Delicious Dining with Magnificent Views of Laguna Madre Bay Can be Found at The Painted Marlin Grille
Welcome to South Padre Island’s newest waterfront restaurant, The Painted Marlin Grille, where you can dine island style.
The first thing you notice when you see this eatery is the bright blue awning and orange & blue sign highlighting a stark white building. If that won’t get you in the island mode, the open, airy indoor/outdoor alfresco interior will. The brightly painted fish art, chairs in primary colors and the smell of fresh fish cooking will heighten your senses and let you know you have arrived to the island.
So the first order of business is to pick a tropical cocktail which they make from scratch. Sit, sip and RELAX! Try their Spiked Grapefruit Fizz, a Grapefruit highball trifecta. Or just a Margarita on the rocks made with fresh squeezed valley limes.
Know what would go great with those drinks? You got it, appetizers! So let’s go for something fishy, since that’s why we came to the Island, right.
Sushi-grade Ahi Tuna, seared and sliced to perfection should definitely be a choice. With a side of soy sauce and wasabi, pickled ginger and lemon, you have to dig in immediately, am I right?
The Wild Shrimp Cakes with zucchini slaw will also be calling your name. The wild caught Gulf shrimp are so fresh they are almost jumping. Mixed with chopped veges seared then baked just right, these four cakes will pair with that Grapefruit Fizz. The cakes come with melted butter and a house made sauce that will have you wanting to bribe the chef for the recipe before you leave.
But I warn you, you should only get one order of appetizer to share cause the main entrees are pretty big. I suggest the catch of the day, which today was snapper. They have a Cook Your Catch selection which is something to consider if you like to fish. They will prepare your fish how you like it (fried, grilled or blackened). With this you get a choice of side and hush puppies. And just to let you know their house made sweet potato fries are the best this food writer has ever eaten.
If you like dessert, and I do, try their twist on the Key Lime Pie. The Padre Lime Pie is made with mango so it’s sweeter and not so tart. Served with a raspberry drizzle, this is the bomb!
For you boaters, The Painted Marlin has a dock & dine feature.
They also offer vegetarian and vegan options.
**Full Disclosure: I received lunch in exchange for my review, but not to worry, all opinions are 100% mine.
Location:
202 W Whiting St, South Padre Island, TX 78597
Phone: (956) 761-2977 or 956-761-1979
Hours:
Sunday 11am – 9pm
Monday – Tuesday 11am – 8pm
Wednesday – Thursday 11am – 9pm
Friday – Saturday 11am – 10:30pm
