Shipwreck Grill — Restaurant in Bryan

I hate to give these types of reviews. I'm a chef and a restaurant owner so I know the business inside and out. I know what to expect wherever I go and rate the establishment accordingly. The reason I decided to eat here is because I really enjoy 3rd on Main, which is owned by the same company. I arrived just after lunch and sat at the bar inside the boat. The service was great, I was quickly greeted by the bartender and I ordered a cocktail which was also very good. Mixed rums, pineapple, OJ. From the moment I sat down I could smell the distinct odors of raw oysters, shrimp, and crawfish sitting in icy water inside coolers behind the bar. Reminded me of a camping and fishing trip at the lake. Nothing I want to smell while sitting in a restaurant having lunch. I ordered jalapeno poppers as an appetizer. They were small, overcooked, and tasteless. All I could taste was the heat of the jalapeno. Nothing else. I also ordered fried fish and shrimp with fries, hush puppies and black beans? I have no idea why they serve black beans with fried seafood. They weren't bad but it should have been Cole Slaw. The fish seemed old, very over fried to the point it was chewy and rubbery. No taste. The shrimp was the same, old, small, over fried, and tasteless. The only decent thing were those crazy black beans that shouldn't have been there in the first place. This platter was $18 dollars. I have had better seafood at Long John Silver's. Now with all that being said, they have alot of other items like sandwiches, burgers, salads, and ettouffee and these items could be great, unfortunately the seafood I ordered was awful and I was very disappointed. I'm giving 2 stars for the good service I received but ultimately I'm not there for the service. That is expected. I'm there for the food. Which was lacking greatly. My bill was about $90 dollars and after the tip I spent about $115. Very disappointed in this entire experience. I'll stick to 3rd on...

Shipwrecked review

If you like people commenting on how much you’re eating and drinking, this is the place for you!!!

We started off strong with our meal order — I ordered a half order of gumbo and half order of etoufee. Our waitress said “that won’t be too much - if I can eat it, then you DEFINITELY can!”. Kind of offensive, but we continue on. Innocent mistake.

Our appetizer comes out: boudin - YUM! We asked for plates - never got them. But again, we soldiered on. Boudin was very dry. Not a lot of flavor. Disappointing, but we are looking forward to our entrees.

My man ordered the Walk the Plank Burger - if you’ve ever had a Salisbury steak TV dinner, you will LOVE this dish. Because it was just one of those slapped on a bun. Thank goodness it came with sauce to add some sort of flavor to the dish. And as for the blackened crawfish tails? it came with FOUR WHOLE CRAWFISH TAILS. Awesome!!!

Now. The gumbo. Talk about flavorless dish water. I added some tobasco and salt, two things I liked, and ate several bites before abandoning it. The shrimp were the most flavorful part, but they were mush. The Etoufee was better, but still not great. I counted three crawfish in the entire dish. It had a very strong tomato taste.

All the while, we were having the strangest interactions with our waitress asking us to rate the restaurant and not taking “no thank you” for an answer.

We didn’t say anything to our waitress and chalked it up as a loss. It happens when trying new places. Just wasn’t for us, we will survive.

But then when the waitress asked if we wanted boxes and we declined, her demeanor completely shifted. She practically slammed our plates together, cleared the table, and stomped off. She didn’t say a word to us for the rest of the interaction, silently going through the motions.

We will never be back. As for our rating, it’s a zero from us. Most disappointing $70 we’ve...

I am not one to leave negative reviews, but I feel like I need to share my recent dining experience. I am perplexed by the positive rating this restaurant has received, as this was not my first disappointing visit there. I was so underwhelmed by this visit that I decided it would be my last.

I arrived at around 4 pm and was the only diner in the restaurant. I hadn't eaten all day, so I ordered half a dozen oysters to start. I watched as they were taken out of an old ice chest that held multiple trays of already-shucked oysters stacked on top of each other in ice. Initially, I wasn't concerned until I looked closer at the oysters and tasted them. Some were sticky and didn't taste right. They did not taste or feel fresh, but I ate them and regretted it. I prayed away food poisoning as I waited for the fried seafood platter I ordered, which included fish, shrimp, oysters, diablos (shrimp and jalapeno wrapped in bacon), and fries.

The shrimp and fries were okay, but the oysters were floury, not fried crisp, and didn't have a good smell or taste. The diablos were overcooked and hard as a rock, and the fish were strips of densely textured fish (maybe tilapia). They were not the light and flaky fish catfish I expected. The side salad I ordered was fresh and the only appealing item that arrived. The balsamic vinaigrette/blue cheese dressing was great, but everything else was a flop.

I commend the waitress/bartender for providing excellent service and left her a generous tip on top of the $80 tab. Still, the food quality and preparation were not up to par, so I don't see myself returning. I understand they are moving to their building across the street. While the change in building and atmosphere is much needed, I'm hopeful their focus will be on improving and maintaining the...