place is getting a 3. But that's because it has multiple personalities. Well, just two.
The restaurant, while popular, is totally un-noteworthy. I love seafood but this is dull, unseasoned and overpriced for what you get.
The market itself, however, is AMAZING. It's THE place to get fresh seafood in Austin. I've heard that it's where 90% of Austin restaurants get their seafood. Dunno if it's true or not. But it's pretty much awesome. Skip the restaurant, get the damn fresh seafood and make it yourself. The staff is super helpful and can get you nice cuts if you ask.
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Best fish tacos in town, hands down. I go for the blackened snapper with avocado sauce, but some of my friends like other variations. The oysters are also excellent, and, of course, it's a great place to buy fish. They supply several sushi restaurants, and always stock sashimi grade fish (usually yellowfin and salmon), so it's a great place to go for your next sushi party.
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In an Oyster Shell: C-
Quality Seafood is a quality fish market. Period. As a restaurant it's one of those places where the novelty overshadows the fact that the food, for the most part, sucks. And it's way overpriced. What's the point of a blue collar atmosphere if they charge white collar prices? You may as well eat the oysters at Sam's Boat for $0.35. It LOOKS like the game room of a campus student union, but at least the prices are consistent with a student's budget.
Oysters B+
If you absolutely can't take the early-nineties pop music at Sam's Boat (and lets face it, who can?) then the raw oysters are worth a trip, especially if you sit at the bar and order a beer.
Steamed Clams and Mussels F
Herein lies the root of my hostility. For some reason the cooks decide to ruin these treasures from the sea with gloppy sauces that taste like something made by Chef Boyardee. Gloppy white sauce on the steamed clams. Gloppy red sauce on the steamed mussels. I asked if they could just serve them to me with garlic and oil, and they looked at me like I had barnacles growing out of my ears. It's highly possible the fish itself was fresh, but you would never know. All you'll taste is that awful sauce. In the words of Eve Ensler, "If I didn't want to taste the fish, I wouldn't have ordered it!"
Peel and Eat Shrimp C
Forgettable.
Soups C+
Better than Campbell's, but not much.
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I'm with Michelle C. on this place - underwhelmed. I hit the raw fish counter when I needs the seafood for cooking (or for sushi), but I'm not feeling the lurv on the restaurant side.
I spent about $16 on lunch the other day - Po'boy + small gumbo + ice tea. Dang - that's some expensive lunch. Too expensive for my frugal ways I'm afraid. Yeah sure - I was completely stuffed after this meal, but not overly satisfied with the food. It was just "OK".
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