Food Trip

The best beach restaurants: The food's almost good as the surf in this Texas beach town

Summertime at the beach means sun and surf, of course, but good meals play an important role in the vacation experience, too. The quintessential Texas beach town of Port Aransas offers up dozens of ways to dine, and those headed to the island will be happy to know there are several new restaurants and old favorites with a new look.

The dress code is always casual in Port A, reservations are seldom needed, and there’s plenty to keep you busy between meals.

Here are five places where you’ll want to pull up a chair and dig in during your summer stay at the beach.

New kids in town
The Fish House, 224 Cotter St. (next door to the Tarpon Inn), serves traditional and not-so-traditional fish tacos, fish specials, burgers and more. I started with a chips and crawfish queso appetizer that could have been my meal: Homemade, hot chips and a bowl of thick queso chunky with crawfish bits and topped with tomatoes, onion and cilantro. Try the chili lime fish tacos, a plate of two tortillas filled with generous portions of fish and slaw served with tasty herbed rice and a bowl of beans.

The restaurant decor channels the old-fashioned coast style: wooden floors and ceilings, fish and pictures of fish on the wall, large windows. The second floor bar has an outdoor deck for an extra sea breeze.

Stingray's Taphouse and Grill, 401 Beach St., could become the go-to Port A hangout. Not only is it less than a block from the beach, but fully functional 1970 and 1977 Corvettes hang over the long bar.

The story is that when locals Shawn and Sandy Etheridge and Chad and Kimber Gorczyca decided to open a new establishment, Shawn and Chad were supposed to sell their cars to make room. Instead, the men hoisted them onto a rack and built the bar under it.

In addition to dozens of large screen TVs, this establishment features live music, a Bloody Mary bar every Saturday and Sunday, 20-plus taps of beer and even more bottled choices, a decent wine list, and a pet-friendly patio. The menu includes a selection of bar appetizers, smoked ribs, fresh salads, fried seafood, burgers and sliders, sandwiches, pizza (from a brick oven), along with steak and tuna dinners, and desserts.

Try the tequila lime shrimp in olive oil and tequila lime butter served with mushroom rice and sauteed vegetables, or the generous fried shrimp basket.

Irie’s Island Food, 503 N. Alister St., is a tiny building with a big menu: Po'boys, burgers, chicken sandwiches, tacos, salads and hot dogs. Eat at one of the 10 or so tables inside or several large picnic tables outside, or get your meal to-go and hit the beach (isn’t that why you’re here?).

Expect to struggle to finish the enormous patty inside the Mister Crab sandwich.

Expect to struggle to finish the enormous patty inside the Mister Crab crab cake sandwich.

Old timers with fresh faces
Long-time Port A standby Seafood and Spaghetti Works recently opened at a new location, 910 Highway 361, a few doors down from its old one. The original location opened as a water slide complex in summer of 1979 — just in time for the Ixtoc oil spill in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche, which pretty much shot the tourist season for Port Aransas that year. That October, owner Jay Kenigsberg turned the place into a restaurant called Spaghetti Works, changing it to Seafood and Spaghetti Works five years later to reflect changes to the menu.

The new building, finished in May 2013, is octagonal in homage to the former location’s dome, originally built to serve as a game room for the water park. Inside, is a large, open room with a high ceiling, a generously sized bar and a gift shop.

On the menu you'll find calamari, peel ‘em shrimp, crab cakes and other appetizers; pizza and pasta dishes (spaghetti of course, along with manicotti and more); shrimp, fish and oyster tacos; burgers, fish dishes and more. The bar whips up specialty drinks including variously flavored margaritas and coladas, and a refreshing mojito.

Long-time fans will miss the multi-levels, but will be pleased to see the familiar soup and salad bar and hot bread drawers.

The Phoenix, formerly Cafe Phoenix on Beach Street, is moving to the old Pelican’s Landing restaurant at 345 N. Alister St. While the dining room isn’t quite finished, The Phoenix is currently serving food and cocktails on the outside deck.

Soon, fans will once again be able to order fresh Mediterranean cuisine such as Greek salads, gyros, sandwiches and desserts.

Shrimp and artichokes from Seafood and Spaghetti Works.

Seafood and Spaghetti Works Port Aransas

Courtesy of Seafood and Spaghetti Works Facebook

Shrimp and artichokes from Seafood and Spaghetti Works.

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Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

san antonio tejano music museums hall of fame music openings